I contacted some Gorge locals earlier this year through my website the river rippers network.
They related their recent mega days at over 40 knots and logo high swell. Their photos were just insane and my greedy appetite to get out there and rip this unmatched river one day simply grew from peckish to ravenous!

I couldn't hesitate further and rushed to the nearest travel agency to nail up the trip. The journey of my lifetime would soon begin.

Early in July, my silver bird lifted from Frankfurt International and winged me to Portland , Oregon after a stop-over in San Francisco .
Prior to connecting to Portland for my "main course", I took in a cool sightseeing trip around the city then, by way of a "starter", was soon ripping the Sacramento River , lifeblood of the metropolitan back-country.

On a typical summer day with fog in the bay and high temperatures in the back-country, the Sacramento River wind engine runs at 20-knot full power. An hour's drive from downtown Frisco took me to a location called "Power Lines", where the river is crossed by power utility lines. If you follow these lines, you'll indeed discover rotating wind engines installed on the opposite ridge.
Here, the peaceful landscape is marked by golden corn fields and grassland, through which the winding Sacramento River winds is way towards the ocean.

An ABK Sports freestyle windsurfing clinic was being run on that perfect day and I was delighted to meet like-minded surfers. Together, we ripped the Sacramento River in almost perfect afternoon freestyle conditions. Just like on my home river, the current drove us powerfully downstream and the wind thrust us invigoratingly against the current, allowing us to sail consistently downwind and to work in superb concentration on our freestyle moves.

Later, I headed back to Frisco airport for lift-off in the direction of that nirvana, the legendary Columbia River Gorge.
The flight to Portland took 1" hours, then a 1-hour car drive brought me to the destination of all my dreams: a small village called Hood River at the revered Columbia River Gorge.

My schedule during my first few days included going to the annual "Gorge Games". A unique, worldwide event, at which every kind of extreme sport is presented to the public: windsurfing, kite surfing, kayaking, cross-country running, mountain biking and many other lesser known sports. Competitive events are organized and the best US athletes come head to head in true Olympian fashion.

The kitesurfing competition was taking place on the first day of my stay. Some 40 kiters were flying high at 20 knots in the sunshine at Hood River's Event Site. They were locked in a mother of battles for kitercross and freestyle expression supremacy.

The crowd on the river beach were enjoying an outstanding show, especially during the freestyle expression period. Kiters were beaming an awesome 10 meters up into the air and impressing not only the crowd, but also the discerning judges, with their unbelievable freestyle moves.

Following this inspiring contest, I ripped the Columbia River for the first time. I was able to cope with the local conditions right from the start. they prompted the same effortless windsurfing feel as my very own River Rhine!

Intense happiness invaded my whole being when contemplating the magnificent scenery backed by the snow-capped peaks of MT. Adams and Mt. Hood and experiencing the exhilaration of the strong wind filling my sail and the fresh scent exuded by the felled trees in storage on the river.
It was in this exalted mood that I performed my limited repertory of freestyle moves on the lively water and went on to sail till the final gust of the day.

Next morning, the river revealed its more tonic character under winds of 30 to 40 knots.

I headed for a site called "The Hatchery", where the freestyle windsurfing event, undoubtedly the highlight of the Gorge games, would take place today. When I arrived, a mast high swell was rolling up river and it was obvious that this would provide an unforgettable big day at the Gorge.
The créme de la créme of American the freestyle windsurfing had signed up for the event. This included defending champion Mitch Gingrich the Kelly Slater of the Gorge, Gorge-local Frederick Steineck, Berkley Boys Wyatt Miller and Rob Warwick, Mr. "SwitchstanceClew540" Tyson Poor, Mr. "Ponch" Kevin Ponichtera, as well as Hawaian Nori Hubbs and Gorge-local Temira Wagonfield in the women's' event, to name just a few of the stars.

The superlative level of freestyle windsurfing was indeed impressive, the competitors giving their best performance despite the absence of prize money in this year's competition.

In the women's heats, Temira Wagonfield dominated the field with clean Spocks, overcoming Nori Hubbs in the process.

In the men's competition, Frederick Steineck and Mitch Gingrich dominated with their stylish moves; they fought it out sail to sail as far as the final.

Unfortunately, the wind died in the afternoon and the judges decided to curtail the competition by awarding first place to both sailors.

Competitors and spectators were unanimous in agreeing that the day provided the most spectacular freestyle windsurfing contest in the history of the Gorge Games and here I was on the spot, a lucky eyewitness of this momentous occasion!

Bathing in total motivation from the Games, I went on to rip that river at different sites. I discovered other ideal windsurfing locations between Swell City and Doug's Beach and everywhere I met friendly, courteous locals. Together, we spent countless hours on the water.

Patrick Bergeron and Kieran Devaney are two of these locals, who I in fact came to know virtually through river-rippers.net
Patrick and Kieran are sponsored by Sailworks and were testing the latest wave and racing sails at the Gorge. They invited me to visit the Sailworks loft, the sacred premises on which Bruce Peterson and his team design their innovative sails.

Dale Cook is one of the team. Dale is reputed to jump higher than anybody else at the Gorge. It was he who conceived the latest Sailworks product, the "Hucker". A sail with an extended bottom section, something like sails back in the1980s, combined with low twist in the top section and maximum lift for optimizing air time. On site, Bruce Peterson described Hucker development from its concept to its latest prototype.
I was amazed that over 60 parts, which have to be glued and sewed together, are required and that this assembly operation takes up to 16 hours.
A few days later, I met Dale early morning at the Hatchery and I could see for myself how he controls the skies at the Gorge with his novel aircraft!

Even at the Gorge, the wind can desert you on some days. I then grabbed the opportunity to discover the wonderful countryside both sides of the river on foot and mountain bike.

The country to the west of the Hood River is green, humid and features countless waterfalls, lakes, high mountains and endless forest, but upstream to the east, there is a transition to an arid region where summer temperatures rise to oven -hot.

These natural conditions offer windsurfers and kiters steady winds in summer, which wend their way upstream through the gorges and, on big days, thrust their sails and kites at over 40 knots.

The final days of my trip typified this situation when we had a 3.5 sail in our hands and a record swell. For the last time, I have the privilege of ripping the Columbia River with Gorge-locals in such epic conditions.
On the water, my respect for the river was heightened: it turned its full force against us and we counteracted its strong current with our small sails.

It's somehow hard to compare River Rhine in my home country with this river because the former is relatively tranquil and river traffic commands the respect of us windsurfers.

My last experience of the sacred Columbia River Gorge was as unforgettable as my first and, whilst leaving paradise has been pretty hard for me, I console myself with the thought that this was definitely not a final farewell.

I shall return to the sacred river next summer... who knows, this time it maybe for ever.