Trailblazing on Water: A fresh outlook on expedition guiding with Yster SUP Rider Ingeborg Mout

With SUP touring in the brand’s DNA, Yster SUP, the premium Swedish SUP brand based in Malmö, is taking another step to democratize stand-up paddleboarding expeditions by teaming up and providing its winning gear to power SUPdriven Expeditions, a new outdoor company offering guided SUP tours through wilderness areas in Sweden.

Following our interview with Leah Richardson,  Co- Founder and Guide at SUPdriven Expeditions, TotalSUP caught up with Ingeborg Mout, Yster SUP Brand Ambassador, SUP Instructor and Guide, based in the Netherlands.

For over five years, Ingeborg has been at the helm of multi-day expeditions, guiding adventurers through breathtaking landscapes with SUP Norway and now embarking on new paths with SUPdriven Expeditions. Here she shares her journey into paddleboarding and SUP guiding, offering a glimpse into the exhilarating experiences that await paddling enthusiasts.

Hi Ingeborg, welcome to TotalSUP! Let’s start from the beginning: How did you get into paddleboarding and SUP guiding?

I have been paddling since she I was gifted a paddle board over ten years ago. I had never heard of SUP and had no idea how to paddle that thing. Sure you can have fun scooping water around, but can you train and do a workout, how do you plan a day tour? There was no suitable instruction available, so I became a flat water SUP Instructor myself. I already had experience as a tour guide. At 15 I instructed at sailing camps in Friesland (in the Netherlands where I live), at 18 I lead snow camps with 40 kids in the Alps, and the free time during my architecture studies I spent leading bicycle tours in Ireland and ski holidays in the Alps. That was the fun, now onto a real job, I thought.

It took me years to realise that your ‘real job’ might be combined with a totally different job. A question popped up during a Christmas dinner at work: “If you could do a different profession for three months a year, what would it be?” There was talk of running a camp site, being an artist. I realised I was already doing my alternate job.

You’re embarking the next chapter this Summer with SUPdriven Expeditions… A cup of coffee started SUPdriven expeditions…

A cup of coffee started SUPdriven Expeditions… At the Norwegian fjords I met Leah Richardson, where we were both guiding a different paddle tour. It was just a brief pass by at seven in the morning, but she made me a coffee – not the instant type – and that was where our like-minds met. A tour in Sweden where Leah lives, led to the inception of SUPdriven.

What are your expectations for the upcoming SUP Driven expeditions?

If you’re into multi-day expeditions, as far as I know there’s no tour that aims for paddlers that average above 4 km/hour in speed. I’m stoked that SUPdriven jumped into this and offers an expedition of 85 km on Sweden’s longest river. They also offer the Lake of a 1000 Islands tour, which takes you out exploring amongst red wooden houses and midnight sun. The tours were fully booked within a week, so now there’s an extra trip that has some places still open. I’m looking forward to letting guests enjoy the scenery and have a fantastic experience.

The ‘Sweden’s Longest River SUP Expedition’ is something completely new. It caters to experienced paddlers who want to paddle more than 15km a day. Yes it’s awesome nature, but I might as well work my body while I’m enjoying it. I haven’t found an expedition yet that is tailored for the sporty types. Well, here it is.

The Lake of a 1000 Islands Expedition takes you to the scenery of Vikings. You’re paddling the waterways that once were their home. For navigation we now have better equipment than a moonstone, and you will need it to find the next camp. To me it’s also about a different saga, that of Pippi Longstocking. The red wooden houses, fields with wild flowers, lakes with rocks to sit on, and like Pippi adventuring with likeminded people, letting time pass by while relaxing on the water.

Longer hours on the board ask for gear with seamless glide and directional stability…

For me a half hour on the board doesn’t do it. Even though I live on a houseboat and can literally jump on a board at any time, I prefer the longer paddles through the outdoors. I look up a tour on the Facebook group SUP Routes NL or Kanoweb.nl.

Two hours is enough, and you need a bit of speed. The Swedish brand Yster SUP is perfect with stable yet slim boards that just continue to glide through the water after every stroke. I recently took the Yster SUP 14×25 Linear inflatable board to Waterland north of Amsterdam, and feared it might be too narrow for Winter temperatures when you really don’t want to fall in.

It took a bit of getting confident, but there was no need for the wider 14×28 that we use for the  SUPdriven expeditions. Last Summer I paddled the Lake of 1000 Islands on Yster 17’3×26. You’d think it’s an unmanageable giant, but I forgot I was paddling a cargo ship once I got up to speed. The only downside was that my bags were too far apart to put my feet up while chilling.

Could you tell us more about your collaboration with Per and the Yster SUP brand?

I met Per Vallbo on the water in Sweden, when we paddled the pilot expedition for SUPdriven. We were paddling the Yster boards he designed, I was impressed by how fast yet stable his boards were. He had already made an impression with the Yster cockpit bag, that I found super cleverly designed. And then he pulled a nifty cooker appliance out of his bag! He’s a coffee addict to and even makes one on his board. We are both also technical and design driven. So we got to talk about what specifics make a good touring board. He’s very precise and wants only the best performance. I believe in his boards and I want to show them to my friends and other paddlers in the Netherlands because it will help them enjoy paddling. I asked if I could help and be an Yster SUP Ambassador and luckily he said “Yes, you are very yster, Ingeborg”. I still don’t exactly know what this Swedish word means, but I made myself believe it’s something like cool and tough.

What it’s like to be a SUP multi-day expedition guide?

It’s just you, your board, your camp gear and jaw dropping gorgeous nature. Multi-day expeditions are an opportunity to live in another world, where life is simple and quiet. As a guide on these multi-day expeditions you live outdoors for several weeks. “Each tour is different. One week it’s the snow melting into waterfalls that’s overwhelming, next time it’s downwind and sheep formed clouds in the sky”, says Ingeborg. “Plus the guests make the tour; each group of individuals turns into a different team. You share first time experiences, that’s a powerful thing. It might also be because you’re brushing your teeth under the midnight sun while overlooking the water together.”

Any downsides to being an expedition guide?

Well, guiding to me is about safety first. That also means feeling safe in a group, being confident you can make the distance, that you have the right gear that will keep you warm and dry. Once you get all these tiny worries out of your head you can really experience and enjoy. I work to get all these worries out of your mind. That’s what’s occupying my mind. When I see happy faces and people helping each other I can start to enjoy and experience this awesome adventure too.

What’s your advice to aspiring paddlers who’d like to get involved in multi-day SUP expeditions? Where should they start?

If you want to become a SUP expedition guide, join an expedition and look from the perspective of the guide. Do you enjoy not only leading the paddling, but also organising food and camp, minding the guests wellbeing, keeping spirits up and helping out in practical, medical and emotional issues? If yes, get your diplomas in order (paddle safety and wilderness first aid), get experience in guiding groups. Then find your dream expedition and be bald, contact the company with your personal application. You might start as an assistant guide, but there’s your chance. Just go for it.

Thank you for your time and insight Ingeborg! We can’t wait to follow your first SUP expedition of the season!

Explore Yster SUP quiver at www.ystersup.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Instagram

Follow SUPdriven Expeditions on Instagram 

To find out more about SUPdriven Expeditions, visit supdriven.com

Follow Ingeborg Mout on Instagram

*Images courtesy of Ingeborg van Lieshout