Great skiing focused summer camp

We picked our son up from the Stowe Dryland Summer Camp yesterday.  He did one week last summer here and asked to go for 2 weeks this summer

If you are looking for a summer camp for your skiing kid this is the one.  Great professional coaches, focused hard training but they make it fun.  nysef had over 10 kids there between gore and WF so you get a 10% discount if your kid is in nysef.  Emphasis on BASE balance agility stance and explosion.


http://stowedrylandcamp.blogspot.com

What did your son do at this camp?  I don't race like he does, but I might look into it if it is good for someone who is 16.

Two plus hours a day of field work running sprints, agility work, balance, core work etc.  I don't think you would like this part much since you said you don't like to run.

Roller blading around gates and also in skate park

Mt biking

Speedball, capture the flag and other games with lots of running

Lots of swimming

It's primarily for racers but free riders would also benefit.  I think you could not attend next yr you might be too old because they don't have a U18 group

I looked it up too.  It does look primarily for racers.  I also found another camp called Camp Woodward that is in Pennsylvania.  They have an snowboard terrain park that doesn't require snow.  I would guess that they have skiing stuff too.  I can both ski and snowboard, so I would benefit from either one.

BTW I am in Jackson, Wyoming now and I just was at Yellowstone the past 3 days.  I just did a ski lift ride and alpine slide at a smaller ski area in Jackson called Snow King.  The lift was really steep and climbed 1,600 feet vertical in 3,700 feet.  WF's Little Whiteface Double climbs similar vertical in 4,500 feet.  Have you ever skied there or heard of it?  I heard on this blog that you can be easily attracted by steep terrain, so you may have heard of it.  The alpine slide was really fun too.  I thought it was a perfect combination of the alpine atmosphere and an amusement park like experience.  Yes, I confess to using the lift to get up both to the top of the mountain, and to the alpine slide rather than hiking it, but my family had limited time and this activity was never planned, we just thought it would be fun and we had some free time.

I have skied Snow King.  It is pretty steep.  It would be a good place for local racers to train.  It does not get anywhere near the snow that Jackson gets as it's lower elevation.  It looks like a lot of locals skin up it for a lunch break from work and get a side country run in.

http://mag.nyskiblog.com/Snow-King-WY-Local-Hill-Makes-Good-td1415555.html

I have a friend who is sending his 3 awesome park/mogul skiing kids to Woodward next week.    They are pumped.   Check out the website and videos.    My son would be joining them if the price was more in my budget.    OUCH, not saying its not worth it and I may have spent it.     However a friend brought me to my senses:   For that kind of cash, you can take your son skiing for a week.   Maybe some day.  

Race/park camp at Mt Hood is awesome, cheaper (not counting airfare) and you are on snow.    

My grand daughter is a racer, she does not go to a race camp, she works out 5 days a week running, doing sit ups, planks, wall sits, and a lot of balance work on a bosu ball. In my opinion a week of camp in mid summer is pretty worthless unless they continue the training all the way to ski season.

PeeTex wrote

 In my opinion a week of camp in mid summer is pretty worthless unless they continue the training all the way to ski season.

Some kids have fun at these

I agree you need to keep the training going to get the benefit but as skimore said the kids that enjoy being active love these camps.  It's definitely not for the couch potato kids.


My son goes from this right into football where the coaches also work on explosion and agility and then nysef has dryland training late fall right up to it snows.  Nysef this year has put together a dryland training guide with a recommended program for kids not playing football or soccer in the fall.

IMO the harder you work in summer and fall translates to results in winter for racers.

PeeTex wrote

My grand daughter is a racer, she does not go to a race camp, she works out 5 days a week running, doing sit ups, planks, wall sits, and a lot of balance work on a bosu ball. In my opinion a week of camp in mid summer is pretty worthless unless they continue the training all the way to ski season.

