Bouncing through chop

[isobars]

[isobars]

[biffmalibu]

[surfersteve]

Spend a little money and buy aftermarket pads. You can get triple-density pads which will turn almost any ride into a different experience. I thought it was difficult to do, but it is quite simple and does much less time than you thought.

[dhanson928]

Sailing in chop is better if you pay attention. Get your 'game-on' attitude going. I find myself being lazy and casual with my sailing. The chop doesn't care how long you've been doing this sport...it's going to have it's way..So I often have to remind myself to pay attention, choose my line around the awful stuff, look ahead as I sail, keep focused, lift the board sometimes if I can't avoid a particularly nasty section of river.

This time of year, with high flows and oscillating frontal passage wind directions, the chop can be strange...Pay attention to what you see in real time...You can't always just sail it like 'normally is' at any particular site...

I've encountered some pretty nasty cross-chop and confused stuff around Arlington this spring so far....what with windshifts of 30-45 degrees coming fast and frequently. Different than I remembered from last fall....but, when I pay attention and don't just jump on my board and sail mindlessly "like I always did"...it's manageable...I just have to see it, acknowledge it, and then deal with whatever the river is dishing out that day...or hour..

But I agree, I have NEVER been able to 'decode' the chop at Celilo...

[isobars]

Launch and turn right. There's even some rideable swell a couple of reaches downwind.

But one of the things I like about WSing in challenging terrain is that, just like dirt bikes, it demands my full attention as, at its best, it drives me into an altered state of consciousness. Any lapse of focus leads to instant crash when pushing the control envelope, which is why flat water bores me. In gnarly terrain, surviving distractions tells me I'm not going fast enough or maneuvering hard enough. That's also the difference between small chop that we can just suck up and ignore vs the parking-lot-full-of-small-cars variety that punishes lack of focus so brutally.

[johnl]

[mschock]

Has anyone mentioned a glass board? Gary at Cascade is still putting out great glass boards, cut right through the chop. As mentioned earlier, the new boards are designed for quick start but don't do so well in strong winds and chop. If you are sailing 4.2 or smaller a good "Gorge" glass board is the way to go. IMHO

[isobars]

I meant to mention Cascades, too. They have always been exceptionally smooth performers in rough Gorge waters. I've been really surprised to see some really pristine ones (and Watsons, another GREAT ride in Gorge chop) GIVEN AWAY because they went unsold at swap meets. Looks like the short/wide PR has done its job; too many people aren't aware of their shortcomings. Cascades are not fast, but they carve and ride the swell with grace and ease and are a sheer pleasure to sail when it gets too rough for edgier, high-performance boards. What's not to love about a buttery riding, easy carving locally built board that often costs less than a new fin, or can be ordered new with some custom tailoring if desired?

[westender]

KMF's suggestion to try a smaller fin and go slower will soften the bashing for sure and may be the best option till you're ready for other ways. Try it at least.