Camp of Champions Recap

Why I love Whistler reason #176: Summer glacier skiing!

When the regular ski season ended I made my way into the British Columbia wilderness for a couple shifts at tree planting camp. I started out on beautiful Shuswap Lake North of Salmon Arm and then spent a two weeks East of Vernon near Cherryville. Planting trees is hard work but I really enjoy it. To me it’s a great way to keep the mind and body in tune simultaneously. What other job can you listen to your favorite tunes 8 hours a day while cruising around on uneven ground with weighted bags on? Shoot, when I put it that way it does sound a lot like ski touring… haha.

When I finished pounding trees into the earth I made my journey home to Whistler for a completely different summer gig; coaching skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier at Camp of Champions. Campers of all ages from all over the world make their way to Whistler in the summer to ski one of the best terrain parks on the planet. I really enjoy meeting other people with a genuine stoke for the sport of skiing, and summer camp draws these folk like ants to a picnic. Personally as a coach I have three general goals for my campers. 1) They leave having learned something, 2) They play safe and 3) They have fun!

Here are two letters I received from campers after their sessions at camp:

“Hey Austin, it’s Percy, one of your campers from Session C… I’d like to say thanks for being my coach and making camp a super fun place and teaching me so much more than I expected to learn!”

- @PercyHoltz (15) via Instagram

“Thanks again for the great week! Hopefully I make it out to Whistler this winter to shred!”

- @Andy_Black7 (16) via Instagram

For more information on summer camp and to see video and photos from this summer check out www.campofchampions.com

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the awesomeness this summer and I hope to see ya’ll again next year!