lessons at the gorge?

[jbthyme]

ive done a bit of searching on the web and it looks like theres plenty of places to choose from. Does anyone have any suggestions for preffered places to take some beginner lessons? ive never been to hood river but im going with my girlfriend in the middle/end of june. i know thats a bit early but that is the time weve got. I figure theres plenty of other things todo too Im hoping to get her some windsurfing lessons while we are there. also if she were to really get into it and took a bunch of lessons, what kind of gear should i bring for her to use after shes started to get the hang of it? I was thinking it might be easier to just pickup something there for her to use then lug any larger gear all the way from the east coast.. thanks! justin

[loikiws]

For first-timer lessons Id go with Big Winds. They, as well as a couple of other outfits, do such lessons at The Hook, which nowadays is pretty much the only place for beginner lessons. I did this years ago, and have since then put others through it. You move to outside the west end of the hook for waist-deep beach- and waterstart lessons and practice.

Dont bother bringing gear for her -- too much of a hassle, and the lesson providers have good/appropriate big gear. I also believe they have some deal where you can use/rent their beginner gear there on-site at The Hook if youve done a few lessons with them.

-mat

[pacspeed]

The shops have also started doing rentals, demos, and lessons out of box vans at the Event Site. This is a much nicer venue than the Hook, IMO. They will be down there pretty much every day by mid-june. You wont have any problems getting lessons or gear, definitely dont bother bringing your stuff w/ you unless youre here long enough that the equation of airline fees vs. rental charges is really compelling.

[bobgatpdx1]

Id recommend Hood River WaterPlay for beginnner lessons. They have their own private beach so you dont have to worry about getting run over at the Event Site or The Hook (which isnt a very nice place to hang out). You dont need to bring anything - they supply gear, wetsuit, booties, etc. June is a great month in the Gorge. Enjoy.

[bharrisks]

I would recommend Big Winds, Brians Windsurfing, or Hood River Waterplay for lessons.

I believe Big Winds has the largest staff, most equipment and widest variety of offerings for instruction and clinics. They teach beginners at the Hook but hold other levels and types of lessons elsewhere.

Brian of Brians Windsurfing is probably the single most experienced instructor giving commercial lessons in Hood River and is a great guy. He is mobile and can teach at whatever site is best for the particular lesson.

Hood River Waterplay is good, as well, and has a nice, grassy on-land instruction site at the Marina and a sandy beach to launch and teach from on the water.

There are a few other place, I believe, like Storm Warning, and theyre good as well.

Come to think of it, I dont think you can really go wrong with any of the lesson and rental providers in Hood River.

[jbthyme]

thanks so much for responding I like the lesson structure of Big Winds better then Hood River Waterplay. What do you think about the Official U.S. Sailing program vs the custom ones? Waterplay is the U.S Sailing program.. One really nice thing that Hood River Waterplay provides is their T.O.W. Club. I guess after you go through their level 1 course, you can use their beginner gear for free anytime. That would be really awsome. thanks again, justin

[bharrisks]

Im sure the U.S. Sailing program is fine. But, I dont view U.S. Sailing as at the cutting edge of the sport of windsurfing. So, certification would not be on my list of things I would care much about when contemplating windsurfing lessons.

Hood River has plenty of qualified and knowledgable instructors and programs. Certification would mean little, in my mind.

Free use of beginner gear would be a nice bonus, though other programs may offer this as well. Im not sure