Monday, May 7

Summer Ski Scene

www.freezeonline.com

Summer skiers know that Whistler and Hood are the epicenters of the world come July and August. That's when the year-round snow gets divided in lanes and sculpted into terrain parks. Though you're more than welcome to come up and strut your stuff solo in the public access areas, the best possible way to spend time on summer snow is with a camp.

Camps keep you busy 24/7, with both summer and winter activities. You spend days tweaking your moves with super duper ski stars, afternoons practicing on tramps or ramps, and evenings checking yourself out on video. Camps also offer tons of other stuff to do, from skating and biking to soccer, whitewater rafting, and paintball. With plenty of ski camps to choose from, there's no reason why you can't find the perfect place to spend a week or two on snow while meeting new friends and escaping from your parents.

CAMPS

High North:

The official camp for the jibber set, High North is staffed by the gargantuan talents of the New Canadian Air Force, and headed up by the supersweet pirate captain, Shane Szocs. Campers are split into groups, and each day they rotate between the coaches. It's like having an audience with the Pope every day, if the Pope was wearing twin-tips and giving you advice on your tweak. Campers are of varying abilities, but most of the kids know their way around the air, some even coining new tricks, like last summer's "Fat Chick," which was proudly nailed ad nauseaum. Even the diggers at High North take time out from shoveling to show off their snow skills. All skiing, all freeriding, all the time. And no moguls. Plus, they've got the only BBQ grill on the glacier.

Camp: High North
604-905-0271
# of campers per session:45-50
# of coaches: 9
Vibe: slightly structured, friendly
Tunes: Wu Tang, Dre, Dick Dale, IAM, Devo, guest DJs
Price, 8 days, 6 days skiing: $1380 Not including dinner or accommodations: $930
What else: group dinners, water ramping, paintball, soccer, video analysis.
Coaches: Shane Szocs, JP Auclair, Shannon Schad, Mike Atkinson, Seth Morrison, Josh Loubek, Sutherland, Marc Mcdonell, JF Cusson, and others.
Dates: June 22 through July 24
Website: www.highnorthskicamp.com

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Camp of Champions

By far, this is the biggest camp happening on the glacier. Biggest in size, taking up 9 lanes and dominating one super large halfpipe. Biggest in numbers, with 250 campers, including snowboarders and skiboarders. It's got the most coaches, the loudest stereo, the largest array of tents, two lifts, 20 rails, and an army of diggers and coaches. What COC boasts in sheer size, it lacks in organization. Coaching staff is positioned at various hits throughout the lanes. Campers are on their own to approach the coaches they want to deal with. Though the coaches are friendly, knowledgeable, skilled, and helpful, they can be intimidating to young or shy campers who are faced with a glacier full of superstars. COC's a great camp for the outgoing with goals, or for those who just want to spend their time sessioning in the park with as little structure as possible.

Camp: Camp of Champions
888-997-CAMP
# of campers per session: 250, including skiboarders and snowboarders
# of ski coaches: 20-30
Vibe: huge, slightly hectic
Tunes: Ozzy, Slayer, Limp Bizkit, Eminem
Price, 8 days, 6 days skiing, deluxe accommodations, no dinner: $1225
Not including accommodations: $930
Coaches: Kris Ostness, Skogan Sprang, Mike Laroche, Mike Nick, Jay Levinthal, Shane Anderson, Micah Black, Smiley Nesbitt, Brant Moles, Carl Needham, Eric Pollard, Tom Cooley, Ben Bleisner, Josh Frazier, Griffen Cummings, Jack Alvarez, Nick Mercon, Nick Kaubach, CR Johnson, JT Holmes, Henrik Weinstedt, Jon Olson, Brice Lequerier, Matt Sterbenz
Website: www.campofchampions.com
What else: breakfast, lunch, paintball, mountain biking, water ramping. Dinner not included.

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SMS

SMS began life 9 years ago as a mogul experience, but they've since gotten with the times and added freeskiing to their lineup in a big way. Their team of coaches is headed up by the crazy gentlemen who coddled the Eastern Canada Dream Team, Mr. Mike Douglas, and the coaching ratio maxes out at seven campers per coach. Jumps are smaller and friendlier than at the other camps, so SMS is a great place to go if you're an air toddler looking to grow up right. They also have their own trampoline available nightly for jumping.

SMS Freeride Camps
604-905-4421
# of campers per session: 49 or less
# of coaches: 10
Vibe: clean-cut, no BS
Tunes: none
Price, 8 days, 6 days skiing, deluxe accommodations, dinner, take home video: 1100
Not including accommodations: $670
Coaches: Mike Douglas, Philou Poirier, Vincent Dorion, Sarah Burke, Smiley Nesbitt, Toby Dawson, Chris Hernandez, Trennon Paynter, Jim Schiman, Tom Crosby
What else: skateboarding, swimming, rollerblading, soccer, water ramping, trampoline, ultimate frisbee, golf, mountain biking, video review.
Website: www.smscamps.com

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Mt. Hood Summer Ski Camp

Mt. Hood Summer Ski Camp is for "motivated, serious skiers, who want to learn to be more proficient," says Mike, the camp director. Eighty percent of the campers range in age from 12 to 16, though you can sign up as young as nine, and adults are also welcome. You stay at the Salmon River Lodge, in bunkrooms, and you're on the snowfield every morning by 7 a.m. Though the camp started as a race camp in 1979, it's been welcoming freestylers since the early 1980's.

