There’s a whole lot of welding, grinding, painting, and moving going on behind the scenes this week as our Head Digger Chase Weaver gears up for another amazing summer on hill. Along with his talented and definitely memorable crew of diggers, this mad scientist uses a whole lot of metal and a whole lot of snow to bring his creations to life. Chase was trucking along in the midnight hours this season, building parks at Mt. Bachelor and saying goodbye to his usual winter stomping grounds of Utah. One thing is for certain, this good hearted southern man has been busy. Let’s see what the North Carolina native has been up to all season long:
Johnny Lazz is coming to camp with Rome Snowboards Team Takeover Session 3!
May 19, 2012 By
Johnny Lazzareschi. Rail Slayer. Windells veteran. The man whose voice resonates on the megaphone better than any other. Lazz has been stopping by Windells to hang out during the summer for years, and we’re always excited to see him when he rolls up to camp. His upbeat personality is infectious, he always thinks up the most awesome sponsor nights, and, oh yeah, he inspires us constantly with his tech maneuvers on rails on hill. Lazz will be swinging by camp with the Rome SDS crew for Team Takeover Session 3, and we can’t wait! When Lazz was at camp last summer, he took the time to fill us in on his favorite parts of camp. Check it out and come shred with him and the Rome team during Session 3!
Name: Johnny Lazz
Sponsors: Rome, Volcom, 32, Arnette, Active, Skullcandy, Etnies
Where are you from: My mother
Home mountain: Northstar-at-Tahoe, California
Where do you live now: Down the street from my mother, a house, in North Lake Tahoe.
When was the first time you ever came to Windells?
When I was 15, I was a counselor-in-training working for Windells, so I could ride everyday.
When were you at Windells in summer 2011?
For the first session, Forest Bailey, Will Bateman, Nial Romanek, and I got invited for the YoBeat Session. We had a great time because it was the best session all summer and we can’t wait to do the same thing next year.
What’s different about camp when comparing now and the first time you came here?
There is so much more skateboarding, over twenty new features on hill this year, and the most experienced digger crew in Mount Hood, Oregon. Technology has enhanced. Now I’m a grown up, but I ain’t never growing up, because I want to be a kid at Windells forever!
What was your favorite part about the park on hill?
I really loved how the diggers put everything together in such a good way, so we can have fun all day long. I liked how there were no lines on the tow ropes. I loved the new down rails, the new down flat down, the c rail, the new tube–that is probably the best tube on Mount Hood.
What is your favorite thing about Windells campus?
Is that it’s so big! You can skate everywhere! And you can go inside BOB when it’s rainy and skate!
Tell us about your event on hill last summer.
Forest, Will, Nial, and I rounded up all the little campers, creatures, crappers, and crawlers, and sessioned a line with the kids, which was a Nike 6.0 a-frame wooden box to a pole jam and kids had a great time. We threw out a bunch of gear and they were screaming and laughing and we were having a great time because the kids were stoked and we were even more stoked because it was beautiful weather. It’s just really awesome to be a part of something like this because it gives us a chance to work with kids and look back on when we were kids and how stoked we would be if some guys like us were doing that.
Thanks, Johnny! See you this summer! If you want to hang out with Lazz, sign up here!
And the Team Takeover Thursday winner is
May 18, 2012 By
…Teresa Tarn!
Thanks for leaving your two cents on the Team Takeover Thursday blog. You had us at “Northwest flannel.” You should see our gear for this summer! It’s very NW.
Everyone else, thanks for the positive, creative answers and we are just as excited as you are for Summer 2012! Gotta have some Windells Camp gear? Check out the online store!
Team Takeover Thursday: Why are these snowboarders stoked for camp this summer??
May 17, 2012 By
The excitement of summer snowboard camp at Windells is an equal-opportunity kind of fun. It transcends age, gender, and location; whether you are a six year-old day camper learning to skate in the Concrete Jungle for the first time, a 45 year-old IT Specialist who spends vacation at Hood, snowboarding with like-minded adults, or a high school junior, who worked all winter at the local pizza joint to save up money to fly out for your favorite session–everyone counts down the days to their Windells session with equal anticipation.
The same goes for professional snowboarders, too. While they spend the winter traveling to exotic snowboarding destinations like Austria, Jackson Hole, and Japan (and everywhere in between), they also have a huge amount of excitement about spending time at Windells once summer hits. Besides the fact that these guys and girls drop into 100 foot jumps, massive double kinks with intimidating two story drops on one side, and can pretty much do any trick they want at the drop of a hat, they’re not that different than us, right? Well…at least at camp they can help us learn awesome, new tricks and it’s really cool to meet someone you’ve watched in videos and find out they’re as down to Earth as your next door neighbor. But, back to the important part, how stoked everyone is–camper, staff member, or Team Takeover rider–to come to Windells this summer.
We’re really lucky to have a group of the nicest, funnest, friendliest, and most talented snowboarders at camp each summer and the crew for 2012 is going to be great. For this edition of Team Takeover Thursday, here are a few reasons some of the Team Takeover crew can’t wait for Windells this summer.
Don’t forget to check out the question at the end, so you can win a Windells prize pack! [Read more...]
