Westbound Boarder

It’s my birthday today, and I’m in DC (for work), and of course Mrs. Accountant (aka, Dani) is, well, doing super fun, accountant-like Tax Day things, so I’m going to make this post short and sweet today.  In our quest to uncover new great boardsports camps for y’all, Danielle came across this great resource.  Called ‘Girlie Camps’ (approriate title for our cause, yeah?) this site features several camps across the board (no pun intended).  From snow to skate to surf, Girlie Camps hosts several awesome camps all throughout Europe (they have camps in all different countries – London, Berlin, France are only a few), so if you want to test your boundaries and head East (far, far, East) check out Girlie Camps.

Looking to have a “More Good Time” at your next camp?  Look no further.  In our quest to educate you on the top snowboard camps for females each Wednesday with our Wicked Snow Camp Wednesday series, we came across a camp exclusively for women.  MGT  (More Good Times) Snowboard Camp for Girls, presented by Burton, is “intended for female snowboarders who want to have fun and progress their snowboarding skills, especially in the park and pipe.”  Finally!  A camp that’s caters to the more advanced rider!  Don’t get me wrong, I completely support beginners attending camps to advance to the intermediate level, however, sometimes it is nice to attend a camp that’s a little more advanced if you really want to improve your skills in the park.  This camp is meant for females who want to pursue snowboarding competitively or professionally, and it seems like an awesome way to start that journey.

MGT boasts a legit roster of professional coaches, including Alexis Waite, Tara Dakides, and Spencer O’Brien.  The coach to rider ratio typically stands about 1 to 5, so you’ll really get the attention you need.  And you’ll spend most of the two-day session focusing exclusively on the park.

Another cool thing this camp’s got goin’ on is “MGT Academy.”  Basically, the program is “designed to select one promising MGT camper and place them under the tutorial wing of the MGT pro coaches to give a head start on pursuing a snowboard career in 2010.”  The graduate receives gear, photo shots, video shoots, etc.  Two graduates are chosen per session, and at the end of the year they’ll all regroup to give a presentation on why they should “graduate with top honors.” The person chosen will get some new gear, a travel budget, and awesome lineup for 2010.  Sweet!

MGT offers three camps in the winter and two in the summer at various locations around the globe.  Winter locations included Canada Olympic Park in Calgary, AB and Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, BC, and the third session is set to take place April 4 – 5 at Mount Norquay, Banff, AB.  (Soo, if you still want to make it up to a camp before season’s end, now’s your chance).

Though dates and prices for the summer camp have yet to be announced, both will take place in August 2009, one at Timberline held in tandem with High Cascade, and one in South America alongside South America Snowboard Sessions (Danielle’s previewing this camp next week, so stay tuned!)  Summer camp prices include accommodations, however, lift tickets are not included so keep this in mind when you are budgeting your trip.  Au revior, and see you at Timberline!

UPDATE: I got a chance to catch up with Joanna, co-creator of MGT, tonight (we’ve been playing phone tag for a couple of days) and she told me a little bit more about the camp; so we’ve got the inside scoop right here.  Joanna started the camp seven years ago with riding buddy and pro boarder Leanne Pelosi (hey, that’s an idea; instead of attending camp, just start your own!) and they’ve been at it ever since.  She told me they started the camp for “purely selfish reasons” (hey, that’s fine by me if we all benefit from it, too!) -

Basically, back around the time they started the camp, there weren’t many lessons available just for female riders.  They had several tricks they really wanted to learn, so they put their necessity to action.  Since both girls were competitive boarders and had a large network of people in the industry, they got a good group of talented coaches together and started MGT.  One of the cool and unique things about MGT is that, year after year, they still manage to have awesome pro riders come back to staff the camps (Joanne even mentioned its fun to watch the star-struck campers on the first day).  The riders range in skill level, but they all have one thing in common – they’re passionate about snowboarding and they have high expectations to rise to their full potential, prepared with lists of tricks to master and all.  The camp concludes with a “Jib’n'Jump” Jam, where the coaches throw out their best tricks and the girls follow suit; and the best girl wins a prize!

So… where can you sign up?  I mentioned earlier that there’s still one winter camp left this season, but there are also two summer sessions as well.  In years past, summer sessions have always been held as separate sessions in themselves (just like the winter sessions) alongside camp partners, however, this year MGT will be part of High Cascade.  Students will attend and sign up directly through HCSC for Leanne Pelosi’s session, which is August 8 – 15 and is the session MGT is promoting.  

If you’d like to make a complete world vaca out of your summer camp this year but still ride with the awesome MGT staff, MGT’s other summer session will be held in tandem with South American Snowboard Sessions July 31 – August 16.  Aside from being longer and further away, the Argentina camp will feature more backcountry riding, during the country’s winter, and really foster a truly cultural experience.  It will be completely different than HCSC, but still, of course, a good time.

Well it’s Wednesday, and for those of you who don’t know, it’s time to talk snowboard camp. I warned you last week that each Wicked Wednesday Andrea, Rochelle (our NEW contributing blogger!) and myself are going to be giving you all the dirt on upcoming snowboard camps. Our goal is to give you all the information you may need to make an informed decision about which camp to choose. So here it goes!

Do you live near the best resort in the world? Or are you planning a trip to Whistler-Blackcomb before winter is up? If you are lucky enough to answer yes to wither of the aforementioned questions, well now you are even luckier, because Whistler-Blackcomb is bringing you Roxy Women’s All Star Snowboard Camp, on March 7th and 8th and April 4th and 5th.

This is an opportunity for just the girls to, ‘get to that next level fast.’ Whether you are looking to improve your freeriding or want to excel in the park, this Roxy Women’s Camp is where it’s at. For only $179 bucks you get to spend 2 full days at Whistler-Blackcomb (lift tickets, muffins and coffee included!) with Roxy’s top female coaches and demo the latest ROXY snowboard gear. Oh, and to top it off, at the end of the day you will receive professional video analysis so you can really take advantage of the days lessons (you may even take home a few prizes!)

One thing’s for sure, you will improve your snowboard skills and make some friends. You really have nothing to loose with this one as two days of Whistler lift tickets alone would cost more than this ROXY camp. So as long as you are at least 19 (but under 100) and you are not a complete beginner (you have to be able to carve down the hill), well, then welcome to Roxy All Star Snowboard Camp!