Men's Journal

This weekend is high energy: Take your pick of a kayak festival in the Twin Cities, kiteboarding for charity on a river in Oregon, or a mountain biking fête in Vermont.

By Steven Kurtz and Nathan Storey

Two Harbors Kayak Festival, August 7-9
Two Harbors, Minnesota

Come to Two Harbors this weekend to participate in the Two Harbors Kayak Festival, a weekend full of various races and clinics for beginner and expert kayakers alike. For the serious water experts, try your hand at the Great River Energy 18-mile Marathon, a brutal trip out to Encampment Island and back in a single or tandem kayak. For the less experienced, there is the Betties Pies five-mile race and the EMMA challenge tandem sprint race, a half-mile challenge. If competition isn’t your thing, the festival offers several tours and clinics for the experienced and inexperienced. Learn advanced techniques like the C to C roll or a T-rescue, or simply enjoy a tour around the Split Rock lighthouse with all equipment provided. Kids can enjoy the kid’s kayaking area, where they can paddle a number of different youth-size boats while receiving pointers from the staff, or they can participate in the youth kayak races, which have several age brackets. Register on Friday at the festival.

Travel and Accommodation
Fly into Duluth International Airport and rent a car for the 40-minute drive to Two Harbors. Camping is available on site at the Burlington Bay Campground, but sites fill quickly on a first come first served basis, so if not available stay at any one of the inexpensive hotels right on the water.

Kiteboarding 4 Cancer, August 7-9
Hood River, Oregon

Rarely does a group mix charity with extreme sports as effortlessly as the non-profit organization Kiteboarding 4 Cancer. Founders Tonia Farman, a professional kiteboarding instructor, and Garret Zallen, a pediatric surgeon, wanted to utilize the “passion, energy, and vitality” of the sport to raise money for cancer research after each had personal experiences with individuals with the disease. This weekend, head out to Hood River, Oregon, to support the group’s main charity event of the year. This year’s event features a six-hour pledge-per-mile endurance race where riders will be judged on distance traveled, money raised for the organization, and freestyle expression up and down the Columbia River. Other activities include wet-suit races, stand-up paddle races, BBQ, beer, and live music all day. All proceeds go to a few select beneficiaries, such as the John Wayne Cancer Foundation, Celilo Cancer Center, The Children’s Healing Art Project, and Seattle Children’s Hospital.

Travel and Accommodation
Hood River is located 60 miles east of Portland, Oregon, on I-84. Fly into Portland International and make the drive. Camp at any site close to the event, or stay at the Hood River Inn with a view of the river for $170 a night.

Mount Snow Mountain Bike Festival, August 7-9
Mount Snow, Vermont

If you’re looking to bust out your full-suspension this weekend, then Mount Snow is where you should go, as a three-day mountain bike festival is happening in the backwoods of Vermont. After being delivered to the top of the mountain by chair lifts, riders will face loose rocks, jutting roots, and steep ascents. Riders can push their limits on the Super D or Downhill courses, or they can keep it horizontal on the cross country and road rides. Watch one of the globe’s sickest mountain bikers when Jeff Lenosky performs a trial stunt show, and if you’re game to try a few moves yourself hit up the Red Bull Mountain Cross Park. When you’re not working up your own sweat take in a few races of the Kenda Cup East Pro XC circuit, which runs all weekend. Hit the links at the Mount Snow Golf Club, rated a top five course in Vermont by Golf Digest, to round out the weekend (only $56 for 18-holes after 3 pm).

Travel and Accommodation
Mount Snow has great spots for camping ($10 a night). The organizers of the festival will be selling firewood for $5. If you’re not looking to rough it then the Grand Summit Hotel is offering 10 percent discounts for the festival with rates starting at $140.