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Dave's Windance Blog La Ventana Classic The annual Baja kite, SUP and windsurf festival for the year is over and they did a great job raising money for the local Mexican children once again. Here’s some fun #’s for you:
Local Gorge kite kid Dylan Murphy did great in the races. According to his Mom: “he won the men's amateur slalom race, 2nd in course and 3rd in big jump. he did the La Ventana crossing and got 35 out of 105” Way to go Dylan !
For more results and pictures click here: http://laventanaclassic.com
Clearout windsurf price list We just reduced pricing on all remaining older boards & sails !! Check it out quickly, there are some killer deals. One of my all time favorite boards for example the Chango 75, for only $799 !!
___________________________________________ Previous Post - Jan 24th, 2012 Ice Storm Hits the Gorge Wow, 1st we had a huge snowstorm, then it turned to freezing rain. Thousands of trees are down, power has been out for up to 4 days for some homes, the driving has been dangerous, and the kids haven’t been in school in White Salmon for a week, but they’re not complaining. Windance stayed open for almost all of it ! Our internet & mail-order customers kept us going, thanks very much. Sorry for any shipping delays. It’s over now but the cleanup has begun. I had a 100’ tall 100+ year old Douglas Fir fall on my property. Somehow it missed my house, my truck, and the neighbors’ house by just 10’. Lucky me, and I got a new bench out of the deal thanks to my crafty neighbor Scott Hulbert. Also thanks to Spike for helping split all the wood.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - Jan 19th, 2012 Huge Snowstorm finally hits the Gorge We have been low on the snow all winter but just got about 48” of fresh stuff on the mountain and 24” down here in town. Plus there’s another 12-24” forecast for the mountain over the next 7 days. Bring it on !! The 1st picture is out the back window from the Windance offices, you can see the snow floating down the river in chunks. The other pictures are Paris enjoying another snow-day off from school. Watch the mountain weather: Click Here
Get your Kites Cheap NOW ! Since we dropped the prices to 35-40% off they have been selling quickly. See KITE DEALS here. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Jan 5th, 2012 Windance Calendar of Events for 2012 (so far)
New White Salmon Sandbar ( Updated pictures Jan. 8th) Notice the new navigation marker in the bottom ride hand. Since they placed it the sandbar grew even further out into the river!.
Hopefully it remains and becomes a legitimate launch for kiters & windsurfers. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Dec 28th, 2011 Gorge Christmas Week I hope you are somewhere other than here. It’s ugly and raining from the valley right to the top of Mount Hood.
Here’s a good Snow Forecast site I like to use to see what the Freeze Level is at. You can see that it’s going to dip down below 3,000’ on Friday and Saturday which means snow .vs. rain on the hill. Meadows Snow Forecast
BAJA Updates Our friend Wade Yates owns the DownWinder Inn in BAJA and wants everyone to come visit and stay at their resort. He says it’s just a short distance away from La Ventana .The Downwinderinn now offers guest vehicles for local travel in its room rate!! Notice the secure locked truck beds! Very Cool.
Also from the land of the warm & windy…..Our Baja beach correspondent, Ezzy Tech rep, the legendary, smiling Gary Morris reports: Hi Dave, Life is good here in La Ventana. The wind is blowing this morning to begin a 6 day el Norte. Tomorrow should be 30kts. and 11' swells...get out the 3.7. The season is in full swing as the campground is nearly full and the water is covered with kites and sails every windy day. Counted 85 kites in the 400 yds between the campground and Baja Joe's the other day, and the Christmas crowd isn't here yet.
