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Swell City
In the 13+ miles of Columbia Gorge from Home Valley to Hood River used for the annual Gorge Downwind Championship Race (the last 8 miles is also the Viento run) there is a stretch toward the end close to the Washington shore known as “Swell City”. Swell City is quite popular with wind sport practitioners in part due to its reliably large waves. But the waves aren't just big in Swell City, often they are turbulent and coming at you from multiple angles - not just parallel wave sets that are typical in so much of the Gorge. ( the waves are typically smaller the farther right you go toward the Oregon side.) On bigger days as you downwind upstream with the typical west wind blowing upriver, the wave size and cross wave patterns will start to increase .5 - 1 mile before the Swell City windsport launch area.
Oscar Chalupsky teaching a new surfskier in a 2-person surfski
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Denise Weeks passing Swell City on Drano run
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Nick Murray Gorge Champs Week 2022
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Dawid Mocke
Swell City photos from Carter Johnson/Vortex Events
