Light Board Corp’s Gerd Weisner on new PARADOXA designs, SUP Alps Trophy 2026 race calendar & team momentum

Photo by Andy Klotz

Kicking off the new season with momentum, Light Board Corp – pioneers of hollow board construction and ongoing organisers of the SUP Alps Trophy series, featuring the highly hyped Lake Rocks Festival stop – has moved fast to lock in key dates for 2026. This makes it easy for athletes and SUP enthusiasts alike to plan their schedules well in advance. With ICF qualifying events and the exciting addition of the Lago di Alpi weekend serving as the German Championship, the calendar is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and most welcoming yet.

Gerd Weisner – The Lake Rocks Festival 2025 | Photo by Andy Klotz

We caught up with Light Board Corp Boss and racer Gerd Weisner to weigh in on the upcoming season, the latest PARADOXA designs, and the current state of SUP racing. After a breakthrough 2025, where the Light Board team – dubbed the “Army of Amateurs” – transformed into a powerhouse by claiming multiple world titles, the buzz around this tight-knit crew can only keep growing.

Light Board Corp Team: In front Manuel Lauble, followed by Peter Weidert, Normen Weber and Benyam Bossack | Photo by Andy Klotz

Hi Gerd, you had an amazing 2025, with the team’s performance skyrocketing and finishing strong with multiple world titles. Can you walk us through how the season unfolded?

The first big race was the Spring Race in Comacchio, Italy, also an ICF World Qualifier, where we took several podiums. A highlight was Normen Weber’s 3rd place in the Open Class Tech Race, along with podiums from Szabolcs Fodor in Master 40 and myself in Master 50.

Next, we moved to our pinnacle event, The Lake Rocks Festival at Villach Faaker See, Austria, part of the SUP Alps Trophy tour we organize and also an ICF World Qualifier. There were many outstanding moments, and I vividly remember Normen winning the in-and-out sprint race against Donato Freens and Phaedon Doukas, taking 2nd in the long distance, and breaking his shaft in the tech race after a crash with Phaedon just as he was poised to win.

Normen Weber | Photo by Andy Klotz

On a positive note, Benyam Bossack, our young rising star, took 3rd behind Donato and Michael Booth in that tech race. We also scored more wins and podiums in the Masters classes with Hermann Husslein, Szabolcs Fodor, Manuel Lauble, and Peter Weidert.

Benyam Bossack | Photo by Andy Klotz

Throughout the season, we achieved massive results, with 7 World Titles and 15 podiums at the ICF SUP World Championships alone.

You’ve launched new designs for the 14×20-width PARADOXA, completing the full quiver with impressive results backing the board’s performance. Can you share some standout moments from paddlers using these new models?

We started the season by giving the team first-time access to all five dimensions of the PARADOXA. Beyond shape and construction, offering five dimensions unlocked a new level of performance for many paddlers. Once they gained confidence in the board’s incredible stability, most found they could easily move down one dimension smaller and paddle faster.

Normen Weber won all titles at the German Championships, with the rest of the team securing wins and vice-championships in their age classes – further proving the board’s performance at the international SUP Alps Trophy races and overall rankings.

Confidence was high as we focused on the season finale, the ICF World Championships in Abu Dhabi. I was sure we’d see many titles ahead, and the results for a small boutique race brand were incredible: 15 podiums and 7 world titles.

Vadim Korobov earned Vice World Champion, using the PARADOXA 21 for the first time in the sprint final, missing gold by just 7/100 seconds. Manuel Lauble dominated as World Champion Master 40 in both Sprint and Long Distance. Peter Weidert, “the gentle giant” of Master 50, won the sprint and tech race and took 2nd in Long Distance (And yes, I was in that race too – racing high noon in Abu Dhabi is special).

Manuel Lauble | ICF SUP Worlds 2025, Abu Dhabi

Francisco Giusti from Argentina became the Tech Race World Champion in the Master 40 division, with Hermann Husslein earning Bronze. Benyam Bossack, our 16 year old junior competing against 18-year-olds, took Bronze in the Tech Race.

Hermann Husslein | ICF SUP Worlds 2025, Abu Dhabi

Edith Turcotte from Canada booked a PARADOXA 21, raced it for the first time, and won two ICF World Championship titles in the Master 50 division. Her teammate Chris Stinger (Master 50) took Vice World Champion in Sprint, and Tomas Varnas from Lithuania placed 3rd – clean podiums for the team.

For 2026 deliveries, we’ve made small adjustments to the PARADOXA’s internal construction. From my perspective, the board was already the strongest, stiffest, lightest, and most durable SUP available, but we found subtle improvements to make it even better.

This hollow board is built in an autoclave with four layers of unidirectional carbon – no fiberglass. This layup is unique in the SUP world. The weight reflects our raw construction, with some colours weighing between 8.5 and 9 kg, and paddlers can add weight if needed, as seen at the World Championships.

Imagine – I shipped my two PARADOXA boards (22” & 23”) to the Abu Dhabi World Championships by sea freight well in advance. Meanwhile, Normen gave me the first 23” we built in 2023 (serial no. 001), and it still feels brand new.

We’ll keep enjoying the incredible acceleration of these super lightweight, fast, stiff, stable, and durable boards.
All boards are available in a wide range of custom colours (we have about 90 proposals), and paddlers can choose between 2 or 4 drainage tubes. For ocean racing, we recommend 4; for lakes and rivers, 2 is enough. All design proposals can be found here.

You got out in front by announcing the SUP Alps Trophy 2026 circuit early, and registrations are already pouring in – could you share a sneak peek of what paddlers can expect this season?

Most of you know that we don’t just build premium SUP race boards – we also organise one of the most inclusive and exciting race circuits in the world – The SUP Alps Trophy, with participation from paddlers representing 20+ nations.

SUP racing is more than alive. I truly recommend everyone experience the camaraderie and atmosphere of racing. It’s an incredible community – on the water we battle it out, but before and after the race, it feels like family.
All SUP Alps Trophy 2026 events have already been announced, and registration is open for races including The Lake Rocks Festival, Graz River Days, Lago Di Alpi (also the International German Championships), SUPALOT, Adria SUP Challenge and the Legend of Ox event.

International paddlers take note: It may be one of the largest SUP race festivals of 2026. TotalSUP’s own Mathieu Astier, will once again host the event, including the live stream.

Photo by Andy Klotz

You’ve been very open about the current state of the SUP racing scene and have become something of a spokesperson for the Masters division – what’s your perspective on where the sport stands?

Some media claim that SUP racing is in decline and that the best days are behind us. I absolutely disagree. Beyond Europe, the sport is growing strongly in Asia, with a very healthy racing community in the States (just take a look at the Florida scene), as well as Canada and South America, based on what I’ve seen at recent championships.

Let’s make it even bigger. No matter your age or where you paddle – racing, camaraderie, surfing, regatta life – we’re all part of the same sport.

Photo by Andy Klotz

Thank you Gerd, we can’t wait to join you at the Lake Rocks Festival in May!

Photo by Andy Klotz

To find out more about LIGHTBOARDCORP® designs, visit lightboardcorp.com  and check out our full interview with Gerd Weisner

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Check out the SUP Alps Trophy calendar and register for races here