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

Today I learned that Charlie Sperr of legendary, “Charlie’s Mountain View” restaurant and bar in beautiful Government Camp Oregon passed away in his sleep over the weekend. I had the very good fortune of sitting down with Charlie for about an hour this spring and found him to be a really open, engaging and an interesting part of our mountain heritage.

Charlie first came up to the mountain when he was 10 years old and spent a lot of his time both fishing and skiing. During WWII, he spent 4 years, 11 months and 6 days (he made sure to point out) primarily in the South Pacific. When he told me of his time in the war he got that far away look in his eyes that I’ve seen before when the old vets are telling of their time fighting overseas. After WWII, he went to OSU and was later drafted to fight in the Korean War. He had just bought a house, had a baby and was sent to California to become a transportation officer. He wound up managing the mail which he didn’t like very much and signed up for Naval training instead. From there Charlie went into psychological warfare training at Georgetown University. In the summer of 1951 he was sent to Voice of America and was shipped out to Idaho. This proved to be the perfect location for Charlie as he skied every weekend and even taught some too. Up until recently, Charlie had been to Sun Valley every year for 58 years straight!

Charlie opened the Mountain View on June 19, 1977. After speaking with Charlie, I was amazed by his memory and retention of every little detail. He opened the Ratskeller in 1963 and had the Ratskeller West in Cannon Beach back in 1969. Additionally he had the Inn Between both at the beach and in Government Camp. Last but not least, Charlie had the Tyee Valley Saloon, the Thunderhead and snow removal for the town. Quite the entrepreneur to the say the least!

In 1983 Charlie invested roughly $100K to build the infrastructure required to provide cable television in Government Camp. Charlie Vision as it is affectionately known to the locals. When asked if it made any money, Charlie sort of leaned back in his chair, smiled and said,”no, not really”. One of the more interesting aspects of Charlie Vision is the live camera trained down upon the town. In the winter, few things are quite as pleasant as curling up next to the woodstove; listening to Charlie’s classical music and watching folks stroll around in the snow.

Stepping into the dimly lit bar is a little like stepping into the un-official museum of the mountain. There are so many memories in that place you can almost still hear the revelry even when the place is quiet. In addition to live music, great libations and dancing till the wee hours, Charlie’s has also hosted a few different ski clubs and associations. Every year, usually in November there is a “Pray for Snow” party the Schnee Vogeli Ski Club hosts. In February, the Skiyiente Ski Club throw s a King Winter party in which one lucky (or unlucky depending on who you talk to) individual is crowned King Winter for the year. All the prior King’s photos are placed up on the wall and its great fun to go back in time and see the entire former King’s! You might just see someone’s Dad or Grandfather up there!

So, there you have it. A little history lesson on one of Government Camp’s founding Fathers. If you’re ever in Guvvy as we locals call it, take some time and stop in to pay homage to the best bar in town!

R.I.P. Charlie – You will be missed!

It’s here! And the action starts today. PDX WAKE JAM 2009 is bringin you live music, beer, sunshine and oh yeah, wakeboarding! It all starts with the live music, and swag and then onto the wakeboarding qualifiers for Friday. It really heats up on Saturday form 11am-11pm when the wakeboard comp really begins. It commences with 20 riders who get two double ups each, onto the semi finals where the top ten riders get three double ups each and then saving the best five for last, who get four double ups each. An FYI for those of you who are not familiar, a double up is when the boat driver makes a circular pattern and cuts back over their own wake, creating a wake two-three times normal, giving the rider opportunity for HUGE air. Think of this as a big air contest vs. a slopestyle comp. To say the least – It’s going to be siiick. To sum up the festivities Saturday night, WAKE JAM is bringin you a FMX motocross exhibition (featuring Justin Homan)!

But that is not all. The wakboard pros are competing for $10K and all the pride on the river. So come and see pro wakeboarder, Danny Harf and motocross superstar Justin Homan break wake and moto records this weekend July 31st and Aug. 1st. And I almost forgot! It’s all happening Downtown Portland, OR at Tom McCall’s Waterfront Park and since this is in my back yard, I will definitely be seeing you there.

I talked to my mom briefly this morning on my way to work, and she told me quite the sad story.  She was at Mt. Hood this past weekend for the Pond Skim (great event, BTW; keep an eye out for Danielle’s post coming soon).  My mom had heard of a traffic accident somewhere near Sandy, so instead of sitting in traffic she decided to make a nice, long (overnight) stop at a friend’s cabin in Government Camp.  Well, turns out, the traffic accident was a triple fatality… and the next day, my mom received a phone call informing her that one of the persons involved in the accident was a friend of hers from work; Pam Benson.

According to my mom, Pam and her 11-year-old daughter were driving home from a baseball game in Sandy, her son and husband in a separate car, and an 18-year-old driver ran a red light and hit the pair from the side, killing them both instantly.  Sources at the scene say the driver ran two red lights in a row, and was obviously driving recklessly.

