Snowboarding at Hood in the summer is a lot of fun. Where else can you spend a week or more skating, rafting, mountain biking, shopping, watching movies, oh yeah, and snowboarding? And all this with some snowboarding's top super-heroes. Going to basketball camp, doesn't mean you're going to play ball with Michael Jordan, but at Hood it's not uncommon to actually ride with pros Jim Rippey, Todd Richards, Barrett Christy, Athena, Noah Salasnek, and many more. While learning a frontside 180 or a backside 360, Peter Line could be spinning a backside 900 off the same kicker. That's what summer camp is all about.

Then, when not on the hill, there's Government Camp. Govie, as it's lovingly called, is almost a town. There's a post office, a bar (the Ratskellar), a restaurant (Huckleberry's), a few motels, and a lot of rental houses with banners hanging on them screaming company names like Burton and Sims. When it rains in Govie, everyone leaves town and ventures to the big city of Portland located just an hour southwest of Hood. When it's sunny everyone rides all morning and skates all afternoon.

In the evening in Govie there are yard sales where kids can buy boards, T-shirts, hats, jackets, and a lot of random snowboard crap that the pros got for free and are totally willing to sell for beer money.

When the weather is good, here's a typical day at camp:

7:30 AM All rise

8:00 AM Eat breakfast

8:30-9:00 AM Head for the hills. The drive is between 15 and 30 minutes depending on the camp.

9:00 AM Everyone is in line waiting to ride the Palmer Quad to the snow field.

9:15 AM Those sick of waiting in line start hiking up to the camp. The rest wait it out in line and are incredibly stoked when they finally buckle in at the top of the lift.

9:30-10:00 AM Lessons usually begin by this time. Group sizes range from 5-15 depending on the amount of campers in the session and the camp. Campers are given an hour to practice whatever they want on their own. Usually this means a huge snake session in the pipe ensues, but it's all good fun.

3:00 PM Last bus leaves Timberline.

3:00-6:00 PM Afternoon activities include things like rafting, mountain biking, skating, and/or swimming.

6:00 PM Dinner

6:00-9:45 PM Freetime. After dinner campers play games like dodgeball and ultimate frisbee, they meet with their coaches for video clinics, and maybe skate.

9:45 PM Curfew time. All campers must be in the building and some nights there's a movie, other nights it's straight to bed. Usually everyone is so worked by this time that no one complains.

Here's all the Mt. Hood Summer Camp Info anyone could need. Just click on the camp of your choice for dates, costs, and amenities, talk someone into paying your way this summer and we'll see you on the snow.

Been to Camp? Tell All.

Windell's Snowboard Camp
Mt. Hood Snowboard Camp
High Cascade Camp
United States Snowboard Training Center
Rocky Mountain Snowboard Camp

A Guide to Mt. Hood's Snowboard Camps

SOL | Snowboarding Online