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 of year, so we recommend you bring a thick wetsuit and some coldwater booties. We will have some free rental wetsuits available on a first-come, first-served basis.

This event takes place at The Event Site right here in Hood River, Oregon. It runs all afternoon, Saturday April 26th, and did we mention it’s free?

We hope to see you there! Any questions? Need directions? Give us a call at 1-888-509-4210.

Visit this event at Upcoming »

One of the advantages of being located in Hood River is that many of the windsport distributors for all of North America are located right here on our doorstep. Thanks to this incredible proximity we now have the 2008 Mistral Pacifico Wave in our hands, before anyone else has even had a chance to see it!

This is a lightweight high-performance stand up paddle board designed for intermediate to expert riders, who want to squeeze every ounce out of the surf. Plus the Pacifico Wave even has a mast track, so you can use it for windsurfing in light air conditions!

Big Winds has teamed up with O’Neill to bring back the FLX smoothskin wetsuit! The FLX is the most popular wetsuit we’ve seen in the last decade, and it’s built from super-stretchy wind-blocking neoprene.

O’Neill stopped official production of the FLX wetsuit a few years ago, but for 2008 we partnered with them to build a custom run exclusively for Big Winds! The familiar FLX, updated for 2008, is available in a 5/4/3 full suit, and a 3/2 short-sleeved full suit.

Big Winds is now stocked with the hottest 2008 gear from Dakine! We carry their full lineup of windsurfing products, from harnesses to travel bags to accessories, and this year it all looks as beautiful as ever. Not only that, we’re offering free shipping on all Dakine orders over $100. Some restrictions apply, but they’re all pretty smart and reasonable!

Our sales staff has years of on-the-water experience with this gear, and if you have any questions we’d be delighted to help you find your best match. We’ve been working closely with Dakine ever since opening our doors way back in 1987, and we continue to beam with pride as we represent this local brand in our shop.

Based right beside us here in beautiful Hood River, Oregon, Dakine’s world headquarters are down the street from Big Winds, and their warehouse for all of North America is less than twenty minutes away.

If you happen to want something from Dakine that isn’t listed, please give us a call and we’ll be happy to special order it for you. If it’s available at Dakine, it’s available from us!

Kite Tested: 2008 North Rebel 08 9m
Board Used: 2007 North Jaime Pro 125cm
Date: August 22, 2007
Location: The Sandbar – Hood River, Oregon
Conditions: 18 mph (14-24 mph) wind with chop and some swell

Rider: Dane
Gender: Male
Height: 5’5″
Weight: 135 lbs
Skill: Advanced

I managed to squeak out a quick session on the 2008 North Rebel the other night before the wind shut down, and it was certainly enough to leave a lasting impression. The Rebel 08 has very little bar pressure and rides quite effortlessly, but it does offer enough feedback to let you know where the kite is at in the window. It rigs on North’s 5th Element bar system, making it backwards compatible with North’s five-line bar systems from previous years. What’s more, since North uses the same 5th Element bar on all its kites it is incredibly easy to mix and match kites (Rhinos, Rebels, Vegases, etc.) within your quiver or trade kites with friends.

I found the 2008 Rebel to be incredibly snappy, and it responded quickly to bar movements. Even in light wind, the 9 meter Rebel was so responsive at times that I felt like I was flying a 7 meter kite. The kite is a bit of a paradox, however, in that while it’s super snappy and responsive, it moves more slowly through the window. This results in a reactive, high-performance kite that is still forgiving enough for entry-level riders.

The Rebel handles very well when making transitions, and is easy to keep powered up through your entire carve. Since it travels through the window at such a moderate speed, it gives you plenty of time to react and make adjustments while staying on a plane. Frequently I found myself coming out of a carve expecting to yank the kite out of a speedy collision course with the water, only to discover that the kite was already perfectly positioned in the window for riding.

The 2008 Rebel has a cleaner canopy profile that maintains tension extremely well and hardly flutters at all. North eliminated the “elbow” joint that the 2007 struts had where they connected to the leading edge, so the new struts are flush with the canopy for the entire length of the kite. They also added an elastic bungee to the wingtips to hold the lines in place, vastly improving relaunchability. These bungees hold the lines beneath the kite when it’s down in the water, keeping them from wrapping around or otherwise getting tangled in the kite as you recover from your crash and move to relaunch.

