MEC Big Chop Summer Paddle Series

What up, Big Chop community? Hope you're all doing awesome! It's been a while and I just wanted to share an event that you might be interested in checking out since it involves a SUP stage.

Conquer the Vedder, BC's newest multi-sport race, has launched and this race challenges participants to paddle (SUP), ride (gravel) and run (trail) over a fully flagged 48km (solo) or 53km (relay team) course. The race is set for May 7/8 in spectacular Cultus Lake region.

I was just looking through the photo galleries from the Big Chop and it sure brought back a lot of great memories. Miss you all!

Cheers,
Bryan

Event Producers: Coast Mountain Trail Running

Conquer the Vedder - Coast Mountain Trail Running Join us on a journey around Sasamat and Buntzen lakes as we retrace much of the Diez Vista route via shorter options. The long course will take in the incredible Diez Vista views while the short course will go Sasamat to Buntzen and back via a mix of old classics and new additions to the trail netwo...

To the Big Chop community,

Well, after 12 amazing seasons, the Big Chop Summer Paddle Series has come to an end. This is a very sad moment for us as we've had so many incredible moments over our 120 race history and we didn't want the fun to end.

The Big Chop began in 2007 when Ryan Pogue and Bryan Tasaka met at the Gary Parsons' OceanMan race and somehow decided that we wanted to create a paddle series that was simply fun and inclusive. We 'borrowed' Bob Putnam's TNR concept and found a champion in Mark Kelly who brought MEC to the table as our title sponsor.

In Big Chop's long run, we never had to cancel a race (although, there was one where we should have...), we served up thousands of hotdogs and cold cans of beer, and I'm sure we're responsible for a few relationship hookups (comment below if you were one of them!). We even saw paddle boards become 'a thing'!

We are thankful for meeting so many awesome paddlers over the years and for the support we've received from our many generous sponsors, hard working volunteers, and fantastic racers. We would like to give extra thanks to the members of Vancouver Ocean Sports for hosting us, to the Fraser Riverkeeper for being our community partner, to the staff at MEC for coming out to every race and helping with the rentals and running the clinics, and to Jeannie, Chrissy, Bonnie and Kelli for your YEARS of being the backbone of the series.

We wish you all the best and we will miss you all -- especially on those warm summer Thursday nights.

Big Thanks!
Bryan, George & Stu

Big thanks to Jon Benjamin Photography for not only coming out and racing, but for taking these great shots from the post-race festivities.

Photos from the final race of the MEC Big Chop Summer Paddle Series. Please feel free to share and tag your friends.

Photos by Bryan Tasaka

if you want to paddle tonight, and need a rental, we MIGHT have one available. We're getting a few last minute cancellations. Please email [email protected].

CALL FOR HELP!

The final race is a BIG one so we need a few more awesome people to help us with the event. if you would like to volunteer, we need help on the food and beer stations. Please DM or email [email protected]. All volunteers get a food ticket and are eligible for special volunteer prizing.

I also need someone who's really good with Instagram. Someone who can do the STORY for the night. You get to ride on the boat and see the action up close. If you're interested, please DM the Big Chop on Instagram (that's the first test to see if you know how to use it and you're not just looking for a boat ride ;0).

Let's do the Sand Barge course for the final race of the season. It's simple and great for getting lots of photos of everyone. We'll open registration at 5:45pm as it will be a super busy night on registration, so please arrive early. See you soon!

The Mt Seymour Candy Cup returns for one final week. Race with your kid for a chance to win some great prizing from including a Seasons Pass!

The feast of all feasts is coming to the final MEC Big Chop of the season. Harry and Kathleen from WazSUP will be bringing in big trays of Indian food like butter chicken, chicken tandoori, samosas, naan, rice and more! Come hungry!

it was another night of great memories on the water for the 9th race of the MEC Big Chop Summer Paddle Series. Enjoy the photos and be sure to tag your friends so they can see themselves at action.
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Photos: Bryan Tasaka