    My son went to Windell's ski camp in 2012 ,while probably worthless ,since he didn't get back on skis till November , the experience and memories of July skiing were priceless.
  When deciding whether to send him or not, talking to a friend of mine in his early 60's he described his summer ski camp experience like it was yesterday. It had been over 50 years since he went to Summer ski camp. I only wish I could have gone.

Next summer we had planned to send our son to Hood but now my wife and I are thinking that this Stowe camp may be better and then do a November camp on snow at Copper.  The kids are only on snow for 4 hours at Hood compared to a full day at Copper.  How much does 7 half days in July help compared 10 full days in Nov?

Coach Z wrote

Next summer we had planned to send our son to Hood but now my wife and I are thinking that this Stowe camp may be better and then do a November camp on snow at Copper.  The kids are only on snow for 4 hours at Hood compared to a full day at Copper.  How much does 7 half days in July help compared 10 full days in Nov?

This I agree totally with. There are lots of thanksgiving ski camps. Even those on the east coast can be good. Getting 5 to 10 days of solid ski time makes the season get off to a great start.

Watching the kids at Mt Hood's ski camp, I would say they will all have great memories of the experience.   I would argue it is not about the training, it's about the experience.    But to have the experience, one has to have the cash.    If money is not object and the the goal is to improve skiing, camps are great.   Some kids were there for 4 straight weeks.    However, if kids like to ski and a "camp" can be afforded, it would be a great expierence for them, and something they can tell their friends and classmates about.      My son used photos and his journal several times during the school year.   I also have great memories.    

I will post about the PA skiing camp mentioned earlier as soon as my buddy fills me in.   I'll see his kids this weekend.    It's more of a park ski/board and skate camp.    

The kids had a blast at Woodward, in Pa.      Their parents are very pleased with the camp as well.    Two of the boys were able to Misty 720 into foam by the end.    I have a feeling they will be back next year.    

A counter point a nysef coach told me is the Nov camps can lead to burn out earlier in the season and all the big races are at in March

Gunny J wrote

    My son went to Windell's ski camp in 2012 ,while probably worthless ,since he didn't get back on skis till November , the experience and memories of July skiing were priceless.  When deciding whether to send him or not, talking to a friend of mine in his early 60's he described his summer ski camp experience like it was yesterday.

I went to Hood as part of a NYSEF camp when I was 17 and Camp of Champions at Whistler when I was 19. Probably 2 of the top 5 weeks of my life. Yes, the on snow time is only about 4-5 hours a day, but the other stuff you get to do (rock climbing, paintball, golf, water ramps, walking around the villages, trail running, mountain biking, etc.) are like separate vacations on your ski vacation. Totally fucking awesome. I want to go back now.

WORD:  

Coach Z wrote

IMO the harder you work in summer and fall translates to results in winter for racers.

Peter Minde wrote

WORD:  

Coach Z wrote

IMO the harder you work in summer and fall translates to results in winter for racers.

Not sure what your statement was here Peter but I as much as I hate to admit it, I do agree with what Z said.
And it's not just racers, it's all of us. If you have not been keeping up with your workouts, better get with it. I know I have been slacking off.

PeeTex wrote

Peter Minde wrote

WORD:  

Coach Z wrote

IMO the harder you work in summer and fall translates to results in winter for racers.

Not sure what your statement was here Peter but I as much as I hate to admit it, I do agree with what Z said.
And it's not just racers, it's all of us. If you have not been keeping up with your workouts, better get with it. I know I have been slacking off.

Basically I agree with Coach Z: skiers are made in the summer, whether you're racing or out to make turns and have fun.  Adjust the level of prep to what your goals are.  There's a 75-year old guy who comes into my gym every day, a recreational alpine skier, and he drops 40 somethings in his club who are weekend warriors.

On another note, July vs. November camps:  it depends on the skier and the family budget.  If the kid is serious and has big goals, they're gonna need to learn to be focused from November through end of season.  Whether the camp is in the northeast or out west somewhere.