quicklook
- Westerly Winds Are Best
Choppy
- Yes
- No
- Sketchy Cliff Launch
- Wetsuits In Winter Months
- Portland International Airport (PDX)
Stevenson – The Gorge
Kiteboarding at Stevenson is one of the closest locations to Portland and has some of the steadiest winds in the Gorge. The wind can be a bit lighter here and the launch is a bit tricky. You should go down below near the waters edge and rocks and have a partner launch the kite on top of the eleveighted land. There is little to no room for error with this launch.
The entrance to this location is on the Washington side behind an industrial building on the river. This is not a beginner spot due to the risky launch area.
Wind Description
May – September are the best months to kite this location. Although you may be able to kite all year with the proper equipment and warmy layers.
East or West Winds is the only wind directions you can kite at this location. It usually blows from the west.
Setup & Launch
At Stevenson you set up on the small strip of grass atop of the waters edge. Launch and immediately get away from shore where depending on the westerly angle is a bit sketchy/lofty. Once you get out the wind gets a bit steadier and consistent.
Besides the tricky launch there are medium size stones that you may or may not want to wear foot protection for. There are not a lot of bailout opportunities so make sure you spot a few emergency landing locations on both sides of the river. There is however a large sandbar a little bit down the river in case of an emergency packdown.
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