Hood River Kiteboarding Guide

IMPORTANT: If you are a beginner Kiteboarder, you need to take lessons with a professional kiteboard instructor. If you show up to the Sandbar without proper knowledge and experience of how to kiteboard safely, you will be asked to leave. For information on lessons contact one of the local Hood River shops or schools Brian's Windsurfing, Storm Warning, Big Winds, New Wind, or Windwind Hood River.

Looking for decent free forecasting and sensor resources for the Columbia River Gorge? Take a look at our Forecast Page.

The Hood River Sandbar is the only sandy kiteboarding launch in the Gorge, it is also one of the most consistently windy spots in the entire country. Its the spot where the Gorge schools call home, so if you are looking to learn to kiteboard look no further.

Sandbar shown here in the spring when it can be reduced to a thin strip.

Directions:
Hood River Oregon is located 60 miles east of Portland on I84. Hood River has 3 exits, take the middle one (Exit 63.) Once you're off the freeway take the first turn towards the river, then take the next two rights. You will be headed towards the 76 Gas Station. Go around the back and continue down the small road until it turns left onto a gravel road. Pay $2 at the station to park.

Hood River offers some challenge in the sheer number of riders on the water, always be mindful of your surroundings.

Guidelines:
- You are unlikely to see conditions in the Northwest more crowded than the sandbar on a hot weekend afternoon. To make it bearable for everyone try to minimize your own presence on land.
- Once you launch, ride upwind and away from the bar to avoid people launching and landing and newbies learning in the shallows.
- Beware when on the sandbar kites will be launched, landed, and flown directly upwind of you. It is always advisable to keep an eye upwind to make sure an out of control kite isn't rolling towards you. For this reason, its not the best place to bring kids, the wife, grandma, etc..
- Remember when riding downwind of other riders to keep your kite low, when riding upwind of other riders keep your kite high.
- The Hood River portion of the sandbar is a dangerous place to ride, and is normally where the pros roam. If you ride there please be mindful to share. Someone winding up for a big trick right in front of a camera on the point will not be happy if you ruin it for them by riding in their path.
- The Marina sandbar is not a legitimate launching land landing zone and it is super important to be aware of the families utilizing that area if you end up down there (ie drop your kite in the water outside the kiddy zone rather than coming in hot to the beach and expecting someone to catch your kite when you end up downwind.)
- There are strong currents in the area where the Columbia and Hood Rivers converge. It is especially easy to get stuck down here and not able to get back upwind because of the currents. If you get stuck, make sure you know how to self rescue properly, and don't be afraid to end up on the Washington side if you need to.
- Watch for barges in the channel, they come often.

"Black hole" (difficult to ride/stay upwind) areas:
1) Below Hood River/Second sand bar area there is a large area where wind is shifty and it is difficult to stay upwind. You will not get an apparent wind effect from the current in this area because it is neutral or pushing downwind. Check the map for "Black Hole Area #1." Self rescuing in this area is also difficult to impossible, due to the outward current from Hood River. If you are attempting to self rescue into that current, you will make little or no progress. Instead consider dragging back out into the main channel and let yourself drift downriver (upwind) until you are past where Hood River comes out, then attempt to drag in again.
2) Close to Washington edge of river (maybe within 100-200ft of the wall) the wind can often shut off completely causing your kite to fall from the sky (even when its blowing 20 knots in the channel.) Check the map above for "Black Hole Area #2."

Pros will be pros, keep an eye out.

Tips:
- Event site sensor on IWindsurf is what you want to watch.
- Wind can be blowing as early as 10am, so head to beach early to avoid the crowds.
- Winds usually shut down or at least start tapering 2-3 hours before sunset.
- The best wind and open water can usually be found far upwind of the sand bar.

Photo by Jon Malmberg

More tips from local riders...

