InterviewPlease tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from and how come you started windsurfing?I'm originally from Mt Vernon, WA and learned to sail on Orcas Island while spending summers there at my Aunts house starting when I was 11. Not much wind out there but I was small and the gear was large, so it worked out. The first board I bought was a Hifly 500. It was huge, heavy and made of plastic. I'm one of five kids. :: copyright by Trudy Lary ::    You are a well know Gorge sailor who rips the Gorge since decades. You participated at several Gorge windsurfing competitions and won the 2000 Gorge Games. So you are a true personality who is representing the sport for a long time. What keeps you motivated doing the sport you love ?Well I've sort of lived most of my life around windsurfing. I've spent 22 summers in the Gorge and 11 winters on Maui. I've been surrounded by great sailors and great conditions not to mention that I just love to windsurf. I love being on the water and feeling the pull of the sail and the turn and speed of the board. It's also relatively safe sport since you're doing it on water and something I can do for a long time plus it keeps you in good shape. :: Sean ripping the Gorge :: (c) image by Danny MCcarty    The Gorge is legendary for its super strong winds. Can you characterize a typical big day on the river and how you experience it?A typical day was two days ago, actually it wasn't a typical but a day that lives up to the Gorge's reputation as being a very windy place. For me the Gorge is mostly about jumping. I love to jump and loop etc. The small sails and boards combined with the big wind and big river swells are just a great combo for jumping. Unlike wave sailing, the windier it gets the better. :: nice loop rotation by Sean :: (c) image by Vlado Sklenar;     What's your attitude towards freestyle windsurfing and how does this aspect influence the Gorge windsurfing scene nowadays ?I think the freestyle stuff is killer. It's a great progression of the sport and they are able to do it in both light and strong wind, with or without any ramps. It's really cool. I haven't spent much time working on the new stuff but there are some moves I'd like to work on but right now I'm just into having fun and getting out there on the windy days.   Your favorite playgrounds are?Favorites are San Carlos, Baja, Maui, Oahu, The Gorge, Some spots near Santa Cruz and a few spots on the Oregon Coast. But anywhere with good wind and waves will do. :: Sean ripping Baja :: (c) image by ???;     Your latest magic moment on the water?There have been so many magic moments that I can't really pick one out. Yes, there have been a lot. I usually have a magic moment everytime I go out.   Any other sports you practice beside windsurfing?Any other sports you practice beside windsurfing?I love a lot of sports. I've done a lot of BMX racing as a kid and that's grown into downhill/feeride mt biking (which is also epic here and I live at the bottom of the hill). It's a good way to get hurt, but it's a ton of fun! I still occasionally ride my BMX bike at the local skate park. I also did a lot of snowboarding before I started going to Maui and since moving to Hood River full time in 02' I've started snowboarding again. I won the Mt Hood Banked Slalom the last two years. But I just do it for fun. I like kite boarding but haven't done much in the last 3 or 4 years. :: radical downhill fun:: (c) image by Tad Craig     About your life outside the water and your future.My life outside the water has changed rapidly, mainly because I now have a life outside the water! I am married to beautiful a lady, Audrey and no she doesn't windsurf but doesn't mind that I do. We have two kids, Van is 3 years and Zoe is 8 months. They are the coolest and cutest kids I know. They have given me a whole new perspective on life. We get to drive around in my old trucks and do fun stuff. They seem to love it. They are by far my best trophies and everyday when I see them they make me feel like I just won some big contest! They are awesome. I have also been dabbling in real estate for years buying, selling, fixing up and managing rental properties and since moving back full time I decided to become a licensed Realtor. I plan on windsurfing and staying active for a long time. Always working on the perfect balance of family/play/work and keeping my sights on living life to the fullest. You only go around once and I'm trying to make the best of it. :: father & son :: (c) image by Tad Craig 

