Meet Santa Barbara surfer and businessman Chris Gutzeit, lending Sol his street cred on water sports. When Chris isn’t busy surfing, stand up paddling, or kite-boarding the worlds best surf breaks, he’s busy applying that life-long knowledge of the water to new innovations, like his Carbonerro Training Rails. Chris shares his tips with us in this exclusive 3 part series.

Part 1. Try Stand Up Paddling

Get out there and try it! You can stand up paddle on a lake, a river, or the ocean, so it doesn’t matter if you live inland or on the coast. Rental shops are everywhere, even in seemingly exclusive ski towns like Mammoth Lakes, California and Park City, Utah.

Next to having fun trying a new sport, the most important part is being safe. Follow these steps to have a great time:

• Check the weather conditions. Make sure there isn’t an off-shore wind or a big swell coming in if you’re on the ocean. Wind, rain and freezing conditions are equally dangerous for beginners learning to stand up paddle on a lake or river.
• Never go alone. No great athletes are self taught. Do yourself a favor and go with a friend who has extra equipment or take a lesson from a pro like Chris.
• Be physically fit. You need to have good balance, agility, and strength to learn to stand up and paddle around on water. Do some dry land training first to make sure you’re prepared to get out on the water. Need some help? California personal trainer Melanie Webb can give you some stand up paddling training tips.