Windsurfing Gear

Big Winds Instructors Clean House
at the Gorge Freestyle Frenzy!

The results are in, and the Big Winds crew absolutely cleaned up at this year's Gorge Freestyle Frenzy! Congratulations to Tyson Poore, Whit Poore and Rob Warwick for snagging 1st, 2nd and 4th place!

All of these guys have been super-involved with our windsurfing clinics and advanced junior camps, and we are grateful to have such kind, talented folk working with our students.

Shopping for a new board?
Don't miss our gear galleries!

Choosing the right windsurf board is an important decision, and Big Winds wants to make sure you're well-equipped for the task. Our entire sales team is made up of passionate windsport experts, who will do whatever it takes to answer even the most difficult questions about our gear.

Sometimes words can't cut it, and you just need to see with your own two eyes what it is you crave. To help satisfy this need we've put together an incredibly detailed photo gallery, where we have painstakingly photographed many of the windsurf boards in our current lineup.

We hope you find these galleries helpful, and we encourage you to call us at 1-888-509-4210 and speak with one of our windsurfing experts if you have any questions. Thanks for choosing Big Winds, where experience counts!

We hope you had a happy Fourth!

We had an amazing Fourth of July in the Gorge this year, filled with plenty of wind, barbecued meats, and a beautiful fireworks display to top it all off. What's more, here is a picture of the Hook from that day! The Hook is a protected lagoon on the Columbia River here in Hood River where we teach our beginning windsurfing lessons and kids camps, and you can see that it was absolutely brimming with Big Winds students learning to windsurf. Wow!

Thanks to all of you who came down this holiday weekend to hang out with us, and an extra special thanks to our entire Hook crew, including our brave instructors and our hardworking gear technicians, who make all of this possible. Just think, these guys are making new windsurfers every day!

Our Women's Clinics are Filling Up Fast!

Led by longtime instructor Heidi Chapel, our Women's Clinics are a terrific way to improve your skills in a supportive environment while having a great time with other women who rip!

These 2-day advanced clinics are designed for women who have a bombproof waterstart and are looking to develop other aspects of their windsurfing. Heidi and her team of instructors will cover a variety of skills, including rigging, stance, harness and footstraps, increasing confidence in high winds, and jibing.

We have two women's clinic sessions this year, one from July 12-13 and another from August 9-10, so you can choose whichever one fits best in your schedule. All clinics start at our shop here in Hood River, the perfect base camp for pursuing windsurfing excursions anywhere in the Columbia River Gorge.

Call Big Winds at 888-509-4210 and reserve your spot now!

Wow, what a great Father's Day!

What a great Father's Day! I had the great pleasure of windsurfing with my two daughters and son-in-law on a gorgeously sunny, windy, classic Gorge day. What a blast!

I hope all you dads had a great time as well. Hats off to all of you!

See you out there,
Steve

Save big on the most versatile wetsuit on the market! $25 off, no sales tax, and free shipping!

For a limited time we're packaging the O'Neill FLX 3/2 short-sleeved wetsuit with its next of kin, the FLX Long Sleeve Crew wetsuit top, at a huge savings to you! With sleeves built from the same windproof material as the FLX wetsuit, the FLX Long Sleeve Crew can be layered underneath your wetsuit, offering the ultimate in warmth and flexibility. It's like having two wetsuits in one!

At $289.95, you're saving nearly $25 on the suit and top when you purchase them together! Plus, with no sales tax in Oregon and free shipping on O'Neill orders, you're probably saving at least $50 after all is said and done!

Steve's Big Week

It was a great week to be a windsurfer in the Gorge! After a chilly spring and spotty wind, things cranked up in a big way this past week, with the full range of conditions offered up.

After my latest start to the season in memory, I was committed to make up for lost time, and sailed four of the last seven days, loving (almost) every minute of it. Monday was a perfect 4.2 after-work session at the White Salmon Bridge, with a clean swell and lots of open space.

Thursday I wedged a brief-but-memorable session in between work and an evening meeting. I was fully lit up on a 3.4, with the biggest swell I can remember at the Hatchery. It was beyond big, with sailors disappearing behind clean, smooth, almost mast-high river swells!

Friday was another really fun after-work employee sailing session at the Event Site on 5 and 6 meter sails and freeride boards. It's sometimes easy to lose sight of how much fun it is to go rip around with friends in 15-20 mph breezes. Social sailing. Pretty darn fun.

I ended the week with a rugged, really windy 3.4 session at Doug’s yesterday afternoon. It was the definition of rough water! I also squeezed in a few tennis matches and a bunch of work. This place is exhausting!

See you out there,
Steve

Don't Miss the Big Winds Weblog!

Our weblog is always brewing with the latest news from our neck of the woods. With everything from reviews on stand up boards to awesome summer events to handy tips for using this very website, there are plenty of reasons to head on over to www.bigwindsblog.com and take a peek.

Who are we?

Established in 1987, Big Winds is one of the largest windsurfing and kiteboarding product and accessory stores in the United States.

We pride ourselves on our product knowledge and expertise. In our 20 years in business, we have sold over 8,000 boards, 14,000 sails, taught 17,000 lessons, and served over 25,000 rental customers. Our ongoing school and rental programs give us a unique insight into the needs of all types of windsurfers, kiteboarders, young and old, male or female, novice or expert.

Our expert staff members are experienced windsurfers and kiteboarders who are passionate about these sports. Experience counts, and you can count on us to give you friendly and professional service year after year!

Learn more about Big Winds