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This Ain't Your Parents' Summer Camp!

© H.D. Lail

Across the country, spring signals the end of the snowboarding season. While most people welcome the warm air, flowers, birds, and melting of snow, snowboarders go into a state of denial. You've go to remember, though, that we were the ones attending "pray for snow" parties during the winter while other people grumbled and complained about the snowy and icy driving conditions. So, what's a snowboarder to do once the snow melts? How do we find the will to live through yet another hot summer until the season starts again?

Luckily there are some places on this earth that still have snow during the North American summer. You could always fly to the Southern Hemisphere, for example. South America and New Zealand are just heading into winter as we enter summer, and I hear the riding is awesome. I know there are glaciers in Europe that you can ride all year. But, for those of us who don't quite have the means for an around-the-world snowboarding extravaganza, there are some places closer to home that offer riding well into the summer, as well as offering world-class instruction. They are the summer snowboarding camps.

Two areas in North America worth a serious checking-out are Mt. Hood, Oregon and Whistler/Blackcomb, B.C. Both mountains have glaciers that stay frozen year-round. Both areas offer full-package summer camps for snowboarders through a variety of companies. Mt. Hood is located about 1 hour west of Portland, and Whistler is located about 1.5 hrs northwest of Vancouver, B.C.

Summer snowboarding camps offer full-week programs with five days of riding and a great deal of amenities, included in the program price (usually between $650.00 to $1500.00). Airline transportation, of course, is separate. Most deals offer lodging, meals, lift tickets, coaching, activities, video analysis, use of demo equipment, free gifts such as t-shirts, airport shuttle service, and daily transportation, but remember that each program varies.

Lodging is usually in the form of cabins or dorm-style rooms. Typically, the rooms are divided by gender and age. You can get private rooms for a bit more money. Most rooms have telephones, VCRs, and cable television, with a few camps offering resort-quality amenities like room service and hot tubs (if the camp is located in a lodge). A filling breakfast, catered or sack lunch on the mountain, and hot dinner are offered at most camps. Extra-curricular activities might include wakeboarding, waterskiing, or swimming (remember, it's still summer at the base of the mountain), mountain biking, hiking, paintball, golf, movies and videos, skateboarding and rollerblading, session parties and nightlife (for those of proper age), and field trips to town. Due to the diverse ages of the camp participants, counselor supervision and curfews are usually enforced. Not that you'd want to stay up that late, anyway. Wake-up call can be as early as 6:00 a.m. at some camps, with you on the mountain at least by 8:00 a.m.

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