The Gorge is my Gym

Good morning everyone!

Windsurfers, the Blowout is on for today. Meet in Stevenson at Bob’s Beach at 8:30 for registration! First possible start is 10am.

The wind looks good for the Blowout today. We start off with 17-20 from Stevenson to Hood River. That’s boring for the blowout, where 10-15 in Stevenson and 35-40 in Hood River is way more fun, but it will make for a mellow race today. As the day goes on, and a shortwave approaches the coast, winds build through the Gorge.

I think we’ll see 24-28 by midday, possibly building into the 30-plus range if the timing is just right. The afternoon winds will stretch all the way from Stevenson to Arlington, so you can pick your favorite spot tonight. Don’t forget that it’s pow-wow time at Roosevelt, so pick someplace else to sail.

The shortwave sends clouds into the Willamette Valley tonight, setting up a solid day in the gorge tomorrow. We’ll start off with winds in the low twenties in the Corridor, holding throughout the day. We may see an afternoon fade as high pressure rebuilds over the Northwest.

In other news, the Seismic Skate Slalom Championships take place in downtown Hood River this weekend. Satuday’s at Full Sail and Sunday’s down Oak Street. Tomorrow is the Windance Swamp meet. And tonight, don’t forget, is the Neverending Story on the outdoor screen at Jackson Park.

In mountain bike news, it’s super dusty off the 44 Road right now. I took my best fall ever yesterday, resulting in me rolling in the dust in agony for a good 10 minutes. Pretty cool stuff. I hurt today. Can’t wait to see the bruising! Too bad I have no photos…

Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!

Temira

Good morning Gorge sports fanatics!

It’s the start of another busy, windy weekend in the Gorge.

Today will be the lightest wind day of the next three, as high pressure crushes gradients and keeps windspeeds in the slalom and kite-friendly range. A light start gives way to slowly building westerlies. By early afternoon, we’ll see 14-17 in the corridor, building to 17-21 by later in the day.

Tomorrow starts off with upper teen winds through the corridor. Winds build as the day goes on, hitting the 23-26 range by afternoon. Depending on when a shortwave hits the coast, we could see even stronger winds late afternoon, as much as 30 if we’re really lucky!

That shortwave crosses Oregon tomorrow night, and combines with high pressure off the coast Sunday morning for strong westerlies through the Gorge. Mid twenties is the minimum we’ll see on Sunday, building as the day goes on.

The long term forecast through Tuesday looks windy as well, so don’t leave town if you like windsurfing or kiting!

In other news, today is the Seismic Skate Systems slalom race down the east side of the twin tunnels trail. If you’re a spectator, head over. If you’re road biking, today’s a good day to ride somewhere else. Other weekend events include… probably on Saturday, the windsurfing Blowout race. Check VMG events dot com for more information. On Saturday, The Neverending Story plays at Jackson Park. On Sunday there’s a swap meet at Windance.

Whatever you do today, have an awesome day!