2023-07-08 20:06:58
The deployment of equipment providing self-service stand-up paddleboards on the beaches of French-speaking Switzerland shows the enthusiasm for this activity. Since 2022, a French-speaking start-up has installed 18 stations, including three recently on the shores of Lake Neuchâtel. However, this system raises security issues.
The start-up Equip provides paddles from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week and without reservation for the price of 15 francs per hour. This fast service seduced Vanessa Geronimi for its flexibility. “The equipment is already there, there is no need to wear it so it’s really nice to be able to spend a moment of disconnection”, she testifies Wednesday in the 12:45 of the RTS.
If for her, paddling standing on the water is easy, the activity is not without risks. To guard once morest this, the designers put forward several conditions of use designed with the authorities. Quentin Geromin, Equip Operations Manager, recommends putting on a life jacket, although it’s not mandatory, and checking the weather forecast beforehand.
“The objective of these services is that it benefits people who have already done stand-up paddleboarding. You also have to know how to swim”, he underlines at the microphone of the RTS.
>> Read also: How stand up paddle is colonizing Swiss lakes
500 paddleboard accidents per year
According to Suva, around 500 paddle accidents are recorded each year. A question therefore arises: does putting this equipment in self-service entail any risks? For Nicolas Droz, stand-up paddle instructor, it is essential to teach beginners the basic rules. “The first rule is never to leave the floating board. It’s a lifesaving device,” he explains.
And to add: “With the democratization of the lake, we take the risk of having people who have no idea of anything. We see that 90% of practitioners do not know how to row well. This means that they will get tired faster and have less fun.”
Each year, the cantonal police of Neuchâtel recall the rules of paddling, namely to pay attention to exhaustion and hydrocution.
Jeanne Gerbault/hkr
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