Just for Kids

The Gorge Games has partnered with the Hood River County School District Community Education Program. Event organizers are planning to offer official Gorge Games classes for children in virtually all of the Gorge Games sports, plus a few additional sports. Children will learn BMX riding, catamaran sailing, kayaking, kiteboarding, mountain biking, sailing, skateboarding and windsurfing from seasoned veterans from their respected sports.

The Gorge Games Children’s Classes are a superb way for children to learn and experience each Gorge Games sport. At the end of each class on Saturday and Sunday, mini competitions will be offered for students interested in participating in the appropriate
competitive events. The Gorge Games wants to “grow” the next generation of athletes. Classes are designed to foster skills and abilities, sportsmanship, and a true passion for the sports we at the Gorge Games have grown to love.

The Kids’ Adventure Village Experience is open to children of all ages and includes cross training in the following sports/activities:

• Bike Skills
• Kayak White Water Rafting Pool
• Trail Running
• Naturalist Walk
• Camp Orienteering Challenge - Adventure Race Component
• Health Safety Training
• Rock Climbing Experience
• Windsurfing

Parents can drop children off to participate in the all day Kids Adventure Experience which is staffed by certified trainers in each sport/activity. In additon, Community Education counselors will be on staff for the general supervision and safety of each participant. Many classes are free or offered at affordable rates for children to attend.

Featured Sports

Windsurfing

With its reliable thermal winds, spectacular terrain and variety of conditions, the Columbia River Gorge is a popular windsurfing destination for professional and recreational windsurfers alike. Typically winds are 20-35 knots and water conditions
range from breaking river swells to flat/glassy water. River temperatures in July are in the mid-60s and air temperatures can range from 70’s to 90’s.

Gorge Games Freestyle - Freestyle is a timed event which is judged. Freestyle is all about show, competitors are judged on their creativity, amplitude and style. Trick difficulty and the number of tricks perfomed also contribute to the final score. Windsurfers who perform tricks on both tacks (port and starboard) and perform the tricks fully planing score higher marks.

Gorge Games Super Cross - This is a fairly new discipline in windsurfing competitions, a cross between freestyle and slalom. The competitors are racing on a short downwind slalom course, the “Gorge Slalom“. On the first leg and second leg sailors will jibe the first and second buoys. On the third leg all sailors will be required to jump the tube and perform a duck jibe while rounding the third buoy. The forth leg of this race consists of a clearing buoy you must keep to port and then becomes a “free leg” (meaning you will not have to go around a buoy). Competitors must be able to go back up wind to a point at which the will be able to make the mandatory tack and make it back through the finish line. The competitors are required to wear protective equipment.

Kiteboarding

Kiteboarding is a unique sport that draws influences from wakeboarding, skateboarding, snowboarding, and surfing with the added dimension of flight or air time. While piloting a large kite, riders plane across the surface of the water and are able to perform various tricks, jumps, and maneuvers.

Flowing from east to west through the majestic Cascade Mountain Range, the Columbia River creates a sea level passageway that connects the desert to the sea. As the hot desert air heats up, the cool, moist air of the Pacific rushes through the steep canyon walls of the Gorge to create some of the most spectacular kiteboarding conditions anywhere in the world.

With its reliable thermal winds, spectacular terrain, and variety of conditions, the Columbia River Gorge is a popular kiteboarding destination for professional and recreational kiteboarders alike. Typically winds are 20-35 knots and water conditions range from breaking river swells to flat and glassy water. River temperatures in July are in the mid-60s and air temperatures can range from 70s to 90s.

Competitors will be competing in three different events to see who has what it takes to master what the unpredictable Gorge has to offer:

Freestyle - The Freestyle discipline will showcase the highest levels of freestyle kiteboarding. Emphasis will be placed power and wakeboardstyle maneuvers.

Big - Big Air will showcase riders doing various maneuvers with as much amplitude as possible. This will include board-offs, kite loops and aerial handle passes. Judges will score 70% on height and 30% on technical difficulty.

Course Racing - Course Racing is a long track race where riders must navigate around a series of upwind, crosswind, and downwind marks. The first rider to complete 2 laps around the course and cross the finish line wins.

