Stand up Paddle in Lake Tahoe

Tagged: California, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, Sierra Nevada, Ta-Hoe Nalu Paddle Festival, Tahoe Cup, Tahoe Fall Classic, Usa

Lake Tahoe is one of the most famed and renowned holiday making spots in the USA. Straddling the states of California and Nevada and located at the foot of the breathtaking Sierra Nevada mountain range, the clear blue waters of the United States’ largest Alpine lake have been drawing in tourists in search of relaxation and recreation since time immemorial. Measuring 35 km in diameter and boasting 115 km of coastline, the lake itself is a veritable paradise for watersports enthusiasts of all kinds. To make matters all the more idyllic, the area lays claim to no less than 300 km of sunshine all year round. Of course, Lake Tahoe is not only a sublime backdrop for water-based recreational activity, with people coming from across the North American continent to take advantage of the world class ski resorts that dot the snow-capped mountain range that overlooks the lake. But SUP already has something of an illustrious history in the locality, with a host of well-known local SUP riders originating in the scenic setting and a number of high-profile competitions taking place in the freshwater location.

In fact, such is SUP’s stature in Lake Tahoe that many regard it – alongside Hawaii – as the spiritual birthplace of the sport itself. It is after all the home of the Ta-Hoe Nalu Paddle Festival, the longest-running and one of the largest SUP events in the USA, taking place in the month of August every year on the lake’s north end. Open to experts and beginners alike, the event boasts a variety of competitive races with significant cash prizes, and is a decidedly family-friendly affair. The following month, there is the Tahoe Cup, another annual competitive event series, which includes the Tahoe Fall Classic, a 35 km point-to-point paddle race stretching from El Dorado beach situated at the lake’s southern end to Kings Beach in North Lake Tahoe.

Reflecting the thriving local paddling community in the Lake Tahoe area, myriad SUP board and accessory brands and manufacturers have opened up in the areas surrounding the lake’s most important SUP spots. One such place is South Tahoe Standup Paddle, which was founded by the Brackett family in 2010 and which offers a wide range of boards and accessories, servicing SUP beginners to the most seasoned experts. The company also offers SUP tours and SUP lessons to those eager to improve their SUP capabilities and explore Lake Tahoe in greater depth. Additional local SUP brands inclde SUP-Tahoe Standup Paddle, Adrift Tahoe and Tahoe Paddle & Oar, but the choice is considerable.