Sasquach:
"Kiting below the sand bar island is like going into a black hole, its hard to get out of it once your in it. The wind is shaddowed from Wells island upwind and a back eddie exists at the tail end of this island from the Hood River draining into the Columbia. It is really hard to relaunch your kite in this area with the forces imposed upon the kite. I've seen many newbies tire to the point of needing help from others and or dumping there kite and swimming into shore.

Second, if one wants to go up wind with greater ease where there are less people and better quality wind, tack back and forth in the shipping channel (it increases your appearent wind speed). This is defined by the buoys and the swell. One knows they are out of the channel on the Washington side when the swell gets small and or is nonexistent. This is where another back eddie exists and your rather close to the rocky shore. Barges typically like to stay in the middle of the channel and when you see one you should get out of the channel and wait for it to go by. Mess with shipping commerse ie big $$$$, and we will all feel the pain of its power and might.

Lastly, the sand/real estate at the launching and landing point should only be used for launching and landing. When one hinders this access by placing all their stuff there or sets up there, it hurts that functionality of the beach. Please place your gear and do your setup far back from the ever-changing launch and land site (it changes due to water levels which is controlled by the upriver dams). This way we all can maximize our respective time on the water."

Inept_Fun:
"Also, right below the very edge of the outer sandbar there is that horrible place where the current of the Hood River meets the current of the columbia. That is the real black hole and if you get stuck there, you will be stuck you cannont swim outta that hole so watch out for that."

Matt:
"1) The Marina sandbar is not a legitimate launching land landing zone and it is super important to be aware of the families utilizing that area if you end up down there (ie drop your kite in the water outside the kiddy zone rather than coming in hot to the beach and expecting someone to catch your kite when you end up downwind.

2) Because of the ever present downwind kite traffic, downwind families, sailboats, barges, bridge, jetties, etc a leash of some sort is mandatory. With the many spinning, 5th line, and sucide leashes available there is no excuse for losing your kite downwind.

3) Its important to be courteous to the windsurfers upwind of the sandbar and keep in mind that like the sandbar, there is a wide range of skills in the windsurfing crowd riding at the event site- many of whom dont really know how to handle a kiteboarder on an opposite tack. Always be ready to yield right of way.

4) I think you handled "better riding upwind" well. It is really a more advanced riding area (more difficult getting rescued if something goes wrong, no good landing spots, much larger swell, frequently higher winds than the sandbar, narrower channel, etc etc) and as such those that can make it up there and be able to ride safely will without directions and hints and those that cant hopefully will stay around the sandbar.

5)Keeping gear on the beach in as small of an area as possible and not leaving lines laid out on the beach- if you arent actively rigging, launching, or landing lines need to be wrapped up.

6) Be helpful to other riders, give launches, catch kites, know the now well recognized signal for "catch my kite please" (tapping head), know who has right of way on the water."

azazello
"If you're intermediate/advanced beginner level or simply don't like the hassle of dealing with problems out in the channel, IMHO the best spot to ride is either between the paddleboat and the first bouy, or somewhat upwind from most of the windsurfers. The wind is not the most consistent, but you get blown back in to where you took off if something goes not as planned (like the wind picking up frm 20mph to 35 in about 5 seconds, which happens).

Also, nobody said anything about beginner/lessons area. I think it's both safer and actually quite polite not to be around beginners taking lessons in the shallows. They just get scared and loose it if you ride past them creating trouble for others and not enjoying their time on the water as much as they could. I've seen many a good rider do just that and this is just not nice.

Also, the advice about the "black hole area" just downwind from the bar should be in bold imho. It takes just 15 minutes to be swept out into the channel if you go down in cold water. I don't really know of any good way to deal with it, the best seems to be to just give up as soon as possible and walk back from marina. Or wait a little and around the closest bouy try to self-rescue a bit upwind hoping to end up back on the sand bar.

And teach your dog not to mess up kite lines.

Oh yea, if the wind is below 25 make sure you have a plan for when it picks up to 35 in a few minutes."