The La Ventana Classic is Jan. 19-22 with full on kite/windsurfing/SUP racing. And the highlight will be a 9 mile crossing race from Cerralvo Island to La Ventana: Kiters vs Windsurfers, winner take all! Windsurfers have kicked butt the last two years, so kiters are out for revenge. Here's a link for info: http://laventanaclassic.com Sailing days have been running about 50/50 since Oct, but you can add a few "big kite" days to that. Dec, Jan, Feb run about 70% windy days. Let folks know that they can demo the new Panther LTD and Tiger at the Campground in La Ventana (southend windsurfing area). I'm there every windy afternoon. Merry Christmas to you, the family, and WD crew, Gary. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Dec 13th, 2011 CLICK THE IMAGE TO SEE OUR HOLIDAY SPECIALS
___________________________________________ Previous Post - Nov 28th, 2011 Made In the USA Slingshot is proudly manufacturing their twin-tip kite & wakeboards right here in the Gorge. They gave the Windance crew an exclusive tour of the factory this week. ALL other brands are selling you China built product but these guys source their wood, labor & graphics all within a 1-hour drive. Hats off to them, and in particular Bryan Trullinger whose job is to oversee the whole operation. Not only are they keeping it local, they also have higher quality, quicker design turn-around & some secret processes that you won’t find anywhere else. Here’s a quick tour of the process (with some of the secret parts not included) 1/ Start with local wood
___________________________________________ Previous Post - Nov 11th, 2011 Nov. 11th, 2011 Today is Veterans Day. I always stop at 11am and think about them for a minute. Amazing what they went through for us.
Getting Ready for Winter Windance has been busy with snowboarding for the last 3 weekends. We did the Hood River High School Swap Meet, then the Seattle show & last weekend the Portland Ski/Snowboard show. Whew, I am glad that’s over. I worked 14 days straight. We had a good crew and many laughs. Thanks Zane for flying in from Colorado to help us. Also thanks Jeremy, Steve, Cole & Sean. We sold over 2,000 pairs of Dakine socks, gloves, backpacks, roller bags and more all at 30% off. It was busy.
Back at the shop we still have a lot of pieces left over. ALL 30% OFF
Drop by or call us (800)-574-4020 this winter for your mountain deals.
Halloween We made it into the local newspaper ( no great feat) . Check out how hot my wife looks as a hockey player eh?. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - October 26th, 2011 Condit Dam Removal They did it !. On Wednesday around noon they blasted an 8’ hole in the bottom and drained North Western Lake forever. Check it out.
The Gorge loses a dam & gain wind power This week the Washington State Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council has approved 35 windmills to be placed on the edge of the Gorge. Also this week Pacific Power is removing the Condit dam on the White Salmon river. These two major projects have been the subject of much debate and controversy:
Condit Dam Removal tomorrow !!
Whistling Ridge Wind Farm
Windance is 25% Solar energy
___________________________________________ Previous Post - October 19th, 2011 People always ask me, “What do you guys at Windance do all winter ??
The answer is we do the same as we do all summer; kiteboarding & windsurfing sales. However we also add snowboarding too. Plus almost 80% of our winter business is online. Our kite & windsurf web traffic is large and we have a full-time shipping department to keep up. Plus I have to summarize last years business, decide what to buy for 2012 and get the orders in on time so our suppliers can build it and get it here by March before everyone starts buying. As well Ginger has to input all the new 2012 items into the database and John, who processes your online orders and questions, also has to get all the items and images onto our website. By the way, we don’t just cut & paste the words from the manufacturers website, our description are mostly our opinion on the product. I am right now looking over the parts & pieces re-ordering. I need to make sure we have all those little bits ready so you don’t miss a session. It amazes me how much of it we go through, thanks to you. Last year we sold : Previous Post - October 10th, 2011 It’s the work Party Season. Here in Hood River most of our trails and beaches are maintained by the local users. If you can help, please do, if not donate some funds for tools etc. Last weekend a small but hardworking group from the CGWA worked at Dougs beach clean-up and buffed it out beautifully ! Thanks crew. Attention Mountain bikers – Post Canyon work party Oct. 15th For more information go to the Post Canyon forum. Upcoming Events Previous Post - October 4th, 2011 Looking for a great job in the windsurfing industry? The Columbia Gorge Windsurfing Association (CGWA) is looking for a new Executive Director. I am on the board and can say we have been very lucky to have had Katie Crafts run the show for us, but she is moving on with her career. We'd love any help you can offer in getting the word out (newsletter, blog post, social media, ...). Here is the link with more information.. This is a full time paid position to promote windsurfing here in the Gorge. Stoked, active windsurfers only need apply ! What to do on a rainy no wind October Sunday?.. Ride your bike & hike to the best swing ever ! Previous Post - September 18th, 2011 Hey I’m back from Surf Expo in Florida. Here’s some sneaks peaks from the show: More pics from on and off the show floor: Previous Post - September 7th, 2011 Wow, summers over. What a bummer. The last week was a good news - bad news wind week. The Monday to Wednesday had 3 solid 30 knot + days, wicked. Then it pretty much switched off for the long weekend. Oh well, time to heal. Surf Expo This week I'm off to Orlando for Surf Expo which is where the AWIA (American Wind Industries Association) has decided to rejoin the big show. Its where we retaillers go to meet our suppliers and buy gear for the 2012 season. Put your requests in now. Orlando is not my choice really, its far better for me to try the gear at a demo site than be told how good it is, but I have to follow the crowd on this one. Here's a laugh: I saw this t-shirt at the Wal-Mart in Hood River. Really Wal-mart?, that's the best slogan you could think of? Sorry if anybody reading this wearing one now!
