The snow is quickly melting, lots of people are already out riding and the buzz is in the air to ride harder this year than years past. Natural progression is one thing, but how do you accelerate that learning curve? Some of us get ballsy and just start to follow our better riding friends off things and down trails faster, but with no idea of what we are doing or how to take those balls and turn them into real skills. For the more inclined riders, we look into camps and seek proper instructions on how to improve our riding and gain skills and confidence. Camps like Summer Gravity Camps in Whistler, B.C. have been at the forefront of MTB instruction for years and I recently caught up to Andrew Shandro to talk about the 2010 season.
Details on SGC inside,
You started the SGC camps back in 2002, what was your goal in creating this camp back then?
Back in 2002 there were no week-long freeride camps and I really felt like the sport was ready for this type of camp. I remember thinking how cool it would be to offer this type of experience and how stoked kids would be to be able to hang out in Whistler and ride in the bike park everyday and be coached by all of the top pros. That's how it started nine years ago, SGC was the first week-long camp in the world.
From a few dozen campers back in the day to a few hundred each summer now, how have you had to structure the camps to give everyone the best possible learning experience?
Over the years as the camp evolves and the number of campers has increased we continue to add top coaches to our coaching roster. Also we cap the number of campers we take every week to keep it as intimate as possible, that way everyone has the opportunity to get to know all of the coaches, counselors and meet some great friends. Our main goal at SGC is to see everyone improve their riding and progress at their own pace in a relaxed environment.
A rider like myself would really benefit from the coaching that I'd receive through out a week at camp, what are some of the major skill sets that your coaches cover during a week at camp?
We work on every aspect of riding. From the basics like body positioning and braking techniques to the more advanced skills like jumping, scrubbing jumps, line choice, drops and exit speed. We cover it all and adapt our coaching depending on the level of our groups. One day you could have Vanderham showing you how to whip or McCaul teaching you how to bar spin at the Air-dome.
Hands down you've got the best known coaches in the business, who is returning this year and who's been with SGC the longest out of your coaching staff?
Ya our coaching lineup is ridiculous. Returning coaches are: Cam McCaul, Wade Simmons, Brandon Semenuk, Claire Buchar, Jordie Lunn, Andrew Cho, Kyle Jameson, Geoff Gulevich, Thomas Vanderham, Joe Schwartz, Katrina Strand, Adam Billinghurst, Lorraine Blancher, Matt Hunter, Kirt Voreis and the Coastal Crew rippers Kyle Norbraten, Dylan Dunkerton and Curtis Robinson and myself. I would have to say Thomas and Wade have been with SGC the longest. We can't forget Mr. Steve Wilson "SteveO" as we call him at camp, head counselor, GM, and all around good dude he has been with us since day one.
What is the ratio of adult campers that you see on an annual basis, do you see this segment growing?
We first introduced an adult week back in 2005, I knew there was a demand for a specific adult camp. We see people who've been riding mtb bikes for over 10 years and have hit a plateau and are looking to take their riding to the next level. We also see people who are new to the sport and are looking for a good base of skills. We offer two adult weeks now, the demand has been unreal.
Tell us about a typical day in the life of a camper at SGC?
A typical day at SGC. Get up around 8 ish grab your gear and head over to the base of the bike park for breakfast. Order some french toast, scrambled eggs etc. Board the lift at 10am with your coach and go and hit the park until 12:30-1. Lunch is between 12:30-1:30 depending on when your groups wants to eat. After lunch go and hit the park again until 3. After three you have the option of either riding in the park for longer or hitting the Air-dome. We have use of the Air-dome exclusively to our campers everyday from 3-5. If you still have the energy after that there is always a crew that hits the dirt jumps. For those that are looking to chill out after a day in the park we have XBOX consoles in every room and a pool at the camp hotel. The day is full of riding and good times.
This could be your typical day this summer at SGC:
What do I get for my cash money when I am signing up and attending an SGC camp - perks, swag, lodging, outside the bike park activities etc.?
There are different options depending on what you need. You can pay for camp only, that gets you food and coaching for the week, plus all the free gear. Or if you need everything, lodging, lift tickets, rental bike we have it all. No matter what options you need, everyone who attends SGC receives a free Dakine SGC jersey, Nike 6.0 shoes, Clif Bars daily, custom ODI SGC grips, and JBL headphones. All returning campers receive a free Dakine-SGC pack. The amount of free gear we give away every week is ridiculous.
I see that you've got Sterling Lorence on staff as the camp photographer, how did you manage to get one of the world's top shooters to come shoot campers in the middle summer?
Jordie Lunn cuts his lawn weekly, I cook him chocolate chip cookies and Thomas washes his truck, ya right. SL shares the same passion for our sport and is totally in to shooting our campers and capturing their epic riding moments. We are definitely fortunate to have him as our camp photographer.
Who are some of the sponsors of SGC?
Our camp sponsors are amazing. Trek has stepped it up this year, we have six free demo bikes for the park this summer, three Scratches and three Sessions. Plus three Trek Ticket dirt jump bikes for the Air-dome. Dakine is supplying every camper with an SGC jersey and packs to all returning campers. Nike 6.0 shoes for everyone. Fox forks and Shimano Saint brakes and cranks are given away weekly at our wrap up dinner along with POC pads, ODI grips, JBL ipod docking stations, loads of t-shirts from all of of our partners. VIO sport is supplying us with helmet cameras and new for this year is Clif Bar, they are supplying us with enough product for everyone to have something daily.
Sounds like you've got a great summer planned for the campers and coaches Andrew. Have a great summer up in Whistler with Summer Gravity Camps. I'll leave everyone with some sweet helmet cam action of Andrew Cho and Brandon Semenuk getting rad:
sgcamps.pinkbike.com
www.summergravitycamps.com
