I couldn't recomend SA Kitesuef more. We were coming from out of town and Erika reached out and…read morehelped us find the best time to get wind. We did two days of lessons with Dale and they were amazing. He's right in your ear calmly reassuring you how to do everything. The location is so nice to learn in. Tons of thigh to Chest deep water. If anything is going wrong you can just standup. It makes it feel alot safer to learn.

I can't recommend this place enough! Dale, Erika, John B. and Ed are amazing! Their equipment is…read moretop notch and the lessons were the best I've ever had. SAK is such a gem!! Erika also teaches yoga and there is a fun winery above the shop. Everyone is extremely friendly and passionate about kiting, that you can't help but have a great time! I already can't wait to go back.

I cannot recommend Carlos and Itzhak more highly than to say: I entrusted my children, 8 and 10,…read morewith them to learn how to wing surf. My children were tentative (and a little distracted at times) and they were so patient, kind, generous, and you can tell their heart and love for people and the sport(s) they offer. I have gone to lessons at three different places on the Gorge and Kite the Gorge is our forever lesson home. The offering, the professionalism, the quality and skill, the patience (I could write a paragraph about how patient Itzhak was to take my kids and work with each of them, drive the jet ski, control the kite, carry the foil...... oy vey!) Their location is tremendous and allows for lessons and an experience that feels intimate, less commercial, and attentive. We are so happy to have found Carlos and his team. Forever grateful for the core memories and that my children are getting to grow and learn in a safe, fun, encouraging environment that will transcend time and go with them in life. GO KITE THE GORGE WITH KITE THE GORGE!!

We just finished three days of instruction at Kite the Gorge. Yes!!!! I can finally get up and…read moreride in both directions!!! Thank you Carlos and Spring for making this an amazing and rewarding kiteboarding experience. Kyle was my instructor and he was amazing! I had a few lessons in San Diego and La Ventana, but my experience at Kite the Gorge was the best. I made really good progress with their program (love the two way radio system!!!) and was able to enjoy this world class kiteboarding location in a safe and efficient manner. Initially intimidated by the traffic and location, I quickly realized Kite the Gorge, with it's unique location and top notch instructors, was the best kiteboarding school for me. The equipment was new with the latest in design and safety features. They were very good about making sure we were on the correct size kites and boards for the wind conditions and took care in making sure we were proficient in using the safety features built into the kite system. I am already planning my next trip to do more lessons with Kite the Gorge. Such an amazing sport. The culture and people involved are absolutely wonderful.

Great service. Whether I need a small part to get my old snowboard or ski boot working, or I make a…read morelarger purchase, I get the same great customer care. Sometimes it gets busy but they take care of everyone in succession. Today on the way to the mountain they had the part I needed. Saved my day. This is why I try and support a great local shop like second wind. Sometimes 2 day shipping won't cut it.. , there are items that can't be found online, and its great to start the day with a smiling face. Very competitive pricing. highly recommend.

The staff is not friendly or helpful at all. During my two visits they ignored me when I approached…read morethe counter with items to try on and continued talking with their friends. Plenty of other wind shops in Hood River, I suggest anyone reading this save their time and visit another one. Cheers

The go to spot for wind surfing, foiling, standup boarding, biking gear in Hood River OR!read more

Gear, clothes, water and wind toys to select from abound at Big Winds! The only thing more…read morememorable is the great service and attention from the team. We always feel like family whether we're together in the store or sharing the stoke on the river.

My friend and I got a 2 person, 4 line introductory kiteboard lesson today with Luke…read more Then, we took a little break and had separate individual water lessons with Luke and Dana. They got the jetskis, Bluetooth helmets- and went off to a quiet place down river away from all the other people (was actually busy on a Tuesday in September!). Both Dana and Luke were excellent instructors. Very patient, very insightful. They did everything perfectly for my friend and I. Our background is many years of wakeboarding and wake surfing behind boats. I had used a trainer kite. My friend had not. At the end of the second lesson that day- both of us were able to get up and ride both directions for a little bit. Two beginner lessons back to back was a lot. Both of us are beyond mid 40's. But we ride summer pretty hardcore behind the boats. At the end, we were spent- but felt great to have been able to do it in one day. I think we'd need at least one or two more lessons - or just supervision to get the transition of tacking back and forth down. We paid over $500 each - not including tip. But i think the price was in line with the amount of water time and jet ski support available. Anyway, I'd recommend both Luke and Dana as your instructors. Hope they continue teaching. Of course your results are going to vary greatly depending on your own experience, fitness and tolerance of water in the face when the wind blows and you're in the middle of the Columbia River!!

