ON THE COVER

“Riding the same park laps everyday can get a bit stale so to freshen things up, my homie Brandon and I go on missions to find natural features. We've gone up and down the Columbia River looking for every rock, tree and dock we could grind. One day Brandon hit me up frothing about a concrete wall he found just on the other side of the bridge. We waited for the conditions to line up and went for it. We launched on a big field on top of a levee with a bit of tree blockage so the sketch level was about a 7. The wall on the other hand was clear, but being around the bend from the bridge still made the wind a bit skitzy. My friend Dylan bought a little zodiac so we were able to get the shot looking back at land. The wind wasn't great so it took me a while to make it to the ledge. I only made it all the way twice, and on the first hit the boat was spinning in the wind and we didn't get the shot. Luckily on the second James snagged the banger you're looking at right now!”—Eric Rienstra

Photographer: James Ropner Boat Captain: Dylan Forrest Rider: Eric Rienstra Location: The Gorge