More to follow from Surf Expo later this week/ Dave ___________________________________________ Previous Post - August 30th, 2011
It’s windy today In fact not to brag too much but it’s been windy for most of August. I think there hasn’t been a no wind day in over 10 days. At Doug’s beach today the crew from Windsport magazine are testing small sails for girls, ie:2.9-3.3m2. Hard to imagine if you haven’t been here but have lots of ladies who can sail in those conditions. They are some strong sailors too. All EZZY 2010 sails are now on price reduced to final clearance.
Kite department still 20% and moving fast Dave Nunn ___________________________________________ Previous Post - August 20th, 2011 Back Home I’m back from my cottage in Canada and it’s like jumping back in to the zoo. Wow it was busy while I was gone.It still is busy and windy too. I see that putting all the kiteboarding department on sale at 20% off was a big hit. Stuff sold like mad since then. Ocean Rodeo Mako 140/150cm boards at $599 are the best sellers, so I ordered more. Get them while they’re hot !
DEMOs for sale Note that we sell ALL our 2011 Demo boards, kites and sails at the end of the summer. Please call the store for availability.Bryans Gone He got married and is moving to Idaho, really. Sorry ladies, Katie has scooped him up and he’s off the market. Bryan, thanks for all your hard work and for keeping the consignment gear all listed and showing on the web site perfectly. I hope you have a great life there.
Mini Zoey Our shop dog Zoey found and new best friend here yesterday. They were like twins.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - August 11th, 2011 Hey how's your summer of 2011?. I'm enjoying some time away from the Gorge at my cottage in Northern Ontario. Were fishing, water skiing , swimming and watching the Northern Lights. Absolutely beautiful up here.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - August 1st, 2011 ---- Mid-Summer Sale ---- Kiteboard gear all 20% Off
GOYA sails on clear-out
Here’s great note we got from a customer yesterday Dave, I just wanted to say I'm very happy with your staff and great deals at your shop. Particularly Pete and Ginger. They have been more than helpful over the phone assisting with two used Ezzy's that made my day! Having worked for many years in retail, myself... I appreciate down to earth staff who won't try to sell me something I don’t need, while taking the time to lend their own opinions from real-world experience. This, they most certainly have done. Thank you for everything! I will be shopping more with you. Sincerely, Owen Barnhart Ventura County, CA ___________________________________________ Previous Post - July 22th, 2011 Hey boardheads, Kiter party at Windance This weekend the best kiters in the world competed in a slider contest here in Hood River called the Ro-Sham-Thrown-Down. Windance hosts the dinner party after the event. Licence plates What would YOU rather be doing?......
Mt.Adams My pal “Ogo” & I climbed Mt. Adams the other day. It’s not technically difficult but a long slog instead from 4,750’ to the 12,236’ summit. We climbed to 6,800’ and camped and then bagged the summit the next morning. The beauty of it was the descent down the infamous Southwest chutes, known to be one of the longest steep runs in North America. The chute is 4,000’ of straight down. Yee-hah.