Related Posts:
View Our Rebel Photo Gallery

Do you want something to do on those glassy no-wind days, or do you want to use a windsurf sail on it when the breeze starts blowing? Do you want to surf some pretty gnarly waves, or do you just need something that’s going to be stable and fun in the chop? And finally, there’s the ultimate question: once the family sees how much fun stand up paddling is, will you let them use your board, or do they need one of their own?

To help guide you through these eternal questions of the soul, we have compiled a nifty chart that compares all of our stand up paddle boards to one another. These are the vital statistics necessary for you to make a sound buying decision, and match yourself up with a board you love.

Phew! We figured we’d let ya’ll know that we just finished updating our entire DAKINE product line for the fall/winter 2007-2008 season. Our vast stores of summer gear are beginning to dwindle, and everything is making way for the autumn that is to come. From travel gear to backpacks, girly bags to skate packs, everything from DAKINE has been updated for the latest trends.

And what are those trends, you ask? Well, it appears that plaid is a thing this year, as well as patterns, patterns, patterns. Even the Wall Street Journal has caught on, with a recent article discussing the return of the preppy look. Wonderfully, they cite this video as evidence of the prep resurgence.

What with all these patterns and plaids bouncing around this year, we’ve found that the usual convention of using words to describe product colors turns out to be surprisingly lacking. In addressing this issue we’ve created a handy guide to all of DAKINE’s product colors and patterns to help you sort through the multitude of choices.

Because seriously. Try as we might to deny it, The-Time-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named approaches quickly (it rhymes with “stack the pool”), and those of you who are headed back there in September will want to make sure you’re properly outfitted. DAKINE’s backpacks are well-suited for the task, whether that be hauling your stuff around or making you look so good.

We just added a new water helmet to our existing line-up, the sleek-looking Voz Evolution helmet. Voz Sports is dedicated to making the safest helmets possible, and is uniquely focused on watersports like wakeboarding and kayaking, or (our personal favorites) windsurfing and kiteboarding.

The Voz Evolution is one of the lightest and most comfortable helmets available, with vents both for airflow and shedding water, a fully-padded interior, and a padded neoprene chin strap. The helmet also features removable ear flaps, so depending on the demands of your sport you are free to protect your ears, or leave them open for better hearing.

The best part of the Evolution, however, is the Skull Clamp, a dial on the back of the helmet that lets you loosen or tighten the helmet to best fit your head. Unlike some helmets that are designed to fit tight around your skull and give you a pounding headache as a result, the Evolution’s Skull Clamp tightens at the base of your skull on the very top of your neck. This gives you a super-adjustable and comfortable fit, something that is rarely found in water helmets.

What’s more, the Skull Clamp dial is designed to allow you to size the helmet up or down one size from normal. That is, a medium-sized Voz Evolution can fit head sizes ranging from small to large. That’s great news, especially if you have family or friends who want to get in the water, too!

The Omega HD is Cabrinha’s latest addition to their quiver, a true high-performance kite that’s forgiving enough for beginner riders, with a smooth ride and enough nice features to keep even intermediate and advanced riders happy for years. We’ve put together a photo gallery that shows off everything included in the complete Omega package, and highlights some of its best and most distinct features.

Descriptions like “one-way single-point inflation” and “2:1/1:1 bar conversion” and “pull/pull trim system” and “abrasion-resistant panels” sound all well and good, but what do they actually mean? When compared to other kites we are confident that the Omega stands tall on its own merits, so we’ve decided to let the kite do the talking.

Visit our photo gallery for unpacking the 2007 Cabrinha Omega HD »

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 mph
Sail Size: Stand up surfing and 4.7 windsurfing

Stand Up Paddling

The Mistral Pacifico is an amazingly maneuverable stand-up board. When you step on the tail it turns on a dime, even to the point of having a “skatey” feel. It catches waves great and feels very efficient. It does not feel particularly “tracky”, but is very forgiving when stepping and jumping around the deck.

The board is light for its size (28 pounds) and glides though flat water with ease. The Pacifico would be an awesome choice for the whole family to learn to stand-up surf… it won’t hold anyone back, as the shape works great for all levels of stand-up padding including race, freestyle, wave, and distance riding.

