Škraping on the Pašman island 2015 – Hostel Forum
Pašman is one of the biggest islands in the Zadar archipelago, situated south of Zadar. It’s a place to be particularly in March, when a škraping competition takes place. Škraping is a strong incentive for nature and extreme sports enthusiasts to visit the island and region in general and an excellent choice for anyone looking for some time off and for an exciting event to attend. After all, škraping has become so much more than just an extreme race.
Škraping… say what?!
Škraping derives from the word škrapa which refers to the cracks in the limestone made by water. Therefore, škraping refers to a challenging trekking discipline which involves crossing and occasionally climbing the sharp rocks on the island shore, finding and walking along the local paths and through wild shrubbery and putting one’s spatial orientation skills to a test.
Time for …
In 2015 the international Škraping race will be held on March 7 for the 10th time with more than two thousand participants and visitors expected from different countries - Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Hungary and Serbia. The race, divided in three disciplines of different degrees of difficulty, is also used as the opportunity to raise funds for various charities while the main idea behind it is to raise awareness about the benefits of doing exercise as well as to enrich the events calendar for the visitors who prefer to come during the calmer winter months, when it’s less crowded and the weather is cooler. In the past ten years, Škraping has become so much more than just a race. In fact, during the entire week preceding the actual race, the so-called ‘Škraping Week’, a number of workshops, lectures and environmetal inititatives to clean the island will be held. In addition, the visitors will get the opportunity to learn about the traditional, hand-made products at the Fair of Island Products, so try them out and take home as souvenirs.
There’s more
While Škraping race is a sufficient reason by itself to come to the Zadar region, or concretely to the Pašman island, the latter has a few ‘did-you-knows’ worth discovering. It’s the island with the greatest ratio of green area and is particularly famous for its clean sea thanks to the constant interchange of currents. Pašman is one of the favourite stops on an island hopping route by bicycle together with Ugljan just opposite Zadar, since the two islands are connected with a bridge. Apart from many other cultural-historical sights, particularly interesting is the Benedictine monastery complex on Čokovac hill overlooking Tkon, where Škraping is held, which dates back to the 11th century.
Take a walk ….
...on the wild side, are the lyrics of a Lou Reed’s famous song and one of the mottos of the annual extreme race, Škraping on Pašman, an island which receives its visitors with open hands. It’s a place where the fast pace of life naturally slows down, where the nature’s peace and quiet is taken in without any disturbance, where it takes certain amount of time to prepare food and equally as much to enjoy it. And in the midst of it, Škraping makes sure your heart beats faster. As you approach Pašman, you’ll come across a heart-shaped islet Galešnjak, and who knows, you might just lose your heart to the natural beauties and an exciting event that await you.