The wind & the sandbar are back The Gorge has had some weird weather for the last few weeks. It just hasn’t settled into the normal sunny & clear skies that drives our wind machine. However Temira says it’s going to be a good windy week coming up.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - July 5th, 2011 HUGE Gorge day
Thursdays wind was the biggest of the year, or maybe all time! At Dougs beach local pros Sean Aiken was heard to say “He may never have seen it this windy before”. He and his pals wouldn’t even go out on their 2.9m2 sails at one point. Here’s a 44second video shot by Jeremy Bishop of an unknown sailor ripping some Dougs swell
Kiters next week is the RO-SHAM-THROW DOWN July 13-16th The worlds best kiters come to the Hood for this unique slider contest. After Kiting Party here at Windance next Saturday: Previous Post - June 29th, 2011 SWAP MEET this weekend Long Weekend Forecast: Joe is Back! He’s the official ambassador of windsurfing from Rochester and a very funny man. He comes here every year for a month with a large crew of buddies. Here’s my daughter Paris thanking him for buying a new Goya One 73 Pro model board. On a side note to his pal Mark, “Get well soon & join us next year” Windance is featured on the Ezzy site Have a great 4th of July long weekend. Thanks, Dave Nunn Previous Post - June 22th, 2011 Sad Fathers Day, We lost a good friend on Sunday. Art Loh was windsurfing at Rowena on Fathers day, which was also his 75th birthday. The wind was averaging 30 mph and after a good session Art laid down to rest in the shade and suffered a major heart attack. Fellow sailors with medical expertise tried in resuscitate him as did the paramedics when they arrived. We pass our condolences on to his family. Art was a joy to see on the beach and in the shop, we will miss him. Surprisingly a lot of friends have looked at the way he died with envy saying “What a good way to go”. Previous Post - June 9th, 2011 Pros & shapers in the shop It’s always cool when the shop attracts some of the biggest names in the sport. This week we had both Jimmy Lewis & Kevin Pritchard drop by and hang-out. Jimmy Lewis was here to talk about his shapes, his 40 year history of building boards, and to come to the beach with us for a kiteboard & SUP demo. Thanks Jimmy. Kevin Pritchard was dropping by on his way to Pistol River for the 2nd stop on the AWT windsurfing wave tour. Kevin has recently signed with Ezzy Sails & and along with Graham Ezzy is heading to the coast for the contest this weekend. Good luck boys! Surfing geese Watch Mama goose teach her flock how to catch a swell ! The Ultronz in White Salmon The classic Gorge windsurfing band was rocking the house at Everybodys Pub last night. Here’s a funny picture of my wife Sandy dancing with Pink Car Bob, another Gorge legend. You like the Ultronz? Buy their music here.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - June 6th, 2011 The Gorge is Blowin’ ! All this week has been windy but Monday at the Hatchery was particularly good.
Here is a short video of some High Wind Kiteboarding at the Gorge. Meet Jimmy Lewis Jimmy Lewis will be here on Saturday. He is one of a few legendary shapers with 40 years of work behind him. He has shaped surfboards, windsurfers, kiteboards and now SUP boards. Come have some muffins & coffee on us in the shop Saturday June 11th 10am. Later on in the afternoon we will head to the beach to demo his fine product. Of course it’s all free for you.
Shark Food Interesting data about Pacific coast shark attacks since 2000. Windsurfers & Kiters had zero attacks. Looks like they prefer to dine on surfers, but they may be acquiring a taste for SUPpers. Shark Research
___________________________________________ Previous Post - June 2nd, 2011 Keg of Beer & a Board toss This weekend we hosted Ocean Rodeo for a kite demo & party. While the weather was cold, at least it was windy. Ocean Rodeo is a great brand, with great products, and lots of customer support. FREE BEER always draws a crowd to the Windance parking lot. After enough liquid courage we had a contest to see who could toss a windsurfer the furthest across our parking lot. What a laugh. The farthest guy & girl each got a Ocean Rodeo hoody for their efforts. Live music by Spruce capped off a great sunset party.
Best Wipeouts of windsurfing, kite, SUP & surf. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - May 23, 2011 The SWAP meet was huge.
The parking lots all the way to the river were full. We couldn’t handle another car. Thanks to everyone who came this weekend, including my staff for getting up so early on a windy Sunday to work. This is the 1st time we have filled the parking lots to capacity, the place was buzzing with activity and most people I talked too had either found some great deals or sold a lot of there old windsurf, kite and biking gear. Next SWAP MEET is July 3rd. Fresh Fish anyone?
