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