For snow enthusiasts, fun-seekers and anyone looking for a rad time, Woodward at Copper is the place to be in the summer. The Colorado-based facility has been called the "premier trick-stomping playground in the world" because of its on-snow terrain parks and enormous indoor training zone, known as the Barn.

Throughout the summer, Woodward at Copper hosts ski, snowboard, and skate camps that are geared toward progression and having a great time. We recently ventured to Copper to check out all the facilities and spent a day in the life as a camper.

We headed up to the Summit County location during Session 5 of camp which was hosted by GNU pros, Forest Bailey, Maribeth Swetkoff, Forrest Burki and 32 pros Chris Brewster, Dylan Alito, and Jordan Smalls.

Our day started off at the Edge, which is the main housing facility at camp that has a lounge, game room, movie theatre and cafeteria. We met in the auditorium and listened to the plans for the day which included GNU's 'Best Tweak Contest' which gave campers the chance to win a couple of 2012 GNU snowboards.

Then we loaded up the busses and set off for the mountain. We were dropped at the top of the park which was split into three sections. The first part had two jumps that were followed by a series of jibs and bonks. The second section housed a rail garden with features suitable for all levels. The third area was home to the airbag where skiers and snowboarders could launch tricks into a giant-sized super soft landing.

Campers broke off into various groups and spent the morning working on tricks while being guided by coaches. The GNU team got after it on the jumps and got crafty on the rails while filming for their video project. Everyone was stoked at the amount of snow Copper still had this late in the summer in Colorado.

Once the campers had a chance to shred all the zones, the 'Best Tweak Contest' went down with skiers and snowboarders sending it and tweaking as hard as they could. The environment was pressure-free and encouraging, which allowed campers to attempt new tricks. At the end of the event, two campers walked away with brand new GNU Forest Pickles, and bragging rights for the rest of camp.

After several hours of insanely fun time on snow, everyone ventured down to the Edge for lunch. Camp fare consisted of chicken sandwiches, hot dogs and PB&J's. Once the goods were gobbled, campers set off for afternoon activities.

Everyone split up and headed to towards the Barn, or geared up for outdoor activities which included go-karts, bumper boats, mini-golf and digglers, which are scooters with giant sized wheels and suspension.

We opted to head to the Barn and were blown away by the massive training area. The unassuming red exterior was filled with Snowflex jumps, rails, foam pits, trampolines, vert ramps, and a huge skate bowl. Campers worked on a number of tricks while coaches gave pointers and helped them along the way.

While at the barn, we had a chance to talk with Phoebe Mills, who is the Program Manager of Woodward at Copper. She said this about her goals for the program:

My favorite part of Woodward at Copper is when kids are having fun. Our main goal is to make sure everyone is having a good time. Of course we want them to learn and to be safe, but it's all about having fun while learning. We're pretty excited to be on snow in Colorado in the summer time and we have a lot to offer everyone on-snow and in the Barn with our training sessions. I've been with Woodward camps for over 15 years and began this program at Woodward East 8 years ago, then developed it at Copper. We've been here for three years, and it's a great program and I'm happy to be apart of it.

Some of the pros on the scene also chimed about their favorite parts of camp:

Chris Brewster: My favorite part of Woodward at Copper is the Barn. The skate park at the Barn is super cool and I love hanging out with all the kids. Seeing all the campers get happy about snowboarding in the summer is rad. I've been at Hood the past few summers and so it's cool to be at Copper because it's just a different vibe and different people here. I like it- it's still people getting stoked on summer shredding, but it's laid back and mellow.

Maribeth Swetkoff: My favorite thing at Woodward at Copper.. Well, that's pretty tough, because it's all so fun!! I really liked digglering because it was super fun and also liked hanging with the kids, watching them progress and shred. Also, just getting pumped to shred.

We had an awesome time at Woodward at Copper and can't wait to go back.

There's still time to sign up for sessions this summer, so head to here for all the details. Do it now!

Make the jump to peep the rest of the photos from Session 5 at Woodward at Copper.

Here's a little taste of all the action the Barn holds:



Big Thanks to David Roth, Copper, and the GNU and 32 teams.

Flow NXT-ATSE

Flow's lightest binding yet gets the full endorsement from Flow rider and U.S. Olympic Team member Scotty Lago. The NXT-ATSE has an aluminum alloy baseplate that's solid yet lightweight, and Flow's signature reclining hiback. It's capped off with the micro-adjustable Powerstrap that distributes pressure evenly over your boot instead of pinching pressure points. Great paint job, too.



Gnu Danny Kass C2BTX

Mervyn Manufacturing's Pete Saari said, "Danny Kass has gone bananas, but wanted to hold hands in the dark with his friend camber." So the crew at Gnu designed Kass a new all terrain freestyle board with a blend of banana and camber, plus Magne-Traction edges for maximum traction in the pipe and on icy park features. The former Olympic medal winner uses this board for everything from park to powder to giant kickers.




DC Judge

You either love the Boa boot lacing system or you hate it. For Boa fans, the DC Judge is a highly-adjustable boot that allows you to make micro-tweaks of both the upper and lower regions of the boot for optimal fit and comfort. It's got a flex rating of seven for all-mountain versatility and a synthetic leather shell splashed with some retro-fluorescent colors for added edge. Available in sizes 7-13.



Arbor Snowboard Highlights

Arbor debuted its "System" technology last year, which is essentially the brand's rocker/grip-tech technology that was developed with a systematic, board-wide approach. It was introduced on the Draft snowboard which ended up winning multiple rider's choice and innovation awards. For 2011, Arbor has taken the System and broken it up into three segments--the Mountain System, the Park System and the Jib System. System tech is now available in five boards, including the four pictured. From the left, the Formula, Westmark, Draft, and women's-specific Cadence.

So, I went to the SIA tradeshow in Vegas two weeks ago, it's pretty much the snow industry's ASR. Well anyway, I'm not that into snowboarding, I mean I like it and everything, but I'm not "The Snow Guy." And when you read "The Snow Guy," pronounce "The," like "THEE." You know, show some respect for whoever "The Snow Guy" is. For some people I know, he's a Colombian guy named Sanchez.

Back to SIA. Since I wasn't sure what I was going to do there, I gave myself a project. Probably my favorite part of snowboarding is the art on the boards, so my objective was to document the latest snowboard art. Now, these boards are for next year, so you're not going to be able to buy them anywhere. You're just going to have to wait.

Check out the photos below. Oh yeah, and the one up top, that's Bob Ross, the guy who used to paint all those happy little trees. You know, from that show, "The Joy of Painting." All photos taken by MORINformed.

























You can't do a story on snowboard art without mentioning Jamie Lynn and Lib Tech
















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Smoking is progress according to Obama and Smokin snowboards.

























Next year's Kass boards: business up top/party below, and hippie up top/hesh below.

























This guys wins kook of the day. He totally saw me taking a picture and didn't give a fuck.
If you see him throw something at him.











































More from Forum.

























Some G N' R from Nitro.

























This is what we've come to expect from Lib Tech, more cool art. This board is for chicks.

























Here's some art from Pinky for Smokin, he does a lot of the ...LOST stuff too.











































Forum has stepped their art game up.











































More from Lib Tech and their bananas.











































Cigarettes, booze and boobs. What else do you need?