We have Doug & his ladies from the Yakama Nation selling in our parking lot this season. Salmon & Steelhead, fresh whole or fillets, and smoked pieces too. Yummy ! Grizzly Adams sons owl
Last week the son of the T.V. personality Grizzly Adams was shopping here while he was transporting this live owl to a show they were doing. I have never been so close to such a bird. It was beautiful but had an intense look in its eyes that said “I could eat you if I wanted” Americas Cup Race boat
Check out this wild looking new boat from Oracle has designed for the next Americas Cup Race. It has a solid wing sail !. One of our customers is on the design team : Mickey: “we have been testing the smaller version of the new Americas Cup class in Auckland New Zealand the last few months. The AC45 is like the AC72 ( new AC Class) a catamaran with a wing and sails.” Have a look at a bit of a fun time testing up range , the audio is great as well. Last but not least - Join us for the Ocean Rodeo Demo and Party next Saturday - May 28th. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - May 18, 2011 Join us for our biggest Swapmeet of the year. This Sunday, May 22nd!
# Sellers who want the best parking spaces arrive around 7 a.m. and buyers arrive around 8. The swap continues until the early afternoon. # Swap meets are free to buyers and cost $10.00 for sellers (personal gear only). Industry reps & factories pay more, call to be approved prior to swap date. # If you want to sell gear we recommend you bring a tarp to lay your gear on. Also bring comfortable portable seating, warm clothes, rain gear, and a tarp to cover your gear in case it rains. # Both the CGWA and CGKA will also be participating in these events. Note if you join the CGWA for $25 it includes your $10 Swap seller fee. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - May 11, 2011 Windance is a big fan of the environment. Since we depend on the wind, the water and the sun for our fun, then I think we should all consider our own personal impact on this little earth of ours and somehow reduce your impact on it. What to do with old windsurfing sails?. Turn them into to environmentally friendly shopping bags. See Dave Rutherford at Barkley Sound Bags djrford@comcast.net
At Windance we generate 25% of our power ourselves through these slick solar panels. They actually rotate to follow the sun for optimal collection plus it reduces reflection back into our neighbors windows. Did you know that currently the US generates 44% of it’s electricity by burning coal, yuck!.
We re-cycle as much of our cardboard as we can and use it in our shipping room to send your mail-order purchases out to you.
Do your part.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - May 6, 2011 Maybe we will never make million$ in this business but it sure is nice when you get compliments like this: "You guys rock! Best windsurfing store in the world!" Cheers, Amanda Amanda & Jerry from Calgary just bought a new Angulo Board from us this week. Thanks for the pat on the back! Wondering what’s going on at Windance or just want to get a close-up on an item you are considering?. Then use our Shop-Cam!
This weekend in Hood River there are numerous beach clean-ups happening. If you are looking to help out either go to NWKite forum or the CGWA site. Last but not least, we finally have a US based Windsurfing Wave Tour again with great locations such as Waddell, Pistol River, Cabo, Cape Hatteras and Maui. The first event is under way in Waddell (near Santa Cruz, CA). The event is sponsored in part by Ezzy Sails. Expect lots of great action.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - April 27, 2011 Wondering what’s moving at Windance?...... Top 10 Sellers so far this year
Funny thing is before I ran this report I would have guessed more wetsuits & drysuits would have made the top ten, but it looks like another banner year for the RPM’s & Panthers again. I guess I had better re-stock. It’s the Royal wedding week and the Monarchists are all a flutter. Here’s Prince Charles windsurfing many years ago. I should either sell him some new windsurf gear or get him into kiteboarding.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - April 21, 2011 SWAP MEET this Sunday. Put down your Easter eggs and head to Windance. It’s time to kick off the beginning of the water-sports season with our 1st Swap Meet. The phone has been ringing and the web-site’s on fire with traffic, so we are expecting a good turn-out of both buyers & sellers. It’s on Rain or Shine !
Also I went to the Chinook factory this week for a quick tour with Dan & Andy. Very cool to see some good old fashioned Made in the USA products being built right here in the Gorge. Note that while I was there I bought all their last years demo booms & bases and they will be available here for 30-50% off. Watch the Used Gear page for them to be added over the next few days, it’s 1st come-1st served on these deals.
Kites having been selling well this year and we are down to only one lasts years left kite for sale! Who wants it? $999 for a complete, new Ocean Rodeo Rise 11m2 , great deal !
