Academy Home

Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) is fortunate to offer two academic opportunities: a ten-month public school called Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy (VSSA) and a five-month private tutorial called Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy-Winter Tutorial (VSSA-WT). VSSA was founded in the fall of 2007 as a partnership with SSCV and the Eagle County School District (ECSD), provides student athletes with a world-class winter sports program in a fully accredited and certified public school setting. VSSA is a coeducational academy. For the 2011-2012 school year there are 73 students in grades 5-8 and 76 students in grades 9-12. The majority of its students are Eagle County residents although, the academy also facilitates housing for some non-Eagle County students. VSSA-WT began in 1992 to support the academic needs of SSCV athletes. It operates October 31, 2011 to April 2, 2012 at the VSSA academic campus in Minturn, Colorado. The campus is located 8 miles from the slopes and training facilities of Vail Ski Resort.

The goal of VSSA its to challenge its student-athletes with a rigorous academic curriculum while supporting a world-class training and competition schedule. The majority of the student-athletes compete on a national or international level, which entails extensive travel during the school year. VSSA is specifically tailored to provide for the education of its oftentimes far-flung student body. Every student travels with a laptop computer. The use of innovative internet technologies allows teachers and students to remain in close communication. Students collect assignments, participate in discussion boards, take quizzes, download videos of lectures, and receive real-time instruction from teachers over the internet. VSSA’s student to teacher ratio of 16:1 allows for individualized attention. The majority of class sizes are under 20 students. Flexible scheduling is the rule. Careful planning and monitoring of each student’s course work maintains a uniform opportunity for learning. VSSA's students develop a level of independent learning that is unusual among high school students.

ECSD requires that VSSA student-athletes earn 27 credits to graduate. VSSA provides 4-5 core classes and 1 elective course. VSSA offers Advanced Placement Calculus, ACT/SAT test preparation, independent studies, online courses (supported on-site) through Aventa, Dual Enrollment English 3 and English 4 (in collaboration with the University of Colorado, Denver.) Its strongest students take the Dual Enrollment and Advanced Placement Calculus courses in their junior and senior years. In addition, VSSA requires 4 years of Advisory and 4 years of Physical Education. These two courses, while taken for credit, do not count in the student’s GPA. Many students participate in additional athletic and extracurricular activities offered by the school district. 

Spring and fall, VSSA students attend classes from 8:30 am - 3:50 pm. In the fall, conditioning begins at 4:00 pm and ends after 5:30 pm. Days and ending times vary depending on the athletes age and program. In the winter, student are in classes from 9:20 - 3:50 on Mondays. Tuesday to Friday, they train from 8:00 am – 12:00 pm on Vail Mountain and attend classes from 12:30 pm – 5:00 pm. Weekends in the winter are devoted to training. 

VSSA student-athletes train with full-time, elite coaches at SSCV in a program that is recognized internationally as one of the leading snow sports programs in the world. Current and former VSSA students have gone on to compete in the Olympics and to pursue their careers with the US Ski Team, the US Snowboard Team, and the US Freestyle Ski Team.

Eagle County School District

Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy is part of the public ECSD, to see more, go to the website: http://www.eagleschools.net/

For more information about its Parent Ambassadors program, go to the website: http://www.eagleschools.net/index.aspx?page=960

iPad 2 and Laptop Requirements 

As you are planning for the 2011-2012 school year please purchase your 5th or 6th grader the iPad2 for their classes at VSSA.  This is a requirement as a student at VSSA and is a wonderful resource for your student.  We are highly encouraging the iPad 2 and not the original iPad because iPad 2 can do a variety of more things such as video and it will be used in class.  Students with the original iPad will have more difficultly in class. 

8th-12th graders on laptops (Mac preferred as they are much more effective in the classroom)

New York Times Article 

The New York Times recently wrote an article about VSSA, check it out!  http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/12/sports/skiing/12skischool.html

VSSA Mission Statement

Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy (VSSA) provides a rigorous college preparatory academic program while supporting the athletic and personal goals of our students. In partnership with Ski & Snowboard Club Vail and the Eagle County School District, VSSA facilitates the attainment of our students’ dreams by offering challenging academics, flexible scheduling, and individualized attention.

History

In 1992, Terresa Herbst created an academic arm of SSCV called Vail Valley Academy; six students and five teachers attended. By 1996, the Vail Valley Academy enrolled 36 students. In 2007, SSCV and ECSD created the first public ski/snowboard academy in the country- VSSA. Enrollment for the first year was 31 students. In 2008, Geoffrey Grimmer became VSSA Head of School: 9th-12th grades were supported by Battle Mountain High School and Minturn Middle School were supported 6th-8th grades. With support of ECSD, in 2009 VSSA opened as the first 6th-12th public ski and snowboard school in Eagle County and the United States, with 7 full-time faculty, an office manager, a Director of College Placement and a Director of Admissions. In the 2010-2011 school year, VSSA opened with over 90 students and a full-time office manager. The goal of VSSA is to be the premier public snow sports academy by the year 2013. This goal includes a dorm facility, an athletic performance facility and a defined campus, which will allow it to grow and meet the needs of the snow sport athletes from around the world.