With Labor Day weekend in sight, the summer high season is nearing an end; however, the Gorge wind and weather seem to be paying no attention to the date. August has brought some warmer weather (did anyone else’s thermometer hit 106⁰?) and lower winds, but the westerly flow seems to be back in full force this week.
The wind and water events calendar has been packed for weeks now. The month started off with a fun slide show evening hosted by the CGWA and Grant Myrdal. Anyone who has been on the water these past two summers has surely spotted Grant’s blue flag on shore. He is busy every windy day taking photos of all the wind and water riders on the Columbia. One can find him or herself on his SmugMug website and purchase a copy or a print to remember their session by. Grant put together six slide shows perfectly edited to some great tracks of the best photos he has taken this season. The event brought windsurfers and kiteboarders hooting and hollering at the epic action. Grant and the CGWA plan to hold another slideshow event the first week of September. For more information visit gorgewindsurfing.org.
An August event staple, the Bridge of the Gods, also went off successfully. This is one of those events that capture the true essence of the sport. It is geared towards amateurs, and is just an all-round good time. Often the winners of this event go on to greater successes in kiteboarding. This year Erin Mayer and Chase Hasch took home top honors. Keep an eye out for those names in coming years. For a full list of all the winners visit botgkitefest.com.
The windsurfing pseudo-counterpart to Bridge of the Gods would be King of the Hook, which is always a guaranteed good time. Kids and adults dress up in creative costumes and bust out some of the oldest windsurfing gear you will see all year. With a very loose format and tons of prizes from local sponsors, everyone is sure to have a good time. See Hood River News’ full coverage of the event at hoodrivernews.com (including a gallery of photos). It is also worth checking out the photos from the event at facebook.com/gorgewindsurfing.
On to the remainder of the summer: This weekend is the Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge. This is not only a race worth participating in, but it will be an excellent spectating opportunity. The organizers have worked hard to keep as much of the action close to shore as possible at the Waterfront Park. In addition, some of the world’s best paddlers will be in attendance: think Kai Lenny, Connor Baxter, Danny Ching, etc. Keep an eye out for Hood River local Fiona Wylde to repeat her overall first place finish last year.
Next weekend is already Labor Day. The CGWA is hosting its last swap meet of the season down at the Luhr Jensen parking lot next to the Waterfront Park on Sunday, Aug. 31, with a barbecue hosted by Northwave to follow.
The event is open to all sports (kites, windsurf, bikes, kayaks, SUPs, etc.), and sellers can show up at 7 a.m. and buyers at 8 a.m.
Commented
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular commented articles.