Interview With
Daniel Hammond
Pali Adventures has been operating as a residential summer camp in it’s current location since 1999. For 10 years prior to this Pali Camp operated as a day camp in the Pacific Palisades area and that is where we got our name.
Pali Adventures is located in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California, just outside of the small town of Running Springs. We are between 65 and 95 miles from Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.
We believe in providing the best of all worlds for each child’s summer. In an extraordinarily safe environment, under the supervision of exemplary staff, each camper will experience cutting-edge adventures led by experienced professionals. Campers are encouraged to develop their talents and experience independence by having the opportunity to select their morning specialty, afternoon activities and even some of their evening activities. We value respect, kindness, determination, courage and creativity.
Pali has 18 different specialty camp programs. Each program runs for 3 hours each morning every single week during the summer. Campers choose to focus on one specialty program for each week that they spend with us. There really is something to suit everyone including: Acting, Broadcasting, Culinary, Dance, DJ, Extreme Action, Fashion, Film, Flying Trapeze, Girl Power, Hollywood Stunts, Leadership, Motor Sports, Movie Make-up, Rock Star, Secret Agent, Wacky Science, and Water Sports.
A lot of the activities that are included in our specialty programs are also available for the campers to select each afternoon as part of our elective program. If campers are feeling adventurous they can choose from Paintball, High Ropes, ATV’s, Laser Tag or Archery. If campers are feeling a little more creative they can choose from Arts & Crafts, Culinary, Fashion or Make-up activities. For those that have already had an exciting morning and want a more relaxing afternoon campers can choose from the Pool, Camper Lounge, Mani’s & Pedi’s, Card Games or Karaoke. We offer over 50 elective activities each week so there are always many options and opportunities for campers to try something new.
All of our sessions run for one week. Throughout the summer each Sunday is an arrival day and each Saturday is a departure day. Campers are able to stay with us for as many sessions as they like and there is no extra charge for staying on the Saturday night. A one-week session is $1,865. A two-week session is $3,600. A four-week session is $6,900.
We will have just over 100 staff members this summer. This figure represents the number of staff who is actually working directly with the campers and does not include kitchen, maintenance, housekeeping or sales staff. We like to keep our camper to counselor ratio as close to 3:1 as possible. Potential staff members are able to apply through our website. We have been in contact with and visited a number of universities in California as well as the mid west to advertise positions we are currently hiring for. We also use a couple of international staffing agencies to recruit staff from all over the world.
Unique programs, a lot of variety and the opportunity for each camper to choose the programs and activities that most interest them. While many camps offer a lot of the same individual activities that Pali does I believe that the structure of our specialty programs really allow campers to learn and develop new skills that are not typically found at home or school. With all of our exciting programming parents want to know that their child will be safe. We are accredited by the American Camping Association, which means that we either meet or exceed over 300 standards designed to ensure the safety and enjoyment of campers and staff members. Our staff completes a full 14 days of training prior to the arrival of our campers. Every staff member is certified in first aid/ CPR/ AED and undergoes training in a number of areas such as bullying, age characteristics, emergency procedures and homesickness in order to give them the skills to be the best counselor they can be.
Enrollment opens October 1st and continues until just before our last session of camp in August. While it is possible for parents to enroll their camper just a day before a session starts we do reach capacity in both individual specialties and entire sessions. It is best to enroll as early as possible to ensure your first choice of session and specialty has not already reached its capacity.
We have many campers who travel great distances to spend time at Pali each summer. Last summer campers visited us from 38 states and 23 different countries. We have a lot of experience collecting campers from both Los Angeles International and Ontario airports. Parents can feel comfortable sending their camper to us as an unaccompanied minor on a flight as we will have a staff member waiting for their arrival at the airport. We also provide transportation to and from Pali for those who live in the Southern California area and would prefer not to drive all the way to camp. We pick up from, and drop off to, the Federal Building in Los Angeles, Fashion Valley Mall in San Diego and South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa.
Our office team is by the phone, ready to answer any questions and take enrollments from 9am – 5pm, Monday through Friday. From February to May we usually have someone in the office on the weekends as well. Parents are also able to enroll online through our website.
