Naish Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge 2016

The Naish Columbia Gorge Paddle Challenge 2016 will be held this weekend (August 20 to 21, 2016). This is a Festival on the Columbia River Gorge, in Hood River, Oregon.

The Paddle Challenge will feature a Distance Downwind Race on the first day and a Course Race for the second day. In addition, there will be SUP exhibits from many companies, live music, SUP demos, drink and local food..

Event Schedule

Saturday, August 20th : Downwind Race

Sunday, August 21st : Course Race

Presentation :

Downwind Race :

On the downwind race, competitors must stay to the north side of the 1st turning mark, on the north side of buoy 32, and the north side of Wells Island. All marks should be on your right shoulder when you pass them.

Racers will be challenged by the mighty Columbia with howling winds, waves and current in an 8-mile downwind leg from Viento State Park to the Waterfront Park. The course will take approximately 1h15 for the leaders. The finish line will be on the beach at the Waterfront Park.

The Double Down is considered like the Elite Race (cash purse is for this race). There are no age categories, just Men’s and Women’s classes. The men are restricted to a board length maximum of 14′ and fixed fin. The women are restricted to a board length maximum of 12’6″ and fixed fin.

The Downwind Double Down is for Elite level athletes or those competitors that are in strong physical condition and are experienced enough to paddle back-to-back 8 mile downwind, upriver, runs in rough water, potential winds of more than 30 Miles per hour, and large swells. A run is taking most strong paddlers 1:10 to 1:20.

Course Race :

The course race will be take place at the Waterfront Park providing a great chance for spectators to see the world’s top athletes, family or friends compete in a multi-lap course race. Competitors will make several laps around an approximately one mile course, all visible from the Waterfront Park.

The Elite class will complete five laps.

The Open class will complete four laps.

And the Grom class will complete one lap.

The prevailing wind is from the west making this course challenging for the competitors and exciting for the spectators. The finish will be on the beach inside the Waterfront Park.

The Elite Course Race is open to all athletes who want to compete at the highest level and for the cash purse. The Men’s Class shall be restricted to a maximum board length of 14′ and a fixed fin. The Women’s Class shall be restricted to a maximum board length of 12’6″ and a fixed fin. Competitors may use different boards for their Downwind Race (including the Double Down) and their Course Race.