Author Topic: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report  (Read 403369 times)

headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #795 on: April 21, 2013, 10:13:41 AM »
Great stories! Love reading about your early runs and your memories of those experiences. This past Fall/Winter were my first experiences with downwinding on Maui. I look forward to getting more experience and competence but also recognize how special those early experiences are, especially when you go from absolutely stoked to pretty much terrified and back over and over again. It is truly addictive.
Cove... since you've done both and most recently that great stretch out in the desert east of HR, how would you compare the two aside from water temp?

covesurfer

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #796 on: April 21, 2013, 07:51:13 PM »
HM, so different in terms of environments - the runs in Maui and that desert run were all stellar experiences in life, in my opinion. I feel I'm a very lucky man to get to have experiences like these.

That desert run was done under really favorable conditions. I'm anxious to go again to find out if it can be even better. There is also another stretch that ends up at a place called Three Mile Canyon, that has incredible potential. I've windsurfed at Three Mile a bunch of times in swells that are overhead and clean. It's an amazing stretch of the Gorge. Got to put together another expedition.

For pure quality of glides, I have to say the desert run was pretty hard to beat. There was so little cross chop or surface chop and the swells were not only relatively big vertically but also long in the horizontal direction - just big long smooth rollers. Beautiful. The wind lined up perfectly with the swell and it was blowing just hard enough, around 35 to 40, that it was absurdly easy to catch some of the really good glides.

I'm also really comfortable in the Gorge and that influences how well I respond on the board. I started windsurfing here in the mid-80's so the river, even when conditions are big, feels familiar.

In Maui, it was not like that. I had a mixture of fear and pure excitement every time we went, especially on the north side. The stoke overpowered the fear but there were moments, on that last run I did with you guys, where the fear and stoke were fighting for the upper hand. My skill level felt adequate but the lack of local knowledge kept me from feeling very confident. That makes it hard to really evaluate the conditions fairly. I think with more experience, my appreciation of Maui conditions and my ability to enjoy those conditions will grow.

headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #797 on: April 21, 2013, 08:20:48 PM »
Well I might do a mainland trip this August and was thinking about popping up there to see if I could do that run.  Even with your wide angle lens it looked great.

covesurfer

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #798 on: April 21, 2013, 08:39:01 PM »
If you make it up here, hopefully the wind will cooperate. Spring seems to be a bit more reliable for wind in the east end of the Gorge. That said, good days out east are not exactly rare even in Summer so there is a chance you'll hit it.

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #799 on: April 21, 2013, 08:54:36 PM »
August is the highest velocity consistent wind month in the gorge. Make the trip--we have a spare room, or if you stay longer there's always the warehouse.
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paddlestandingup

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #800 on: April 23, 2013, 11:20:54 AM »
I did my first Maliko run this past Thursday April 18th.  I want to reiterate what others were saying a few pages back.  You must go with someone who will watch out for you until you get some experience out there.  Luckily, I had the excellent Bill Boyum on my shoulder the whole the time.  He was never out of sight and always within yelling distance.  He kept an eye on me the whole time, from start to finish.  I can't thank him enough.  Local knowledge and experience out there is priceless.  If you are from the mainland, it ain't nothin' like you've seen before.

As soon as I hit the wind line, I fell.  I kept trying to stand but just kept falling over and over and ended up knee paddling the whole way.  Bill was right there though and guided me in over the reef for a safe finish at Kanaha.  I was pretty happy to get my feet on that sand and sit down.

It's pretty scary out there.  Everything is new, the water, the wind, your paddle, your board, the rocks, the surf, the sheer size of the swells (and this was considered moderate from what I understand). 

Trust me, it's nothing like the videos!  I felt really, really small and exposed out there.  Get someone (like Bill Boyum) to guide you.  I will try it again though no doubt about it! 

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #801 on: April 23, 2013, 12:33:27 PM »
Actually that run was anything but moderate. It started off light, but went straight to ten on the wack-o-meter. It would have been challenging for anyone.

When you first come out of the gulch the swell just simply scares the crap out of you. If conditions stay rational you learn that the really big ones just roll right under you, and they are just there to turn your knees to water--unless you freak out and try to cross the wrong reef, in which case they will turn your board into splinters and perhaps do the same thing to you.

You didn't get a chance to calm down and find your feet, just about the time you might have calmed down it all went crazy.

Don't feel lonely--there's a lot of people that have made their first run on their knees--me included. I could hardly stay on my knees.

The easiest way to get hurt is to panic and try to come in across a reef. For most of the run that just doesn't work out very well. You have your first one out of the way. It gets easier after that, sometimes.
« Last Edit: April 23, 2013, 12:36:51 PM by PonoBill »
Foote 10'4X34", SIC 17.5 V1 hollow and an EPS one in Hood River. Foote 9'0" x 31", L41 8'8", 18' Speedboard, etc. etc.

paddlestandingup

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #802 on: April 23, 2013, 12:50:44 PM »
Thanks PonoBill, I saw you out there waiting for us in the beginning.  I was not prepared for the size of the swell that is for sure.  To feel that wind hit your body while trying to angle the board out and downwind is very tricky. 