Kayaking

Cascading off slopes of Mt. Adams this raging torrent is going to give Kayakers a run for their money.

The White Salmon River Gorge is a narrow winding canyon teaming with difficult, technical class five white water and multiple technical water falls.

All Extreme Downriver Race competitors and Boatercross Racers competitors will be required to have ample skills to easily paddle class five white water and take the plunge down the technical waterfalls.

Extreme Downriver - The Extreme Downriver racers will first need to qualify via the less technical and less hazardous trials extreme race. If river levels require - a separate time trials race will be held to qualify for the Extreme Downriver Race.

Gorge Games Boatercross - Men’s, Women’s, and Junior’s Boatercross races will be a multi-paddler start requiring paddlers to race simultaneously from point A to B and navigate race gates on the way.

Mountain Biking

Hood River and its surrounding areas are home to the most diverse and spectacular natural terrain for mountain biking in North America. Although known worldwide for its windsurfing conditions, this area is quickly becoming a top mountain bike destination
and the home of 2008 Gorge Games’ mountain biking events.

Super D - The Super D race will be held in Post Canyon which boasts over 3,000 feet of vertical descent. Technical bike handling skills are a must, racers can expect rocky sections and extremely steep terrain. Super D consists of riders racing one at a time against the clock. The rider with the fastest time wins or advances to the next round. Expect a fast paced action packed event with competitors holding nothing back.

Short Track Cross Country Race (STXC) - The short track cross country race will be held in the Post Canyon area. This event is a
shortened cross-country style race, designed to be spectator friendly and easily televised. The course is 100% rideable regardless of terrain and weather conditions. It is a multiple lap race with minimum lap times around 5 minutes for the fastest riders. Race duration is usually 30-60 minutes depending on abilities. Competitors will incounter sections of technical single-track and steep hill climbs.

Skateboarding

Skateboarding in the Columbia Gorge is nothing less than surfing on concrete. Boarders have the unique challenge of competing at world class levels in 4 completely different locations, including the picturesque Mosier Tunnels (one of the most scenic and
spectacular places to skateboard on the globe), Hood River’s own Dream Land Skate Park for the Mini Bowl Jam, or in the Athletes’ Village for the game of S.K.A.T.E. in front of crowds of cheering spectators. The Gorge Games offers skateboarders a tough competitive field (the North American Slalom Skateboard Championships will be part of this year's event) and a raw, natural beauty that only can be found in the Pacific Northwest.

Mini Bowl Jam - The Hood River Skate Park will play host to this very exciting event. Skateboarders of all types love the new “Camcorder Mini Bowl” that offers the space for long grinds, big airs, and plenty of spots to throw down your best tricks. This event will be judged by a panel of veteran skateboarders who are looking for the skater with the biggest bag of tricks and the cleanest style. Prize money paid down to 10th place!

The game of S.K.A.T.E. - This unique flatground event is skating classic, a head-to-head battle of who has the sickest tricks and the longest list. A competitor completes a trick and if the challenger can’t replicate it the loser sits while the winner continues to the next round. Winning this event is going to bring serious clout and bragging rights! Are you game?

Slalom Events - The Gorge Games is proud to present the North American Slalom Skateboard Championships in 2008. According to the ISSA, this event is expected to have the highest race-ranked status and will be the largest slalom event in the country. Racers
will receive higher points for racing in this event than other races in the country, a fair number of internatioal racers are expected to be in attendance. The Hood River races are the longest consecutively running slalom events in the country, if not the world. The
Super Giant Slalom will be held in Mosier Tunnels on the Old Scenic Highway. The Championship Title will be comprised of all 3 events, so get out there and shred it!

Sailing

The Columbia River Gorge offers some of the best small boat sailing in the world. For sailors the clean fresh water, warm summer temperatures and consistent winds are unmatched. The Columbia River Gorge has been revered as one of the ten best places to
sail in the World. The 505 North American Championship event is also the largest fresh water sailing competition in the United States.

