Contact   Imprint   Advertising   Guidelines

Gorge in October?

Forum for kitesurfers
ox
Medium Poster
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 6:38 am
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Gorge in October?

Postby ox » Mon Aug 02, 2004 3:37 am

How's the Gorge in mid Oct?
Is it freezing cold? I'm a Florida boy, so it's probably going to be frigid regardless.

3/2 wetsuit good enough?
Wind still good?
12 and 9 a good combo?

Vacation time is coming. I'm heading up there either way.
Thanks
:bye:

Eduardo
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1214
Joined: Mon May 05, 2003 2:41 pm
Kiting since: 2003
Favorite Beaches: Anywhere with a left break
Style: waves and foiling (X big-air junkie)
Gear: Ocean Rodeo and Cabrinha kites. North and Slingshot boards. Lift foils.
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: World Traveler
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Postby Eduardo » Mon Aug 02, 2004 3:54 pm

Here's an old table I found on the net:



Columbia River Wind Averages


MONTH
% OF* SAILABLE DAYS
AIR TEMP.** (AVERAGE IN HOOD RIVER)
RIVER CURRENT (94/95)
WATER TEMP. (94/95)

JANUARY 61% 33 F. 150 kcfs 41 F.
FEBRUARY No data 39 F. 205 kcfs 42 F.
MARCH 19% 43 F. 189 kcfs 45 F.
APRIL 37% 50 F. 187 kcfs 50 F.
MAY 45% 56 F. 267 kcfs 57 F.
JUNE 63% 62 F. 283 kcfs 63 F.
JULY 77% 67 F. 202 kcfs 69 F.
AUGUST 61% 66 F. 147 kcfs 70 F.
SEPTEMBER 50% 61 F. 104 kcfs 68 F.
OCTOBER 35% 51 F. 96 kcfs 63 F.
NOVEMBER 33% 42 F. 113 kcfs 53 F.
DECEMBER 35% 36 F. 130 kcfs 46 F.

*A sailable day has at least 15 mph wind for at least 3 hrs.
The wind data was compiled by Windsight.
**These temperatures are averages for the night and day so they appear kind of low.

zim
Medium Poster
Posts: 163
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2004 11:28 pm
Brand Affiliation: None
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0
Contact:

Postby zim » Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:43 pm

that table doesn't seem right because i have never seen a day were there wasn't wind somewhere in the gorge.

Eduardo
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 1214
Joined: Mon May 05, 2003 2:41 pm
Kiting since: 2003
Favorite Beaches: Anywhere with a left break
Style: waves and foiling (X big-air junkie)
Gear: Ocean Rodeo and Cabrinha kites. North and Slingshot boards. Lift foils.
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: World Traveler
Has thanked: 23 times
Been thanked: 31 times

Postby Eduardo » Mon Aug 02, 2004 5:56 pm

good point - it was probably for a single spot like the event site. a lot of days can be saved with an hour drive. for more data, the logs at ikitesurf.com are great for getting a good sense of a place's windy season.

Ed

User avatar
kitingkt
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 652
Joined: Tue Jun 25, 2002 1:00 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Oregon, USA
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Postby kitingkt » Mon Aug 02, 2004 7:12 pm

hey ox,

in october, you will probably be kiting easterlies at either rooster rock or stevenson. it can be warm but, i would recommend a 4/3 or a 3/2 with a 1mm shirt underneath. the water will still be in the low 60's most likely and with your thin florida blood, it can get chilly.

easterlies can be very strong, 30+ is not uncommon on any given easterly day. we do some great downwinders from viento to stevenson that are a blast. 5+ miles of wave riding and jumping with never having to worry about going upwind. also, you get the river to yourself for most of that time.

kt

ox
Medium Poster
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Dec 29, 2003 6:38 am
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Postby ox » Mon Aug 02, 2004 8:30 pm

Thanks for all the info

Sounds like I might need to get an even smaller kite than a 9.

Looking forward to the trip. :thumb:

User avatar
Dax
Very Frequent Poster
Posts: 2757
Joined: Wed Sep 10, 2003 12:41 am
Brand Affiliation: None
Location: Portland, Oregon
Has thanked: 0
Been thanked: 0

Postby Dax » Mon Aug 02, 2004 9:43 pm

ox wrote:Thanks for all the info

Sounds like I might need to get an even smaller kite than a 9.

Looking forward to the trip. :thumb:
9 should be okay for Easties in Stevenson area. Rooster Rock can get ballistic on easterly days, but your 9 would be rideable probably at some point during the day (easterlies usually start to die in the afternoon.)

Your best bet is to do a downwinder from Home Valley to Stevenson (about 6 miles.) That way you don't have to worry about staying upwind at Stevenson (it can be hard because current is going downwind, and landing options if you miss the point are not good.) My favorite sessions ever are big downwinders in the Gorge. :thumb:


Return to “Kitesurfing”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Aleza, Baidu [Spider], bshmng, Chriz76, decay, duddd, Google [Bot], ham-er, kite fan, nixmatters, Peter_Frank, Smeagle and 287 guests