This page is a summary of our most recent posts about Kai Lenny

Superstar: Kai Lenny Just Became the First Paddler to Hit 100,000 Followers on Instagram

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Kai-Lenny-SUPAs if it wasn’t obvious enough already, it’s now official: Kai Lenny is the biggest star in the world of stand up paddling. Today, Kai hit the magic 100k mark on Instagram, amassing more followers than any other paddler in the world.

Kai joined Instagram on the 21st of October, 2011, or 220 weeks ago. With 2,153 posts in the past four years, Kai is a bit of an Instagram junkie to say the least. And it’s paying off. Just 18 months ago he had a mere 25,000 followers, while he was only just north of 50k this time last year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hits 200,000 followers by December.   → READ MORE

Noa Ginella’s Tour Notes: Behind the Scenes with the Young Guns of SUP

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Noa Ginella Tour Notes SUP videoCheck out this great little behind-the-scenes clip from everyone’s favourite SUP freesurfer/indie film maker, Noa Ginella.

The reel includes a who’s who from the world of the “young guns” – incl. Kai Lenny, Kody Kerbox, Connor Baxter, Mo Freitas, Tucker Ingalls and Riggs Napoleon – as they battle it out at the Huntington Beach Pro and just basically kinda enjoy life in general. Oh and it also features Kai taking an ice bath (so that’s the secret).   → READ MORE

The BOP-Pocalypse: Massive Changes to the World Rankings as We Finally Say Goodbye to the Battle of the Paddle

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

BOP-pocalypse explosion
Twelve months ago to the day, we were standing on the shore of Salt Creek beach watching some of the most spectacular, carnage-fueled racing in the history of stand up paddling. The 2014 Battle of the Paddle was an epic event. Not only for the all-time conditions but also the all-time field of competitors, which gave it a massive weighting on the SUP Racer World Rankings.

But when the BOP announced earlier this year that it wouldn’t be returning, it set in motion a ticking time bomb known as the BOP-pocalypse, with almost all of the top paddlers set to lose a big bag of points on the day the Battle was removed from the rankings system. That day is today…   → READ MORE

Candice Appleby, Kai Lenny Win the Hayama pro in Japan

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

stand up world series japanResults are in from Japan, where the World Series is holding the second of its four stops this year. The Hayama Pro has attracted an elite little group of the world’s best young (and a few not so young) paddlers, including Kai Lenny, Connor Baxter, Candice Appleby and Fiona Wylde.

Click through for the final standings…   → READ MORE

Mid-Year World Rankings: Travis Grant Is Number One (And There’s A Flaw In The System)

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

ISA Worlds
And just like that, it’s August. This year has flown by. Seems like only yesterday we were getting excited about the first major race of the year, the Carolina Cup. That was four months ago.

We’re now halfway through the international stand up paddling “season,” which loosely runs from April to October (with a couple of outposts in December). Carolina, OluKai, the Worlds, the Euro Tour, Payette and Molokai have already been run and won, while we’ve still got the Gorge Paddle Challenge, Pacific Paddle Games and a few World Series races to look forward to.

So because we’re halfway through the year, I thought it’d be a good time to analyse the best paddlers of 2015 so far.   → READ MORE

The Showdown Purge: 12 Months After The Second Biggest Race Of 2014, Changes To The World Rankings

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Ultimate SUP Showdown 2014Despite there being no big races this weekend there have still been a few changes to the SUP Racer World Rankings.

Why? Because it’s been exactly 12 months since the 2014 Ultimate SUP Showdown was held, which means it’s now time for that event to be purged from the system. And considering it was the second highest scoring race of 2014, the Showdown’s removal has had a big impact on the Men’s Top 100 and Women’s Top 50 Leaderboards.   → READ MORE

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Buy ‘Em: The Amazing Story Of Kai Lenny’s Secret Plan To Win Molokai

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Kai Lenny Molokai SUPKai Lenny really wants to win Molokai. He really, really wants to win. So much so that he and his sponsors went to extraordinary lengths to achieve greatness this year.