505 North American Championships - There is no such thing as a typical 505 sailor. 505 sailors range from pre-teens to those
in their 70s. Because these individuals include intercollegiate sailors, retired couples, seasoned 50+ years experience sailors and novices -- the 505 sailor is anyone and everyone. The 505 Class has been a popular sport in the Gorge for many summers and 2008 will be no different. This summer will feature the biggest regatta in North America participating in the 505 North American Championships as part of the 2008 Summer Gorge Games. Many of the best sailors from around the globe in the 505 Class will be
competing as they battle it out in a series of races to see who is top dog. The International 505 is a powerful boat that demands a both a great deal physically and mentally from helm and crew. This provides a breathtaking performance of balance, power and control. This truly International Class is raced in a least eighteen countries. Expect a fast and tactical race!

Junior Sailing O'Pen BIC - The purpose of this event is to showcase a new format and to showcase a new American sailboat for Youth Sailing in a fun, unorthodox, and loosely competitive style. Results are not nearly as important as everyone having a good time sailing. Don’t expect conventional round the buoys racing or normal 1-2-3 prizes. Capsizes and freestyle and fun will be rewarded. This event may not be for a hard-core racer with rule book in hand, but if a sailor wants to just have fun and pioneer a new chapter in Youth Sailing, the O’Pen BIC sailing event is the event of choice.

Participants compete in Slalom, Freestyle and other recreational categories. Final positions in the regatta will be recognized, but the grand prize will go to the sailor who judges determine had the most fun in the regatta.

Adventure Racing

Adventure Racing is a multi-sport event which consists of teams that race from the start to finish line as one unit using human-powered locomotion only. There is no set course layout, format, or requirements for an Adventure Race. Most races require the racers to navigate with a map and compass from one check point to another, over an unmarked course, allowing the teams to take any route they choose between checkpoints. Checkpoints must be visited in the order designated by the race director.

Teams usually are usually comprised of two, three, or four racers, in either all male, all female, or co-ed categories. The traditional format for Adventure Racing is a four person co-ed team.

Athletes traditionally Mountain Bike, Paddle (kayak, canoe, raft), Trek (hike, walk, jog, run), and sometimes complete Ropes Courses (rappel, ascent, traverse). In almost all cases, navigation is an integral part, however, some races do have marked courses in some sections. Often you may encounter other interesting events in an Adventure Race like coasteering, horseback riding, inline skating, creekteering, etc.

Every race course is unique and different. Racers rarely know the exact location of the race, the order of the events, or the length of any of the legs of a race, until just before the race. There's no scouting of the race course in an Adventure Race!

Running/Walking

Here is your invitation to run or walk in one of the most beautiful spots on earth, the Columbia River Gorge. People will have two opportunities to stroll, trek, run or walk in an environment suited to their personal strengths. These two events take place in Hood
River at different venues and different times. Each event provides an experience for all ages and abilities, including the family pet! Select one or all and enjoy nature's gift to exercise and athletic endeavor.

10K Trail Run/Walk - Hit the dirt running or walking on friendly trail terrain. The 10K Trail Run is a 6.2 mile out and back looped course with views of the Hood River Valley, the Columbia Gorge and Mt. Hood. This spectacular course is ideal for the competitive
runner, walker or pole trekker. Aid Station and porta-lets provided on course. Athletic canines are allowed but must start with it's human runner at the back of the pack. Pets must remain on leash throughout the race and be cared for at all pet potty stops. Leave
no Trace behind! All human participants will be chip timed for accurate start and finish times. The course will remain open for 2.5 hours. There will be celebratory refreshments at the finish line!

Half Marathon, Half Run/Walk - Make this the Half to remember! A spectacular course starting above the Columbia River with views of the Gorge both east and west is perfect for everyone from competitive racers, weekend warriors or first-timers. The event is chip timed for accurate start and finish times with an out and back course on street and trail terrain. Regular athletic shoes are suitable for this course. Aid Stations provided every 2 miles (approx.) along with locations for spectator viewing. The course will remain open for 4 hours or until we see you cross the finish line! Celebrate the achievement with food, refreshment and music at the finish line. Awards will be presented on day of race at the Adventure Village Athletes Awards Ceremony.