Freestyle Freenzy Goes of in the Gorge

After a 5 year hiatus the Freestyle Frenzy came back with a bang!

47 competitors represented 6 countries. Riders came from the US, Canada, Mexico, South Korea, Australia and England. With a less then ideal forecast for the 5 day competition window, Head Judge, Casey Hauser, decided to call a 6:30am skippers meeting on the first day of competition and it paid off. Winds built throughout the morning and winds peaked at midday averaging over 30mph! With consistent high winds, the swell started building. Creating the classic Gorge conditions the Freestyle Frenzy was designed to highlight.

Jake Miller

The three divisions, Super Frenzy, new school flat water freestyle; Gorge Style, older school big air moves & swell riding; and Women’s ran heats all morning. The competition was close and action packed. The Super Frenzy was filled with impressive moves viewed by hundreds seated in the stadium of rocks at the “Jibe-a-torium.” The Gorge Style wowed the crowed with impressive big air moves, highlighted by Jake Millers one-handed-forward-loop-wave to the judges. The women showed up in full force as well, led by Ingrid Larouche. Congratulations to the winners, Brian Metcalf-Perez, Ingrid Larouche, and Mitch Gingrich!

Ingrid Larouche took first place for the women in Freestyle and Big Air

With the early start the Xensr Big Air contest was able to start in the afternoon. With winds forecasted to diminish throughout the afternoon the pro men, led by non other than Gorge Big Air master Dale Cook, finished first with a jump over 21 feet. The Amateurs and Women followed suit as winds and swell dissipated throughout the afternoon, but all heats were able to finish. With 4 days left in the competition window, Casey Hauser and Xensr will still hold more Big Air jumping for everyone as conditions allow. Congrats to Xensr Big Air winners, Dale Cook, Ingrid Larouche, and Steven Max.

Dale Cook winner of the 2013 Jump Off