Race the Lake of the Sky, one of the largest and most beloved events in the world of stand up paddling, has officially been put on hold for this year but will return in the summer of 2017.

Event founder and organiser Chris Brackett announced the news this morning, which will be met with disappointment from the hundreds of paddlers that made the annual trek to enjoy a huge festival of paddling surrounded by Lake Tahoe’s natural beauty.

But while it’s disappointing it’s also quite understandable: Race the Lake is very much a family run event, one that’s fueled primarily by a love and passion for the sport and the community. With the Brackett family business, South Tahoe SUP, forced to suddenly move to a new retail location this month, Chris decided they simply couldn’t dedicate the time and resources to give the race “the level of excellence it deserves.”

Over the years, Race the Lake of the Sky has come to typify the sort of “grassroots” events that bring the paddling community together for a weekend of racing and festivities, while eschewing any unnecessary hype and going out of their way to welcome paddlers of all abilities. Since the inaugural edition in 2012, Race the Lake has quickly grown into one of the most popular SUP events both in the world, with close to 400 paddlers descending on South Tahoe last summer.

So while “major bummer” probably sums up the disappointment many paddling fans are feeling today, the silver lining is that event will “definitely be back” in the summer of 2017. And given the hugely loyal following this event has built up over the years, there’s good reason to believe it’ll return bigger and better than ever.

Here’s the official announcement…

Race the Lake of the Sky Postponed Until 2017

Dear Race the Lake of the Sky Friends and Families,

The building that has housed South Tahoe Standup Paddle since 2010 has been sold and the new owner is renovating the property. As you can imagine this has sent us scrambling to find a new location for our retail shop. The good news is that we are moving to 3135 Harrison Avenue, 2 blocks closer to El Dorado Beach.

The demands of moving and the tenant improvements required to establish business in our new location will not leave us enough time to produce Race the Lake of the Sky at the level of excellence it deserves. Therefore, 2016 will be a “Leap Year” for Race the Lake of the Sky. We look forward to producing the 5th annual event in 2017.

The South Tahoe SUP Series is scheduled to return for the sixth straight year on Saturday June 25th, July 30th, and August 27th. More details to come!
Thank you for your continued support,

Chris, Jared & Robin
South Tahoe Standup Paddle

To remind yourself just how good this event is, go ahead and relive the highlights from last year, along with clips from Chase Kostererlitz and Riviera Paddlesurf that sum up the spirit of the weekend. Check out the 2015 Race the Lake of the Sky results for more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulzQnqLjdgc