Say it ain’t so. A view of COC from above. Photo: COC
It was with a dash of surprise, sorrow, and reminiscence that I received the information early this year via social media that Camp of Champions would no longer be in operation. Camp of Champions had long been Canada’s premier summer snow camp, and almost every top tier Canadian pro rider from Whistler (the camp’s home base) to Quebec City had thrown down at COC while riding rails to stardom.
Initially, when the news about COC broke, it seemed as if a lack of snow was to blame for the closing. Rumors circulated and social media fired back with photos of what seemed to be a perfectly suitable patch of snow for building a summer park, leaving many scratching their heads about what was actually the cause of COC deciding to not move forward with their summer 2017 camp.
Owner and founder of COC Ken Achenbach, a snowboard legend in his own right, sent out a heartfelt letter to the snowboard world and all of his campers explaining in detail that the snowpack at Whistler had been rapidly diminishing and that due to poor snow he was closing COC indefinitely. Achenbach didn’t reference any financial or enrollment issues in his letter.
Regardless of the reasons, losing Camp of Champions was another blow in what seems like a tumultuous time for the snowboard industry. While many resorts in the West had record snows, the snowboard industry still seems to be reeling from its initial downturn after 2008’s recession. And even with the storm cycles that battered the West Coast this season, average snowfalls have been down significantly over the last 5 years. Summer snowboard and ski camps count on healthy glaciers and consistent snowpack to build their world class terrain, and with global warming having a dire effect on the ski and snowboard industry, one has to wonder where summer camps will be in 5-10 years.
This might not seem significant to the average snowboarder: snowboard camps are expensive and if you aren’t trying to take your riding to the next level they can seem extravagant. However, snowboard camps have been invaluable for the sport’s progression. Every winter snowboarders split off into small groups to film for their various production projects, turning out 2-4 minute video segments and even full-length features for release the following season. Every summer, though, places like Whistler and Mt. Hood become a meeting place for both established and up and coming snowboarders to push the levels of progression, which makes those films better.
I was a camper once, too, and while I was never on the verge of becoming snowboarding’s next big thing, my time at High Cascade Snowboard Camp on Mt. Hood outside Hood River, Oregon was invaluable. Not only did it mean I didn’t have to go to Spanish camp, it also showed me that I could have a viable career in snowboarding, without being a professional snowboarder. Plus I got yelled at by Todd Richards, introduced to the Beatnuts, I hitchhiked for the first time, and one of the counselors explained to me in very explicit details why he prefered heavy set women over skinny ones. For a 15 year old, it was heaven.
Scenes from yesteryear. Photo: COC
Debauchery aside, when rumors started circulating about a possible HCSC closure it was almost too much. Due to low density snowpack and melting glaciers I have been anticipating this for years, however the reality of it happening now seemed implausible. While global warming and industry downturns have certainly had tangible effects, losing a heralded institution like HCSC was a new low in snowboarding’s ever-changing climate.
Kevin English of HCSC and now We Are Camp, the umbrella company of both HCSC and Windells, brushed aside the rumors of HCSC closure in a recent article with Transworld Snowboarding stating, “We’re having all of our youth campers stay down at the Academy Campus, which is the Windells campus.” He did however admit declining enrolment numbers as a primary reason for the two camps melding into one. English goes onto explain that the two camps will retain their separate identities while sharing both lodging and on-hill facilities, however it is hard to imagine the two retaining their individual cultures in such close proximity.
Windells has always been a ski and snowboard camp, while HCSC has been snowboard only since its inception, and while Windells is a respected camp with a world class facility, there is no doubt that HCSC has been the cream of the crop when it comes to summer snowboarding in North America. HCSC losing its individual snowboard-only terrain and campers quarters in Government Camp will certainly shift the energy of what was an iconic legacy.
What the future is for summer snowboarding in North America is anyone’s guess. While climate change will continue to have an adverse affect on glacial health, for now summer snowboarding seems to be staying put (at least near Hood River). Losing Camp of Champions was a dire way to start the summer and the news of changes at HCSC has everyone that has an affinity for summer shredding on edge. While no one knows what will happen next summer, there is no doubt that within the next decade summer camps will look drastically different, if they exist at all.
