Paddling parents looking to pass on their passion for watersports, while maintaining their summer sanity, look no further. We all want to do our best to inspire, teach and motivate our children to follow in our footsteps, experience outdoor adventure, and become stewards of the natural resources that make these activities possible — and Boulder-based Avid4 Adventure summer camps for kids might just have the answer.
Standing out amongst the usual summer camp competition with its unique approach to risk assessment, learning progression, and world-class staff, Avid4 Adventure has helped nurture an extraordinary number of future outdoorists since its inception 15 years ago.
Now, building on its popular Day Camps and Overnight Camps, Avid4 is launching a new suite of one-week Expedition Camps this summer. Expeditions will start and end in Boulder, Colorado, but are not just for Coloradans — Avid4 Adventure draws campers from around the world.
Expedition campers will sleep in tents every night, and adventure every day. By choosing to focus on mountain biking, rock climbing, a multi-sport experience, or a pure backpacking journey, in addition to exploring spectacular surroundings and logging plenty of practice in their sport of choice, campers will learn lasting skills in everything from gear management, to cooking outdoors, to problem solving and teamwork. These are the kind of lifelong decision making skills that leave kids feeling confident and empowered.
Expeditions will take participants to some of the best spots for outdoor recreation in Colorado and Wyoming that will even make their parents jealous. From multi-sport adventures at Steamboat Lake State Park, to backpacking in Rocky Mountain National Park, mountain biking and climbing in Wyoming’s Curt Gowdy State Park, and rock climbing in Colorado’s Staunton State Park.
According to Avid4 CEO Paul Dreyer, “Avid4 Adventure specializes in helping kids gain self-confidence in order to launch them into a lifetime of adventure. Our small group expeditions will be the pinnacle opportunity for kids to get that confidence and feel empowered – both in the outdoors and in a group of peers.”
These groundbreaking, one-week Expedition Camps are designed to transport rising 5th to 12th graders to some of the most stunning, secluded natural spaces in Colorado and Wyoming for an authentic and transformational experience.
Expedition Camps are tailored for youth craving a genuine outdoor experience in a small-group setting. Avid’s eye-opening expeditions give adventurous campers the know-how and confidence they need for all of the adventures they will encounter in life.
Avid4 Adventure was born from a passion to instill in kids a love of outdoor activities — and in so doing, to ensure the future of our planet. The founders of Avid4 Adventure, coming from a background in the outdoor industry and adventure sports, recognized the declining rates of youth participation in sports, coupled with crippling cuts to physical education program budgets in schools, and ever-increasing hours of screen time amongst kids. They saw a need not just to get kids outside, but to set them on a lifelong trajectory of outdoor adventure and stewardship.
Avid4 is currently working toward its B-Corp Certification and should be the only B-Corp Certified outdoor adventure camp by this summer when camps begin.
Avid4 Adventure camps give kids not only a safe place to start outdoors, but all the room to grow as participants build skills in a wide range of adventure sports, from mountain biking to hiking, kayaking to rock climbing. And this runs the gamut of age groups, from encouraging a 3-year-old find balance on a Strider bike, to teaching a 12-year-old to navigate singletrack. Avid4 camps build the determination, confidence and grit necessary to thrive not only in the outdoors, but in daily life.
Families can register online now for all 2019 Avid4 Adventure camp opportunities — including day camps, resident camps, and now, expedition camps. Expeditions are grouped by age and open to rising 5th-12th graders. Day Camps (available in Colorado, California, and Oregon) are grouped by age and open to kids Pre-K through 8th grade.