Lake Ohrid SUP Сrossing 2024

Macedonian SUP Adventure vs Union Paddlers

Macedonia is a land of contrasts: high snowy mountains reflected in calm translucent waters, fast running rivers flowing into tranquil and deep lakes, long steamy summers and fun frosty winters simply made for SUP. Whenever and wherever you decide to go stand up paddling, explore, be adventurous and enjoy a completely new and unseen side of nature. 

23km PRO Race ( Hardboards )

This category is for paddlers joining the race with Hardboards. All racers will have a standing water start which is marked by the 2 Mistral buoys. The riders have 2 checkpoints where they will need to pass by before making a strong finish at the city of Ohrid. The top 3 riders from last year’s edition all finished within 1 min of each other. Amazing tempo from all the riders on this flat water 23km race. The cut off time is 5h for all participants in the 23km race. 

23km Race ( Inflatables )

This category is limited to boards up to the size of 14′, and same as the PRO riders they’ll be limited to only using single blade paddles. These paddlers will have 2 checkpoints where they need to pass by before making a strong finish at the city of Ohrid. On the last edition, Ales Veronig set a new record for the paddlers using inflatables with an incredible time of 3:20min so to finish the 23km course. The cut off time is 5h for all racers. 

26km Adventure ( Recreational Paddlers )

The ADVENTURE is meant for recreational paddlers and it’s our most popular format. It’s a guided group tour from our club members from Paddle Klub and the whole ‘Crossing’ lasts from 6 to 8 hours depending on the number of people registered and the weather conditions that day. This category is limited to 100 paddlers. The 2023 edition featured paddlers from 15 different countries. Since this is a guided group crossing, It is mandatory to paddle alongside the coastline of Lake Ohrid, not more than 50m away from the beach. This means that shortcuts and deviation from the route set by the Organizer are not allowed. All registered participants must follow our team’s instructions and must not separate from the group of paddlers. In collaboration with the Red Cross, the Organizer is providing trained rescue and first aid personnel who will be shadowing the participants throughout the event by boat. The cut of time is 8h.

The Paddle Klub website details the LAKE OHRID SUP CROSSING 2024 event. It’s an annual paddleboarding event across Lake Ohrid, featuring two categories: a 23km race for professional and amateur paddlers, and a 26km adventure for recreational paddlers. The adventure, guided by club members, lasts 6-8 hours and is limited to 100 participants. The event’s route includes passing through various villages, ending in the City of Ohrid. Registration was open from October 2023 to June 2024, with different fees for early, regular, and last chance registration. More information is available at Event official link