MOUNT HOOD 2017 FAQ’s
Ed. 4/20/2017
1. Is this a fly-by-the-seat of the pants that I should worry about? NO! This is our
first year of doing this, but we envision this as the inaugural year of many to
come! This camp stated as just an idea by local parents to get our kids out to
Hood together to ski, train, and have fun, but we quickly realized that it could
offer the same experience to more kids from our area. We have taken all the
steps to make this camp very official – we have dedicated training space on
Hood, we have an entire Lodge to ourselves, we have a full-time Camp Director,
we have 15-passenger vans for transport, we have parents committed as
volunteers, we have Counselors in Training (High Schoolers) that will act as
assistants…..and we are set more than ever for a fantastic time.
2. Who can attend? Our primary goal is to have skiers from the southeast enroll.
We wanted this camp to help build camaraderie and community for the awesome
skiers and racers we have both here in western NC, but throughout the south.
With that said, we are very open for skiers from any region to join us.
3. Are Parents required to attend? No. But we encourage any parent that wants to
attend to join us. Each week, we are set to have four parents acting as
volunteers. These parents will assist with meal preparation, transportation from
Lodge to the Resort (as well as other activities), assistance on the mountain as
needed, etc.
4. What is the training format? Skiers will train Monday thru Friday, from
approximately 8am to around noon. We will aim to arrive at the ski lodge at 7am,
be on the snow by 7:30, and start training around 8am. We’ll have a bag-lunch
on the mountain, and then get off the mountain as the temperature climbs at midday and the snow gets too soft. The weeks training will consists of SL, GS, and
Skills Quest/Drills.
5. Can I come for a week or more? Absolutely! My opinion is that a racer should
come for two-weeks if at all possible. This gives the racer time to get in the
groove for the first few days, and then really maximize training (and enjoyment)
the rest of the time.
6. What are the meals going to be? Mornings start early most days, so breakfast
will be quick-fare items like cereal, oatmeal, bagels, breakfast sandwiches, etc.
During breakfast, kids will pack a Bag-Lunch to take with them on the mountain.
These bag-lunches will be PBJ’s, sandwich wraps (meat, cheese, etc.), nuts and
dried fruit, granola bars, fruit, cookies, etc. Racers will eat these up on the
Palmer glacier at 9,000 feet. Dinners will be family-style meals such as lasagna,
spaghetti, hamburgers and hotdogs on the grill, fresh salads, pizza, tacos, etc.
We will be prepping them in the commercial kitchen of our lodge and eating as
group in the dining area.
7. Where is the group staying? We are staying in a Lodge owned by the Boy Scouts
Council of Portland. It sleeps 70 people in bunk beds, has large bathrooms that
will be designated Girls and Boys, and a large commercial kitchen and dining
area. We were extremely fortunate to be able to reserve this place, as it is
coveted by other race teams/camps for additional lodging. It is located in
Government Camp, which is the small village nearest the ski resort of Timberline.
Government Camp has numerous small restaurants, ski shops, small lodges,
and a small mercantile.
8. Can a Parent ski? YES! Daily lift tickets are $70. The slopes open at 8am and
close down at 2pm (due to afternoon temperatures). On some days, we might
have a couple extra tickets that can be shared/used by parents wanting to ski. If
you do come up on the mountain, you are absolutely welcome to join the racers
in the race training area.
9. Who are the Coaches? All coaches are volunteers. Some are current coaches at
several of our SARA Mountains. We have a guest coach from NH. Our Camp
Director – Brenda Mulcahy, will also be coaching. For more info on coaches, see
the Coach Info Page on the facebook page.
10. Will rides be offered from the airport if my racer flies to Portland? YES! We are
requesting that incoming racers that need a ride from the Portland airport please
arrive between 10am and 2pm on the Sunday before your session starts. We will
have van(s) arrive on Sunday to pick up racers, departing as a group around
2:30 on Sunday. Return rides to the Portland airport will happen on Saturdays.
Again, we ask person to make arrangments for outgoing flights after 10pm local
time to allow transit time (its about 1-1/2 hours to the airport from Camp).
11. Do I need three sets of skis (GS, SL, and Freeride)? If you are coming for
multiple weeks, please bring both GS and SL. If you are really gung-ho and want
to ski an extra day on the weekend, maybe bring a pair of freeride. Also, race ski
reps are typically in town, and allow racers to demo skis on a daily basis. We will
be able to help kids demo race skis as needed.
12. Does each racer need a parent out there? No. While we encourage parents to
come out, your racer can come without a parent.
13. Can parents stay at camp? Yes and No. While we do want 4 parents each week
to stay at camp, other parents might find it more comfortable to stay off-site.
VRBO is a great way to find other lodging in the area. We would love to have
these parents come over for meals, and can arrange to have additional food with
proper notice.
14. What if I have a crazy travel schedule/plan? No worry if you have oddball/crazy
travel schedules. We’ll do our best to accommodate. Given the number of extra
parents we’ll have onsite, making special arrangements should not be too
difficult.
15. Why would my racer attend this versus one of the other camps at Hood?
Camaraderie, parents, friends and pricing. The other camps are awesome! But
we are hoping to really build our southeast community. We also really want to
have parents attend and be vested in the race-training /camp experience. Lastly
– we wanted to get the price-point down as low as we can to help folks make the
decision to go.
16. Will there be afternoon activities? YES! We have a bunch of great ones lined up
– mountain biking, paddle boarding, hiking, climbing, whitewater rafting,
skateboarding, hanging out in town drinking milkshakes and more. We’ll set up
daily activity lists, and parents and racers are all welcome to attend.