SUP boarding in Armenia

Since 2020 Armenian Geographic has started to organize paddle boarding (SUP boarding) tours in different lakes and reservoirs of Armenia. SUP boarding in Armenia is a relatively new and not very popular sport. But every day it begins to interest more and more people. Our SUP tours are conducted by coach and guide Karen Sargsyan, who does paddle boarding for several years.

SUP boarding in Armenia is getting more popular

Karen says that he has been thinking about the idea of including paddle boarding in sports tourism for a long time, because there are not many groups in Armenia that practice this sport. He noted that last year, the coronavirus made it possible to implement this idea with ArmGeo.

The first SUP tour that we organized was on Lake Sevan. After that, the interest and desire of people to participate in these tours began to grow. Now we organize SUP tours in different lakes and reservoirs in Armenia.

According to Karen, paddle boarding is a very common sport in the world. He noted that paddle boarding, just like cycling, has two directions: practical and sports. “In many countries there are many water masses and rivers. In some countries, people even go to work by SUPs. It is also a good way to have fun and lead a healthy life. In addition, paddle boarding is a multifunctional sport. In different countries of the world people organize paddle boarding championships”.

Our first SUP tour was successful. According to Karen, at first Armenians were very curious to learn about this unfamiliar sport. “SUP tours were organized by Armenian Geographic, so the ArmGeo audience first got the opportunity to learn about this sport. First, 4 people gathered for the tour, then 4 again, and then 12”.

How long does it take to learn to paddle board?

Over time, the number of participants increased. “Very often we limit the number of participants, due to the number of paddleboards we have. It also depends on the lakes and reservoirs that we go to”.

Speaking about the difficulties faced by beginners, Karen noted that there was no case, in which a person did not learn to stand and control a board in one day. “Of course, there is a probability that you will fall off the paddleboard. However, if you do not rush, you can reduce this probability down to 10-5%. Weather conditions also play an important role in this case. If there is no strong wind or big waves, the probability of falling decreases. After 30-40 minutes of training, you can already stand and control the board at an amateur level”.

There are various techniques and tricks that can help with controlling paddleboards. However, it only takes 40 minutes to stand on the board and learn the basic ways to control it.

Paddle boarding destinations in Armenia

Speaking about convenient and interesting destinations for SUP boarding in Armenia, Karen noted that the most convenient destination is Lake Sevan. “Lake Sevan provides many opportunities. The most important factor is the weather. You can get to some coast where there are strong waves and winds, drive 30 km further, turn to the other direction and find yourself on a calmer coast where you can enjoy your day. In addition, Lake Sevan is very diverse. There are many things to see there. You can ride the paddleboard along the part of the lake that is close to the forest, along the steppe part, as well as along mountainous parts. You can even ride between houses that are under water”.

In addition to Lake Sevan, we organized SUP tours in the Azat and Aparan reservoirs, in mountain lakes such as Rapi and Gosh.

“The Azat reservoir is located close to Yerevan. It is very easy to get there. Azat reservoir is beautiful at any season. We also rode paddleboards on the Aparan reservoir. Aparan reservoir is very beautiful, especially for paddle boarding. It is a little windy there, but at the same time, there are areas where the cliff blocks the wind. We also had SUP tours to small mountain lakes, for example to Lake Rapi. This lake is quite small for paddle boarding, so we combined it with an off-road tour and a hike. If you focus only on paddle boarding, it may seem a little boring, because you can go around the entire Lake Rapi in less than one minute. However, the views are very beautiful here. The Northern wall of Aragats rises in front of you in all its glory”, said Karen.

New destinations

We are planning to expand the paddle boarding destinations. “SUP boarding in Armenia will not be limited to several reservoirs. If there is a place where it is possible to ride a paddleboard, then we will go there, test it, and study it. Only after that we will go there with a group. We have many things planned. The obstacles at the moment are the lack of time and the weather conditions”.

We did SUP tours even in winter. Karen says that he gained a lot of experience in Sevan. After that, it is not a problem for him to ride a paddleboard in winter. “In summer, there are waves in Sevan that cannot be compared with any winter day. When you are on the board, your body becomes a sail, and the board moves easily. Bad weather did not stop me, because I wanted to try everything. After that, it was much easier for me to ride in winter. We tried to paddle board on relatively clear days. If you are calm, do not make sudden turns, and control your board, then there is no difference in which season it happens. Precipitation is not a problem either. We even had paddle boarding experience in heavy snow and it was very pleasant. There are no bad hikes. If you have the appropriate clothing and waterproof boots, you will not freeze”.

SUP boarding in Armenia gives an opportunity to explore the rivers, reservoirs and lakes of Armenia from a completely new angle.

If you want to take part in SUP tours in Armenia, please contact us.

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