“The first-ever Cutters Camp did more good for the progression of snowboarding at resorts than any other meeting, conference or activity in the last several years. It took place as a completely behind-the-scenes experiment two weeks ago at Timberline Lodge, Mount Hood, Oregon, so most in the world of snowboarding will never realize the event happened or the impact it will have on the sport. But if they’re riding terrain parks or pipes next season, they might just experience some of the affects.” So wrote John Stouffer, editor of Transworld Snowboarding Business, about the first annual Cutters Camp, put on by SAM Magazine and Timberline Lodge from May 4 to 8.
Almost 90 people gathered together from over 40 resorts for four days at one of North America’s premier freestyle terrain venues. Timberline’s summer camps are the stuff of legend when it comes to setting trends in the world of big air, so the area served as the perfect backdrop for sharing ideas and techniques on parks, pipes, rails and boxes. Along with a great venue, several sponsors enabled organizers to put on an information-packed program: Burton Snowboards, PistenBully, Premier Snowskate, Salomon and Zaugg Ag Eggiwil, with additional support from Acordia, Bombardier and Snowboarder magazine. What came out of the sessions would fill volumes, but we’ve selected a few highlights and photos.
The Pipe and Park
Panelists: Dave Olcott, Stimilon; Karl Klouzer, Snow Summit; Jim Mangan, Park City; Jeff Patterson, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies; Josh Lempert, Sunday River; Jeff Flood, Timberline; Jason Gusaas, Copper Mountain; and Steve Kruse, Timberline
When it comes to the pipe, the panelists agreed—do it right or don’t do it at all. With the help of the latest machinery in pipe cutting, the job has become simpler, but there is still a fair amount of work to be done. Crucial to maintaining a pipe is building it right in the first place. For example, when building a pipe out of dirt, panelists warned that calculations are important in determining the size. Consider the region’s average snowfall amount in order to avoid carving a pipe that is too small or too large—and have contingency plans should Mother Nature play a joke. Extra snowmaking hydrants at the pipe should snow be scarce are always a good idea. Likewise, a place to push extra snow out of the pipe should be considered. One attendee suggested building just one wall out of dirt, which would help with the guesswork. Panelists loved the idea, as long as the dirt wall is the cold wall (the side with the lesser amount of sun).
In the parks, it seems that the evolution of snow features may be ending. After years of experimenting, riders have settled on tabletops, hips and vaders as the preferred hits. But variety can still be explored in the areas of take-offs, features within features and the crossover skate-style seen in rails and boxes. And when it comes to landings, a resort can’t have enough landing space. Common wisdom says that there is no such thing as a jump that can’t be overjumped.
And what about keeping your park fresh? One panelist found that guests favored familiarity over freshness because they preferred to spend time perfecting their skills rather than relearning features and lines.
Safety
Panelists: Jerri Tranquilli, Acordia; Mark Petrozzi, Booth Creek; Ruth Nielsen, ASDA Attorney; Brad Stanford, ASDA Attorney; Jeff Boliba, Burton.
There was no lack of subject matter when it came to safety. Lively and eye-opening discussions about risk management gave attendees a lot to digest.
On the signage front, the effort to make the orange oval universal is in full swing. Just like the green circle, blue square or black diamond, the orange oval should be used to indicate any freestyle terrain, including parks, pipes, boarder cross areas, etc.
Panelists also recommended putting signage in areas where customers congregate rather than some place where they will just blow by it. For example, create an entrance to the park that forces users to slow down and slide by signage; put educational messages on lift towers; use table tents or videos in the restaurant; or incorporate your message into the terrain park sound system.
When it comes to staff training and selection, panelists couldn’t emphasize enough the importance of these employees. Selecting well-spoken, responsible employees will save mountain resorts a lot of aggravation should they find themselves in court. But before it gets to that point, park employees are crucial to the education process and can help in the effort to stay out of court in the first place. Find staff that can bridge the gap between the kids and management, who have the respect of the riders and also understand the broader risk management issues the area faces.
Besides good signage and good staff, consistency is the name of the game when it comes to managing freestyle terrain. Whether in maintenance, construction, inspection, training, accident reports or opening and closing, make sure that your area has a program in place and stick with it. For example, daily logs do not need to be detailed, but they do need to be daily.
On the Hill
Besides the great exchange of information in and around the classroom, much of the learning took place out on the hill. Each day, attendees spent half the day shaping, moulding, pushing and cutting in any one of 14 grooming vehicles. Bombardier and PistenBully brought in their latest models, including the BR 350 and the 300 Park Bully, and PBL Enterprises supplied a Zaugg Pipe Monster, which along with Timberline’s HPG, kept pipe cutters happy. Panelists from the classroom turned into roving teachers, either riding in the cats with attendees or zipping from element to element on snowmobiles.
The Future
Next year’s Cutters Camp will be held in early May at Timberline Lodge. Details about the event can be found in future issues of SAM, and look for more editorial on the subject matter to come out of the event, such as signage, rail building, flow, and freestyle learning areas.