My heart and deepest sympathy goes out to the Benson family.  Though I did not know Pam personally, my mom says she was a kind, caring human being with a good heart.  She always practiced proper safety procedures, right down to buckling her daughter in the back seat at all times just to be extra safe.  The irony pains me to think about.

So why am I telling you this?  Accidents happen all the time, especially near the mountain.  Sometimes just a fender bender, but sometimes more serious, and in this case, even fatal.  I know Danielle and I often discuss safety on the hill, but don’t often talk about (or really even think about) safety off the hill.  In reality, driving in unpredictable conditions can be dangerous, and its important to be cautious at all times.  Please take this accident as a small reminder to always follow the posted speed limit and traffic laws, and to be well-aware of your surroundings and drivers around you.  In this case, Pam couldn’t have foreseen the situation; but you can.

If you have a spare moment tonight or this week, please feel free to leave a comment below in sympathy of the Benson family, or say a silent prayer in their memory.

UPDATE: I stand corrected – I just learned that the driver walked away from the crash.  Unharmed.  He was arrested shortly after for robbery and wreckless driving.  This really hits my former point home – it seems that it is always the innocent who pay for others’ mistakes.  I truely hope that this driver does not go unpunished.

With summer quickly approaching, faster than many of us may notice, its time to start thinking about summer surf camps… and Roxy’s got you covered.  For today’s Wicked Wednesday “Snow Camp” Review, I’m now broadening the series to also focus on surf camps, and this week we’re reviewing Roxy’s Surf Camp Series.

If you’ve never surfed before but would like to learn, this camp’s for you.  During this day camp experience, Roxy/Quiksilver surf instructors take campers from the beginning, touching upon everything from water safety to ocean science.  The goal of the camp is to get beginners to be able to surf on their own by the time they are done with their allotted session.

Although the camps are sponsored and promoted through Roxy/Quiksilver, they have several partners they work with, and each camp provides a completely different experience.  Some locations have adult camps, some are geared only toward women, and some are even geared toward more advanced riders.  But they all have one thing in common – they teach you how to surf, starting with the basics (meaning, you’ll be standing on a board in no time!)

Before I moved to LA (and decided to start surfing) people told me I’d basically be pro my first time since I snowboard, wakeboard, wakesurf, etc.  How wrong they were!  Although all sports involve standing on a board, that’s about all the have in common.  My first time surfing, I didn’t even catch one wave, and my second time I caught a few, after Danielle stepped in to give me a little push to help me out   So if you’re a beginner and want to learn the easy way, I’d highly recommend looking at attending one of these camps; as Danielle and I have stressed before, learning in groups is the way to go if you want to quickly take your skills to the next level.

If you are interested in attending a Roxy/Quiksilver camp, choose the location you’re interested in first and check out their respective Web sites for more information.  Prices, dates, etc. vary per location.  Camps take place at locations up and down the west coast of California, and there’s even one camp in Oregon!

So this summer, what will you be doing?  Learning to surf, of course   Catch ya in the tube!

• San Clemente, CA – Colas Surf Camp
• Dana Point, CA – Ocean Academy
• Dana Point, CA – Girl in the Curl
• Newport Beach, CA – Ocean Adventure Programs
  
• Redondo Beach, CA – Perfect Day
• Santa Monica, CA – Perfect Day
• Malibu and Ventura, CA – Mako’s
• Santa Barbara, CA – Surf Happens
• Cannon Beach, OR – Oregon Surf Adventures
• Tofino, Canada – Tofino Surf Camp

The weekend I have been waiting for all winter is finally here! That is right; Burton Demo Days is coming to a resort near you (right here in the PacNW!) As Burton puts it, this is an opportunity to ‘unlimit your riding.’ Stop by one of the following locations and you can try the entire 2009 line of Burton gear, for FREE! Bring a credit card for a security deposit so you can, ‘truly understand what Burton EST’s supernatural performance can do to unlimit the way you see, feel and ride the mountain, you must try it for yourself.’

If you have been thinking about grabbing some new gear, there is no better time than the present (aka, the season’s end).  It’s also always great to try before you buy, so join me this weekend at Timberline Lodge where I will be picking out my new snowboard (I’m thinking the Stria, Blender or GTwin, but we will see ). So here are your local demo opportunities in Oregon:

• 3.14.09- Mission Ridge
• 3.14.09- Timberline Lodge
• 3.15.09- Ski Bowl
• 3.21.09- Hoodoo
• 3.22.09- Mt. Hood Meadows
• 3.28.09- Mt. Bachelor
• 3.29.09- Mt. Bachelor
• 3.28.09- Crystal Mountain
• 3.29.09- Stevens Pass

With over nine stops in the area, there really are no excuses not to attend Burton Demo Days! Let us know about your demo days experience by shooting us an email at westboundboarder@gmail.com.