I was nervous to start with and then when I kept falling, what confidence I had quickly eroded.  I lost count of the number of times I fell.  The more I knee paddled, the harder it was to stand up.  I never wanted to get too winded and lose my ability to quickly get back up on the board.  About halfway down, I was content to knee paddle and make the most of it and even caught a glide or two.  I even fell from my knees once.

I was not panicky, but I was plenty scared.  Even though Bill was right there I knew I had to stay on that board and paddle it to a beach by myself. 

LaPerouseBay

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #803 on: April 23, 2013, 04:26:42 PM »
Thanks for contributing to the thread paddlestandup.  Less than ideal runs are common.  Sadly, they are not well represented on the forum. 

The wind was gusting to 40 that day (airport).  The fetch was good so you saw big E swells.

It was a 'moderate' day in the sense that we didn't have a NW swell.  E winds can get stronger also.  I would call your run a 'big' day, not 'moderate'.  But it does get bigger.   

Winter NW swells can add size and confusion.  Those days are less fun for me.  Adrenaline overload, slower times due to extra caution.  The fast guys charge and post incredible times. 

They also smash outriggers - every season.  We lost a ski last winter (or winter before?).   I heard he had a very rough go out there.   

Here's the vid from your day.  Those swells are big.  I was out in deep water.  It's good you had a guide across the reef into kanaha.  It has some shallow sections that should be avoided.   
 
maliko 4-18-13

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paddlestandingup

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #804 on: April 23, 2013, 05:53:57 PM »
Hey thanks for posting that video!  I thought I was a pretty good paddler until I got out into that.  Very humbling.  After falling the second or third time I knew it was going to be a long day, there's no turning back once you get out there.  It's a one-way trip.

headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #805 on: April 23, 2013, 08:07:08 PM »
Yeah it was one of those days that didn't look like much driving up but it sure did go once we we were out there.  Anyway You got the feel of the energy and know what to expect next time. 

Some of the guys on this forum that run rivers on the mainland are making vids that show very challenging water.  Plus there's the Columbia River in Oregon.  Lots of great practice areas.

headmount

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #806 on: April 25, 2013, 08:38:31 PM »
Today was like one of those runs in backcountry champagne powder where everyone is babbling trying to express how freakin great it was.  High tide added a favorable current and last few miles were as good as it gets, with long smooth faced troughs.

Even though the surf came up overnight, downwind conditions didn't get too crossed up as they often do with a swell.  23-35mph. 

PBill is heading back to HR soon and I'm sure he'll have this as a good stash in his memory bank.  He had some unbelievably long rides today... best I've seen him do.  Always good to go away with a good feeling. 

PonoBill

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #807 on: April 25, 2013, 09:29:50 PM »
I also had some unbelievable face plants, hard to keep the nose of the V2 from plunging when you're just holding on. I hit so hard on one steep drop that I did a somersault and landed on my back. Knocked the wind right out of me. Good thing there weren't any newbies out today.

Let me put it this way. Jeremy fell three times.

We kind of screwed up and stayed inside too long. Camp one was Indian country. I've never seen the waves be so peaked and mean looking. We angled out pretty hard, but we definitely passed through the valley of the shadow of something--broken boards maybe.

I was talking to La Perouse Larry in the parking lot and he said he was scared all the way. I assumed he was exaggerating, Larry has a zillion runs under his belt, so I said "All the way" and he said "Oh, I wasn't scared when we came out of the gulch, but after that I was terrified."
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JF808

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #808 on: April 25, 2013, 09:51:18 PM »
@ LaPerouseBay,

  how do you control your boat from pearling too much?  I also do downwinders on my OC1, I dont find it nearly as exciting as on a SUP.  On the SUP I have control when it comes to steep faces, I get as far back on that tail as I need to keep that nose up, steep drops dont worry me on SUP.  When I get on my canoe, there is no such thing as "trim" your as the mercy of the boat really. trimming down the face of a wave  as if your making a bottom turn like on a SUP is not as doable on a canoe, it's just not nearly as agile as a SUP.

Do you ever find yourself not taking a bump because it's too steep?  knowing that your going tyo burry the nose up to your feet?  What do you do when your in that situation?  Just curiouis as to how you handle it on your SS

J.Riggs

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Re: The smokin spring and summer Maliko report
« Reply #809 on: April 25, 2013, 11:01:52 PM »
Today was amazing! I look over at watched PonoBill drop into a massive swell at Pier 1 that just kept going and going at top speed.

Larry looks like he's having so much fun on that ski. I would love to try it one day but definitely not on a day like today. I'm pretty sure he buried the nose a few times but it doesn't seem to slow him down.

 

 


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