Why Does Team Gilboa Offer Camps?

As a value-added service to our members, Team Gilboa offers “annual camps” and “pop-up camps” in addition to our regularly scheduled programming at Hyland Hills. These camps are not included in the annual Team Gilboa registration fee – and they are optional. Camps have separate registration processes. They are not designed to make a profit for the club; they are budgeted to break-even (registration revenue = camp expenses). This document describes why we feel camps are such a vital part of our programming portfolio, in addition to daily on-snow training at Hyland and off-season dryland training.

Annual Camps

• Europe Camp - Austria (MEA week in October). 6-7 days on-snow.
•  Early Fall Camp (Early November in Colorado). 3-4 days on snow.
• Thanksgiving Camp (Thanksgiving week in Colorado). 6-7 days on snow.
• Spring Camp (Early-mid May in Colorado). 4-8 days on snow.

Pop-up Camps (depending on race schedule)

• Mont-du Lac weekend camp
• Mt. LaCrosse weekend camp
• Lutsen weekend camp

Camps provide great exposure to more challenging terrain and longer courses. 
Our daily training at Hyland is a great venue because of the proximity to home, quick laps, and high volume. It’s a great place to work on and solidify the fundamentals of skiing and ski racing. However, the terrain at Hyland is limited in respect to length, pitch, and variability.
That’s where camps come in. We plan and operate in-state and out-state camps at venues that challenge our athletes more than Hyland can. If your athlete wants to improve at a faster rate or compete at the Rocky/Central regional level (U12 Rocky champs, U14/U16 Junior Champs, and FIS races), they must be exposed to more challenging terrain and longer courses. Ski racing has so many variables – snow conditions, undulating terrain, course length, weather, course sets, elevation, etc. Learning and adapting to these variabilities are considered “soft skills.” Repetition and exposure to variable terrain helps build competency in these environments. 

Camps provide great exposure to full-day consecutive training days. When we train at Hyland, our athletes arrive after school (except on the weekends) and train for about two hours. Then they go home and often work on homework or go to bed. At camps, our programming is designed around the entire day. We usually schedule training in the morning hours to utilize firm snow and new daylight. In the morning, our bodies and minds
are fresh, much like on race day. With the full day available, we often watch video, tune skis, and/or do some type of dryland, after on-snow training. We round out the day with dinner and a team meeting right before bed. These full training days provide great opportunity for learning and improvement, in all aspects of the sport. When we stack these full training days in consecutive order, huge advancements can be made.

Camps provide great life skills training with our “Team Travel” option
The “Team Travel” option, often offered only to U16 and older athletes, allows athletes to travel without their parents, emphasizing independence within a team environment: traveling, training, lodging, and eating together as a team. The “Team Travel” option encourages athletes to take ownership of their training day alongside their teammates and coaches. Throughout a rigorous daily schedule, the athletes are expected to be on time to all activities, including meals, departures to the hill, on-snow training, video sessions, homework sessions, meetings, and bedtime. Time management skills are honed as me move from one activity to the next. Living with a roommate(s) can also be a very educating experience, as athletes work together to manage all their gear in an organized manner. The social dynamics of this situation mimic a college dorm and can strengthen – or stress – relationships. Learning how to work through these dynamics is a step in the direction of adulthood. Throughout a weeklong camp, there are many life skills introduced and practiced. 

Camps provide great family memories with our “On-Snow Only” option
 The “On-Snow Only” option allows athletes to travel, lodge and share meals with their parents and to train on-snow with the team during the training session. The “On-Snow Only” option allows families to travel together to our camps. It allows logistical flexibility for families to choose their own transportation, food, and lodging. In this situation, many parents choose to ski recreationally while their athlete is training with the team. These family ski trips are a win for the family and athlete, and have turned into cherished memories for Gilboa families over the club’s many decades.

Need-based financial aid is available.  Submit inquiries to financialaid@teamgilboa.com at least one month prior to camp.