InterviewPlease tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from and how come you started windsurfing? Windsurfing was introduced to me when I was 8 or 9 years old when my mother read an advertisement in TIME magazine about a new sport that relies on wind power only. At the time, we had a motorboat for waterskiing, but my mom was frustrated with the boat never working properly, and that she needed to have at least three people with her for waterskiing. Our family lived in Wisconsin, where there are plenty of lakes, and my mom loved water sports. My dad had four letter adjectives for the boat, so after reading this advertisment, our family sold the boat and my mom used to proceeds to by a HiFly 6.5 sail with a 12 foot board. At every opportunity, she was taking me to the Eau Pleine River outside of Wausau, Wisconsin, where she would windsurf, and I would fish. For several hours, she would learn to maneuver the gear, until she ended a mile or so downwind, and somebody's motorboat would drag her back in. At 8 years old, I could not even lift the sail out of the water. Mom packed her windsurfing gear every time we visited a friend's cabin in the summers. By the time I was 13, Mom purchased a Mistral 6.0 set. At this time, I could uphaul the sail, tack, and jibe. Mom did not get as much use out of the equipment, since I was riding it with every opportunity I got. Mom arranged for me to babysit the 4 year old of the owner of Sail Du Bay, and earn my own board in the process.  My first board was a Bic Reggae and a 5.7 Bic sail. This was the equipment that I learned to rig, plane, and waterstart. I was 14 or 15 when I first started planing, and it was a sensation that was much better than waterskiing. Being the typical teenager, I no longer wanted to go to the lake every day, especially if it was not windy. I wanted to go fast! My mom, sister, and I made our first trip to the gorge when I was 15 (1989), with my Bic and her Mistral on the roof racks. We sat at the Marina, wondering why people were not uphauling, and why there was no centerboard. We signed up for Waterstart lessons, and that was when I got introduced to shortboarding. My sister lived in Olympia, Washington, and she got married when I was 17. After her wedding, Mom and I drove down to Hood River so I could have to opportunity to use a shortboard. We took a private lesson at Rhonda Smith's, where I was given instruction on improving my waterstarts and learning to get in the footstraps. A 5.0 sail was small to me, but I just fell in love with windsurfing in Hood River. Mom knew that I wanted to leave Central Wisconsin at the earliest possible opportunity, so she mentioned to my instructor that she would consider sending me to Hood River for a week.  He responded, 'Well, she is pretty good for somebody from Wisconsin. You should consider sending her out here for the whole summer and have her work here.' It took some convincing to my dad to send his 18 year old daughter, fresh out of high school, 2000 miles away. Mom and Dad told me that 'If you keep your nose clean your senior year of high school, we will consider sending you to Hood River to work for the summer.' Leaving Wiscsonsin was my number one goal in life, so I applied for a job at Rhonda Smith's, got my CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguarding Certifications, and took courses in teaching windsurfing. From 1993 - 1997, I spent my summers teaching windsurfing and my offseason at the University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse. As I progressed in my windsurfing those summers, I knew I was going to make Portland my permanent home after receiving my degree. Currently, I am a paralegal who works on the East side of Portland, who likes to sneak out on Friday afternoons to take Board Meetings. My truck is set up for camping, so I stay out in the gorge all weekend.

About your passion for sailing the Columbia River Gorge.

