post from ikitesurf

Inept_Fun · Since 14 Apr 2005 1417 Posts Hood River XTreme Poster

Its not that the marina is so special, for me its just the premise. Kiters should get the same respect from the port that windsurfers do. The sandbar is to small to hold all the people that want to kite in Hood River. Its not a fight to gain the marina as a launching area, its a fight to gain respect from the port, kiteboarding is a lot bigger, and safer now than it was when they made all the "no kiting from this site" laws.

pkh · Since 27 Feb 2005 6548 Posts Couve / Hood Site Lackey

shastadogs2 · Since 28 Mar 2005 336 Posts Obsessed

man, this is some funny shyte!

the real question that none of you, my brothers, is asking, is:"why do we settle, year after year, for the crumbs left over by the other river-users?"

kiting is a major revenue source for the area. dollars spent in area shops, campgrounds, motels, hotels, restaurants and gasoline stations means more to the city and county fathers than any of our whining furk-yous.

meanwhile, we rig on a furkin boulder-strewn parking lot (not realy much of a step-down from our usual palacial sandbar), and our friends to the east and west hang out on the grass. wtf?

remember, no one ever gives up priviledge. it has to be wrestled from the furkers' hands.

imho

jimmi

pauls · Since 20 Jun 2005 562 Posts white salmon Addicted

Their is no red carpet for windsurfers from the Port of HR or just about anywhere else. The access windsurfers have in the gorge was fought for for years and is still an ongoing battle - look at Dougs. Kiting has the potential to be way more dangerous to onlookers and that's what we should all be scared of. Keeping the kites on the sandbar is a pretty good way of segregating those in the know from joe public. Tourists can be off 84 and onto the marina beach and tangling with kites in seconds. Beginner tourist kiters will go where they see others launch who may be way more skilled and safer. Sooner or later shilt will happen. Of course the tourist kiter will go back to wherever next week and it'll be the locals who are left fighting to maintain any access.

shredbarbie · Since 17 Sep 2005 97 Posts Hood River, OR

Hi All,

Last weekend I sat and watched kiters take over the Marina in Hood River where it is posted ‘no kiteboarding’. As a kiter, I wanted to launch there as well -- sand, grass, decent launching wind, what’s not to like..? For the next few days I pondered what to do about it, knowing tickets and/or arrests might soon follow. I decided maybe the way to start with a solution to the kiteboarder unrest was for us to band together to discuss solutions to kiteboarding issues in the Gorge.

I now have lived in Hood River for a year, and it came to my attention that this area might not have a means, besides the e-bulletin boards, to unite the kiting community.

So, I called Jen Fitzimmons today, who was instrumental in starting the Columbia Gorge Kiteboarding Association and am researching what it would take to get that up and running as a tool for communication – not only between kiteboarders, but also with the port and any other local authorities. Jen is very busy and would like to hand the task over to those willing to take it on.

I’d like to propose we put together a volunteer board to run the CGKA, and that it would have a mission statement similar to Seattle Kiteboarding Association and other Kiteboarding Associations. (see below)

The main role of CGKA would be to facilitate communication. And we all know, the communication issue is critical right now due to the fact that the kiting area in Hood River, the sand bar, is underwater and there has been a high level of recent conflict between the kiting community and the ability to kite in areas where it’s not allowed. The dams say the river will be high thru June.

I hope that by banding together to discuss issues and come up with solutions together it behoove our sport to approach the port in a proactive, professional manner, rather than resort to total anarchy.

I know a couple of things for certain:

** In the end, we all have the same goal… to kite as much as possible with the safest, most fun conditions out there.

** Kiteboarding anarchy will most likely have negative results.

Please email me thoughts or post them on this and if you would like to be involved. My email is Kandrews@gorge.net

From http://www.seattlekitesurfing.org/origsite/mission.htm

Mission
To promote the growth of safe kitesurfing practices in the greater Seattle area by:
• Acting as a liaison for the kiting community with the local parks and authorities.
• Providing information about local beaches, weather and pertinent factoids.
• Promoting a sense of community to local kitesurfers with educational events.

pdxmonkeyboy · Tue Jun 06, 06 9:01 am

sentone · Since 10 Feb 2006 66 Posts

can o worms..........be very careful how you open it Exclamation

pdxmonkeyboy · Wed Jun 07, 06 2:14 pm

Can of worms how?

I stopped by dougs the other day to chat with a pal and they have an adopt a beach sign there (similar to adopt a highway) an in nice shinny letters it said

"Columbia Gorge Windsrufing Association"

So what kind of worms could come out of having a positive relationship with Oregon or Washington state parks?