Did you know that surfing is a year-round sport in Tahoe?
Especially on the north and east shores where our prevailing southwesterly winds stack up the waves. And, thanks to stand up paddle boards and our passion to get out in any type of weather.
With the explosion of stand up paddle boards, even in Tahoe, Marcus Tingle of Kings Beach has made it his mission to bring the surf culture and Polynesian spirit to Tahoe through his surf shop (yes, open year-round) and clothing line called Adrift Tahoe.
Adrift’s mission is to pay tribute to the art and culture of the people who created surfing.
Although he lived in Tahoe as a kid, Marcus started surfing about 15 years ago while living in Santa Monica. While he loved the surfing community, he also missed Tahoe and the mountain culture. When opportunity knocked to open a surf shop for his Adrift clothing label, he headed back to his roots.
Being an avid skier, Marcus and other paddlers know that stand up paddling is an excellent workout for building balance and strengthening the core, upper body and legs. It’s the perfect cross trainer for skiing.
And, there’s nothing like paddling on Lake Tahoe. Nothing. To look down to the bottom of the lake is pure magic. To surf it is surreal.
Besides the thrill of surfing year-round on Lake Tahoe, Marcus parallels our mountain culture with the Polynesian ancient art of surfing that embodies a lifestyle and a people tied to the power and beauty of nature. He chose the symbols of Rapanui (the Easter Island heads) – acutally Moai #51 – as his logo because of their physical beauty and because of the story they represent that is applicable to life today.
Tingle’s Adrift Tahoe store in Kings Beach carries hoodies, tshirts and hats all made with organic cotton, stand up paddle boards, skateboards and snowboards, sandals, and indigenous art from the South Pacific. He even carries a Tiki chess set with hand-carved Tiki gods.
Finally, to do its part to protect the environment, Adrift uses organic and recycled materials whenever possible. “Our goal is to have a 1% fund set up for the ‘Easter Island Statue Project’, which focuses on preserving the quickly eroding Moai and preserving the indigenous Polynesian culture. From there we want to be strong environmental advocates any way that we can, local or global.” states Tingle.