___________________________________________ Previous Post - April 13, 2011 Hey check out the new slider being finished in Hood River by the Slider Project LLC group. Forrest, Joby and the crew are looking for painters to help finish it off. Go to this thread to offer to help.
Here’s what great about the Gorge at this time of year. These two shots were taken on the same day. I went back-country skiing with my friend Chip & then waterfall hiking on the Syncline with my family later.
Contour Cameras are awesome, check out this video I made with one.
The best kids rig in the world just got better. The 2011 price came down by 25%, now they are $289 for the 1.0/1.5 rig and $299 for the 2.0/2.5 rig. More info here. Our kids are using those sails and they love the light weight - see for yourself
___________________________________________ Previous Post - April 4, 2011 I just heard through Windsurfing magazine that Robby Naish wants to sell his windsurfing hearse. Someone buy this and bring it to the Gorge. Definitely a cool, but ghoulish ride.
New product!! Just in ; Red Paddling inflatable stand-up paddle board . We think these are the best SUPs ever. No they won’t win any races, and yes a glass board will perform better on the waves but try putting your SUP in a backpack. Really, it comes with a backpack bag, so it stores and travels easily, 25.5 lbs. Plus it’s super rugged so you can run it over rocks and stuff, great for white-water rivers. These are made using a drop-stitch fabric that makes them hold their shape. Awesome product, $1,199
___________________________________________ Previous Post - March 27, 2011 The 2 best boards for 2011 So far these are the two most talked about & best-selling boards for 2011, and they are both in stock now. Goya’s Quad finned wave board won the Windsurfing Mag 2011 board test.
I would talk more but I am rushing out the door to go fly-fishing for a few hours, yee-hah! Dave ___________________________________________ Previous Post - March 22, 2011 Baja booms are finished being built and being shipped to us from Taiwan now. These sold out completely last year since they are super strong and a killer price. I use them myself exclusively and love them. Check out our Baja Booms
___________________________________________ Previous Post - March 18, 2011 Lots going on this week, but I still managed to get up to the mountain for some fresh powder by touring the back country on Mt. Hood yesterday with my friends Chip, Ogo & 2 dogs. Nice dry powder for unlike the heavy stuff we usually get.
Here is a rare photo of windsurfing legend Robby Naish taking a terrible fall at Jaws on Tuesday of this week. According to a friend who spoke to him he said it was the closest he has come to dying while wavesailing.
Check out this beach sailor a customer of ours built.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - March 14, 2011 Very Large Avalanche hit Mt. Mt Hood Meadows….again. Scary. On Thursday last week during blasting the Mt. Hood Meadows ski patrol triggered this extremely large in-bounds avalanche. It started at 9,000’ with a fracture line 5-12 feet thick, then it traveled several thousand feet down to the bottom off the Heather Canyon chair but did not hit the chair itself. Luckily there was no one killed or injured in the slide, but the magnitude of such a big avalanche inside the ski area is worrying. Good work on the ski patrols part for sure, but too bad they are not allowed to control the area above 9’000 where a large hazard still hangs.
For more info and pictures go to the Mt. Hood Meadows blog ___________________________________________ Previous Post - March 5, 2011 Hey Boarders, Kiteboarding Magazine Jan 2011 issue did an article on “How to Sell Your Used Kites” & featured Windance. Check it out.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - Feb 18, 2011 Hey Boarders, Kiteboarding in Japan looks pretty nice. This is one of our mail-order customers, Steve Roth, who lives there right now. He said in the winter it’s kite-able everyday of the week!
Check out the new lighted sign over our counter. Our friends at DaKine gave us this a few years back but just refreshed all the images for free. It looks great. Thanks Bill Morrisey at DaKine for being a good rep.
___________________________________________ Previous Post - Feb 16, 2011 How to score points with your local shop, and how not to: Okay say your local shop does you a favor like letting you use their tool-bench, or giving you free shipping boxes, or as I did lending my board bag out to our good customer & friend Pete Wright for his Kite-snow board trip to Idaho. Well the cool thing to do is to drop off a box of beer of in return, maybe just a 6 pack or bigger, your call...