To understand this story is to understand how incredibly driven, determined and extraordinarily competitive Kai Lenny is. It’s a story of winning at all costs. But it’s also a story of mutual respect and admiration between two incredible ocean athletes, as you’ll discover at the end.   → READ MORE

Molokai 2 Oahu: Travis Grant And Sonni Honscheid Triumph In Grueling Conditions

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

TRAV FB

Travis Grant and Sonni Hönscheid have just won the most prestigious race of the year: The Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships in Hawaii. Travis claims his second title in three years to stamp himself as one of the greatest paddlers in the sport, while Sonni Honscheid deserves she belongs up there with the best after going back-to-back.

With some of the slowest and most grueling conditions in recent memory (there was virtually no wind at all), Travis outlasted Kai Lenny and Lincoln Dews for the men’s solo unlimited crown, while Sonni held off an impressive Annabel Anderson, who took second place over the line despite paddling a stock 14 footer.    → READ MORE

What You Missed In… Spain: Connor Continues His European Domination

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Barcelona Stand Up World SEriesThis is part of our “What You Missed In…” series that we’ll be running today, where we update a bunch of races that we failed to cover in the past few weeks.

After a string of delays and cancellations, the 2015 Stand Up World Series finally got started in Barcelona two weeks ago (June 27/28), with Connor Baxter and Candice Appleby proving too strong for the well assembled field of elite athletes.   → READ MORE

Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships Start List Revealed (And It’s Stacked…)

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Molokai 2 Oahu Stand Up Paddleboard raceToday saw the release of the 2015 Molokai 2 Oahu Paddleboard World Championships official start list. And it’s looking mighty stacked.

Some people were worried the new lottery system – introduced this year to deal with unprecedented demand – would thin out the field for the 19th annual edition, however I can safely say this will be the most competitive M2O of all time.    → READ MORE

What Are Four Of The World’s Top Ranked Paddlers Doing In New Zealand This Week?

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Connor Baxter Stand Up PaddlingResults are in from one of the more exclusive SUP races on the calendar: The Ultimate Waterman, an invite-only event that’s been happening in New Zealand all this week. The competition, which sees 8x elite ocean athletes descend on the country for six days of surfing and paddling, is a made for TV style production that attempts to crown the best all-round ocean athlete.

It has the backing of major companies such as Red Bull and looks to be a fairly high-end affair. And lucky for us, half of the competitors are stand up paddlers.   → READ MORE

Slater Trout vs. Kai Lenny: The Battle To Become The King Of Instagram

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Kai Lenny vs Slater Trout on InstagramIt’s ON!

Kai Lenny vs Slater Trout: Who will get to 60,000 Instagram followers first? And is this the most important SUP race of the year?

I think so…

There’s so much at stake: Pride. Glory. The fleeting attention of thousands of iPhone-wielding teenage girls.   → READ MORE

Battle Of The Brands: How Quickblade And Lahui Kai Won The 2014 Battle Of The Paddle

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Stand up paddling race boardsThe Battle of the Brands. The BOB. It’s the one race a year where virtually all the major brands come together to duke it out for glory, bragging rights and market share.

Our sport (and our industry) is a bit like the Wild West right now: We’re growing so fast that new board and paddle manufacturers are popping up every week. But who’s staking the strongest claim?

I decided to run the numbers and see which boards and paddles the elite guys and girls are choosing today. While throwing a bunch of adrenaline-fueled paddlers into macking surf at Salt Creek isn’t exactly a scientific study of what brand makes the best gear, it does give us an indication of the current landscape. And either way, it’s kinda fun to dig into the stats…   → READ MORE

RESULTS: Kai Wins The Finals @ Turtle Bay, But Connor Baxter And Lina Augaitis Win The 2014 World Series Titles

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Stand Up World Series Turtle BayThe final event of the 2014 Stand Up World Series is happening this weekend has just wrapped up on the North Shore of Oahu. Based out of Turtle Bay, which sits just down the road from famed breaks such as Waimea, Sunset and Pipeline, the World Series Finals will see a very small but hyper-elite band of young guns battle it out in what could be some very interesting conditions.

