March 2024

Cutters Camp Turns 20

Celebrating 20 years of terrain park community building, collaboration, and knowledge sharing.

Written by Olivia Rowan | 0 comment

It started with a conversation with Day Franzen after we profiled him in a story about Superpark, when he said the behind-the-scenes sharing at that event was special and it would be great to replicate it. Thus, the idea for Cutter’s Camp was born. From there, some calls and intros were made to Steve Kruse and Jeff Flood, and the first Cutter’s Camp came to be in 2003. We almost didn’t get it off the ground, though. Until that time, discussions around best practices for building terrain parks happened behind closed doors. Park departments didn’t have a seat at the table and had to fight to be taken seriously.

That was a lot of what we talked about in the early years— how to level-up our professionalism and demonstrate the business case for more support to build, maintain, and manage freestyle terrain.

Cutter’s Camp has always been a shared platform of voices and characters. Its success comes directly from the passion of those who stepped up to coach, share, inspire, participate, and support. It’s pretty friggin’ magical every year. When you are surrounded by a community of like-minded people who have your back you feel like you can accomplish anything.

So many people make Cutter’s Camp what it is. It’s a true village. To all those who shared their knowledge; to PistenBully and Prinoth and their amazing machines, without which we could not pull this off every year; to our other partners who have supported this platform—Safehold Special Risk, Arena Snowparks, Blackstrap, Effective Edge, and HKD—some for all 20 years; and to the great people of Timberline Lodge, from F&B and lodging to the amazing park crew and the guy at the top, Jeff Kohnstamm, you’ve all believed in this from the start and Cutter’s has succeeded because of your support.

Thank you.

“ The evolution of terrain parks over the last 20 years has been traced and shaped by Cutter’s Camp. Not just by the educational and coaching opportunities, but by the face to face conversations with like-minded and equally passionate park operators from around the world. There is no other event that allows for the thought-provoking conversations and idea sharing, without egos, that happens at Cutter’s Camp.”

ELIA HAMILTON, INDUSTRIAL WERKS CANADA

“ Cutter’s Camp … A unique place where even a 50-something-year-old, washed-up park dude can feel relevant.”

KEN GAITOR, SNOWSHOE, WV

“ It gave me and so many others a platform to share ideas and grow into leaders of our industry. It provided a place for us to make friendships and professional relationships that will last our entire lives and careers. Simply put, Cutter’s has provided all of us terrain park nerds with a family to share our passion and inspire each other to do great things.”

CHRIS HARGRAVE, COACH / CONSULTANT

“ I have been fortunate enough to be a participant, a host, and a panelist at various times over the past 20 years, and I would not be where I am today without those experiences. Cutter’s Camp is the one spot in North America where the beginners and the pros and everyone in between come together to understand where we are, where we came from, and where we are going in the park industry.”

BRIAN NORTON, LOON MOUNTAIN, NH

“ I have been privileged to be a presenter at just about all of the Cutter’s Camps over the last 20 years. The quality of the program, events, and activities has been impressive.”

BRAD STANFORD, FARLEIGH WADA WITT

“ As a group, we all collaborated on the growth and acceptance of the only new ‘department’ to resorts since probably when grooming was invented. The list of accomplishments of the team that started Cutter’s is amazing, and I am humbled to be a part of it.”

JAY RYDD, DIAMOND PEAK, NV

“ The primary goal at the start was to try and level the knowledge base across the country, and expose attendees to what other areas were doing, both good and bad, with the intent to improve our level of expertise. To say that the goal was met is an understatement. From that first year, when we pulled folks out of the crowd who had paid their own way to be panelists, this event has become an industry standard that continues to set the bar for freestyle terrain grooming, equipment, ideas, and the development of industry leaders.”

STEVE KRUSE, (FORMERLY) TIMBERLINE LODGE, OR

“ Cutter’s Camp continues to be one of the best, leading edge conferences in the industry where the focus is truly on the front-line employees. Every year, I am awed by camper eagerness to learn and share. The ‘stoke’ is contagious!”

MISTICA WALKER, SAFEHOLD SPECIAL RISK