Number of campers per session: 16-24
# of coaches per session: At least 2
Vibe: Serious
Tunes: None
Price: 5 days, all-inclusive, $810
Day camp: $82 a day
What else: Soccer, volleyball, basketball, nearby skateboard park in Hood River, wakeboarding, rock climbing, rafting
Coaches: John 'O Brien, Will Watson
Website: www.mthood.com

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Beartooth Freeride Camp

If you want to hit big jumps, sesh rails, jib the pipe, and ski some steeps without flying halfway across the country to ski a flat volcano, then The Beartooth Freeride Camp in Red Lodge, Monatana is the place to be. With the TGR crew around to film coaches, like Tanner Hall, and campers alike are constantly upping the ante. The centerpiece of last summer's camp was a rail into twenty-foot cornice drop, which you can see Tanner slaying in Los Alamos. The coaching staff is basically plucked from TGR's athlete roster, with top jibbers like Tanner, Nick Mercon, Shannon Shad, Greg Tuffelmire, and Chris Hawks. Claiming Red Lodge and the Freeride Camp as one of their favorite hang outs, they keep coming back for more Montana love.

# of campers per session: 30
# of coaches per session: 5
Vibe: stoked, in a Montana kind of way
Tunes: Britney Spears, punk, and hip-hop
Price: To be determined
Day camp: To be determined
What else: Rodeo, kayaking, mountain biking, Yellowstone National Park (30 minutes away)
Coaches: Nick Mercon, Tanner Hall, Shannon Shad, Greg Tuffelmire, and Chris Hawks, Jason Prigge, and others.
Website: www.redlodge.com/freeridecamp
(406) 425-0040

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Dave Murray Camp

Dave Murray, an official member of the "Crazy Canucks," started this camp way back in the sixties. Though Dave's no longer alive, his vision of loopy kids riding on the summer glacier continues with this camp, which combines boarding, racing, bumping, and freeskiing into one happy family of slippery fun.

# of campers per session: varies
# of coaches per session: ratio of 1 to 8 campers
Vibe: slightly structured, supervised
Tunes: Camper's choice on the boom box
Price: 6 days skiing, all meals, $1000 US
Day camp: $820 US
What else: Mountain biking, in-line skating, driving range, swimming, canoeing, soccer, volleyball, hiking, tennis, wakeboarding
Coaches: Rex Thomas, Chris Winter, Lori Glazier, Todd Daniells, Donny Ellis, Dan Raymond, Greg Daniells, Jevin Upton, Kevin Hole, and others.
Website: www.skiandsnowboard.com
604-932-5765

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Bring to camp:

Flip-flops: the unofficial shoe of summer camps, wear these everywhere you don't wear your ski boots. Remember, it's summer. Just be careful on the chairlift.
Long underwear- yup, it's summer, which can mean sweating it out on a glacier. Still, it can get pretty chilly up there. Be prepared
Backpack- standard Whistler protocol calls for you to bring all your junk up to the glacier in a sack, so you're not losing your mittens and water bottle on the way up.
Skateboard- You'll get nailed by the Canadian fuzz if you're using one for transport in the village, but all the camps take time out for skating at the park.
Camera- what we need: more amateur ski videos.
Ghetto blasters- Szocs thinks every camper worth their weight in salt should be packing a boombox for their hotel room. As if you don't have enough luggage.
Sunscreen- high altitude+ glacier= lobster face Cash- for snacks and hoodies
Skis- 99.9% of summer campers were sporting twin tips. Most of the camps have reps on hand that'll let you demo ?em while you're up there. Call and make sure before you leave you're boards at home.

Leave it home:

Your Dad
The Flu
Half the clothes you thought you'd need

Go to camp cheap:

Valparaiso, Indiana to Whistler Village 2335 Miles 1985 Oldmobile Delta 88, 23 mpg, split between 3: $111.10
High North, activities and lunch only: $930 8 nights at The Whistler Youth Hostel, 7K from town, including canoeing: 66.30
Location: 5678 Alta Lake Road
604-932-5492
Dinner at 7-11, pizza subs every night: 26.02 Breakfast, donut and coffee: 18.20
Whistler Summer Camp for the cheapskate: 1151.62

Go to camp even cheaper
Los Angeles, California to Whistler Village 1351 Miles
1991 Honda Civic Wagon, 35 mpg, crammed with 4: $31.84
8 nights at The Shoestring Lodge, 1.5K from town, convenient to strippers and booze: $93.60 (not including strippers and booze)
SMS, activities only: $670
Dinner at 7-11, burritos every night! 13.11
Breakfast, cereal from IGA, 1/2 gallon milk: $6.50

Whistler Summer Camp for the super cheapskate: $815.05

Check in with Mom:
Email access is all over the place in Whistler Village. The public library has free internet access, though you have to sign up for a time, and you may have to wait awhile. Impatient and have cash to spare? Whistler's coffee shops are wired.
Who told you that you could get hurt skiing? You certainly didn't read it here? Different camps have different policies, but if you're staying with High North, Szocs will let you hang out unless you've already been med-evaced or you're a walking biohazard. If you're feeling better by the end of the session, he might even let you stay a couple of extra days. It's been known to happen.
Can I catch it from a toilet seat? You sure can!