A Day at Windells

Riding Mt Hood's Palmer chair lift in the summer provided spectacular views of mountain peaks, rolling shades of green, and glistening blue lakes, but none of this grabbed my attention like the snow park being set up to the right.

Windells, which has hosted every US Olympic medalist, was beginning the first summer session the following week and the entire mountain was abuzz. Chair lifts were filled with conversations about the camps progressive features and wishes that the public park would be half as good.

The placed looked amazing and I knew I had to investigate more. I made some calls and was able to get in touch with the snow camp master himself: Mr. Tim Windell. He was beyond accommodating and we set up some times to meet the following week with the first batch of summer campers.

Upon entering Windells home base I immediately knew this was not your normal summer camp. The entrance to the campus was an open space with interwoven cement paths for skate boarding, a lush green lawn for game playing, and a dirt bike jump course behind the main buildings. But this was nothing compared to what I would see on my visit.

Tim had set me up with his lucky intern Carissa who took me on a journey through the Windells compound. While walking she explained that Tim rebuilds much of the camp every year, so that returning campers would always be excited to see new features. As we passed by the huge dirt jumps, I learned that they were currently expanding a mountain biking course in the hills behind the camp and that campers could rent bikes from a nearby demo tent if they wished to ride any of the jumps.

Walking to the west we passed a superpipe, outdoor trampolines, more of the cement skate maze, basketball courts, a Nike sponsored entertainment center, and a skate shop before arriving at our goal: BOB. 

BOB, also known as the “building out back,” was a skate mecca that I’d even heard of before my trip, and it was perfectly clear why. BOB was filled with skate bowls, countless vert drop ins, a foam pit, trampolines, half pipes, and rails.

The place was occupied with campers, counselors, and even some Pros who were getting some filming done. Young ladies were practicing in the mini pipe while some gents were working on their shredding skills with a soft version of a snowboard. I stared at them in almost disbelief when a boy of about 13 bounced twice on the trampoline, rodeoed, and landed perfectly flat on the fake snowboard.

Next we passed by a gaming center/candy shop filled with a dozen or so kids playing rockband, the dining room (where the food was MUCH better than any camp food I remember eating), and onto a Demo shop that was crammed with all next years’ hard goods for the campers to try out. I was quickly becoming more and more jealous that my summers were not spent like this.

Outside on the grass counselors and kids were playing a game of dodge ball. It was counselors vs. campers and the counselors were winning when somehow the tables quickly turned and the campers came back to take the title.  This was quickly followed by a game in which the counselors dressed up and chased the kids around, tagging them as they went. Last one to be caught, a boy who hid behind one of the buildings, won a snowboard. I wanted to play.

It’s no secret that Windells prides its self on the unity that develops at camp and translates onto the snow. I could easily see that bonds were being formed and there were no apparent cliques, just people who were all here to be silly and have fun.

When talking to Tim later that day, he mentioned to me that he tries to hire some of the goofiest people as coaches so that barriers of coolness and intimidation are never put up. He believes that this helps to create an atmosphere, along with the constant games and activities, which will evolve into a giant support group on hill.

This enables everyone to feel comfortable, whether you’re just linking turns or doing double back flips. An environment where everyone is willing to help push one another and truly keep snow sliding fun, not intimidating.

The next day I met up with some of the coaches on hill to watch the kids in action. I saw jumps from 10 footers to an 80 foot booter, a variety of box and rail set ups including a HUGE rainbow box with a life-size swing underneath, a superpipe, wall rides, and a rope tow.  It made the public park look like a little league field next door to Yankee Stadium.

The majority of the group was near the 10/10/20 jump line and working on new tricks. True to their reputation, all of the campers were extremely supportive of each other and often offering tips to help perfect whatever another camper was working on. If you landed your trick successfully there was a roar of approval from the drop in zone, if you fell short there were endless voices saying, “almost,”  “next time,” or “try this.” 

Feeling confident, I tried my newly learned BS 360. Even though none of the campers had spent anytime with me, I received an approving round of applause. It was surprisingly appreciated, I felt like I had just scored the winning goal at theWorld Cup: empowered and ready to go again.

After a few minutes, the coaches announced that they would be starting a game: Best trick with a hula-hoop.  The coaches then went to hold an extra large sized hoop off of the 10 foot jump and awaited for the campers to drop in.  People were throwing down and anything from tail taps to 180’s to rodeos to back flips were making their way through that hoop. Although many of the tricks weren’t exactly landed, it was easily apparent that the campers were in full approval of the activity and amply entertained. The winners prize? Eternal glory and some fresh 2010 gear.

As I left the mountain and headed out to my car I wished that I’d be driving home to Windells instead of my friends couch. The past few days had really made me feel at home, and I could tell why people kept coming back year after year. The bonds created, and the support that was felt made you feel like you were family. Windells is the place where skiers and snowboarders, kids and adults, and beginners to future Olympic medalists can come build friendships along with talents. Trust me, it’s much, MUCH, better than Girl Scout camp.

You can learn more about Windells Camp by visiting their website http://windells.com/