With hard-board demo opportunities still limited, Yster SUP’s recent move into the French comes as very welcome news for paddlers.Yster SUP, a Swedish brand based in Malmö, is known for its focus on design and performance, and a proven track record in some of the toughest ultra-endurance races, including the legendary Yukon 1000, Last Paddler Standing, SUP 11-City Tour and Yukon River Quest to name just few.
The new hub and venture, now open in Le Gond-Pontouvre, France, is led by Jérôme Parent, a watersport enthusiast and entrepreneur, who has long followed Yster SUP and whose personal philosophy aligns closely with the brand’s approach.
Jérôme Parent said:“I’ve been been admiring these boards from Sweden for several years – truly impressed by their design, hydrodynamic lines, construction, and the balance they strike between performance, stability, touring, and long-distance paddling, as well as the images of magical expeditions. But unfortunately, I never found a Yster board under my Christmas tree.
So toward the end of 2024, the idea for this project began to take shape internally. Certain events accelerated things in early 2025, and one evening I decided to cross the language barrier, because the ambitions expressed by the Yster brand and its founders aligned perfectly with my values – as did the commitment Per Vallbo brings to the design process and his sporting engagement (the SUP 11-City Tour is a strong example of this).
After that, I was fortunate to experience this summer what was probably the most atypical and magical partnership meeting of my 25-year professional career. It took place on a dock in Sweden, surrounded by wonderful people, phenomenal boards, a light breeze, and radiant late-day sunshine.
It’s truly all these building blocks coming together that led to the idea of creating a test centre – because I felt it was a real shame that nothing like this existed in France”.
Jérôme Parent of Nautique & Business
Per Vallbo, Founder and CEO of Yster SUP, said:“France represents a strong community of dedicated paddlers and I believe that our range of performance boards and innovative solutions will appeal to the growing community of long-distance paddlers. I am impressed by Jérôme’s commitment and I am really looking forward to this partnership”.
The test centre offers the following models for demos:
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