9/28/2009

Woodward at Copper FAQ

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Since I worked at Woodward at Copper, I get a lot of general questions. What a better place to address those questions than on my blog? If you haven't checked out the barn yet, I would highly suggest it. It's the perfect place to progress without killing yourself. Plus, it's the only facility of it's kind in the entire world, so take advantage of it!

For those of you who haven't heard of it, check out this video.

In the summer we have week long camps, as well as drop-in sessions. We did in fact have snow all summer, and had 2 awesome terrain parks. (Add me on facebook for tons of pictures!) During the winter we have day camps Fri-Sun and drop-in sessions everyday from 2pm-8pm. The Sessions start at 2:00, 4:00, and 6:00, but get there at least a half hour early, especially if you're coming on the weekend.

*NEW* Woodward at Copper now offers LADIES NIGHT and LOCALS SKATE FREE NIGHT!
Every Wednesday locals can skate free from 6-8pm and every Thursday ladies get 50% off their One Hit Wonder or a drop-in session at 6pm!




Q: The question I'm asked most is probably "So like, how does this work? What do I do?"
A: Well, first you have to go in and take your One Hit Wonder, which is a ONE TIME fee of $69. A One Hit Wonder is a 1hr 45min intro class. We teach you how to use all the equipment (minus skate features) and make sure you know what you're doing. Part of the class is on the gymnastics floor, part on the trampolines, and part on the snowflex. After that, you can come to any of the daily drop-in times for $29.

Q: Do I need to sign a liability waiver to session in the barn?
A: Yes.  Participants under the age of 18 will need a parent/gaurdian to sign their waivers.  Copies of the waivers can be printed off of www.woodwardatcopper.com so your parents can fill it out before you go.


Q: What is snowflex? How does it work?
A: Snowflex is a synthetic surface that feels a lot like thick astroturf, but a lot gnarlier. We coat it with a silicone/water mix to the shredders preference. The more we coat it, the faster you'll go. If you have any wax on your board or skis, we have a table for you to scrape off as much as you can. Otherwise you'll go super slow on the snowflex and your wax will leave a black streak going down the white surface.


Q: Is it true that snowboarding is harder than skiing on snowflex? If so, why?
 A: Yes. Skiers can correct their speed by making a wedge. It's difficult to carve on snowflex because snowboarders have to keep their boards flat or they slide out.
 
Q: What do I need to bring?
A: If you're taking your One Hit Wonder, bring your boots, skis or snowboard, a helmet, and the clothes listed below.

Q: What should I wear?
A: If you are doing your One Hit Wonder, I highly suggest shorts, a T-Shirt, and then sweatpants and a sweatshirt for when you're on the Snowflex. Many people don't take that advice seriously. Snowflex is a very unforgiving material, and if you fall with just shorts on, it will take off your skin and leave a very gnarly wound. The kicker drop is a 43 degree angle, so if you fall at the top, you're going to slide all the way down. I would also highly recommend pipe gloves.

Q: What shouldn't I wear?
A: Jeans, Jewelry, Hats. You are allowed to wear socks while you are on the gym floor or trampolines (except the tumble track), however I wouldn't suggest them. The foam pit will eat them, and it makes the trampolines and floor slippery. Also, don't have anything in your pockets. If you go into the foam pit and lose your phone or keys, you won't get them back. We have 24,000 blocks of foam and the pits are 8+ feet deep. In June I found a pair of goggles that were reported lost in January.

Q: Do I have to take a One Hit Wonder if I just want to jump on the trampolines?
A: YES.

Q: Is there like a season pass or something?
A: No. You can buy a 5 punch pass for $100, which is 5 drop-in sessions for the price of 4. Or a 10 punch pass for $180.

Q: Do I have to take the One Hit Wonder if I just want to skate?
A: No. Anyone can go to the barn and skate all day for $10. Bring your helmet.


Q: Is it true that if you pay $100 more on your Colorado Pass that you get to ride at Woodward?
A: No! I can't count the amount of times I've been asked this question. That rumor is false. The Colorado Pass is for Vail Resorts, Copper Mountain is owned by Intrawest. Also, Woodward is still a Woodward Camp, therefor isn't even affiliated with Copper passes.