The Columbia River Gorge is ideal not only for windsurfing, but for mountain biking and whitewater kayaking. If I have to wait for wind, I know I can jump on my bike before driving over to the Hatchery or Dougs. After fifteen years in the gorge, I have made a number of friends who love to windsurf as much or more than I do. We continue to push each other to learn to s-turn in the waves, launch higher jumps, or do freestyle moves. Some of the best days I have had are morning sessions at the Hatch or Doug's, where the swell is smooth from the lack of people being on them. The gorge is only an hour away from home, but I feel like I can completely escape the city.       Your favorite playgrounds are? The Hatchery, Dougs, The Wall, Roosevelt, South Beach (Newport, Oregon), Post Canyon Road (MT biking)       What's your attitude towards freestyle windsurfing? A friend introduced me to freestyle windsurfing in 2003 when I was waiting for the wind to pick up. She helped me improve on my fast tacks, and taught me to backwind. Currently, I can tack, boomerang, heli-tack, and do Carve 360's. Freestyle makes a light 4.7 day much more challenging.       Any other sports you practice beside windsurfing? Mountain Biking, Road Biking, Cross Country Skiing and Back Country Skiing.       Your latest magic moment on the water? In early July, my friends and I woke up late and knew it was going to be packed at the Hatchery. We drove out to Doug's, where it was solid 4.0-4.7 at 9 a.m. The swell was rolling in nice and clean, and for several hours, we had the river to ourselves. Untouched swell was so easy to carve on and complete S-Turns on. By the time we left, in mid-afternoon, the parking lot was only half full.       Word Rap ?! Favorite food ? French Fries with Ranch Dressing accompanied with IPA ! Favorite music ? Depends on my mood, but usually the Rock/Americana Genre ! A wish ? Wind forcasts would be much easier to predict ! A dream ? Windsurfing into old age with good friends, and maybe a partner ! Most difficult windsurfing move ? I've been working on Vulcans for 2 summers now, and am barely progressing ! Ocean sailing or ripping rivers ? It's a tie. Ocean sailing presents a bigger challenge, but there is more opporunity to rip on the river ! Barak Obama ? He needs to expand his platform to 'We're not republicans' and be ready to produce results, not rhetoric ! Maried or single ? Single ! Tattoos or not ? None on me. I'd rather spend the money on gear !       About your life and your future At 33, my goal is to work hard and play harder. I like to have a variety of hobbies, whether they be active or sedentary. My plan is to stay in the Portland area for the rest of my life, so I continue to have easy access to the gorge or to the caost. I want to stay fit and healthy as long as possible.  We would like to thank Jill for becoming ripper of the month and for talking about her life as a passioned windsurfer! 

InterviewPlease introduce yourself as an enthusiastic wind-/kitesurfer in a few sentences. I've been doing water sports for many, many years. I started out windsurfing on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. Then I figured out that if I wanted to really windsurf, I needed wind. So I headed west to the Gorge, then to Maui, and eventually ended up in Vancouver. About nine years ago, I started kiteboarding too, thanks to some local sponsors convincing me. Now I do both. It's great to have two awesome sports like this available since conditions are so variable. :: Daniel ripping in the Gorge :: (c)image by Daniel O'Sullivan ::       You are living in the metropolitan area of Vancouver. Please introduce your favorite local playgrounds and gang you are hanging out with. Vancouver is a great ocean town and we live in Kitsilano, close to the beach and downtown. Just a quick trip to Squamish and I can get in a dual dose of kiting and windsurfing at The Spit, where most local riders play. On windy winter days, there's also Boundary Bay with long, shallow beaches and a great, laid-back crew. Also, I can head to Vancouver Island to kiteboard/windsurf along Dallas Road but mostly I go over there to surf. It's where I first learned to kiteboard nearly a decade ago. Even though I'm living in a city, I'm never that far from wind. And Hood River's just 7 hours away eh? Five on a good day.  :: Daniel kitesurfing in Squamish B.C.:: (c)image by Jim Hegan ::       You are both a windsurfing and kitesurfing addict. What is your favorite aspect of each sport ? Windsurfing's challanging because there's a real technical aspect to it and I like the culture too. It's where I first started. Kiteboarding's easy and portable.       What boards and sails do you ride? Naish all the way. They have my back for all my sports, from kiting and windsurfing to surfing. :: Daniel off the lip :: (c)image by Daniel O'Sullivan ::       Your latest magic moment on the water? There's been some nice, sunny spring days lately and it's been great to get into the water kiteboarding in English Bay, close to my house.       About your present life and your future? Right now? I'm happy getting into the water as often as I can, pushing it and trying new things. Even if it hurts sometimes. he he In the future? A sailboat and no destination.  :: Daniel, a true Naish fan :: (c)image by Jim Hegan ::

