LAKE OHRID SUP CROSSING 2024

Join this magical adventure across one of the oldest and most beautiful lakes in the World, Lake Ohrid in Macedonia, just 2h30 South of the the capital Skopje!

Paddle Klub is organizing the 4th Annual ‘LAKE OHRID SUP CROSSING’. A magical SUP adventure full of sunshine, fresh air, great people, lots of fun, truly the perfect mix of ingredients for an unforgettable event. This ‘Crossing’ is done in three categories, a 23km PRO RACE for paddlers with hardboards, a 23km RACE for paddlers with inflatable boards and our most popular category the 26km ‘ADVENTURE’ for recreational paddlers that will be paddling along the magical coastline of Lake Ohrid.

The 23km RACE for both hardboards and inflatables is a long and demanding challenge for anyone who is into endurance races, definitely a great place to practice for some of the major events on the SUP calendar. Slovenian SUP Racers Luka Kozar and Maja Dolzan hold the records at the moment with some incredible times of 2h 29min 52sec in the men’s PRO category and 2h 54min in the women’s PRO category.

The 26km ADVENTURE is 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.

During this ‘SUP CROSSING’ we will be passing through the famous sites Ljubanishta, Trpejca, Gradishte, Peshtani, Elshani, Lagadin, Konjsko before arriving at our final destination in the City of Ohrid.

L.O.S.C. 2024 is open to anyone that owns their own SUP equipment. All paddlers interested in joining us with tandem or dragon boards, be sure to contact the organizer first. Undoubtedly for this ‘Crossing’ you will need to be properly prepared, luckily we have till the 20th of July to do so.

The date for this ‘LAKE OHRID SUP CROSSING’ event might change to the 19th or the 21st of July depending on the weather conditions during this time of the season. So get paddling and we hope to see you next summer on Lake Ohrid.

Registration is open from September 2023 and it closes in June 2024 one month before the event.

23KM RACES & 26KM ADVENTURE (RECREATIONAL)

– It is MANDATORY to use a safety leash during the whole CROSSING.
– Board length is limited to a maximum of 14´ regardless of the construction and materials.
– Spare paddles are allowed.
– ALL RACERS must stand on their board and paddle. In case of falling, a maximum of 5 paddle strokes are allowed so as to get back on course and on your feet. Paddlers will get 2 warnings before being disqualified from the race.
– Only ONE person is allowed per board, two or more people on one SUP board are NOT allowed.
– Only registered paddlers will be allowed to do the ‘Crossing’, if paddlers registered on L.O.S.C. 2024 get accompanied by other people, not registered for the event, the registered paddler will immediately be removed and disqualified from the event.
– Drinking alcohol during the ‘Crossing’ is NOT allowed and will get you disqualified, you can drink alcohol only after finishing the ‘Crossing’.
– Paddlers under 18 need a legal guardian present throughout the event.- All participants take part at their OWN RISK.
– Organizers and hosts shall not be held liable for any damage to person or property. By registering for this event, all participants affirm that they can swim.
– Race may be modified or stopped by event Organiser if weather or water conditions become too dangerous.
– In case of modification or cancelation of the event due to Force Majeure, the Organizer is not liable for refunds.
– 50% REFUND until December 31st, 2023, and NO REFUND after January 2024.

REGISTRATION FEES

Early Bird Registration (September ‘2023 – December 23 ‘2023): 35€
Regular Registration (January ‘2024 – May ‘2024): 65€
Last Chance Registration ( June ‘2024): 85€

PROGRAMME

5:30AM – 6:10AM: REGISTRATION
Registration starts early in the morning since we are expecting +100 paddlers to be registered for the 2024 edition. Participant who are using ISUPs and are planning to inflate their boards on the beach, need to arrive early and plan time for registration and preparation to enter the water.
6:15AM – 6:30AM: MORNING YOGA SESSION
Take advantage of this opportunity and make sure you properly stretch and calm the mind before taking on this huge challenge.
6:35AM – 6:45AM: BRIEFING
In case you missed the briefing from our team done the day before the event, we’ll do a 10 min briefing on the morning on the event as well.
6:55AM: PRO PADDLERS ASSUMING STARTING POSITION
Racers in the PRO category are taking their position between the two MISTRAL buoys and waiting for the START of the ‘Crossing’ which is marked by the bells of the Monastery of St. Naum.
7:00AM: START FOR PRO RACERS USING HARDBOARDS
Official Race Start.
7:05AM: START FOR RACERS USING INFLATABLES
Racer using inflatable boards are already positioned between the two MISTRAL buoys and are awaiting a whistle brown by our judges so to mark the start for their category.
7:20AM: START FOR ADVENTURERS
The START for our most popular category is marked by the PACE-MAKER and the leader of the group.
4:00PM: AWARDS CEREMONY
The ‘Prize & Awards Ceremony’ will be held at 4pm, after the last person has crossed the finish line and had some time to rest.