The fourth annual MIGHTY MIDWEST SNOWBOARD CAMP kicked off it's 6 tour stop a few weeks ago, and shredtactular fun was had by all.

The adventure started as head coach and pro Pat Milbery and crew loaded up a couple vans and headed into the center of our country- the Mighty Midwest. Throughout this roadtrip, numerous gas stations were rummaged througand highway jib spots were conquered. Check out the following video, and see what it's like to travel with the Pros!


Seems like a pretty wild ride!



This was only one of the gas stations the crew rifled through. Its sure is pretty- They must only make 'em like this in the Midwest!


After quite a Journey, Milberry and his crew arrived at Trollhaugen Resort. This was the first time the MIghty Midwest SB camp rolled through this spot, and Milbery said is was a super success! Everyone from the resort was very helpful, and the park crew even built a great park with features everyone could get down on.



Once at the resort, everyone checked in, and got their boots tied tight, then campers and crew were ready for a fun day of Shred!

Watch what went down on day numero uno at TROLLhaugen RESORT





By day 2- campers and coaches had their tricks on lock and preceded to go for it all over the mountain. Check out fun that was had by all!!!!!!!!!






After 2 days of super fun snowboarding, many prizes were handed out and the campers and coaches were STOKED!!!



The first stop of the MIGHT MIDWEST SNOWBOARD CAMP at Trollhaugen Resort was a Huge Success! After the campers and coaches bid adiue, it was time to rally over to SUNBURST Resort inKewaskum, Wisconsinto keep the tour rolling!

CHECK BACK to see all the craziness that went down there!

ALSO be sure to PEEPSO Gnarfor more info on the MIGHTY MIDWEST SNOWBOARD CAMP!!!

I've wanted to say these words for quite sometime so, here it goes...snowboarding season is finally and actually here. Not only are all the Southern California mountain resorts open (Mammoth, Big Bear and Mt. High) but Colorado and Oregon are getting dumped on, Lake Tahoe resorts are slowly starting up their chair lifts, and the weather is finally cooling down. Mother Nature might actually be hearing our prayers for winter to get here early.

Arbor set the scene for the kick off of winter at their headquarters in Venice Beach Friday night where they hosted the Los Angeles premiere of Bear Mountain's video, "Parkumentary" and Think Thank's film, "Cool Story". I'm pretty sure that half of the people there had already seen one of these films at previous premieres (I had seen both in Big Bear at Hot Dawgs and Hand Rails) however, that didn't restrain anyone from going to experience them again and showing their support. A few blocks from the ocean, the Arbor Headquarters is an amazing venue for events such as this. Hell, it's a sweet place just to go stop by to say what's up on any day. They have surfboards and snowboards lining the walls and an upstairs loft. It's a perfect place for fellow snowboarding fiends stuck in LA to get together and celebrate the season.

Following the premieres, Arbor team rider Pat Milbery, led a raffle with giveaways of prizes including an Arbor snowboard, Flux bindings, street apparel, and lift tickets to Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. If you weren't there on Friday to win or to see the films, they did it all over again the following night. Needless to say, all the companies that got together for this event really did a good job. Everyone was happy, mellow, and even though it was on Friday the 13th, no one showed up with a hockey mask or a knife. I'd say that makes a good night.

I talked with Bear Mountain's Brad Farmer and he gave me the low down on what's going on up in Big Bear. They've been blowing snow on Upper Park Run and Expressway hoping to get more of the hill open as soon as possible. As of now, Central Park Run is still the only accessible run. To keep up with their progress, hit up www.bearmountain.com. Tickets are still only $25 bucks for adults and $20 bucks for young adults.

Brad overseeing the raffle from the corner...

To live vicariously through us here at GrindTV, be sure to check out the video recap of the event at Arbor.

If you are in the Southern California region this weekend and you are craving a little snowboarding action after this wet, hot American summer, do yourself a favor and head up the hill to Big Bear on Saturday, September 19th for the annual Hot Dawgs and Handrails event.

Bear's going to magically pump out enough snow for a pro-invitational rail jam and the all the big boys (and some girls) of snowboarding are on their way out to play. Expect appearances by LNP, Pat Milbery, Johnny Miller, Zak Hale, Jed Anderson, Michael Casanova, Kyle Clancy, Austin Hironaka and a shit-load more.

Todd Richards and Snowboarder Magazine Editor Pat Bridges will be announcing the shin-dig (those two are hilarious announcing together, you don't want to miss that), and judging the rail jam will be pro rider's JP Walker, Simon Chamberlain, Joe Sexton, Keegan Valaika and Seth Huot (just in case there weren't enough pro's on hand already)

Other goodies include weenie roasting (the "Hot Dawg" part of "Hot Dawgs and Handrails"), music, vendor booth city, pro autograph signings. product giveaways and much, much more. Oh yeah, and it's the last chance to buy a Bear Mountain/Snow Summit Season Pass at the special "Roll Back Price"

And, probably what I'm looking forward to the most, the new Bear Mountain Movie "Parkumentary" is set to premier directly following the event along with the new Stepchild/ThirtyTwo movie "This Video Sucks".

The premiers are free, just show up on Saturday. Check out the trailers below for a taste of what the movies are.




