Road to Gold Training Camps holds destination camps for adult figure skaters, where you pick your own classes, from single jumps and basic spins to doubles, flying spins and artistry. We talked to owner Amy Fankhauser about how the adult camps started, what a day at camp looks like and why she treats adult skaters as athletes. This interview was first published in April 2025.
Key takeaways
- Road to Gold's first destination camp, in Vail, Colorado, in 2022, was planned as a family-friendly trip, with classes for the skating parents too.
- Adults choose their own classes, so you can take as many or as few as you like.
- A typical day runs 4 to 5 hours of 35-minute classes, on and off the ice, with freestyle sessions before and after.
- Amy's message to nervous first-timers: it's a no-judgement zone with a supportive community.
Why camps just for adults
When we found out that Road to Gold was running camps specifically for adult skaters, it felt like something the community had been waiting for without knowing it was possible. These are real training camps for adults who love the ice, want to grow their skills and want to be around people who get it.
Amy Fankhauser, owner of Road to Gold, has spent years organizing high-level skating events, and she decided to offer something for adults too. We talked about what that's been like, how adult camps differ from youth camps and why this space matters. Her answers are below, lightly edited for length and punctuation.
How the adult camps started
What originally led you to host adult-specific camps? Was it something you'd been thinking about for a while?
Great question. When we joined forces with Shipstad Entertainment in 2022 to host our first destination-style camp in Vail, Colorado, we wanted it to be a family-friendly experience.
Our vision was to offer a vacation the whole family could enjoy, mixed with the magic of Road to Gold Training Camps: the chance to meet and work with some of the best in the business, and our trademark supportive community. There are so many skating families that it felt natural to offer a Road to Gold opportunity for the parents who would be there as well.
What were your expectations before that first camp? Were there any hesitations or unknowns?
To be honest, I just hoped to have a few adult skaters join us. At the time, I wasn't very familiar with the adult skating community and didn't really know what to expect. I tend to jump in feet first and learn as I go, so I knew it was worth a try, and knowing that our team loves working with adult skaters, I was ready to take the leap.
How did the actual experience compare? What surprised you most?
From the very first night, at our meet and greet, I fell in love with the adult skating community. I'm not really sure what I expected, but what I felt immediately was the mutual respect they had for one another and their pure joy for the sport itself.
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Build a bundleA day at camp
How does the energy or structure differ between youth camps and adult camps?
As far as planning goes, we wholeheartedly believe that adult skaters are athletes too, so we approach the adult camp the same way we do the youth camps, and both are structured the same way. Skaters choose individual classes, so they're in control of their schedule and can take as many or as few classes as they'd like.
I think adults are typically more interested in the why, the reasons techniques work, instead of just being told what to do. That gives our coaching team an excellent opportunity to use their expertise and really break the skills down.
What does a typical day at an adult Road to Gold camp look like?
Since each skater chooses their own classes, the days are different for each athlete. We like to start with freestyle sessions for skaters who want to warm up, practice what they learned the day before or have a private lesson with a member of our coaching team. After that we do 4 to 5 hours of 35-minute classes. There are typically two classes on the ice at a time, plus off-ice classes, so there are several options.
The day ends with more freestyle time. We try to keep classes small, under 20 skaters per class in most cases. Topics range from single jumps and basic spins to double jumps, advanced flying spins, steps and turns, and developing artistry, power and flow. Each class covers a specific topic, so you know exactly what you're getting, and we leave time for socializing after the day is over for anyone who still has the energy.
What kind of feedback have you had from skaters who've attended?
The thing that really surprised me was being told that our participants feel we treat them like athletes who are taken seriously in the pursuit of their goals, which is something they don't always feel they get. Honestly, I never considered treating adult athletes any differently from the kids we work with. Figure skaters are figure skaters. Whatever your age or skating level, the passion for the sport is the same, and both should be treated with respect.
What makes adult skaters different
What makes the adult skating community unique to you?
I think adults, more than anyone, skate for the joy of skating. The young athletes love the sport too, but for an adult to find the time in their busy adulting days to live their dream, that's special.
Why do camps like this matter so much for adult athletes?
This is truly their space to connect with our team and with other skaters from across the country, and actually from across the world, since we've been lucky enough to have some international participants too. These athletes are juggling everything grown-up life throws at them, and this is a chance for them to focus on themselves for a few days and connect with people who understand their love of the sport. I think of it as self-care.
How has your perspective on adult skating changed?
Having been invited into the adult skating community through these camps, the Road to Gold team has so much respect for these athletes. At whatever level they are, it's truly about reaching their own goals, whether that's a specific skill or medals at competition. And they do it while fully supporting those around them and being so authentically themselves.
If you're thinking about going
What would you say to someone who's nervous about signing up, maybe because they're new or haven't skated in a while?
Do it. This is a no-judgement zone, and you can pick and choose the classes you take, so you've got nothing to lose and a whole supportive community to gain.
Big thanks to Amy for taking the time to share her experience, and for creating spaces where adult skaters feel seen, supported and challenged. You can find upcoming camps and how to register at road2goldskating.com. If you're returning to the ice after a break, our guide to coming back to figure skating as an adult is a good place to start before camp.
A note for transparency: when this interview first ran in April 2025, Adults Skate Too was sponsoring Road to Gold's adult camps for that summer. Amy's answers are her own.
Sources
This is an interview, so the answers are Amy's own account, lightly edited for length and punctuation. We checked the basics in October 2026 through web search.
- Interview with Amy Fankhauser, owner of Road to Gold Training Camps, for Adults Skate Too (April 2025).
- Road to Gold Training Camps (road2goldskating.com), as listed in 2025 camp announcements: Road to Gold's camp series and website.
- Golden Skate forum, "Figure skating camps for adults": an adult camper's account of the Vail camp and its choose-your-own-classes format.
