Gorge SUP Blowout

BIG NEWS
Downwindrace.com is teaming up with the biggest races in the Gorge to bring Stand Up Paddle Downwind Racing to the Columbia. DownwindRace.Com will maintain point scoring for all the races in the series, and award trophies and swag at the last race. (Downwindrace.com is an ad hoc group consisting of Rod Parmenter, Mark Ribkoff, and Bill Babcock who got together to encourage stimulate downwind racing in the Gorge)

First up is The Blowout!!

The Columbia Gorge Blowout is a classic Windsurfing event, they’ve been ripping up the Gorge for 28 years, and this year it’s going to include Stand Up Paddlers. The blowout is a big event, with lots of great activities surrounding it. We got together with the Darren Rogers, the principal race officer for the blowout and he enthusiastically agreed to include SUP. We’ll have more details on board classes and registration details in the next few days, but for now, get this on your calendar: Gorge Blowout June 26 or 27

The full blowout runs from Stevenson to Hood River, but we’ll be doing the short course version which is Viento to Hood River.

Kite Blowout July 23-24 For the past few years the Columbia Gorge Kitesurfing Association has been holding downwind races from Stevenson to the Hood River sandbar. This year they have agreed to add Stand Up Paddlers to the lineup. We are considering offering both a short and a long course for this race, with the long course being the full 17 mile run from Stevenson and the short course jumps in at Viento. Details to follow, but mark your calendar.