Then there's the occasional magazine flip-through on the local rack. It's almost nauseating to feel so distanced from that love of snow under your feet, that cold wind in your face. You try to remind yourself of the sound your board makes when you carve. You bring the magazine into the freezer with the hopes of recalling a glimpse. All to no avail. You're wearing sandals, shorts and shades and you couldn't be further from snow. What's a rider to do?

The good news is that boarding camp ain't no boot camp and it ain't all about boarding. I checked out Mount Hood's summer fun last year so this year I weaseled my way up to Whistler (under the excuse of possible personal sponsorship of Kokanee) to see how the glaciers and camps were holding up.

The camps are a-plenty and cater to every discipline possible. Each camp keeps pretty much to their one little piece of the glacier for their session. I checked out the big 'ol Camp of Champions, which included skiers and snowboarders for the first time this summer, and found them all launching in perfect harmony. The other boarding camps include Glacier Snowboard Camp and Whistler Summer Snowboard Camp each with its own staff of ripping pro riders.

They all get grinding in June and end by mid-July. The snow only stays slick in the morning so pack your nugz and get on the bus early. Oh yeah, the bus. It'll remind you of summer school. That is, as long as you got out of summer school this year. Yeah, like you don't know what I'm tawkin' bout, eh?

Here the T-bars take over and each camp has its own piece of the pie. I jibbed on down to meet up with local Glacier Camp coach and boardercrosser extraordinaire Drew Neilson for a little summer reflection and survey of the situation. When the opportunity to whack a few golfballs at the lift shack below became a thing to behold, our converstaion was cut very short. But after ski patrol put a halt to our fun, the U-trench and the quarter pipe began boosting up hungry campers. So Drew excused himself because he couldn't resist the big booter.

Then, as if the young happy campers showing me up at every hit wasn't enough, I opted to get the bike beat outta me along some of Whistler's fine bike trails. The kids made me bleed and laughed as I ate dirt and whimpered. Being camp and all, they waited and cheered as I got back in the saddle and tried to remember what it was like before I knew pain. Biking, however, is only a piece of the freewheelin' fun to be had at camp.

Since the board companies all sponsor the summer fun, there's plenty of equipment to demo and plenty of swag to pass along to the happy campers for any reason, from good attitude to best crash off the quarter pipe.

All in all, it's a great way to spend your paper route money, gain some skills and make some lasting friendships.