Take me back Tuesday: lunch on hill

The start of camp is almost here! Visions of laps on the towrope, tricks on the rail line, and learning new things in the on hill activities are all filling our minds right now. We can’t wait to hop on the Palmer chairlift and ride down to the Windells park for the first time–what are the Diggers going to build for us to ride? We’re so stoked for all of the snowboarding and skiing that’s about to go down at Hood, that, well, it’s making us hungry.

We’re not going to lie, lunch on hill is one of our favorite parts of the day. What other time of the year do you get to hang out on a snowy mountain, bask in the sun, and enjoy Digger Dogs cooked on the grill, and snacks from your bag lunch? Plus, all of the hiking and lapping and riding really builds up an appetite, so it is great to be able to sit down and relax with new friends for a little while.

Check out some photos from lunches on hill last year and even though it seems silly to be excited about lunch, you’ll probably get a little psyched, just like we are! [Read more...]

Diamonds in the rough: The girls of Windells Camp

The ever-elusive female shredder; we’re usually outnumbered and sometimes we’re underestimated, but we are always, always stoked. It happens often; a group is huddled at the top of a jump line and when a small high pitched voice chimes in, “Dropping!” the boys immediately crane their necks to find the culprit. She hits the line, nails her spins and the group nods in approval or clanks their ski poles. If you’re looking for a 100% female friendly snowboard or ski camp, Windells is your spot for the summer!

The girls competing to “win a date” with Zak Hale.

Windells has hosted most of the top female snowboard and ski athletes to date. Some were campers and now return to Mt. Hood every summer as coaches or to host their own Team Takeover Sessions. Some are Olympic athletes and choose Windells as their summer training facility. Whatever the reason they come to camp, our professional female athletes are positive role models for young campers ready to dive into the world of action sports.

Windells holds a variety of girls only activities throughout each session. Our skate coaches and friends at Skate Like a Girl round up campers for a girls only skate session to comfortably ease some into their first time shredding concrete. Betty Rides, a long-time camp sponsor, hosts an 80′s ladies night every session and brings in team riders from around the world to hang out with the girls, watch movies, eat candy and do manicures. The Burton Girls team visits and hosts a giant girls only Q&A.

Hannah Teter, Gabi Viteri, Spencer O’Brien, Kelly Clark, Ellery Hollingsworth and Natasza Zurek talk about how Windells Camp has shaped their careers as pro shredders.

A standout moment of 2012 was Hana Beaman‘s 720 over the Baker road gap on the way to Mt. Baker, Washington, naming Hana the first and only female to hit the gap. Hana was a skate coach at Windells and she returns in the summer time to hang out with campers on hill and on campus and compete in the annual Bonfire Pipe to Pipe.

This past week, Elena Hight became the first female to throw a double backside alley-oop rodeo in the pipe. Elena said in an interview with ESPN, “We went to the training center in Park City, worked on doing it into the foam pit. Then in Mammoth I did it into the airbag, and then tried it on snow. Being able to progress the trick that way, I felt way safer and more prepared than if I’d tried to do it for the first time on snow.” Windells Camp has all the amenities to ease into learning new tricks just as Elena did; on hill and on campus BagJumps, Olympic style trampolines, and a 9×9 foam pit.

In March, our ski coaches and friends Ashley Battersby, Keri Herman and Kaya Turski skied the dreamlike feature known as “the Chateaux” at NINE QUEENS 2012 in Fiss, Austria. NINE QUEENS is arguably the biggest and best of its kind, a female specific freeski jib and big air competition, and the Windells staff held it down.

Girls, register for your session at Windells to improve your skill, have the experience of a lifetime, and make lifelong, like-minded friends at the “funnest” place on Earth!

 

 

 

 

The Faces Behind The Scenes

Running the “funnest place on earth” is not your average 9 to 5 cubicle job. It can get pretty hectic; phones ringing off the hook, mailbox filled to the brim, and of course ya gotta make time for the mandatory pow days. This summer we are lucky to have a killer crew manning the office. They are the ones behind the scenes coordinating your shuttle, getting you that swag, and peeling each and every sticker for your fresh new laptop case. Meet Lee Brown, Michelle Ortiz, Angela Swain, Nick Kenney, Sven Westermann, and Marsha Hovey. Here they are, the faces of the office. Get to know them and throw in a high five when you’re on campus. See you guys soon!

#Windells: May 16, 2012

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

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Take me back Tuesday: movie premieres

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...]

Spring Snowfall on Hood!

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

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Team Takeover Thursday: Poor Boyz Productions

This week has been a busy one on Mt. Hood. The West Coast Session guys are all staying at Windells, and, well… you can imagine. Tanner Hall, Henrik Harlaut, Karl Fostvedt, the Inspired Media crew and Poor Boyz Productions have been hitting the Timberline parks hard this past week enjoying the unexpectedly sunny weather and above-par snow conditions.

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#Windells: our favorite instagrams from you! – May 9, 2012

p: @specicus

Zombie dodgeball facepaint can be as creative as you’d like. If you prefer to look like a classic movie zombie, Windells counselors can paint your face that way. If you prefer to channel Captain Jack Sparrow and other famous moustachioed individuals, that’s just as awesome, too. Above, camper @spencicus shows off his pirate-style stache.

And with that awesome example of what Windells is @spencicus, we bring you this week’s collection of instagrams, tagged #Windells. This is Windells through your eyes. To join in and maybe get your instagrams on the blog, tag your photos #Windells2012 and #funnestplaceonearth

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Calling all college students!

Oh, college. The ups and the downs. For every closet sized dorm room, warehouse sized lecture hall, and pop-collared frat dude, there’s a Spring Break road trip, a Friday class with optional attendance, and sorority girls. Add our $200 discount for Session 1 and you’ve justified your decision to opt into 4 years in the slammer.

Toss the books, kiss your profs goodbye and point your ’89 Station Wagon toward Mt. Hood and the “funnest” place on earth.

Windells staff: What are you packing for summer camp?

There’s only a month until camp starts and all over the country, members of the Windells famiily are getting ready to make their way back to camp. There are lots of staffers that have spent a few years at Windells, and know exactly the items you need to bring to make sure you have the most fun, both on and off the glacier. As our awesome camp crew gets ready to go to Hood, we thought we would ask them to let us in on an important item they are bringing to camp this year, to ensure the most excellent time snowboarding, skiing, skating, and bmxing. Here are their answers, you may find a couple helpful additions to pack in your luggage, too!

Marsha Hovey – Marketing, Media and Activities Manager

My stretching game. Limber up and flex it out because the funnest place on earth definitely knows how to put your muscles to the test on and off hill. [Read more...]