Nicolas Jolicoeur

Who is Nick from the TAIGA club?

I am originally from the Gaspé Peninsula and have been living in Montreal for some time. I studied engineering in Sherbrooke where my greatest distinction was "Master of Disguise". Now I'm starting to look like an old guy with a white beard and a straight peaked cap. Co-founder of a growing company and father of 2 young boys aged 3 and 5, my life is a semi-organized chaos.

An avid traveler, I've been to about 23-24 countries (Hawaii and Guadeloupe in my mind are countries), and in various modes: backpacking poultry for several months, 2 years as an expat, working with my peddler suit, etc. I've been a snowboarding fan for 25 years, I've always been a fan of board sports and the lifestyle that surrounds them (skateboarding, wakesurfing, etc.) and now what's really fun is that with TAIGA we are developing a lot of new toys. I'm kind of the captain of the ship and responsible for the shapes, materials and new products.

When you don’t have both feet in the water, what do you do?    

Well, I spend time on the ground or in the air. 

What is your favorite spot (on the water, obviously) and why?

I have several for different occasions! I love going to the Hampton Beach area (The Wall and Jenness Beach) for mini vacations for a few days. Paddlesurfing waves and sand castles for the kids.

In Quebec, for a change of scenery, one of the coolest places to go is down the Rouge River from Labelle to Conception. It's a 4 hour trip with stops on sandy beaches.

For a quick evening stroll or an afternoon nautical encounter, my favorite places are the Parc de la rivière des Milles in Laval or the Parc des Iles in Boucherville. A 30 minute drive from my home. Bing bang, let's paddle!

Your go-to TAIGA board(s) and why?    

Since I have access to all of TAIGA's equipment, I am spoiling myself!

If you could choose one ‘dream destination’ for paddleboarding, where would it be and why?   

Several spots on my bucket list: paddlesurfing trip to Nosara (Costa Rica), Sayulita (Mexico) or Chicama (Peru). Revisit all my native Gaspesia spots that I haven't had the chance to do yet in SUP. Any spot in the Pacific Islands with clear turquoise water like Tahiti or Polynesia.