WINDELLS ’07: Another Hood summer
It’s that time of year again. The sun is shining, school is out, and people are skiing at Timberline Ski Area on Mt. Hood. While skiing may not be the tropical vacation destination you’ve been dreaming of, Windells is the best place to learn new tricks, perfect the old ones, and mingle with the pros. And at least you can get your cheeks tan.
Windells ski director Travis Erdmann selected the finest coaches around for this summer, including the return of Tim Durtschi, Brandon Becker, Dylan Hood, Steven Becker, Austin Stevens, head coach Tommy Ellingson, and more. To top it off, guest pros have been hanging around taking the time to help campers out with their style and technique. Skiers lapping through the park include Sammy Carlson, Rory Silva, Andy Mahre, and Pep Fujas.
Not only are there a ton of pros on the hill, but the number of campers so far has been insane. Session Two had 51 campers with two girls—one of them being Moo Eakin, who started making a name for herself this past winter. For next session, the word is 61 ski campers! The skiers are definitely gaining on the snowboarders in numbers. All the campers were killing in on the jumps and rails, but 11-year-old Torin from Colorado stood out in particular. Partially because he was the shortest, but also because he was throwing 10s off a small jump, spinning on the rails, and just having the time of his life.
Session Two campers were able to find a little time off the hill to work on more than just their skiing. The beginning of the session kicked off with a little waxing time, with tips from Steven Becker and coach Josh Larkin on how to wax your skis without burning the base. Campers also spent a lot of time in BOB, a large building full of trampolines, a foam pit, and dozens of skate features. This year even more concrete has been added around the campus, so you can not only skate everywhere you need to go, but find fun features along the way. A couple campers also got a private lesson from Tim Durtschi on how to sign a cool signature. His advice: Make the first letter really big, then just squiggle the rest.
All the campers were rewarded at the end of the session for their hard work with a truckload of free gear. But not just any truck—Sammy Carlson’s truck. The truck bed was filled with goody bags loaded with sponsor schwag, including Dakine beanies, Smith t-shirts, and loads of stickers. Some kids earned Dakine backpacks and ski bags for enthusiasm throughout the week, and two random lucky winners went home with a new pair of skis.
