Every July, paddlers from around the world make their way to the Pacific Northwest for the Gorge Downwind Champs. It’s one of the biggest and most competitive downwind races of the year! This year’s race proved to be more technical than ever, with wind gusts topping 30 mph and Swell City dishing up bigger-than-usual waves that kept even the most experienced paddlers on their toes. This is not a novice race!
This race is a week-long event – but that is also because the race is a race window, which means the race can be called either on that Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. So you just gotta plan to be up there!
Despite the challenging conditions and the heat, more than 680 athletes crossed the finish line, ranging from first-time Gorge competitors to world champions.
And as always, NAC was well represented.
Our members raced across multiple craft and age divisions, taking on everything the Gorge had to offer. For some, it meant chasing podium finishes. For others, it meant simply crossing the finish line! Either way, every downwind run was worth celebrating.
Some paddlers just go up for the week, don’t race, and just play in the paddler’s playground of the Pacific Northwest! Hiking waterfalls, picking berries, and enjoying the camaraderie of 800 of their closest friends.
Lifetime NAC member and paddler (and proud Jr. Rowing dad!), Scott Granger, took home 1st place in his division, topping a field of 41 competitors. Claudio D’Amico raced in the men’s 40s division, coming across 7th out of 69 entries.
The women’s divisions at the Gorge grow every year, with this year 31% of the field being women this year! Natalie Rigolet and Jenny Ricks, first time Gorge racers, went OC2 and came across 2nd women’s OC2 across the finish line and first in their division!
From the girls:
“Months ago, someone told us, “You guys should do The Gorge.” My first thought was, “What the heck is The Gorge, and who needs to drive 1,000 miles for an outrigger race that’s upriver?!” After doing all the races in our first small boat season and competing OC2 in the Wild Buffalo Relay, my paddle partner, Jenny Ricks, and I decided, “Why not?! Whatever The Gorge is, we’re going to do that race too!”
First impressions: The Gorge is just that… “gorge.” It has everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer: freshwater, lush forests, snow-capped mountains, clean air, and quirky, crunchy humans. The whole concept of paddling upriver seemed a bit odd, but it started to make sense after our first run with about a 20 mph tailwind. Bump after bump after bump, and then
even bigger ones — paddles in the air, squealing like idiots. None of the usual Pacific Ocean, waiting-for-the-next-set-to-build type surfing. It was constant! Next day, same thing! This place is magical! When I eventually took a Gorge veteran’s advice and “stopped working so hard,” it really got fun. Connecting the bumps by just steering, I was barely working at all and screaming along shoulder-high faces. It was an absolute giggle-fest. Even through “the doldrums,” there was something to catch.
By the time race day arrived, winds were supposed to be 40+ mph. The race director was telling people it was okay to pull out of the race — no shame under such conditions. He told stories of canoes cartwheeling down the river because the winds were so strong. He told everyone there was a place to pull out if they felt they couldn’t finish the race. We heard there were about 100 people who didn’t even show up because they’d heard about the conditions. We knew it was potentially going to be scary, but we also knew it had the potential to be the most fun we’d ever had in a canoe.
With PFDs on, leash attached, and caps snapped tight enough to give anyone a headache, we proceeded upwind to the start area, trying to look calmer than we felt. Once we got our jitter-reducing huli at the start line out of the way, we were ready to go. The crowded start line gave way to wide-open water and some of the most consistent shoulder-high surfing we could have imagined. For the next almost two hours, we surfed and giggled and connected bumps and laughed and probably overworked our way up the Columbia River — earning a surprising 1st-place finish in our division.
Coming back to the salty Pacific, with its almost predictable weather and swell patterns, will be a transition. But we’ll know the Gorge is just a mere 1,000 miles away.”
Judson Grey and Justus Timmerman also competed from NAC in the OC1 Open Male division, which proved to be the most impacted division on the course, with over 100 entries alone!
Justus’ take on the week:
“This years Gorge showed what it’s all about. A week of some good ol’ unadulterated fun. It started slow, nothing crazy with some good wind to be found. It gave us some time to catch up with friends, get some booth shopping done (or help set up the booths if you get roped into it like me), and squeeze in a couple laps on the sternwheeler. The weather was nice, but not scalding hot like usual. With this forecast, the race was called for Thursday, which was earlier than they normally would. Something must have been brewing. As Wednesday evening approached, a squall rolled through. Rain began to fall, and flashes of lightning started appearing, quickly followed by the loud booms of thunder. The wind was blowing. You could feel the tension in the air. It almost felt apocalyptic, as everyone’s stoke just silently grew. Almost as quickly as it came in, everything just flattened out. The air was dead and the sun was shining through. It left us all uncertain of what tomorrow might look like.
That night, I woke up about a dozen times to the flaps of the rainfly beating against my tent. When it was finally time to get up, the wind was already filling in. Judson and I struggled to double stack our canoes on the truck (don’t tell Will) to bring down to Home Valley. On the way down there, little glimpses of the river poked through the trees, and the water was absolutely moving. It wasn’t the biggest I had seen, but the white caps were moving fast, especially for a race day. I called it right then that this could be a record breaking year.
After the usual pre-race setup and waiting around at the gate, we finally got on the water. It was cold and windy. Carter’s ever-increasing proclamations of the wind gusts actually didn’t seem that far off. We eventually lined up, after having taken a lap due to flying down the river too quickly, and the race started. It immediately opened up, with wave after wave to jump between. It didn’t even feel like a race, but just a bunch of people bombing waves.
The conditions were the best you could ask for. Besides the overwhelming amount of weeds and oncoming barges, it was the best downwind race the Gorge had to offer. Although I didn’t have the race I wanted, it was an absolute blast.
The wind continued to blow for the next couple of days, which fueled some equally as fun runs. The conditions slowly burned off, as the following week was met with extreme heat and glassy waters. I guess we got lucky on being there in the right window. I ended my week celebrating what would have been Kai Bartlett’s 51st birthday at Backwoods. Rest in peace to a legend. Although it was incredibly difficult and emotional, is also reminded me what makes the Gorge so special. It’s a place where your entire extended paddling family meets at once, regardless of any of the drama and paddletics, and simply just enjoys the sport and the time together as a community.
And that was it. It was time to drive home, already planning next year’s trip.”
Yeah, the Gorge may just be a race. But it’s also a week that brings together the paddling community. With competitors ranging from juniors to paddlers in their 70s and OC1 athletes making up more than 60% of the field, it continues to showcase just how broad and welcoming our sport has become.
We’re always proud to see our NAC ʻohana show up, push their limits, and represent #nac4life !
Congratulations to all of our NAC members who raced – let’s see where the wind takes you next.