Pete did this for us for the board bag loan. However he went backwards in the favor department since the beer had sat out all last summer in his garage and was skunky & practically poison!. Good thing we tested it on our Slingshotrep Brave Dave first! The boys have re-labelled the box “Beer for Slug Bait” ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Feb 11, 2011 Windance Boardshop – Schedule of Events Summer 2011 What | When | Where
___________________________________________ Previous Post - Feb 8, 2011 Okay I am back to work. Yes I slacked off most of January but surprisingly I don’t feel that guilty. I had a great time and life is meant to be lived. I got to sail and kite Maui and ski and snowboard in B.C. Sweeeeet. If you have never been to the interior of B.C. in Canada for a ski trip you should go. It’s the real deal. It’s steep and deep and no crowds. My cousin and 2 friends from back east met me in Calgary and we drove through Banff and over to Golden B.C. to Kicking Horse Resort. This place is higher up and gets cold but the reward is over 30 double black diamond chutes that are all lift accessed. You can hike like we did to hunt down some untracked powder.
After 3 days we headed west over Rogers Pass on Hwy #1 and switched to snowboards to ride Revelstoke Mountain. Revvy as the locals call it has 5,000’ of vertical but truly you only want to ride to top half , just like anywhere. We lucked out and got about 12” of fresh snow which made snowboarding a steep mountain great. Revvy is a little lower , still seriously steep, but gets more snow. It’s a locals mountain with the friendliest pro patrollers I have ever met. While we were there I got my best run of the trip down Greely bowl which we hiked into the top of for 2,000’ of untracked presents from Mother Nature.
I am a happy man as I sit here at my desk today with 3 weeks of growth on my smiling face. I thank my wife Sandy for letting me go, my managers Ginger & John for covering me here, and my pals Gilby, Grubes & Heffe for their go for it attitude both on and off the mountain. Now I am feverishly working on getting all the 2011 gear up on the website. Keep an eye on our site for the latest and greatest 2011 toys. Send me pics of your winter vacation and I will put them up on my blog. ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Jan 30, 2011 Hey check out 16 year old Tony Cohn, another one of our great Windance ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Jan 28, 2011 Hey boarders, Here’s a few more pics form my Maui adventure. I took the family to see Jaws on the biggest swell of the winter so far.
Cole Elsasser & I tested the new RPM & 6’ Coupe in some Kanaha Waves
Thomas & I downwinded on the new Goya Quads from Hookipa to Sprecklesville. We got lots of 10-15’ waves.
I got to hang with master board builder Jimmy Lewis one morning.
Okay, not to brag, but since I work all summer I am taking one more vacation before it gets busy here. I am off to Golden B.C. for a boys powder trip with some of my oldest friends. I will keep you posted on that. I have all fingers crossed for a big dump of snow. Dave ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Jan 25, 2011 Hi Boarders Okay you can't blame me for not blogging this week, I've been riding waves in Maui (pronounced Moweeeee!) Yes I have been lucky with both wind and a huge swell that came to the islands at the same time. Earlier this week we had 15-20 foot waves breaking at Kanaha. What a blast to ride those monsters. Now the swell has backed down to 6 foot on average but still good. I have been kiting and windsurfing with Windance staffers Thomas, Cole and Deb. They are all riding really strong. Also check out these behind the scenes shots from the Goya sail and board design shop upcountry here.
Mahalo Dave ___________________________________________ Previous Post - Jan10, 2011 Hey Boarders, Inventory done!. What a boring task, but it needs to be done annually. It also lets me see what I HAVE TO SELL quick before the 2011 gear arrives. Here’s a quick list of some of the stuff that’s priced to move: Good news (for me) I am heading to Maui on Sunday the 16th -25th. It’s time ride some waves. I can’t wait to get on my 1st swell, it seems like it’s been ages since I ridden a real wave.. Don’t get me wrong, the Gorge is awesome and we get such regular wind but the waves here just are not the same. I spent a year of my life when I was 29 just travelling the world and chasing wave locations. So to get back to a place that has a reef and peeling, smashing huge waves is pretty much the best. While I am there I will be able to borrow some 2011 gear from Ezzy, GOYA, Slingshot and Ocean Rodeo for personal use (aka testing). I will let you know my opinion on it all. Now I have my fingers crossed for wind. Please, please, please…. ___________________________________________ |
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