Words: Josh Bishop

Photos: Darcy Bacha (darcybachaphotography.com) & Josh Bishop

If you are searching for a living definition of exhilaration, a place of perpetual stoke, never ending stimulation, and infinite opportunity, Windells Camp is your answer. Nestled in a sparsely inhabited stretch of highway in Welches, Oregon, the former Shamrock Motel houses one of the premiere ski, snowboard, bmx, and skate camps in the world. On campus, endless skateable features blend seamlessly with the trees and pathways that connect the cabins, dining hall, dirt jumps, a demo center packed with 2010 – 2011 products, a camp store, various video game lounges, a convenience store, a concrete park, and a massive Building Out Back (B.O.B) with two fly bed trampolines, a foam pit, and a skatepark. New for 2010, dryslope areas ensure campers can stay in their boots 12 hours a day. However, this information is common knowledge to anyone that keeps up with blog posts and twitterbook updates of the "Funnest Place on Earth."

The real magic of Windells is not in the features around camp but in the campers that attend. The real magic of Windells is throwing your arms in the air and screaming as loud as possible after you stomp your first backflip, nollie 180 blunt, or switch dub 10. The real magic of Windells is the stories and photos from each session as the weeks blur into an endless barrage of high fives, smiles, and goggle tans. Welcome to Session 1, 2010. Welcome to Summer!

Dryslope is a remarkable invention that keeps kids skiing without natural or man-made snow. On arrival day, Stephen Chaikovsky and Windells Academy student Nick Goepper hiked the freshly built dryslope for hours in the rain. What savages!

Smiles and product tosses, two ingredients of summer.

With a basketball hoop located at the end of the dinner line, participating in games of knockout is far more enjoyable than patiently waiting for food. Below, John Spriggs puts his height to use and eyes up another shot.

Steve Stepp (aka Dumpster Mummy, aka Mr. Trash, aka Green Goblin) gets blunted with a cork 9 over some campers.

Campers Joe and Tyler are 9 and 8 years old!

Day in, day out, campers say outrageous things. Rather than keep these glorious quotations to ourselves, a few coaches started a Twitter page (twitter.com/camperquotes) to keep everyone informed. Here are a few favorites:

“Witt is definitely in his mid-thirties, for sure" - camper to camper regarding 22-year-old head ski coach, Witt Foster.

“Dude! Two Surface athletes and two Line athletes are riding the lift. That's so sick. Wait…I see Bobby Brown! That's even sicker!”

“I thought I was a dog in kindergarten and got kicked out for crawling around and licking some girl" - Hornbeck's camper.

Trying tricks on skis can be intimidating and dangerous, Thankfully, with two fly beds connected to a foam pit, you can attempt as many doubles as you need before taking them to snow. Progression made safe at Windell’s Camp!

Fresh for 2010, Windells made a serious addition to their concrete park.

This here is Josh Bishop. He’s a 20-year-old snowboarder from Colorado that works in the kitchen. Crazy hey?

After a day of shredding, campers can enjoy authentic summer camp activities, like tetherball, camp fires, and running through the mud. Along with being an absolute blast, the winning camper received a full setup from Sessions Outerwear.

This camper won a pair of goggles for being the muddiest after the race! Well done Decaf!

See you at Session 2!

Stay tuned for more updates on Windells Camp, and make sure to check everyone out on Facebook and Twitter for the latest in microblogging from the funnest place on earth! @bishopjosh, @camperquotes, @windellscamp, @ben_moxham, @collincollins, @dania_assaly, @bankzg, @surfaceskis.