Twelve participants took part in the first-ever ISA SUP Fat Water Course on Lake Ladoga in Russia. Photo: Tania Elisarieva
The weekend of July 25-26th marks a historical date for the Russian Surfing Federation and the SUP movement as a whole. The first ISA Educational Course in Russia was carried out on the biggest lake in Europe, Lake Ladoga, and attended by 12 excited Russian participants.
ISA Course Presenter Alessandro Dini lectures to participants during the classroom portion of the course. Photo: Tania Elisarieva
The ISA SUP Flat Water Course was presented by Alessandro Dini, Official ISA Course Presenter from Italy, and supported by Eugene Rezentov, Secretary of the Russian Surfing Federation. Saturday, the first day of the course, the conditions were perfect: sunny and no wind, the other side of the spectrum compared to the day before. In fact, Friday Eugene and Sergey Rashivaev (President of Russian Surfing Federation) took advantage of a solid summer swell to show Alessandro one of the best Russian surf spots, Flotsky, situated on the Gulf of Finland. “It was very windy and choppy, but I had lot of fun on the 1 meter waves. The landscape in Flotsky is just amazing,” said Alessandro.
Alessandro Dini’s trip to Russia coincided with a windswell which provided some fun waves at Flotsky on the Gulf of Finland. Photo: Tania Elisarieva
At the end of the course, the President of the RSF, Sergey Rashivaev, expressed his satisfaction and success of the course and also the desire to organize an ISA Surf L1 course in the near future.
Italian ISA Course Presenter, Alessandro Dini (left), and the President of the Russian Surfing Federation, Sergey Rashivaev (right), joined forces to carry out the first ISA Educational Course in Russia. Photo: Tania Elisarieva
Rashivaev stated, “That was the first time an ISA course was held in Russia. We started with the most basic course – SUP Flat Water. It was a great experience to have Alessandro Dini from Italy as the presenter of the course. We spent four days together and showed him our local waves and culture. There were not only Russians in the course, but also Ukrainian and Japanese citizens. I think we will run more programs with the ISA in the near future as its give us a new push to develop surfing in our country.”
About Lake Ladoga
Lake Ladoga, Russian Ladozhskoye Ozero (or Ladozhskoe Ozero), is the largest lake in Europe, located in northwestern Russia about 25 miles (40 km) east of St. Petersburg. Thermal conditions differ from the deep central to the shallow coastal regions of the lake. The coastal regions and inlets usually freeze at the beginning of December, and the open central area freezes in January or February; the average ice thickness is 20–23 inches (50–60 cm). The central part of the lake opens in late March or early April, the northern part not until the beginning of May.
Lake Ladoga, the location of the ISA SUP Flat Water Course. Photo: Alessandro Dini
