Archive for the 'Boards' Category
Tuesday, July 1st, 2008
This season we’re offering stand up paddleboard rentals, which is a perfect way to get out on the water on those rare no-wind days! All of our stand up rentals are conveniently located at our beach center on the Columbia River, right next to the Event Site.
Stand up rentals are $25 for two hours. [...]
Posted in Boards, Stand Up Paddling | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
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 [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Reviews, Sails, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
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 [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Reviews, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Wednesday, June 11th, 2008
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 [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Kids, Reviews, Sails, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Friday, May 30th, 2008
Rider: Daryl
Gender: Female
Height: 5′2″
Weight: 120 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer
Board Tested: 2008 Naish Pro Wave 65L
Sails Used: 2008 Naish Session 3.4 - 4.7
Dates: Winter 2008 and Spring 2008
Location: Kanaha, Maui, Hawaii and the Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: High-wind wave and swell riding
A great board for smaller riders who love shredding waves.
Daryl sails the 2008 Naish Pro Wave [...]
Posted in Boards, Reviews, Sails, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Rider: Jodie
Gender: Female
Height: 5′2″
Weight: 115 lbs
Skill Level: Advanced windsurfer
Board Tested: 2008 Starboard Kombat 79 Wood
Sail Used: 2008 Naish Session 4.7
Date: May 27, 2008
Location: Event Site, Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: 15-25 mph, flatwater, medium chop, small swell
Two nights ago, Jodie had an opportunity to ride the Starboard Kombat 79 and the Naish Session 4.7 right out front [...]
Posted in Boards, Reviews, Sails, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Monday, May 12th, 2008
Board Tested: 2008 Naish Global Wave 78
Sails Used: 2008 Naish Force 4.2 - 4.7
Dates: Fall 2007, Spring 2008
Location: Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: “Fully powered-up to light and funky.”
Rider: Steve
Gender: Male
Height: 5′10″
Weight: 150 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer
Steve is a lighter guy than Joe, and he wants to take a moment to share his own experience riding the [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Reviews, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Friday, May 9th, 2008
Board Tested: 2008 Naish Global Wave 78
Sail Used: 2008 Naish All Terrain 4.0
Date: May 6, 2008
Location: Rowena, Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: 26-39 mph winds, swell riding
Rider: Joe
Gender: Male
Height: 6′2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer
Joe tested the 2008 Naish Global Wave 78 the other day, and I was able to corner him and learn what he thought [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Reviews, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Thursday, May 8th, 2008
Board Tested: 2008 Naish 10′6″ Stand Up
Paddle Used: 80″ Werner Spanker
Dates: May, 2008
Location: Event Site, Columbia River Gorge
Paddling Conditions: glassy flatwater, and 10-15 mph wind chop
Windsurfing Conditions: swell riding in 10-30 mph winds, 4.7 meter sail
Rider: David
Gender: Male
Height: 6′0″
Weight: 170 lbs
Skill Level: Expert stand up paddler, expert windsurfer, expert kiteboarder
David has recently been spending a [...]
Posted in Boards, Reviews, Stand Up Paddling, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
Board Tested: 2008 Naish All Terrain 95
Sail Used: 2008 Naish All Terrain 5.0
Fin Used: Stock Naish All Terrain 28 cm fin
Date: May 5, 2008
Location: Rowena, Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: 8-21 mph winds, swell riding (marginal conditions)
Rider: Joe
Gender: Male
Height: 6′2″
Weight: 185 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer
Joe is our shipping manager here at Big Winds, and he is one [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Reviews, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
Boards Tested: Aquaglide Amundson 11′3″, Naish 10′6″, Naish 11′6″
Paddles Used: Naish Stand Up, Werner Spanker
Dates: Spring 2008
Location: Central Columbia River Gorge
Conditions: Flatwater paddling
Rider: Daryl
Gender: Female
Height: 5′2″
Weight: 120 lbs
Skill Level: Expert windsurfer, intermediate paddler
Rider: Andy
Gender: Male
Weight: 85 lbs
Age: 12
Skill Level: Intermediate windsurfer (working on his jibes), beginner paddler
Daryl is one of our most knowledgeable experts here [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Paddles, Reviews, Stand Up Paddling | Comments Off
Friday, May 2nd, 2008
Tons of people braved warm weather and blazing sunshine to join us last Saturday for our Naish Stand Up Paddling Demo, and we want to extend a hearty thank you to everyone who showed up! We also want to shout out a huge thanks to the guys at Naish for putting together this fun-filled [...]