InterviewPlease tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from and how come you started windsurfing? My name is Bryan Metcalf-Perez. I grew up and went to High School in Santa Fe New Mexico. As one might guess there really aren't many places to sail in New Mexico so traveling to Hood River Oregon inevitably became an annual tradition. My Father is an avid windsurfer and without his passion for the sport my interest in windsurfing would never have been sparked. In fact the unique windsurfing the Columbia Gorge has to offer eventually lead my family to make the decision to move to Hood River. These days instead of traveling to Hood River during the summer, I am fortunate enough to be able leave the gorge and travel south to warm and windy climates. Though many of these places have great windsurfing I would trade them in, in an instant for cold water, steep ramps, rippin current, inside eddies (perfect Flat water), and 30MPH Plus wind which the only the Columbia gorge can offer. There are many places to sail in the gorge my favorites are The Hatch and The Wall. Few places have glassy freestyle water and swell at the same spot which makes these windsurfing beaches very unique. I feel it is these conditions which has allowed my freestyle to progress rapidly.       Either/Or!?? Favorite food ? New Mexico style enchiladas with hatch green chilies. Favorite movie ? Down wind Shakas on a swell hitting trany on the way down. Doing a Shaka with your apparent wind is just the craziest feeling ever. One wish ? Wind on the water. One regret ? Life is way to short to have any of those. Your windsurfing heroes ? My dad, Dale Cook, Miller Time, Ty Guy, Burta, and Whitypoo Your sickest windsurfing move? Burners are pretty Crazy but air shakas take the cake Single or taken? Depends who's asking. Ha ha just kidding. I still haven't found a girl worthy of keeping me off the water. Tattoos or not ? Not. Scars are the best Tattoos.       What boards and sails do you ride? I Ride on Windwing (Bash) Sails and Tabou Boards (Freestyle 90 and Pocket 78). ProMotion wets suits, Dakine, and Chinook.       Your latest magic moment on the water? Shaka on port in Robs face!       What about your plans for the near future? Sailing in Baja and Maui until next summer.

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Interview                                                                    Please tell us a little bit about yourself where are you from and how come you started river windsurfing?  Dis nous s'il te plait quelques mots au sujet de toi, d'où es-tu et comment es-tu venu à naviguer sur un fleuve?  I am from South-West of France. I have been practising windsurf for twenty years. My firsts spots were the Bassin D'Arcachon and the lakes near Bordeaux when I was at secondary school and student, but because of my first job in Paris, I had to stop windsurf for six years. I sailed only for summer holidays. I have been living near Avignon since 2000, so thanks to the Rhône River and the famous Mistral I sail again. It was new and special to sail on a river for me !!  Je suis originaire du Sud-Ouest de la France. Je pratique le windsurf depuis 20 ans. Mes premiers spots étaient le Bassin D'Arcachon et les lacs près de Bordeaux quand j'étais lycéen et étudiant .... mais à cause de mon premier boulot à Paris, j'ai d? arrêter le windsurf pendant six ans. Je naviguais seulement pendant les vacances d'été. J'habite près d'Avignon depuis 2000, ainsi grâce au Rhône et le fameux Mistral je navigue de nouveau. C'était nouveau et spécial de naviguer sur un fleuve pour moi !!       vive la France :: (c) image by shootriding.com  You are publishing  funboard Rhône, a blog deticated to Windsurfing the Rhône River in France. Can you introduce your website in a few sentences ?  ??  I like the Rhône River because I have some spots that are about 10 minutes away from my office and home , so I can basically sail over and over again whenever the Mistral wind is blowing. A lot of windsurfers don't know yet that you can sail on this river, so I had the idea to present windsurfing the Rhône River online by spot guides and shots/video clips. With the new forum I hope that Rhone windsurfers are going to exchange about their passion for windsurfing like on other windsurfing related online communities. The windsurfing community exist alongside Rhone River, now it must be it on the web !!!!!   J'aime le Rhône parce que j'ai des spots à dix minutes de mon travail et de chez moi !!! Et grâce à cela, je peux naviguer de nouveau ... et le Mistral est vraiment un vent fabuleux !!! Ainsi, comme beaucoup de windsurfers ne savent pas que nous pouvons naviguer sur ce fleuve, j'ai eu l'idée de montrer le windsurfing sur le Rhône, présenter les spots par une description et des photos/vidéos, ? De plus, avec le nouveau forum j'espère que les windsurfers du Rhône vont échanger au sujet de leur passion pour le windsurf ? comme sur d'autres spots qui sont sur le web. La communauté du windsurf existe le long du Rhône sur les spots, maintenant il doit l'être sur le web !!!!        