Big Winds :: Blog

Matt Elsasser, a mainstay in the Big Winds kite department for the last four years,gets his strapless game on in Maui this winter.

TJ took the 2012 North Rebel out for a ride and filed this report.

Updated 6/29/2011: Mosier emerges. For quite awhile, the Mosier launch was farther underwater than a lot of Bank of America mortgages. Finally, it has been bailed out by the dam operators. Updated 5/31/2011 with images of Mosier. The flooded Mosier launch site, looking north under the I-84 bridge The flooded Mosier launch site, looking north [...]

Here are four images of what you’ll find at the Event Site in 2011.

Big Winds’ Matt (Suds) Luchsinger and Matt Elsasser lit up the sky at the Bridge of the Gods Kite Festival, August 7th at the East Point kite beach, both making to the semi-finals in the ultra-competitive expert men’s division. Along with our kite department manager, TJ Gulizia, the two Matts bring a wealth of kiteboarding [...]

TJ keeps on truckin’ allowing more chances at the vid monster. Round two.

New toy: Canon Vixia HS10 camcorder. Got some work ahead figuring out how it works: Well, ya gotta start somewhere.

TJ’s Kite Session: Wednesday, 4/21/10 @ 4:30PM Location: Event Site Wind: 10-35, average: 20 Board: 5’5″ North Pacific Waterbug Kite: 2010 Naish Cult 7.5 Not the best wind, but the Cult makes it enjoyable. We are finding the Geo-Tech Stability very beneficial for absorbing gusts. Being able to turn the kite when the bar is [...]

The crew at Big Winds is super stoked to announce our Big Winds Beach Bash on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the Hood River Event Site. The latest new gear from all our great brands in Windsurfing, Kiteboarding and Stand Up Paddleboarding will be available for free demos from 10-5. More details will be forthcoming [...]

North Kites will be premiering their new DVD at the Skylight Theatre in Hood River on April 22nd. Tickets are $7 with all proceeds benefiting KB4C. Check out the trailer at North Kites where you can also register for a free copy of the DVD.

We had an unusually warm stretch of weather beginning Sunday, April 19th. The high for the day was 80F and for most of the day there was little wind. Around 4PM the wind woke up and gusted up to about 20, enough to bring hopeful windsurfers and kiters down to the water. The windsurfers that [...]

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 [...]

Kiteboards Compared: 2008 Naish Sol 128, 2007 North Jaime Pro 128 Kites Used: 2008 Cabrinha Switchblade 3 6m, 8m and 10m, 2007 Cabrinha Omega 7m and 9m Dates: Spring 2008, Summer 2007 Location: Columbia River Gorge Conditions: Everything from flatwater to swell-riding, underpowered to insanely overpowered Rider: Dane Gender: Male Height: 5’5″ Weight: 135 lbs [...]

With the help of Mac, one of our expert kiteboarding instructors, we just finished giving the royal treatment to the 2008 North Rebel 08. As we did with the Switchblade 3, we extensively detailed and photographed the Rebel and uploaded the results of our investigation to our photo gallery at Flickr. The Rebel is North’s [...]

Kiteboard Tested: 2008 Naish Sol 128 Kites Used: 2008 Switchblade 3 6m, 8m and 10m Dates: Spring 2008 Location: Columbia River Gorge Conditions: Mellow 10-18 mph, moderate 16-24 mph, and intense 22-34 mph Rider: Dane Gender: Male Height: 5’5″ Weight: 135 lbs Skill Level: Advanced Kiteboarder Even though it’s still quite cold out there, I’ve [...]

We just finished putting together a photo gallery of 2008 Naish Sol, so if you’re at all curious about the state of this fine kiteboard, here’s your chance! The Sol is the go anywhere, do anything, all-terrain model from Naish’s 2008 lineup. The aggressively rounded nose and tail are a result of what Naish calls [...]

We’ve just uploaded a new photo gallery that meticulously documents the 2008 Cabrinha Switchblade 3. The Switchblade is Cabrinha’s go-to kite for wakestyle riding, with a smooth powerband and a pulley-less bar system that eliminates all but the slightest trace of bar pressure. The Switchblade offers all the safety and depower you would expect from [...]