SUP Great Salt Lake Crossing

On October 9th, 2012 I did a crossing of the width of the Great Salt Lake on a stand-up paddle board. It was my understanding that this was the first-ever crossing of the lake via SUP, but I have been told since then, that other groups have done it previously (although I have not seen any GPS downloads or blog reports confirming it). Perhaps this was the first ever solo, unsupported crossing. I did this 28 mile starting just after 10 a.m. The ambient temps during the day ranged from about 50F to 68F with a water temperature of 62F. I specifically picked this day as the forecast had a wind of  only 6 MPH in the morning decreasing to 1 or 2 MPH by the afternoon — perfect conditions for a safe trip on such a body of water. My moving time was 6:54 for a total travel time of about 7:41. I traveled from the west near the railroad causeway, which crosses this lake in a east/west direction. This was for safety, so that if there were any issues, I could paddle towards it and latch on. This time of year, I went about as far east as I could go before running into the dreaded biotherms or before hitting very shallow waters and unable to paddle any further. In fact, the last three of four miles, I had to stand forward on my board while paddling as my rear fin was dragging on the bottom of the lake!

Here’s a link to an online map with my planned route. My actual mileage was bout 7/10s of a mile longer, probably due to my uneven path while paddling. This is a Strava upload of my trip.

Next up, a south or north crossing? That would be a 75-mile adventure. Hmmm, that would be one long day and part of a night.

Many thanks to Dave Shearer, the harbor master for his advice on access and conditions and to my daughter Rosemary for making rather long shuttle required for this effort.

Gear notes:
> My board was a 14’0″ x 28″ carbon fiber Admundson TR-X with a Surftech carbon fiber SUP paddle (their so-called small-size blade). I have since then replaced this board with a better “flat water” unit, that has less rocker. My back-up paddle was a “clunky kayak” Cairsle.
> I was testing a new SUP-specific hydration backpack which I’m designing for release next spring (eoGEAR Inc.). In it I used a 2-liter bladder and later switched out to a 1.5-liter bladder after I consumed the first one. Both were filled with Cytomax. In my dry bag I also had a liter of Hammer Perpeteum and two liters of water. I had way more fluids that I needed.
> The other product I was testing was a tie-down system for gear. They are designed with quick-release buckles which secured a Seattle Sports wide mouth dry bag and also my PFD.
> I was also testing a rough prototype of a device to hold a watch style GPS to the board for use in navigating. Half way through the paddle, I switched, mounting it my chest pouch.

Postscript: Today (30 Oct 2012) I did a “radio” interview on SUP Radio, which is now available as a Podcast.

Author: Rando Richard

I’m an old guy (age 69 in 2023) who enjoys aerobic, endurance sports. I call myself a cardio-junkie. Perhaps the more appropriate term would be “ultra” endurance sports. Since I was a teenager I have always enjoyed “slow twitch” outdoor sports like backpacking, ice climbing, running, mountaineering, hiking, alpine skiing and randonnée skiing (alpine touring, backcountry skiing or skimo). In 2005 I starting running with more regularity — except this time it was not for the intent of getting ready for a mountaineering trip, but as an end to itself. From 2005 to 2007 I managed to eek out two seasons of ultramarathons — that is competitive trail runs up to 50 or 100 miles. Due to a nagging ankle injury from the 80s (an accident while ice climbing in the 1980s where my lower tib and fib were badly broken), I had to cease that grueling, but rewarding activity. I then migrated into ultra distance road cycling or randonneuring. The rides are called brevets (pronounced bruh-VAY, it’s French) and are minimally supported — they are similar to ultrarunning and backpacking where one must be self reliant. Although brevets are non-competitive, they do have have cut off times to qualify as a finisher. They are usually are done in groups, which can have a competitive slant to them. Today, I continue to participate in long distance cycling including some ultra-racing, randonnée skiing (a blend of cross country and downhill disciplines) and still get out on an occasional mountaineering trip. Since 1996 I have been designing, manufacturing and selling camera bags. That is Kinesis Photo Gear (kgear.com). In 2005 I started selling cycling bags under the Kinesis label and eventually expanded it to including other sports like SUP (stand-up paddle boarding and some skimo). Consequently, it become eoGEAR — the “eo” stands for endurance outdoor. My wife and I are empty-nesters now and we live and work out in the boondocks of central Utah, half way between Salt Lake City (great powder) and Moab (great red rocks). Well, I guess that is all for now. Safe travels mate! Perhaps I’ll see you on the road or trail. — Richard Stum View all posts by Rando Richard