Eric Aardema's Videos (Michigan Windsurfing) - Michigan Windsurfing

Gorge Sessions Summer 2000

2012-01-30T17:19:59.808Z

Ah, the memories...

Kiting was Just starting to take off. Cory Roseller (sp) had just won the huge downwinder race during the first gorge games..I forget what it's called, but he won.....with his reel bar and funky framed kite....we were just like "Whatever".

Pfffttt.

Now it's almost all I do is kite, but here is a glimpse of my past which I shared with so many wonderful people.

That's what I love about our water culture....no matter what we did we were pumped to be doing it. We were on the water with friends and that's all that we needed.

Gorge Sessions - Summer 02

2012-01-30T17:18:52.889Z

Fun footage of my summer in HR.
I swam my ass off that summer to get some of the water cam shots. No GoPro kids, just a heavy waterhousing and a boogie board with my trusty yellow helmet.

Fun story: So I'm swimming around the hatchery on a 3.7 day filming the action. I'm in the hornets nest with sailboard flying everywhere. So close calls but everybody was stoked to see a guy in the water filming..they kept asking who I was shooting for.

The current rips in the gorge and I was staring to swim towards the eddy, but getting tossed in the swells...this guys sails up to me, I'm thinking he's gonna be pissed because I'm right in the lineup, but instead he Stoked, he asked who I was filming for, I said 'me' he said killer did you get that new move I've been working on....I don't even know what to call it yet. He then told to grab his back footstrap and he pulled me back into the eddy where I was able to position myself again for another swim in the river. The rider Intorduced himself as Frederick Steinick.....super cool guy, and an incredible athlete. So cool to meet one of the super bomb bad Gorge rockers of that time. Got to meet Mitch Gingrich with Frederick in a coffe shop where I showed them them footage I shot...they liked it and commented that they liked the angles I was shooting....was different than others...kind of a cool compliment comming from those guys.

That's my story.

Wonder if those fellas are still riding?

Ford Gorge Games 2002

2012-01-30T17:17:19.821Z

Better Resolution.

Shot from the rocks at the Hatchery on a beautiful bluebird day in the gorge.

There is some great riding in here.
These riders were killing it on a marginal day at the Hatchery. I say marginal because they were all switching rig sizes back in forth between heats, it would come up and then back off...but fun to watch none the less.

Such a fun time to be in the gorge.
Had some GREAT times and met some lifelong friends in the process.

Ford Gorge Games - Back in the day in Hood River

2012-01-27T19:12:22.153Z

Found this footage in the old hard drive.

I will find a better quality version to show, but for now...it's all I've got.

For years, I'd drive out to the gorge in the summer and live out of my car and tent for a few months.

Had some GREAT times and met some lifelong friends in the process.

Shot from the rocks at the Hatchery on a…

The Good Old SW Michigan Windsurfing Crew

2012-01-26T18:40:14.169Z

WOW. BLAST FROM THE PAST !!!

The old windsurfing crew. What a great time we had!

Kiteboarding was JUST getting going. Tom James from Windsurfing Mag came by in the fall with photog Eric Sanford and did a shoot here that made it in the magazine fall 2000. It was then that Tom showed me his FIRST issue of Kiteboarding magazine. What a trip!

Found this on the backup drive. Circa 1996 ?

Michigan Footage and then Gorge Footage. 1 week into the Gorge trip I broke my foot from bad landing and twisting in footstrap and had to sit and watch so I decided to film and I came up with this.