Going huge off the big kicker all stylie.

Words and Photos by Tawnya Schultz

Summer time is officially underway and Windell’s is bringin’ the heat. Living up to its slogan, “the funnest place on earth,” Windell’s provides not only the best in summer snow-slashing but a super sweet 12,000 square foot indoor skate heaven, five outdoor skate parks, trampolines to practice corked spins, a BMX course, and that’s only the beginning. Located in Mt. Hood, Ore., the secluded main campus is reminiscent of summer camp movies surrounded by lush colorful trees and the aroma of crisp mountain air. Groups of about 12 campers shack up in bunk cabins with counselors assigned to the underagers. Creator and founder, Tim Windell, also lingers around camp on a daily basis to check in with his staff and hang with the campers.

Homie was straight killin’ it.

The SNOWBOARD Mag room campers with counselor Kiira.

On-hill it’s a shredder’s playground. Jumps of all sizes, wall-rides, rails, boxes, and even a half-pipe are more than anyone with the winter blues could ask for. Timberline Resort is the only spot in the U.S. operating year-round and has allowed Windell’s to establish a private park open only to its campers, staff, and invited guests. Experienced coaches and guest pros encourage the kids to progress explaining tricks in detail while building confidence. Each evening video reviews show riders where they need to improve and what they accomplished.

A pro-skier flying into oblivion.

Ahh it’s so scary.

Ian can do more than just build parks, he can slash em’ too.

Whatcha know about reverse Michael Jackson’s? Nothin’.

An all printed up board press.

Here one of the campers tests his wall-riding abilities.

Here one almost dies. No really it wasn’t that far of a fall.

Another park staff member, Casey, tests out the feature.

The coach demonstrates to his campers how to 270 off the rail.

The half-pipe may suck to hike but being in it is all worth it.

Mute double grab. Sweet.

Whoa look at him. I wanna do that.

Stripes in the air, stripes everywhere.

This kid wasn’t scared.

The coach is filming his camper for video review.

Yes, that’s it. You got it.

Oh so fun. The endless winter, what could be better?

This camper had a few skills himself.

There is still plenty to do when the day is complete. Every night a different company sponsor brings the campers together with games and prizes. Whether it is Burton, Betty Rides, Capita or Rome there is always something going down. Water balloon tosses, Twister, tricycle races, and spray painting T-shirts are among the activities. If that’s still not enough there is paintball, ping-pong, basketball, and the Nike trailer with video games and computers, or grub on ice cream at the snack shack. Campers can also test new product from the demo center and wax up their own boards for the next day. And for those campers who just need a day off-hill rafting trips leave each morning.

Some staff members at orientation. SNOWBOARD Mag represent.

Making new friends is easy here.

Water balloon toss with a little surprise inside.

This kid’s practicing his kick-flip.

Mid-air pop shove-it.

Just havin’ some fun after a long day on the hill.

At the BMX race ready to cross the finish line.

Right hand blue.

Don’t fall over!

Literally from the moment campers eyes open until they close Windell’s truly is all about fun. It’s only session two with five more this summer. Pro shreds Louie Vito, Cody Rosenthal, Josh Sherman, and Shane Pospisil rolled through this session with many more on the way. Huge props to Tim Windell for being the genius that he is, Timberline for giving us a mountain to shred, the diggers who have been killin’ it with the setup, Sullivan, and all the staff at Windell’s. Check in soon for weekly updates and pics this summer…or wait, better yet just get here and be a part of the fun. Call 1800.765.7669 or www.windells.com for availability and specific details. Yeah, son.