Stand-up white water paddleboarding to star at Fort William Mountain Festival

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One of the leading exponents of the nerves-of-steel extreme sport of white water stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) is among the stars of the Fort William Mountain Festival, whose 20th anniversary programme was announced on Monday.

Sam Garthwaite and paddleboarding partner Cameron Hopkin will present their short film Runnable at an event at the four-day festival in February. It will also feature Ardnamurchan-based wildlife cameraman and Strictly Come Dancing winner Hamza Yassin, record-breaking mountain runner Jamie Aarons and adventure filmmakers Emma Crome and Hamish Frost.

Mr Garthwaite, lead instructor at the Willowgate Activity Centre in Perth, who has been white water paddle boarding for five years, originally trained to teach kayaking. He said the new sport was similar but had greater edge.

He said: “You’re elevated, you’re standing, not sitting. Everything feels bigger – the consequences can be higher. Paddleboarding gives me the same feeling skateboarding used to give me.”

However, Mr Garthwaite warned that the sport required rigorous safety preparation, such as for negotiating 20ft-high waterfalls in Glencoe.

He told the Total SUP website: "I paddled whitewater for a few years before the waterfalls and drops became a thing.

"The extreme is what I love to watch, and there’s not a huge amount of people doing these things on a board, so my friends and I are kind of in a position where if we want to watch that kind of content, we have to create it.

Sam Garthwaite negotiating a waterfall on the River Etive in Glencoe. (Photo by Jake Garthwaite)

"Having the opportunity and being at a point where I can push the sport while it’s still in its infancy and seeing what happens is super exciting. I love the idea of leaving a mark and being respected in the community for what I’ve done on my board.”

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Mr Garthwaite, who uses a 9ft inflatable paddleboard, said preparation included checking the depth of the water at the foot of waterfalls and ensuring there were no hidden rocks or debris.

He said: “One of the major risks involved with being on a SUP in a gorge, are the undercuts. If you don’t read the water right and you haven’t realised that there is a possibility of undercuts in those areas, there is a chance you could be sucked into and held in small caves or bowls."

Sam Garthwaite white water paddle boarding. (Photo by Silviu Dascalu)

Mr Garthwaite said that while the sport was in its “relative infancy”, it was attracting snowboarders and skateboarders. He told Paddling Magazine: “It’s quite similar to skateboarding – if you have the right momentum and speed, you can grab air, and it’s almost like you have glue on your feet.”

The festival’s biggest-ever line-up, which runs from February 15 to 18, also includes events featuring base jumper Tim Howell and long-distance runner Jenny Tough.

Festival co-ordinator Anna Danby said: "The overriding aim of the festival is to encourage everyone to be inspired by, respect and protect our natural landscape and, with our 2024 programme we are confident that all our visitors will leave feeling motivated to do just that."

Runnable will be shown at Nevis Centre at 5.30pm on Sunday February 18.