9/23/2009

September Snow Storms

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Loveland and Copper started blowing snow! Shred season is getting so close, so I thought it would be fun to post a blog with some shred vids!

 Meet BIRK IRVING. 9 years old from Winter Park, CO.


Meet EVAN MCEACHRAN. 12 years old from Ontario, Canada.




Meet KELLY SILDARU. 7 years old from Estonia.



9/21/2009

Hey CMC!

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What's up everyone?! First of all, I'd like to say I'm so stoked to be the new Breckenridge blogger for CMC. But before I get started, let me introduce myself. My name is Ali Gingras, I'm 19 years old and originally from Wisconsin. In the summer I worked at an action sports camp called Woodward at Lake Owen and was a snowboard instructor in the winter. I came out in May to check out CMC Steamboat and ended up getting a job interview at Woodward at Copper. I went home and two weeks later I was living in Copper Mountain as the first female counselor ever at Woodward at Copper. Epic! It wasn't long before I realized I wanted to work at Woodward year round  as a coach and go to school in Breck, so here I am!

I started snowboarding when I was 12 years old. Last season I rode almost 6 days a week and progressed a lot. In late January I fell off an 8 foot flat-down rail and got a hematoma on my side that had 2 1/2 pints of blood in it. Long story short, I fell on it again a few weeks later and decided I needed a break from snowboarding, but I couldn't stay off the snow. So with about 2 weeks left in the season I decided to put on my friends skis, and I haven't put on my snowboard since. I still love snowboarding and I'm still going to do it this season. Skiing just comes a lot more natural, and it's super exciting learning something new.

Besides shredding, I love traveling, kayaking, hiking, mountain biking, photography, my dogs... the list goes on and on. I've gotten to travel to a lot of cool places, and really it's only fueled me to want to travel more. Hopefully I'll get to travel to Africa in the next few years to volunteer. I'm also hoping to finish up my last two years of college in New Zealand. My dogs Dillon and Dan are like my kids. They're back at home with my parents, but hopefully someday I'll be able to get them out here.

But enough about me! This is my 5th week here at CMC, and time is flying by! I'm taking four classes: English Comp, Western Civilization, Intro to Business, and Public Speaking. In my second week of Public Speaking we had to give a speech about a story or event in our life that defines who we are. To say the least it was probably the most interesting 3 hours of school I've had yet. There was a girl who has moved 18 times and gone to 11 different schools. There was a guy who dropped out of school his freshman year to travel around Europe and work. There was a guy who was raised in Palestine and was finally sent to the U.S. after his school was bombed. There were two guys who are from Guatemala, one who didn't speak a word of English when he moved here 3 years ago. There was a guy who talked about his struggle with Cystic Fibrosis, and a 34 year old who was a "punk" as a teenager and is now a monk who funded his schooling by painting religious pictures and selling them. I would have never guessed moving to Breckenridge that my classes would be so diverse.

I know this is old news, but that's what happens when you have to catch up! Two weeks ago I woke up and noticed there was a weird yellow tint in the sky. By the time I walked out my door to go to class the surrounding mountains in Copper Mountain were covered in smoke, and I smelt a light scent of fire. I was kind of baffled because I hadn't heard of any fires in the area. As I drove to school I realized that it wasn't just the Copper area, all of Summit County was covered. It turns out the smoke was from the Californian fire in the Angeles National Forest, which is north of Los Angeles. Since August 26th the fire has burned more than 140,000 acres, and the smoke has traveled as far as the Louisiana Gulf Coast!
(Taken via my iPhone of Lake Dillon)


Back at home in Wisconsin my friends are telling me that the temperatures are still in the high 70's to mid 80's. It's crazy because all the leaves are changing here, and there's already been mornings when snow is covering the peaks.

(Taken via my iPhone of the changing leaves in Copper Mountain.)



Today I woke up to a surprise. I opened my shades a crack and the light nearly blinded me. I thought it seemed a lot brighter outside, so I rubbed my eyes and opened my shades all the way to see a snow storm! It's September 21st and we had a snow storm!

(Taken via my iPhone in Copper Mountain.)




 

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