#Windells: May 16, 2012
May 16, 2012 By
Summer is creeping up, which means everybody is snapping photos of sunny days on hill and outdoor skate adventures. Let’s see what you guys have been up to on the world of Instagram. Don’t forget to tag #Windells in all your photos so we can get you up on our site! Now get out there and enjoy the sun and count down to summer with us.
@seanharkins Waiting for sunset #westcoastsession #sagaouterwear #windells
Take me back Tuesday: movie premieres
May 15, 2012 By
There’s only a couple Take me back Tuesdays left before summer starts. Not only does that mean that we’re close to summer laps, skating in the Concrete Jungle, and hanging out with pro snowboarders, skiers, and skateboarders as they takeover camp, but it also means that we’re closer to another really exciting time of year–when new videos come out! [Read more...]
The Windells vibe with Nick Visconti
May 14, 2012 By
Nick’s ear to ear smile peeked in the door before he did. After the grin strolled in some signature Nick Visconti tight pants, excited chatter and a couple friends. When Nick and I sat down to talk, I expected a quick interview about shenanigans lately, upcoming projects, and general stoke for summer at Windells. A couple minutes into our conversation, I realized we’d cover these topics, yeah, however, Nick has a huge heart and “general stoke” doesn’t even scratch the surface.
Angela Swain: Hey, Nick. Let’s hit the basics. How long have you been coming to camp?
Nick Visconti: Oh, gosh. For about 13 years now. I was a camper for five years and I coached for a couple years and I’ve been coming back with Stevie Bell, Curtis and J Rob for our Team Takeover for a few summers.
Wow, that’s quite the stint. What have you guys done with your Team Takeover Session in the past?
We try to make our session about the campers. Yeah, we’re here to have fun and hang out and enjoy summer on Mt. Hood, but we use our session as an outreach rather than an outlet for ourselves. We try to interact with the campers as much as possible and really give back to the community that supports us.
So, what initially struck you about Windells that made you a return camper and then decide to continue your involvement with camp?
I think it was camp life; it was so much more than just camp. Windells is a place that welcomes campers to a community and allows them to really connect with other snowboarders, both peers and professionals. I really became absorbed into the world of snowboarding during my time at camp. For most of these kids, snowboarding at their home mountain is recreational but when they’re here they really get a sense of the culture.
What’s one experience with a camper that really sticks out to you?
It’s hard to pick just one. Me and the guys are more intent on building relationships and making connections with the kids during our Takeover session, and to carry those out beyond their time at camp, too. Social media has made it easy for me to stay in touch with campers throughout the season and to share my love for snowboarding with them which is really cool.
Well, we’re all looking forward to Session 4 with The Reunion. What projects and things should we be on the lookout for?
ReCreation with Transworld was a big one; it’ll be out in March. We’ve been working on a Christian snowboard film called ANTHROPOLOGY with Nations Foundation, Dave Downing, Ryan Paul, Simon Chamberlain, Jordan Phillips and Director Joel Parker. Other than that, I’m just eager to come out for the summer and excited, as always, to hang out with some campers.
Nick rides for Arbor Snowboards and placed third in this year’s Winter XGames Street Jam. Like the vibe at Windells Camp? Get registered for your session at the”funnest” place on earth.
On The Road With Mary Walsh
May 13, 2012 By
Kevin Bacon might be famous for the six degrees of separation, but in the snowboard industry, Mary Walsh has got him beat. This lady is all over the map, traveling in planes, trains, and automobiles to bring us the raddest events out there. Everyone knows Mary Walsh and her fast talking ways. She’s the one with the mic in her hand tossing you the goods, taking hot laps every chance she gets. All in all, she kills it. Lucky for us, Mary happens to be a major part of the Windells family. She’s the one behind the scenes working to create amazing summer adventures for all of us to enjoy. The East Coast native took a second to catch us up on her season while using the always convenient Wi-Fi thanks to Greyhound. Let’s hear it Mary:
Spring Snowfall on Hood!
May 12, 2012 By
Here in Oregon, we pretty much have it all; mountains, beaches, great food, and oh yea…giant heaps of year round snow! Just last week one of our snowboard coaches Stephanie Sue Feld ran head first into a powder day. Some fresh snow was just the icing on the cake for Steph as she enjoyed all 164″ of Timberline’s base. Take a look at her killer trip to the mountain and try not to get too jealous. There’s plenty of snow to go around. Join us in a couple weeks for the summer of a lifetime because if you haven’t noticed, Oregon has the snow you need. It’s ready and waiting folks!
“Took so many pictures today you’d think I hadn’t seen snow all season until I got here. Oh, wait..” – Stephanie Sue Feld
And the Team Takeover Thursday winner is
May 11, 2012 By
Hari Khalsa!
“Condasteeza Rice” actually made us laugh out loud, and for that you win this week’s Team Takeover Thursday contest with Poor Boyz Productions. Below you’ll see your booty. That sounded weird.
Every one else, thanks for participating! Keep up with the Windells camp blog for more chances to win. There’s still a couple more weeks before summer starts! Don’t like the anticipation? Get kitted out with all the latest gear in the online store.
Follow