Costa Blanca SUP Challenge

COSTA BLANCA SUP

Up Suping Kurro Díaz

This year and getting records of participation in a SUP competition in our country, more than 260 riders paddling in the waters of Alicante in the edition of the Costa Blanca SUP Challenge 2021. And that also not only had a great appeal from being the Spanish Championship of Fesurfing, also the Spanish Cup and the Mediterranean Circuit. Triple reason not to miss this appointment.

CHALLENGE 2021

This event took place over two days at the facilities of the Costa Blanca Nautical Club in Alicante, where in addition to the races, we also had a SUP Village with the presence of major brands in the sector showing their products and even news. The high temperatures of september made an appearance throughout the weekend, with bright sunshine throughout all days. As for the SUP Race competitions, developed during the second day of the event, they were super exciting. We must highlight the great work of the entire organization, which in its second consecutive edition hosting the Spanish Championship, has even surpassed the first; captained by Santi Cantó and his entire team. And with a huge audience present, how could it be otherwise.

The little ones started the Costa Blanca SUP Challenge 2021, with exciting races where these young promises take advantage of the opportunity to measure themselves against partners from different areas of Spain. Competition, sportsmanship and friendship! And taking into account that the Elite and SUB18 categories had to cover 16km, they did not take long to go out on the water, to avoid the high temperatures of the central hours of the day.

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9’2”x293/8” 10’0”x32” 10’6”x32” 10’11”x321/4”

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Our best selling allround SUP – a perfect combination for rst-time wave riders and paddlers looking for fun in light surf.

• Proven outline with semi-pointed surf-style nose and moderate nose lift. • Pulled in round tail for speed, maneuverability and control. • Single to double concave bottom and a light V through the tail, generates speed quickly and maintains smooth ow fr om turn to turn. • Fin box options allow di erent setups to optimize for a wide range of conditions. • The 10’, 10’6” and 10’11” come with two plugs on deck to attach personal otation devices or other gear. • Nose insert for action camera.

After a spectacular start, where they can be reflected in the photos of Kurro Díaz or in the video images from the drone, after a few kilometres I can already see that the competition in these categories would be intense and very technical. The course offered different upwind, downwind and sidewind conditions… but the wind was not really strong; although it was very well used by most of the riders. It was very nice to see the dispute between Esperanza Barreras and Duna Gordillo, where the young woman from Mar Balear Port Adriano was in the wake of the Galician woman for many kilometres… proving that we will have Duna for a long time!

As for the boys, exciting until the end as we are well accustomed to. The andalusians has govern the podium, with the new Spanish Champion Fernando Pérez and Antonio Morillo runner-up, ahead of the great Aaron Sánchez; all of them entering the finish line with little time difference. Finally, Esperanza Barreras managed to be the Spanish Champion in her category for the second consecutive year, ahead of Duna and Izaskun Martin del Campo. Lots of new names every year…it’s amazing!

The SUB18s once again offered us a lot of show, especially between Manuel Hoyuela and Lucas Simoncelli who are very strong this year. The cantabrian, and by a very short margin of time, surpassed the majorcan rider, becoming the Spanish Champion in this category. Sergio Toledo, from Malaga, and with a great performance, closed the men’s SUB 18 podium. And of course, the girls were no less, with an intractable Sonia Caimari climbing to the top of the standings ahead of her teammate Aida Soberbio and Mar Bascuñana.

The Amateurs, SUB14 and SUB16 gathered a very high number of participants in this edition of the Costa Blanca SUP Challenge, where we once again see Iván de Frutos and Elene Etxeberría lead their categories in practically all the events in Spain so far this year, following very closely also to Alexia Soto and Miguel García, riders of the CMS Fesurfing League. Angel Ruizas and Bea Canudas were the winners of the amateur category.

FULL ALBUM

As we said at the beginning of this article, times are changing and advancing. New faces in our sport herald a spectacular future, a material that evolves year after year and that desire to row that never ends. The Costa Blanca SUP Challenge 2021 has brought together SUP in all its aspects. A Spanish Championship that we will never forget.

FULL RESULTS

VÍDEO COSTA BLANCA

Sylvenstein SUP

The leisurely country roads through the valley resemble the eternal vastness of Canada. The Isar meanders through a wide valley surrounded by the Alps. Thus, the journey to our paddling spot is already worth a trip. The idyllic mountain lake glistens in the most beautiful shades of blue as we drive over the small pass next to the dam wall in my old VW bus. What an incredibly beautiful view of the Sylvenstein reservoir. You don’t realize at first glance that this is a reservoir that regulates the Isar River and its water levels to protect cities like Munich from flooding during snowmelt.

In the car, our iSUP’s are well packed in the backpacks, a real route we have not thought about, we hope to enjoy the sunset from the water and also to get to places that are not so easy to reach from the road or the hiking trail.

SUP is perfect for such adventures! We carry the backpacks with the boards down a small staircase through the woods to a gravel beach

Valentin Ilichmann Oliver Farys

It is a hot late summer day. On the shore where we pump up our boards people meet to swim and sunbath. A few other paddlers are also launching their boards here. After the boards are pumped up and we have adjusted the paddles to the right length, we are ready to go. I particularly like trips to Lake Sylvenstein because it can be reached so quickly from southern Munich and the little adventures you experience here still work after work. The lake lies like a fjord in front of us as we make our first paddle moves.

Lake Sylvenstein can be divided into two parts. The place where the Isar flows into the lake and the inflow through the Walchenklamm. The Walchenklamm is a small tributary that winds through a narrow gorge. The water here is calm and extremely clear. The water surface glitters like a sapphire. On the bottom you can see huge old trees and stones forming a fascinating underwater world. The view while standing from our boards is incomparable, we can see our shadow on the bottom and have the feeling to float. Many fishes jump to the side when they catch sight of us. We even spot one or two really big pikes and some otters hiding in the bank. Flies buzz above the surface and the sun’s rays cast golden spots on the water. The moment is almost magical.

We paddle through the lake once from east to west and pass under the big highway bridge. Under the bridge, in the depths of the clear water, is an old village. Unfortunately it is too deep here to catch a glimpse of the old ruins. I quickly realize that we are getting closer to the mouth of the Isar River. The water is milky, bluer and the landscape around the lake opens up. We look at many small reed covered islands that are washed by the mountain river flowing into the lake. The river delta is very wide here. Again, the view from our SUP’s is worth its weight in gold, here too we discover old driftwood sticking up under the water. The shore is lined with old spruce trees. The colors of the forest are reflected in the bright water, what a great sight. The afternoon sun burns on the skin and we long for a cooling. That should be no problem here. In summer you can jump from the board into the water, but the lake with its clear meltwater from the mountains always remains a cooling and never really gets warm.

Especially during dusk you can watch the fishermen from your SUP board as they catch a pike or two. While the setting sun slowly settles in the Isar valley and we follow the last warm rays until it is completely disappeared behind the mountains of the Bavarian foothills. What an impressive view.