Most North Americans aren’t focused on snowboarding right now. But it’s always top of mind at Oregon’s Mt. Hood, a place that has helped groom generations of world-class talent thanks to the summer riding on the Palmer Glacier. That year-round snowpack laid a foundation for the now-famous summer ski camp back in the late-1970s, and several decades later it is still a premier destination for young talent to continue training through the summer months.
In its own way, Mt. Hood is also a key player in some of today’s most iconic and recognizable follow cam imagery. Spencer Whiting, aka GimbalGod, is from Encinitas, California, but has spent his fair share of time riding at Mt. Hood when he was an up-and-coming snowboarder. His first trip came at just 12 years old and Whiting says he’s been back every summer in the 20 years since.
He says those summers at Hood are where he “learned most of the tricks I have in the halfpipe. I remember trying front 12s back in the day, and I bodied my ankle,” he recalls.
Spenny’s trip back this summer was less about tackling new tricks and more about testing new equipment, while also seeing how a bum knee he’s nursing holds up before a trip south to Chile. And just like any place where most of us spend summers during our teen years and even into our 20s, the trip brought back a lot of memories and also gave him a chance to see a younger generation work through the same steps (and pressure) he did at Mt. Hood Summer Ski Camp.
“I have an idea of what they’re going through in their head just from being in that position 10, 15 years ago,” he says. “But it’s really cool to just be up there (with) no pressure, just having fun these days.”
