Becoming a competitive skier or snowboarder is truly a journey, one that often begins as early as 5 years old at Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV).

Complimentary Try the Club Days
Any youngster who will be 6 years old by next season (8 for snowboarders and freeskiers) and is able to comfortably ski with poles or ride on Golden Peak and get on and off the chairlift without assistance, may spend a day with SSCV kids and coaches at SSCV’s complimentary Try the Club Days.  This is a way to sample the club, learning more about SSCV’s season long programs in anticipation of joining the Club next season.   Try the Club Days are very often the gateway to joining SSCV’s Future Stars Programs.

Future Stars Programs
The SSCV Future Stars Programs develop ski and snowboard skills in children as young as 6 years old (8 years old for freeskiers and snowboarders) in a fun and challenging season long progression introducing competition through participation in the complimentary Steadman Clinic Vail Cup competition series.

The Future Stars Program exposes skiers to alpine racing, freeski park and pipe and freestyle moguls in a season long Saturday only program. Sunday add-on days are available to allow concentration in the specific sport areas as well as coaching for the Vail Cup.  Snowboarders are exposed to boardercross, park, pipe and mini-big air through our Mini-Shreds Future Stars Program.

This broad exposure at an early age allows youngsters to build skills, experience the full variety of snow sports and begin to find their passion for a particular discipline.

Branching out and specializing in other SSCV part-time programs
Every child matures mentally and physically at a slightly different pace, as does their desire to concentrate on a particular discipline.   Ski & Snowboard Club Vail provides training and competition programming for young snowsports athletes for a variety of ages, interests and ability levels.

New this year through the support of Alpine Bank, SSCV introduced the Alpine Bank Get in the Gates Recreational Race Program. This low cost season long program allows both children and adults to run gates in SL and GS, receive some coaching and improve their skills.

Each path allows a child to learn more about their potential at their own pace, develop friendships and a lifelong passion for their sport and acquire the very best skiing and riding skills along the way in the appropriate part-time, season long training and competition setting.

Full-Time Athletics and Academic Partners
When a child’s passion for their snowsport ignites, so does the need to provide them with more time on snow along with more time developing the physical and mental attributes needed to achieve their dreams, while all the while remaining focused on their academics.  This is the point in the journey when SSCV’s full-time athlete program and it Academic Partners come into play.    Vail Ski & Snowboard Academy (the first public ski and snowboard academy in the country which is dedicated to SSCV full-time athletes in grades 5 -12), Vail Mountain School (a k-12 independent school) and SSCV Winter Tutorial provide academic options to our full-time athletes.

Once admitted as a full-time athlete, opportunities for year-round on-snow training, strength training and conditioning, sports psychology, nutrition counseling, and, for our acrobatics athletes, trampoline and water ramps become part of the regular routine.

Accessibility
Through its Opportunity Fund, SSCV seeks to ensure that any child wishing to pursue their dream in snowsports can reach their potential regardless of their means.  The Opportunity Fund is designed to not only cover a large percentage of SSCV program fees, but also provide support for advancement.

Where does this journey take our kids?
Regardless of where the journey takes our athletes, with so many paths to choose from, one thing is for certain.  A focused youngster will remain healthy of mind and body and go on to succeed in their adult life, carrying with them the character, courage and commitment they developed through the vehicle of competitive snowsports.  Any journey that takes our children “here” is certainly a journey worth taking.