Per Vallbo of Yster SUP
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:
As well as hard boards:
Other models will be available in 2026, including in 14’:
Also in iSUP:
Jérôme commented on his top Yster SUP models:
“For me, and based on my build, my preferred boards are:
14’ x 26″ Basalty
Perfect for sporty outings and touring – ideally suited to my usual paddling conditions in terms of weight, speed, and comfort.
ISUP 14’ x 28″
My choice for long-distance or expedition-style paddling, thanks to its ease of transport in portage areas or when traveling by vehicle.
14’ x 25 Naked Carbon
And on the days when I’m chasing pure performance (even as an amateur athlete), this is the board I reach for”.
Yster SUP Naked Carbon
20 Apr 2026
With ultra-endurance and adventure paddlers, what interests us most is digging deeper – in hope of uncovering the core why. The pull towards untouched places, the level of difficulty, the solitude and the cause that drives these challenges – whether environmental activism, specific charity or something more personal. David Haze – aka Nomadic Paddler – […]
19 Apr 2026
Serendipity… it plays a big role in writing about this sport. Each discipline uncovers riders that stay with you – something strikes a chord and you find yourself following their progression without ever having met them in person. It speaks to the diversity of SUP, to the range of characters that shape its culture – […]
9 Apr 2026
There are SUP stories I come across, often by chance, or through a kind of serendipity, that expand my understanding of the sport I write about. There’s also a distinctive trait in endurance and ultra-endurance athletes: a willingness to go deeper, to become vulnerable and to openly share the motivations behind some of the toughest […]
10 Feb 2026
Before the SUP 11 City Tour became one of the most legendary Stand Up Paddle races, there was a quiet, almost forgotten chapter that few people know. In 2008, long before start lines, live tracking or international podium battles, Anne-Marie Reichmann-Totah paddled the entire 11 Cities route alone. No race. No crowd. Just a board, the […]
1 Feb 2026
New dates have been announced and registrations are now open for SUP11 Islands (SUP11 X) – Koh Chang, Thailand, taking place from 30 November to 7 December 2026. Inspired by the iconic SUP 11-City Tour in the Netherlands, SUP11 X was created by Ritske Merkus and Marije Elgersma with a clear mission: to make multi-day […]
18 Dec 2025
In 2024, many looked beyond the headline that read “the race won” when John Batson – the Flying Fish Board Co. rider, waterman with a background in windsurfing and kayak coaching and an accomplished endurance racer with podiums at events such as Chattajack, the Carolina Cup, and the Goat Boater Race Series – missed the […]
4 Dec 2025
Founder-led stories carry a unique weight in any sport – especially when those founders step onto the start line themselves. When leaders test their own equipment in some of the toughest conditions in the world, it shows a level of commitment that goes far beyond product design. That’s exactly the case with Yster SUP, the […]
4 Dec 2025
Welcome to the livestream marathon of Last Paddler Standing 2025 – the most unpredictable, sleep-deprived, edge-of-your-seat SUP race on the planet. Starting December 6 at 9 am at Lake June in Winter, Florida, athletes will paddle a 3.33-mile loop every hour on the hour… and keep going until there’s only one paddler left. No finish […]
1 Dec 2025
Avec un nombre limité de centres de test proposant des démonstrations de planches rigides, le lancement prochain mettant en avant le matériel Yster SUP est une bonne nouvelle. Yster SUP, marque suédoise basée à Malmö, est reconnue pour son accent sur le design et la performance, ainsi que pour son expérience éprouvée dans certaines des […]
