Westbound Boarder

Time now to turn our attention to one of the coolest stores in the Portland area, Gorge Performance!
Sitting unpretentiously in a dusty parking lot of SW Portland, Gorge Performance offers all things boarding for the true adrenaline junkie - kite boarding, windsurfing, skim boarding (one of my favorites), snow and skateboarding. I recently had the opportunity of speaking with the owners Bob and Kim Rueter and learned a little bit about their business.

Bob and Kim started their business back in 1984 when windsurfing was basically in its infancy. Back then, snowboarding was also still just in the very early stages of development and Bob was the basically the first guy to begin servicing the new industries. They began selling the boards, booms, sails and were also a Hobie dealer. For those who might not be familiar with Hobie they are the folks who brought the Hobie (rocket ship!) catamaran to the sailing world. When asked what the initial spark for the business was, Bob told me that it was quite simple as he grew up sailing with his family so the transition to windsurfing was a natural one.

I asked Bob what the craziest idea he has seen in this industry and he replied, “The Wind Weapon”. Basically what you have here is a board and a sail that begins in a vertical configuration and as your speed increases, the sail then switches to a horizontal wing! I guess the idea was to get you and your board airborne. I imagine that this was the precursor to today’s kiteboard.

Bob and Kim don’t really have plans to expand much. Maybe some extra storage and a new shaping bay. Oh yeah, almost forgot, Bob shapes boards too. After speaking with them I got the sense that they are stoked to just be whom they are, continue improving the shop and being nimble enough to serve their customer base when the next wave (pun intended) of evolution hits the market.

So, there you have it. Gorge Performance has all the toys to go out and play plus all the doo dads, clothing and accessories that help you get your shred on.

Have a great summer!
Jim

Seriously, whatSUP with your board? As many of you out there have likely already seen or at least heard of the latest board sports craze, Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP), we here at Westbound Boarder are here to put it all together for you. If you are not on top of yer game and have not heard about it yet, SUP speaks for itself. It is basically a surfboard, that you stand up on, and use a paddle to maneuver yourself around the water. Sounds simple enough right? Well, one thing is for sure, there is good reason that this is the newest sport to blast into the board sports atmosphere, while quickly gaining massive popularity!

So long as you live near a body of water, SUP skills can be all yours as this craze is done both in the ocean as well as in rivers and lakes. So listen up, read carefully, get out there and try to SUP; but before you do, get the 411 right here:

• Safety-First: get real with yourself. You may not be a beginner swimmer, but you are a beginner Stand Up Paddleboarder, consider wearing a waist pack life jacket. Easy to wear, they don’t get in the way and they can save your life.
• Don’t Leave Your Board Unattended: In other words, if you lose your paddle don’t swim off to retrieve it, leaving your board behind. The wind can easily blow your board away faster than you can swim to rescue it.
• Get a Leash: Use an ankle leash to be sure you don’t lose your board and get stuck in the middle of the lake, river, or ocean without your board. They make leashes specifically designed for Stand Up Paddle Boarders. They are made to coil and stay on top of your board, to avoid slowing you down, or snagging on anything under the water. Just like snowboarding and surfing, you want to attach your leash to your back foot.
• Paddle up-wind first: Paddling up-wind takes much more energy. So don’t get yourself caught a long distance down wind, you may be too exhausted to make it back.
• Love the paddle: Use the paddle to your advantage. Never let go of your paddle, keep it in the water as much as possible and use the paddle to retain your balance and to keep yourself from falling.
• Stance: This may seem obvi, but retain a centered, straight forward stance on your board (esp. on flat water surfaces, like lakes and rivers). Leaning too far forward will sink your nose and too far back will sink your tail down, decreasing your speed. The centered forward facing stance makes paddling from side to side easier and will allow you to be more stable on your board. When the surface is not so flat, (which will be common when riding on the ocean), consider adopting a stance where your dominant foot is forward, just as you would if you were surfing. This will make maneuvering and controlling the board an easier task, than if you were simply facing forward.
• How to Get Your Paddle on: Reach forward with your paddle and stroke the blade through the water so your paddle is perpendicular to your board. Keep the paddle close to the board and do not extend the stroke too far past your legs. Notice that a paddle board blade is angled forward which enables a smooth release as your paddle exits the water. If you stroke too far past your legs, this smooth release is negated.
• Your feet are free: If you can get used to the concept that your feet are not glued to your board, you will be a much happier Stand Up Paddleboarder. Once you are comfortable on the board and do not have trouble balancing on it, make an extra effort to move around the board. It is especially easy in flat water paddle boarding to stay cemented to your board. Make every effort to shift your feet from the centered stance to placing your dominant foot forward. Also move from the tail up to your nose and back to the center.
• 360 Baby: Make that 360 happen! Work on rotating the board on the water by stroking your paddle away from the board. Once you’re comfortable spinning in a full circle you are ready to spin in a faster and more challenging way. The more challenging 360 is done by assuming the dominant foot forward position (which resembles the position a surfer takes on their board), and by shifting your weight to the back of the board using the paddle to pivot the board around. Lean on the paddle a bit to assist in your pivot. Once you have mastered this spin, you are ready to step up your SUP skills to surfing the ocean!

