Snow League athletes Nick Goepper and Chase Blackwell return to High Cascade Snowboard Camp and Windells Ski Camp to inspire the next generation at Session Zero.
There are few traditions in snowboarding and freeskiing that run deeper than the annual pilgrimage to Oregon’s Mt. Hood. Every summer, the lifts spin high above Timberline Lodge as campers from High Cascade Snowboard Camp and Windells Ski Camp spend their days lapping jumps, rails and the halfpipes on the Palmer Snowfield.
This year, The Snow League kicked off summer with a takeover of Session Zero, held June 14–20, 2026.
What does a Snow League takeover look like?
It looks like Snow League athletes Nick Goepper and Chase Blackwell investing in the next generation by leading jump sessions, coaching campers through new tricks, encouraging first-ever backflips, and hunting down creative transitions on snow. It also looks like pro athletes reverting to their primal camper form.
For these Snow League athletes, Mt. Hood is personal.
Goepper, a three-time Olympic medalist and Snow League Season One standout, credits Windells with helping launch his freeskiing career. Goepper first arrived at camp as a 15-year-old kid from Indiana chasing the dream of becoming a professional freeskier.
“It was a dream come true,” says Goepper.
That dream eventually turned into a year-round commitment. Goepper stayed at camp to finish school while training on the mountain and taking advantage of the skateparks, trampolines, dry slopes and airbags.
“It was an action sports dreamland,” he says.
Now, years later, he’s the one inspiring the next generation. During Session Zero, Goepper led endless clinics and spent hours coaching and cheering on campers.
“I have this opportunity right now to inspire these kids and be a fun example for them to model their skiing and their character after,” says Goepper. “That in itself is a reason for me to continue to ski, continue to push myself, and compete on this stage, especially at The Snow League, because it gives me a platform for these kids to look up to.”
For Blackwell, the memories go just as deep.
The 2026 Olympian and top-ranked U.S. snowboarder at the close of Snow League Season One first came to camp as a seven-year-old with Colorado’s Team Summit.
“I remember pulling up and the sign said, ‘Funnest Place on Earth,’ and it truly was,” Blackwell recalls. “I remember snowboarding all day, skateboarding all afternoon until they made us go to sleep, and not showering, just having the true, proper summer camp experience.”
As a young rider, Blackwell found himself sharing sessions with snowboard legends like Keir Dillon, JJ Thomas and Steve Fisher.
“Everyone was here hiking the pipe, and I just remember those sessions being super pivotal,” he says.
Returning to Mt. Hood as a Snow League ambassador brought things full circle. Between snowboard clinics and skate sessions back at camp, Blackwell had a simple goal:
“To make their experience as fun as my experiences were.”
And that’s exactly what happened at The Snow League Session Zero, where new features were conquered and new memories were solidified on the mountain, continuing the tradition that has made Mt. Hood a summer rite of passage for generations.
And as for who won in the heavily-contested skier-versus-snowboarder dodgeball battle? Let’s just say both sides are still claiming victory.
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