Hood River photographer Richard Hallman shot from a chopper for us on a beautiful July day! These pics show the Hood River event site, where Cascade Kiteboarding is based, as well as the sandbar (aka the "spit"). In this picture, you are looking northwest from Oregon toward the Washington side of the Columbia River. Looking straight down the river (to the left of the photo) is west. The grass lawn is referred to as the "Event Site". Kiteboarders are allowed to pump up kites only May to September, and must walk their kites across to the sandbar (that small channel of water in the lower right) to rig and launch. CKB takes students upwind (west) 2 miles to a secluded spot with the jet ski.

That's right. Body-drag Stevenson! We might even make a t-shirt out of it. The nice thing about learning and body-dragging at Stevenson is that the winds are steady and there are a number of sheltered coves and beaches in which you can body-drag right into. One disclaimer... you need to know your self-rescue. And what a great way to get real good at it than doing body-drags and wrapping up your own gear and walking back. It builds confidence and experience -- CKB highly recommends it!

Learning to kiteboarding amongst the evergreen walls of the Cascade Mountains and foothills in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. Steady winds, lush green surroundings, and a great community of Stevenson, Washington, make it an ideal spot for kiteboarding in the Gorge.