If you’re still not sure about giving the SUP a try, here is a great opportunity to test your ability. If you are lucky enough to be an Oregonian, come downtown to Willamette Park and meet up with the folks at Gorge Performance. Gorge has introduced a 2^nd Wednesday SUP Demo Series where you can try it all out for yourself and for free! Don’t live in Oregon? That’s okay, because SUP is catching on everywhere; chances are your local board shop is joining the craze. Simply ask your local board shops if they rent SUP gear, or have any SUP events on the calendar. Still no luck finding your way to learning the SUP skills? Let us at Westbound Boarder know, we have the resources to get you informed and up on your SUP in no time. In the meantime, I will see you Oregonians at 2^nd Wednesdays with Gorge Performance!

As the grand state of Oregon has four great seasons, clearly we can’t cater to snowboarders all year round. Well, Westbound Boarder is finally unveiling the one-stop-shop that can definitely outfit you each and every season, without exception!  With expertise in all snow, surf, skate, windsurf, kite board and now SUP (Stand-Up Paddle Boarding), Gorge Performance really caters to what the location externalities of Oregon has given to her board sport enthusiast’s.

Est. back in 1983, Gorge Performance has earned their hardcore reputation, through their humble attitudes, by offering the right service and guaranteeing the lowest prices. So we’re going to break ‘em down real nicely for ya. Gorge offers you expertise in the following areas:

• Snow
  
• Surf
• Skate
• SUP
• Kite
• Windsurf

Along with their variety of expertise, Gorge Performance offers what no one else in town does:

• Killer Classifieds: Have a board to sell? Want to try a new sport, but don’t want to pay all that cash for brand new gear? Gorge offers the best consignment, trade-in and resale opportunities in town.
• Equipment Rentals: Snowboards, surfboards, body boards and wetsuits are all available for rental. Check out their website for rates.
• Shape Shop: Gorge offers a shaping shed and board repair center on site. Whether it’s your surfboard, kite board, NoBoard, or any board, Gorge can likely fix it for you.
• Video Rentals: Gorge Performance will even rent you the latest board video (snow, surf, kite and windsurf etc…), a reason all in its self to stop by this board shack.
• Online Store: As if Gorge does not already have it all, check out their online store too!
• For the Ladies: Gorge has all the gear, for the women and the men. From wetsuits to boards, Gorge is ready for you board driven ladies!

This place stands out in a crowd as they are in no way a ‘big box’ store. Gorge throws epic events for their customers. Be sure to check them out:

• 2nd SUP Wednesdays: Want to learn the latest about Stand-Up Paddle Boarding? Join Gorge Performance at Willamette Park boat ramp the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 5pm. This is an opportunity for you to improve your technique, skill’s, or just explore! Eventually Gorge Performance hopes to turn this event into a race. So bring your board if you have one, otherwise Gorge has plenty of demos available. Don’t forget your wetsuit, which you can always rent at the shop.
• Kite Nights: Look out for Kite-Nights later on in the season when the winds are just right. Gorge gets everyone together to kite board out at Sauvie Island. Demos available!
• Rail Jam: Each snowboard season Gorge brings in the snow and throws a rail jam contest right at their shop. With prizes, music and downtown Portland snow, this rail jam is a must attend. Rad events like this take place throughout each season so keep checkin’ in with us for the details.

On top of all these elements which have made Gorge performance the Portland area’s favorite local board shop, they have deals, sales and steals to offer you too:

• Snowboard sale: Right now 2009 Snowboard gear is on sale from 40-50% off.
• Surfboards on sale! For a limited time, you can pick up one of dozens of boards, short and long, marked at $101 off!

As Gorge put’s it themselves, ‘I like to think we’re just right…the right size, the right service and always a guaranteed low price. Stop in. We’ll do ya right.’ With all of this said, it is no surprise that Portland area’s favorite local board shop successfully transforms their focus with the changing seasons- all the way from snow to surf to skate to wind, skim and SUP - so stop by and get your board on at Gorge Performance.