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The End Of An Era: 5 Shocking Facts About The Camp Of Champions Whistler Closure And Its Lasting Legacy

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The legend of the Camp of Champions (COC) in Whistler, British Columbia, remains one of the most powerful stories in action sports history, but its operational reality is a thing of the past. As of late 2025, the iconic summer camp, which ran for 28 years, is permanently closed, having declared bankruptcy in 2017 due to unsustainable conditions on the Horstman Glacier. This closure, however, was not just the end of one camp; it signaled the beginning of the end for an entire era of summer glacier skiing and snowboarding in North America, a trend that is only accelerating today.

The Camp of Champions was a crucible for freestyle talent, a vibrant summer institution that launched the careers of countless Olympic and X Games athletes. The camp's demise is a direct and stark consequence of climate change, a powerful reminder of how rapidly the environment is reshaping the world of snow sports, with the Horstman Glacier now deemed too unsafe for summer operations by Whistler Blackcomb, a decision that has shuttered all long-running summer camps indefinitely.

The Legacy and Key Players: Camp of Champions Hall of Fame

Before its closure, the Camp of Champions was more than just a training facility; it was a cultural hub that defined summer progression for nearly three decades. Its influence stretched across the globe, attracting the best and brightest in snowboarding and freeskiing. The camp's success was largely due to the vision and relentless drive of its founder.

  • Founder and Visionary: Ken Achenbach
    • Role: Owner, Founder, and Innovator.
    • Impact: Achenbach is widely credited as one of the pioneers who brought snowboarding to Canada. He launched the Camp of Champions in 1988, making it the first summer camp on Whistler's Horstman Glacier specifically for snowboarders. He also founded the legendary Powder Room store.
    • Quote: Achenbach stated his dream was to run COC until he was 100, underscoring the heartbreak of the camp's forced closure.
  • Notable Alumni and Coaches (The COC Family)
    • Shaun White (Olympic Gold Medalist Snowboarder)
    • Scotty Lago (Olympic Bronze Medalist Snowboarder)
    • Louie Vitto (Professional Snowboarder)
    • JP Walker (Snowboarding Legend)
    • The entire Canadian slopestyle and big air team, at one point, trained at COC.
    • Other influential figures and coaches included Mark McMorris, Craig McMorris, and many more from the international freestyle community.
  • Location and Terrain Entities
    • Primary Location: Horstman Glacier, Blackcomb Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada.
    • Key Infrastructure: The Horstman T-Bar (now removed due to glacier recession).
    • Terrain: State-of-the-art terrain parks, halfpipes, and big air jumps built directly on the glacier snowpack.

The Unavoidable Truth: Why Camp of Champions Closed in 2017

The closure of the Camp of Champions in 2017 was not a financial failure in the traditional sense, but an operational one rooted in environmental crisis. The official announcement from Ken Achenbach cited the receding Horstman Glacier as the primary reason for the shutdown.

1. The Receding Horstman Glacier and Unsafe Conditions

The core of the problem was the rapid and irreversible melt of the Horstman Glacier. The glacier, the lifeblood of Whistler's summer snow sports, had been shrinking for years. By 2017, the conditions had become too precarious for the camp to operate safely and sustainably.

  • Unstable Operations: The sheer volume of snow and ice required to build and maintain the massive terrain parks became logistically impossible and financially unviable.
  • T-Bar Removal: A clear sign of the glacier's change was the eventual removal of the Horstman T-Bar. The changing profile of the glacier made the lift unsafe to operate, a decision confirmed by Vail Resorts, the parent company of Whistler Blackcomb.
  • Climate Change as the Culprit: Achenbach's open letter made it clear that global warming was the ultimate cause, forcing the camp to declare bankruptcy and return payments to booked campers.

2. The End of All Summer Glacier Skiing in Whistler

The closure of Camp of Champions was a precursor to a larger, more definitive shutdown. In a major and recent announcement, Whistler Blackcomb confirmed the indefinite suspension of all summer skiing and snowboarding operations on the Horstman Glacier for the foreseeable future.

  • Official Decision: The mountain management determined it was no longer sustainable to host *any* camps on the glacier, citing unsafe conditions due to the melt.
  • Impact on Competitors: This decision directly affected the last remaining major summer camp, Momentum Camps, which had been a long-running fixture alongside COC.
  • The 2025 Reality: For the 2025 season, Momentum Camps was forced to pause its traditional glacier operations, instead offering only a limited number of early-season camps in May before the summer conditions became too challenging. This confirms that the era of traditional summer glacier camps in Whistler is effectively over.

What Are the Current Alternatives to Camp of Champions?

While the glory days of the Horstman Glacier are over, the spirit of freestyle training in Whistler lives on. Athletes and enthusiasts have pivoted to new locations and year-round programs to continue their progression.

1. The Next Generation of Whistler Camps

Although glacier training is suspended, some Whistler-based camps have adapted by shifting their focus to off-season training or utilizing the resort's other amenities.

  • Momentum Camps: Still committed to a future for summer training, Momentum has adjusted its schedule. For 2025, they are offering limited May camps and are actively exploring new training options, such as dryslope facilities or international glacier alternatives.
  • Pro-Ride Snowboard Camps: This camp continues to operate in Whistler, focusing on year-round programs for Freeride, Freestyle, Backcountry, and Snowboard Instructor Training Courses. They provide a comprehensive experience that utilizes the mountain during the regular season and focuses on off-snow training and coaching during the summer months.

2. International and North American Glacier Alternatives

For those seeking the unique experience of summer glacier skiing or snowboarding, the focus has shifted away from Whistler to other locations that still have viable summer snowpacks.

  • Mount Hood, Oregon, USA: Home to the famous Windells and High Cascade camps, Mount Hood remains the primary destination for summer glacier training in North America. The Palmer Glacier is the last remaining major summer snowfield for this type of camp.
  • Europe (Les Deux Alpes, Zermatt): European glaciers, though also facing challenges, still offer summer skiing and snowboarding options, attracting high-level professional teams for off-season training.

The Camp of Champions may be gone, but its legacy is etched into the DNA of modern freestyle skiing and snowboarding. Its story serves as a powerful, real-world example of how the climate crisis is irrevocably changing the landscape of mountain sports, forcing a new era of innovation and adaptation.

The End of an Era: 5 Shocking Facts About the Camp of Champions Whistler Closure and Its Lasting Legacy
camp of champions whistler
camp of champions whistler

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