I took most of my lessons with Tanguy at Cascade and I have to say I owe it all to his style and…read moregeneral approach to teaching. He was able to point out everything I needed to do differently to finally get out on my own. He's an absolute asset to the Cascade team and I'd highly recommend booking him for your next lesson, you won't regret it. Thanks Tanguy

Today I witnessed the owner and head instructor, Jim Bison, leave a student alone on the water…read moreduring a lesson to physically assault another kiter. This is unacceptable behavior from a "professional" who should be teaching"safety first". Look elsewhere for your kiteboarding instruction!

Kiteboarding is an amazing sport, but it takes the right instruction to save you frustration, time…read moreand pain! Jim and his team will carefully take the time to show you how to do it RIGHT, take you to the best places to learn on the river (and in Baja) and keep you safe in the process. You can waste your time and money with less knowledgable people (or god-forbid yourself), but it was worth my time and money to have Jim and New Wind. Jim is a master at this, and a great ambassador for the sport. He takes it personally how each of his students progresses and loves what he does. I am up and riding thanks to Jim and New Wind.

Windance is fantastic…read more Great selection of gear, great vibes, the staff is always high-stoke and helpful. Definitely feels like a pillar of the windsport community, and not just in the gorge. The consignment area of the shop is a great amenity, and theyve got a pretty good demo fleet of boards, foils, etc if you want to try something out. Theyve also got the best windsport hardware section with all the different bolts, nuts, doodads etc that i seem to misplace at an alarming cadence. My singular complaint is that whenever im in town my bank account seems to mysteriously drain down... its the weirdest thing

Walked in planning on spending $300-$400 on basic safety gear for a new sport and fully…read moreprepared/borderline keen to get upsold up to a full kit --so, literally thousands of dollars more than that. Walked out irritated enough to bother writing this review, having spent exactly $0. From the jump, front desk staff radiated general annoyance that I'd even walked into the place. A few basic questions about gear got me a series of one-or-two word answers and vague pointing. I get that we'd all rather be outside playing than working, but (1) basic civility is not difficult, and (2) the wind wasn't even that good that day?? Reading recent positive reviews, I have to assume this is just the kind of place that may have one approach to customer service for sporty-looking white guys and another approach for everybody else. I'm sure this doesn't apply to everyone who works here, but it's been a long time since I've had an experience this bad in a gear shop, and the owner might consider some level-setting with staff.

We attempted to schedule lessons with the company. We completed their "sign up"form and were very…read morespecific about the package, date, time window, experience and travel plans. All we needed was a confirmation of time and price. We did receive an email which was pleasant but in typical old school form it said "Hey - give me a call". It's time these businesses understand that when customers go to the effort to fill out your forms to schedule in a simple manner, they do not want a 3 step process or to play the voicemail back and forth game. I am rating this as we asked for a reply to their email to confirm scheduling.....nothing. If you make it hard, customers go elsewhere.

If you are a beginner, I'd recommend having lessons with the young boys instead of Bryan. I found…read morethem much more patient, friendly and they don't stick with every small detail that for a beginner just make things harder to get. At the end of the day, if this is your first time, you probably are just looking to have some fun and not to remember every name of a move and each detail. Plus, he overcomplicates on his explanation and has a bossy tone. Maybe that is good if you are an experienced guy and is looking to sharp your skills. Not sure. The young crowd do a great job with first-timers though. Happy that they saved the day. Get lessons with them.

Owen was a good teacher, patient while keeping a fair pace to ensure I learned enough from the…read morefirst lesson. I've been flying kites for over 30 years but kite surfing is a different animal, highly recommend lessons

I would highly recommend taking kiteboarding lesson from owner / school operator Owen . He has a…read morevast knowledge of the Gorge conditions and will tailor your lessons to the conditions and your skills .

Since entering the sport of kiteboarding I have purchased multiple number of Slingshot kites and…read morealthough the kites perform as advertised one constant and dangerous problem is valve failure. Though the years I have tried all of Slingshot's solutions to no avail.I also have found in speaking with other kiters that they also have had this constant problem with Slingshot kites.It baffles me how a company produces a product that it's safety is undermined by the least costly parts of the product. For this reason I can hi longer purchase or recommend Slingshot kites.