The Big Winds Weblog

For the first time in 22 years, our annual Canada Day & Fourth of July Sale is available to our web customers! That’s right, for the first time ever you don’t need to visit our Hood River store to take advantage of our biggest in-season sale of the year!

$100 off all 2008 windsurf boards!
8% off [...]

What a great Father’s Day! I had the great pleasure of windsurfing with my two daughters and son-in-law on a gorgeously sunny, windy, classic Gorge day. What a blast!
I hope all you dads had a great time as well. Hats off to all of you!
See you on the water,
Steve

Thanks to everyone who came out on Saturday to hang with us at the Sand Spit! We had an awesome time trying out the upcoming Crossbow IDS, Cabrinha’s hotly anticipated kite whose Intelligent Depower System simplifies self-landing and stands to revolutionize personal safety.
The Crossbow has seen some pretty major changes from last year, and based [...]

Rider: Daryl
Gender: Female
Height: 5′2″
Weight: 120 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer
The Zone: A lightweight sail, perfect for female sailors.
For years Daryl has ridden the Neil Pryde Zone sails, in every size from 3.5-5.2. The Zone is a forgiving, lightweight sail that is perfect for female sailors. They don’t require a ton of downhaul, and Daryl [...]

Rider: George
Gender: Male
Height: 5′10″
Weight: 180 lbs
Age: 56
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer
The Kombat: Fast and crisp, and fun in the swell.
This year, George is riding the 2008 Starboard Kombat 89 Wood in any conditions that demand a 4.0 - 5.2 sail. He finds the Kombat to be a fast and crisp ride that reacts immediately to [...]

Rider: Andy
Gender: Male
Weight: 85 lbs
Age: 12
Skill Level: Intermediate windsurfer (working on his jibes)
Gear that stokes the advancing grom.
Andy uses Sailworks Rippers as his main sails, in the 2.5 and 3.3 sizes. The Rippers are just as durable as adult sails, but are designed with the height, weight and strength of kids in mind. Andy can [...]

Rider: Dane
Gender: Male
Height: 5′5″
Weight: 135 lbs
Skill Level: Advanced kiteboarder
Board Tested: 2008 North Pacific Round Squash Wave 5′3″
Kite Used: 2008 Cabrinha Switchblade 3 8m
Date: June 4, 2008
Location: White Salmon Bridge, Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: 18-28 mph, huge glassy swell
North Pacific is a local Hood River surfboard company run by Art Colyer, who has been hand-shaping custom polyester [...]

It was a great week to be a windsurfer/kiteboarder in the Gorge! After a chilly spring and spotty wind, things cranked up in a big way this past week, with the full range of conditions offered up.
After my latest start to the season in memory, I was committed to make up for lost time, [...]