Tell us a bit about the windsurfing community alongside Rhône River and the typical windsurfing conditions you have ?  Parle nous au sujet de la communauté du windsurf sur le Rhône et les conditions typique que vous rencontrez ?  Windsurfers have been sailing on this river since the 80s, so all people know them. New windsurfers are always welcome! I can see it myself back when I sailed there for the first. On this river, we can do all diciplines: freeride, freestyle, bump&jump. The most radical conditions are when the famous Mistral wind is blowing at full force (30 up to 50 knots) in the south near Montelimar, Orange and Avignon, but also at southern Wind up in the north near Lyon.  J'aime le Rhône parce que j'ai des spots à dix minutes de mon travail et de chez moi !!! Et grâce à cela, je peux naviguer de nouveau .... et le Mistral est vraiment un vent fabuleux !!! Ainsi, comme beaucoup de windsurfers ne savent pas que nous pouvons naviguer sur ce fleuve, j'ai eu l'idée de montrer le windsurfing sur le Rhône, présenter les spots par une description et des photos/vidéos, .... De plus, avec le nouveau forum j'espère que les windsurfers du Rhône vont échanger au sujet de leur passion pour le windsurf .... comme sur d'autres spots qui sont sur le web. La communauté du windsurf existe le long du Rhône sur les spots, maintenant il doit l'être sur le web !!!!  laurent ripping the Rhône:: (c) image by nicolas/funboard Rhône        Are there any regulations alongside the river that prevent people from sailing at specific sites or can you basically sail wherever you like to ?   Y-a-t-il une réglementation sur le fleuve qui empê che les gens de naviguer sur des sites spécifiques ou pouvez-vous naviguer où vous aimer ?  We are not really allowed to sail on the Rhône River because of the dikes and barges. The authorities already had plans to disallow windsurfing on Rhône River. But thanks to an association (Atomic Windsufers Association), we can sail again. But for instance, a former spot near Avignon/Orange (Codolet) is now forbidden. There are fewer problems on the spots with natural dikes. Windsurfers have been sailing the Rhone since the 80's and will hopefully do even in the near future!  Nous ne sommes pas réellement autorisés à naviguer sur le Rhône à cause des digues et des péniches. Les autorités voulaient interdire le windsurf sur le Rhône. Mais grâce à une association (Atomic Windsufer Association), nous pouvons encore naviguer. Mais par exemple, un ancien spot près d'Avignon/Orange (Codolet) est maintenant interdit. Il y a moins de problème sur les spots avec une digue naturelle. Mais les windsurfers naviguent sur le Rhône depuis les années 80 .... ainsi nous verrons des windsurfers encore pendant longtemps. high winds at the Rhône :: (c) image by laurent/funboard Rhone        How big is freestyle windsurfing at the Rhône ?  Le freestyle est-il trè s développé sur le Rhône ?  Well the majority of Rhône windsurfers are at the age of 25+. With the usual super strong winds(>30 up to 50 knots), we practice bump&jump most of the time and some hardcore riders even big forward and backward loops.  Le freestyle est une pratique pour les jeunes .... et la majorité des windsurfers du Rhône n'ont plus vingt ans !! De plus, avec le niveau du vent habituel (30/50 nds), la principale pratique est le bump&jump avec quelques moves pour les meilleurs. christophe robert shove-it :: (c) image by zinou        The most radical Windsurfing site at Rhône River ?  Le plus radicale spot sur le Rhône ?  There is a radical site and high wind area on the North near Lyon (Chasse-sur-Rhône). It's an urban spot where a motorway and railway is located on each site of the river so a huge crowd is guaranteed! Another one is Phenix on the South near Orange near a nuclear plant where the super strong Mistral is blowing.  Il y a un spot radical au Nord près de Lyon (Chasse-sur-Rhône) à cause de l'autoroute et la voie ferrée.... (un spot 'urbain') et aussi grâce au fort vent sur ce spot !!! Un autre est Phénix au Sud près d'Orange à cause du site nucléaire et en particulier grâce à la forte houle par fort mistral. christophe flying high :: (c) image by shootriding.com        Your latest magic moment sailing Rhône River ?  Ta derniè re session magique sur le Rhône ?  When the Rhône smokes !!!! It's magic to be on the Rhone when the water flies caused by the atomic winds. The fist time for me it was frightening !!! Last time I experienced it was last autumn when we've had three months of never ending winds ... probably a new record !!  Quand le Rhône .... fume !!!! C'est magique d'être sur le Rhône et de voir l'eau voler à cause du fort vent. La première fois pour moi c'était .... effrayant !!!  La dernière fois c'était cet automne avec trois mois de très fort vent .... un record !! fire-fighting plane and sailor ripping the Rhône :: (c)image by laurent/funboard Rhone thanks to Laurent for beeing ripper of the month May 2008 and for giving us an insight of river windsurfing the Rhône. For more info please visit Laurent's blog at  www.funboard.rhone.over-blog.com!