One week after the all-time, wave-fueled carnage at Salt Creek, the surf at Turtle Bay looks set to throw up another chaotic weekend of racing. Yesterday the North Shore was tipping a solid 10-12 ft plus (20 ft faces) and while the swell is expected to slightly dip today and tomorrow, I’m confident there will be some entertaining chaos to enjoy.   → READ MORE

Video Interview: Connor Baxter Responds To The Battle Of The Paddle/Kai Lenny ‘Handlegate’ Incident

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Connor Baxter Kai Lenny Battle of the PaddleHere’s a very interesting post-Battle interview with Connor Baxter, which includes a lengthy discussion about *that* incident with his arch-rival Kai Lenny. The young Maui superstar lays it out very open and honest, taking us through exactly what happened and giving us his blunt assessment.

You should watch the whole clip but basically: Connor admits he was wrong, accepts responsibility for his actions, even apologises for setting a bad standard for the young spectators on the beach. However Connor also doesn’t hold back in accusing Kai of being a dirty racer, even using the word cheating to describe what happened.   → READ MORE

2014 Battle Of The Paddle RESULTS: Candice And Kai Take The Elite Race, Lina And Danny Salute In The Distance

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Battle of the Paddle Salt Creek 17
We’ve just wrapped up the 2014 Battle of the Paddle here at Salt Creek, California. What a weekend… Action. Drama. Heroics. But most all: Carnage.

Yesterday’s Elite Race saw some of the most exciting stand up paddle racing ever, with a solid south swell rolling into the BOP’s new home of Salt Creek and creating some very memorable moments. Today’s Distance Race was a little mellower, however the performances were just as strong.

Click through for the full results plus the archive of our LIVE BLOG, which includes play-by-play from the racing and plenty of shots of the carnage…   → READ MORE

The SUP Movie: The Stand Up Paddle Movie We’ve Been Waiting For (But It Needs Your Help)

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

The SUP MovieHands up if you wanna see the best young paddlers surfing and racing around the world in a non-stop, action-filled stand up paddle movie?

There have been some great SUP movies before now, but most of them focus on the “history” of SUP and its origins. Apart from slices of the H2O movies and some cool shorts from guys like Dave Boehne and Kai Lenny, there hasn’t really been a stand up paddle movie that focuses entirely on action. Until now.

In a generation of Red Bulls and GoPros, this movie was crying out to be made…   → READ MORE

RESULTS: Connor Baxter Defeats Kai, Jake And Zane To Win The ‘SUP World Cup’ In Germany

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Germany SUP World Cup FehmarnEuro Tour. Week 10. Germany. This weekend it was off to the northern German island of Fehmarn, where the “SUP World Cup” kicked off (see what we did there?) with a small but elite field of talent on display. Saturday saw the sprints while Sunday it was the long distance race, with combined results determining the overall event placings. Despite the small field, there were still a few seriously big names battling it out this weekend.

In Saturday’s sprints the Kai/Connor rivalry clicked into gear straight away, with the two young superstars locked in a duel right to the line. Kai narrowly took the honours on day one, however Connor had other ideas for the distance race on day two.   → READ MORE

This Aerial Video From Maui 2 Molokai Is Quite Literally Epic

posted by Christopher Parker, former Boss Man

Maui to Molokai M2M SUP race videoWe’re right smack bang in the middle of the grand spectacular that is SIC’s Downwind Month, when the world descends on the Hawaiian Islands to chase big bumps and endless glides.

Downwind Month is about having fun in the open ocean no matter how fast you go, though it does happen to feature a string of big, elite races as well. In a week and a half it’s the grand daddy: Molokai 2 Oahu, which we’ll be covering LIVE on July 27th. However last weekend saw another big channel crossing: Maui 2 Molokai, where Connor Baxter defeated the likes of Kai Lenny, Dave Kalama and Travis Grant to claim his 6th straight M2M crown.

And thanks to EPIC Aerial Productions, we can now enjoy the race from above…   → READ MORE