It's true, 20 years ago we'd rally all day at the trade show slinging boots, bindings and tools that you could smoke weed out of only to get back to the rented houses to serve plates of salmon and steak paired with Italian wine to our accounts, riders and guests. It made for long ass days, but there's just something special about sharing a meal in your own house vs. going out for it. And CAMPITA is no different.
In its first year, CAMPiTA was simply a way to get the team together to film intro's to the movie we were releasing, Defenders Of Awesome. It was about bringing the team together in a comfortable setting, where they could hang out, relax and let some personality fly in front of the camera to help tell a story on film. Games were played, trees were cut, beers were drunk, wieners were cooked on sticks and we all shredded Mt. Hood in the summertime. It was a simple formula that still stands. Except that now, we're 60 people deep with the CAPiTA family camping in everything from hammocks, to RV's, cooking lamb, rib eye, piaya, and whole hog.
The entire pro team showed up besides Kazu and Brisse who had prior commitments, but Jess, Phil, Brandon, Dustin, Rav, Scott, Kevin, Worm, Chase and Johnny all rallied down to Lake Timothy, 20 miles deep in forest service land, right off the Pacific Coast Intercontinental Trail, and home to 6 of the 7 CAMPiTA's. Chef 's Erik and Emmet flew in from MN, our Japanese contingent of the Nap Time Twins made it out again, AM's, regional muscle, C3 Incredibles, company people, Canadians, chosen media and a Grom Nation contingent all made it to the biggest, and arguable best CAMPiTA on the books.
The program was simple, three nights of cooking, camping, singing around a campfire, while enjoying all H.C.S.C. has to offer during the day. The snow quality was incredible for end of July early August, and there was a butterfly migration happening that in all my years of being on the mountain, I've never witnessed. Billions of butterfly's scouring the mountain flying up and off it each day made it common place that you were playing a game of Fear Factor if you opened your mouth to breath and usually you picked up a hitchhiker or two for the ride down.
On hill High Cascade Snowboard Camp was firing, the lap park was like a mini Holy Bowly with hips, lips and shits and giggles for all to hit, and with a mini and super pipe, there was plenty of transition for all. Jump and rail lines were everywhere and the diggers were especially welcoming to our mass take over of their creation. As a thank you to them for the hospitality, CAMPiTA hosted close to 40 of their adult session campers and coaches on the first night. Lamb, rib eyes and Mexican corn on the cob were severed to over 100 people, while Mike from the Lonesome Billy's entertained the crowd around the campfire with Jess and Brandon. C3's Mike Toohey took the opportunity to showcase his karaoke proneness and belted out one of the most memorable off the cuff song stories of his first foray into the woods with us three years ago.
On the final evening a new component was brought into the mix and it was the award ceremony. Jess Kimura is quite an artisan and crafted up some special wall hangings for those that went above and beyond in the woods. First up were Emmet and Erik for the hours upon hours put into the food that will go on record as some of the best that any of the campers will say they ate this year. Next up was the New Jack Award for the new comer fresh on the scene that blew peoples minds and Sami Luhtanen from Finland easily won that. Sami artfully crafted the Blair Witch like CAMPiTA welcome sign at the camp while scaring the shit out of all on the hill with his transition riding. The dude was like something else to watch as he made a mini pipe look like he was riding a super pipe. But the big win went to CAMPITA MVP, Matt Wainhouse. Matt was up at dawn to help out around the camp in any way possible allowing the machine of CAMPiTA to operate, while being the last off the hill every day. His riding spoke for itself and for a dude that gets to ride a pipe maybe twice a year, pipe jocks all took notice. Not to mention he spent the week riding on a 2008 Travis Parker Shape Shifter Dual Swallow Tail. THIS was my CAMPiTA highlight, watching Matt win. Matt's been coming down for the last 5 or 6 CAMPiTA's and is by nature a quite guy that takes some time to get to know. He's more comfortable on the hill than off and to watch someone grow into a stand out rider on the hill and human off the hill at an event with a heavy ass crew of dudes that do this for a living, that's saying something.
There's something therapeutic about four nights in the woods, without cell phone service, swimming, fishing, not showering, shitting in a bucket, crammed around a camp stove in the morning, eating incredible food, sharing chairlift rides and slashes with anyone and everyone, and doing what humans don't do enough these days with each other, and that's just talking lots of shit with one another.
Thanks CAMPITA for providing a platform to plug out of everyday electronic life and plug back into each other.
Til next year.
View walking into CAMP, sign courtesy of Sami.
Grom Nation in full effect.
Baaaaaah, baby lamb.
WeGnar sent caution to the wind this year and just sent backies to flat on the daily.
GnarProducer dug the tranny.
Kids killing trees, while Craven heckles.
Chase Josey was the subjekt of some Wet Cat like controversy. He doesn't care, nor should he with methods this proper.
Roof top tents and RV's, this is where the "elderly" camped.
Sami Luhtanen stand out rookie of CAMPiTA.
Chef Erik hadn't made a piaya since culinary school. You never would of known.
Phil Jacques
Straight out of Japan. #naptimetwins
Signage made by our very own Jess Kimura.
This is the only photo I have of Mike Rav because the dude is always on the move and it's too hard to watch him, and follow him with a camera. #energizerbunny
Burban all loaded up with every attachment available. Your looking at 16.1miles to the gallon.
Garret Warnick mid yoga stretch.
Old crusty dudes, Jason Cline, Griff and CHAD Chomlack.
Gonz grilled, prepared and served at least 50 of these delicious Mexican corn on the cobbs. Grassy Ass amigo.
CAMPiTA MVP Matt Wainhouse getting buck on a 2008 CAPiTA Travis Parker Shapeshifter.
Morning Joe.
Sleepy Stevens, Maddie and Oak.
101 years of denial.
Dustin Craven and Skiddy McSkidder.
Crusty Craven was seriously in the running for MVP but came up short. Next year bud.
Emmet Klocker and the bounty which was going to be our supper.
Brothers that sleep next to each other tend to beat the shit out of each other when their awake.
Tropical turning.
Skiddy McSkiddy, Steve, Griff, and ToeKnee.
The Queen in her castle.
This little pig went to CAMPiTA.
Kevin Backstrom mid high speed butter spin.
101 years apres CAMPiTA.