Interview :: Temira ripping at the Gorge :: photo (C) by Jon Malmberg Please tell us a little bit about yourself, where are you from and how come you started windsurfing? I grew up in the Seattle area, and learned to windsurf on a lake near Whistler Mountain. I saw windsurfing on TV when I was a little kid, and decided from that moment on that I wanted to be a pro sailor. My parents finally got tired of me begging for lessons and sent me to summer camp where I could learn. I bought my first gear when I was 13 or 14, and my parents sent it straight back to the place I'd ordered it from and kept the money. Needless to say, that didn't make me a happy kid! I finally got my own gear (and my own car) when I was 16, and spent every day after school on local lakes. I moved to the Gorge in the summer of 1997, and fell completely in love with the town and the sailing conditions.       About your passion for sailing at the Columbia River Gorge and the local scene. The Gorge is beautiful; I feel so grateful that I live here. Besides the natural beauty, the people are fantastic - kind, helpful, friendly... Windsurfers here are always willing to help each other learn new moves. Advice is given freely, and people take time out of their sailing to shout hints to people on the water. We have an awesome and supportive community here, and that's a good part of why we have so many rippers. The best thing about sailing in the Gorge is that I can try aerial moves over and over, and never have to worry about getting crushed by the next wave in a set!       Your attitude towards freestyle windsurfing? Freestyle windsurfing is great! Learning new moves keeps windsurfing from ever getting boring.       What freestyle move are you currently working on? I'm working on the Flaka and on the shuv-it Vulcan (I don't know the name of that move)       What is your favorite sail and board of choice for a typical day at the Gorge? Fanatic New Wave 75 and a Hot Sails Superfreak 3.7 for a perfect day. I can land on that sail all day and never break a panel. Awesome! :: Temira ripping at the Gorge :: photo (C) by Rick Strahl       Your latest magic moment on the water? A couple of weeks ago I sailed at the Hatchery on a rare winter west wind day. It was 12 degrees (celsius), blowing over 50mph, with 30 meter wind devils and 15 meter walls of spray. I was on a 3.2, completely overpowered, alone on the river.       Either/or ?! Morning or afternoon session? Morning. X-Ply or monofilm? Neither. Dacron is the best! HipHop or Rock? Neither. Techno. Paul Oakenfold or Tiesto live. Ocean sailing or river ripping? Mast-high waves or 3.2 on the river. Can't choose! Port. Wavesailing? Starboard. Simple AirJibe or Spock? Spock. Maried or single? Single (and looking) Forward or backward loop? Back or Push. Session or competition? Session. Wave or freestyle? Waves! Tattoos or not? Love 'em, but still looking for the right one for me.       About your life and future. I'm currently running my own small business and doing a fair bit of freelance writing. I'd like to go back to school soon, so I can work in renewable resources: windfarms, biodiesel plants... any sort of sustainable work that will reduce the impact we have on the planet.  :: Temira ripping at the Gorge :: photo (C) by Jon Malmberg For more info please visit Temira's website www.temirawagonfeld.com!