Floating down the Colorado River, there were people (and even a dog) shooting the rapids on stand up paddle boards! It looked so fun! But, unless it’s summer, that water is freezing. So when I found out about Keith Zaring, founder of AKZ Paddle Company, I called him right up. His land boards are a perfect year-round training device for SUP paddleboarding (without continual icy dips in the frigid Colorado rivers and lakes).

Super fun to use—like a wide skateboard with an ingenious land paddle. And it gives you a surprisingly vigorous workout for your core and simulates the balance you need for doing the real thing.

Keith’s a great guy. I explained I wanted to get in shape to be one of those river surfers I had seen, and asked if he thought he could help teach me the basics. He was totally happy to come out with his supercool land paddleboards and give me a starter lesson.

But I was about to get a healthy dose of humility; I’ve never skateboarded in my life, unlike many of my friends. Just was never my thing. Even getting on the board itself was a challenge for me! My wife Julie and our director Stephen Eckleberry, however, were skateboarding circles around me.