Posted in Boards, Events, Stand Up Paddling | Comments Off
Monday, April 28th, 2008
It’s no secret that baggage handlers can be rather unforgiving when it comes to the proper care and feeding of your precious windsurf board. International travel can be an especially trying endeavor, and it’s wise to do everything in your power to give your gear the upper hand in any mistreatment scenario. Sailing [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Travel, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008
We love helping people find the best gear for their needs, and we know that shopping for a rig can be an overwhelming experience. For instance, in our current 2008 lineup we have more than 30 types of boards from six manufacturers. Each of those 30 boards includes numerous sizes and constructions, such [...]
Posted in Boards, Gear, Miscellaneous, Website, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008
Board Tested: 2008 Aquaglide Amundson 11′3″ Stand Up
Paddle Used: 80″ Werner Spanker
Dates: Winter/Spring 2008
Location: Baja California Sur, Sea of Cortez
Conditions: Surf, small wind chop, and lightwind windsurfing
Rider: David
Gender: Male
Height: 6′0″
Weight: 170 lbs
Skill Level: Expert stand up paddler, expert windsurfer, expert kiteboarder
In small on-shore wind chop, the Aquaglide Amundson 11′3″ is a very stable stand up [...]
Posted in Boards, Reviews, Stand Up Paddling, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Join us on Saturday April 26th, 2008 to try out the entire stand up paddling lineup from Naish. Naish and Big Winds will be running free demos all afternoon from 1:00 to 4:00, sending people out on the Mighty Columbia River to try out some of this awesome gear.
The river is frigid this time [...]
Posted in Boards, Events, New Gear, Stand Up Paddling | Comments Off
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Board Tested: 2008 Mistral Pacifico Wave 11′1″
Paddle Used: Werner Spanker
Date: April 2, 2008
Location: The Event Site - Hood River, Oregon
Conditions: Flatwater paddling, 0-5 mph
Rider: Dane
Gender: Male
Height: 5′5″”
Weight: 135 lbs
Skill Level: Beginner paddler, Advanced kiteboarder
Along with the Naish SUP 11′6″ that I reviewed, yesterday I also had a chance to paddle the 2008 Mistral Pacifico Wave. [...]
Posted in Boards, Reviews, Stand Up Paddling | Comments Off
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
Board Tested: 2008 Naish Stand Up 11′6″ EVA
Paddle Used: Werner Spanker
Date: April 2, 2008
Location: The Event Site - Hood River, Oregon
Conditions: Flatwater paddling, 0-5 mph
Rider: Dane
Gender: Male
Height: 5′5″”
Weight: 135 lbs
Skill Level: Beginner paddler, Advanced kiteboarder
Yesterday evening I had a chance to get out on the 2008 Naish Stand Up 11′6″ EVA board, and having never [...]
Posted in Boards, Reviews, Stand Up Paddling | Comments Off
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
David has spent some more time on the Mistral Pacifico since his first review, and he has some more thoughts on this board. David has now had this board out in a wide range of conditions, both stand up surfing and windsurfing, and it sounds like he’s still a huge fan! His words [...]
Posted in Boards, Reviews, Stand Up Paddling, Windsurfing | Comments Off
Sunday, May 20th, 2007
David is our in-house expert on stand up paddling, and the other day he took a ride on the Pacifico, Mistral’s crossover stand up paddleboard and windsurf board. Here are his thoughts on the board:
Board Tested: 2007 Mistral Pacifico
Date: May 7, 2007
Location: The Event Site - Hood River, Oregon
Conditions: Light wind with chop, 10-15 [...]
Posted in Boards, New Gear, Reviews, Stand Up Paddling, Windsurfing | Comments Off