The soft deck is cushy on the feet and encourages the rider to try different positions on the board, such as nose riding or rail riding. This is the board to learn to do headstands on the wave because once it gets gliding, the momentum and stability creates a huge stable platform that is perfect for trying just about anything.

Windsurfing

Planing: The conditions were sub-planing winds, but this board is more about a smooth glide than actual planing. It did get planing on the face of the wind-waves at the Event Site. The wind was too light for most recreational sailors and kiters, but I was out having a blast on a 4.7, and even had an audience!

Comfort: Very smooth through the chop. The Pacifico really glides through some pretty large chop. I was surprised how comfortable it was riding in rough conditions, and the soft deck feels nice on the feet.

Speed: Impressive apparent speed.

Transitions: This board is very maneuverable. Pivot jibes are quite easy, as are tacks. The conditions were not appropriate for attempting a planing carving jibe, although I am sure that would be doable as well.

Wave/Swell Riding: Again, the board is super maneuverable, and catches waves very easily with its exaggerated planing surface.

Components: I sailed the Pacifico strapless. The straps that come with the board are standard. The fin worked great and is appropriate for shallow water use, as well as for wave riding and freestyle.

Overall Impression: The Pacifico is a super fun board for sailing. I would be surprised if this doesn’t generate a new interest in freestyle longboard sailing. It was very fun in the wind-waves at the Event Site and although I was not planing, the glide achieved through the board’s drawn-out rails and large planing surface is very impressive.

Most Suitable For: I would teach someone to windsurf with this board, yet it is great fun for intermediate to advanced light-wind sailing and wave sailing! Overally, the best part about the Pacifico is its unlimited potential for stand-up surfing.

Update: Read David’s Follow-Up Review on the Pacifico

Free shipping on all 2007 windsurf sails

Free shipping on all 2007 kiteboards

Free shipping on all 2007 kites

Free shipping on all O’Neill product orders over $100

Free shipping on all Dakine product orders over $100

In addition, we also offer discounts for windsurfing/kiteboarding packages, and multiple sail/kite purchases. If you’re interested, give us a call and we can put together a quote for you!

* Now for all the gritty details. “Free Shipping” applies only to orders within the contiguous United States (also known as the Lower 48). All items will be shipped via UPS Ground, which takes from 2-6 business days depending on your distance from Hood River. Expedited service (including UPS 3-Day, 2-Day and Next Day Air) is available for an additional charge. Very large items (including Dakine’s 60/40 Split Convertible Luggage, and Dakine’s Single-Wall Windsurf Bag) are considered “oversized” by UPS and cost significantly more to ship, and thus are not included in our free shipping promotion.

As always, please visit our company website for the most current and accurate information regarding our promotions.

Phew! We’ve been getting a lot of phone calls about these guys, but finally they’re here! We just got our first shipment of Pro-Limit’s kiteboarding harnesses for 2007, and man are these things comfortable!

For guys we’ve got the Felix Waist and the Kite Seat Pro, and for the ladies we’ve got the Pure Girl Kite Seat and the Pure Girl Kite Waist.

When comparing Pro-Limit harnesses to other brands, keep in mind that these guys include a kite-specific spreader bar!

David, who will run down to the Event Site on his lunch break to cram in a stand up paddleboard session, says he’s had a ton of fun catching and surfing even the smallest swell.

The Pacifico is Mistral’s answer to the whole paddleboard thing, a huge board that’s great for paddling flatwater, playing in chop or surfing waves. What’s more, the Pacifico has a windsurf mast track, so when the wind starts blowing you can make the conversion from stand up padding to full-on windsurfing. Go ahead and check it out!

Our current stock includes a couple of Tuna Fish 5’3″ boards, the Squash Tail 5’8″, and the Round Squash 5’6″. Check ‘em out, these boards are gorgeous!

Tuna Fish 5’3″

Squash Tail 5’8″

Round Squash 5’6″

What fun, eh? Makes us wish the Columbia River would get a bit warmer than 49 degrees. Soon though, soon!

The second board we now have is the Jimmy Lewis Flight Deck, which is a large 147 cm twin tip board designed especially for light wind conditions.

Anywho, figured we’d let ya’ll know!