Bear Mountain's "Parkumentary"
This film tracks 20 years of terrain park and snowboarding innovation, style, creativity and history at Bear Mountain and Snow Summit. Beginning with Summit's hand-dug halfpipe in 1989 and the opening of Bear's Outlaw terrain park in 1990 it all started in Big Bear. From the domination of Summit's Westridge and Ego Trip parks of the late 1990's, and the rise of Bear's All-Mountain Park in 2002, to new one of a kind features coming this season, Big Bear has been leading the way in terrain park development and helping to push the progression of snowboarding for two decades. It's a solid place in snowboarding history for a couple of resorts located in sunny Southern California.
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Stepchild and ThirtyTwo present "This Video Sucks"

The Bag Jump is legit.

Late in Session 2 there were a few whispered rumors circling Windells Campus. ' We might be getting a Bag Jump!!! But, shhhhh.' While rumors usually tend to be bogus, this rumor ended up being HUMONGUS. 66x66x13 feet to be exact and on June 27th, every eye on Mt. Hood was glued to the large air-filled landing zone in the Windells park.

As the fourth Bag Jump in the world was inflated on the first day of Windells' (TM) third session, there was an overwhelming element of curiosity in the air. However, when the first rider wasted no time double flipping off the lip and suffered no consequences, Windells campers and staff picked up their jaws and raced to the top of the drop in. The only question left lingering was, what wacky double cork should we learn next?

The BJ is so legit, in fact, that during the session, two major production companies filmed some of the world' (TM)s best snow shredders practicing never-been-done tricks on the Bag Jump and then the tricks were taken to the snow, all in the same day.



Rome Pro Rider Eiki Helgason with a nonchalant dub rodeo on the Bag Jump.

' I tried two new tricks into the bag, double front rodeo nine and a double cork nine. Now I know it works I just have to find a perfect kicker and try it on real snow,' said Rome rider, Eiki Helgason, who was at Windells for the Session 3.

' It's pretty much the coolest thing next to tie dye gypsy feathers,' says Tim Windell.

As long as Godzilla doesn' (TM)t catch wind and claim this fluffy air mattress as his bed, the Bag Jump will be in Windells private park all summer' "the only place in the US to have a Bag Jump' "allowing shredders to progress their riding to levels never thought imaginable.

Imagine yourself here... free of charge!


Yeah, we know it's summer and the last thing you want to think about is homework... but this homework could very well win you an all inclusive week at Windells Snowboard/Freeski camp... a.k.a. "The Funnest Place On Earth" at Mt. Hood, Oregon.

The winner of this contest presented by Windells Camp will get to pick a free session to attend (Session 6, July 26th thru August 2nd or Session 7, August 5th thru August 11th) where they will get lodging, on-hill instruction from the pro-coaches, video review, food, prizes, supervision, and more. All of this is worth approximately $1,600.00 (Whoa!)

And it's not even that gnarly of homework. It's simple. All you have to do is write a one to three page essay explaining WHY YOU DESERVE A SCHOLARSHIP TO WINDELLS.

Tim Windell, legendary snowboarder and founder of Windells, has come up with this assignment himself, and he'll be hand picking the winner himself too.

Before you go stressing out about your writing skills... know this! It isn't all about that. As the Windells crew puts it, "We here at Windells understand that your writing may not be as strong as your backside lip."

Basically they aren't looking for a master thesis that could get you into law school. Tim wants creativity, honesty, and personality. Tim really wants to know why you deserve to go to snowboard/ski camp, and why the camp would be stoked to have you there.

Windells even gave you guys a cheat sheet to get you started. Click here for a cheat outline that helps explain what they are looking for.

The cutoff date for submitting an essay to Tim is July 6th... so get on it! All submissions should be emailed directly to Tim Windell himself at tim@windells.com.

If you or your family wants to find out more about Windells, shoot on over to their website, www.windells.com, or take our word for it- it really is one of the funnest places in the world. They have campers of all ages, top level professional coaches (Pro rider Pat Milbery is the head coach this summer.), and the camp isn't limited to on-snow activities. The campus is pure paradise for anyone who likes to skate or bike: Foam pits, indoor skate park, bowls, mini ramps, dirt trails, trampolines... got your attention yet?

GrindTV.com will be blogging, vlogging and straight chillen' with all the campers during Session 4 this summer. So be sure to check back for tons of coverage and contests right here at GrindTV SNOW!





About Windells: Founded in 1988 by nine-time National Champion and two-time Vice World Champion snowboarder Tim Windell, Windells Camp has been a world leader in action sports for the past two decades. The camp's goal is to not only improve kids' skills on the slopes and on the street, but also create a fun and safe place for kids to creatively express themselves through sport. From building permanent half-pipes and cheese-wedge jumps to creating new moves and fighting scoring regulations in competitions, Windells Camp has been a pioneer in action sports. Windells Camp is also the world's only privately owned campus and features a permanent, year-round half-pipe and ski run. The Windells Camp campus also has BMX dirt bike paths, an indoor skate park with a foam pit, and on-site housing for campers. For those who have been there, Windells is known as the "funnest place on earth."

www.windells.com