Alpine Development Program
The Alpine Development Program is for kids ages 6 - 9 (born in years 2014 - 2017) that have some skiing experience and are ready to improve their skills on the whole mountain. This program is capped at 60 participants maximum.
Head Coach Rob Parker is certified by both the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and US Ski & Snowboard in teaching kids this age.
Alpine Devo meets every Saturday and Sunday. We strongly encourage your child to attend both days each weekend as the coaching staff believes this is the best way to ensure meaningful development for your child.
Training emphasizes fun and is focused on all-mountain free skiing, age-appropriate drills, and introduction to ski racing Kids will be put into small groups by ability. Our goal is to develop their skills to ski the whole mountain well, master all snow conditions, and begin to build the foundation for a lifetime of dynamic skiing.
Alpine Development participants are eligible to compete in the Masters of the Mountain events. These events emphasize fun by including many different types of skiing: racing, freeskiing and moguls. We host one event at Saskadena 6 and there is usually at least one more at a local area such as Whaleback.
Important: Apline Development is intended for children with prior skiing experience. THIS IS NOT A LEARN-TO-SKI PROGRAM. All participants must be able to:
Manage all of their equipment (skis, boots, helmet, goggles) independently
Independently load, ride, and unload Chair 1 at Saskadena 6 safely
Ski Easy Mile at Saskadena 6 independently
If your child does not have the ability to participate due to lack of experience, we will encourage parents to utilize the Saskadena 6 Ski School for lessons (this would involve a refund of program fees).
Alpine Development Coaching Staff: Rob Parker and others.
We are actively seeking coaches: Due to the high number of and age of the participants, we are always interested in having more volunteer coaches for this age group. Do have prior skiing, ski racing, or ski instruction experience? Qualified candidates may be eligible to earn a program fee waiver for their child’s program fee. If you are interested, you can sign up for more information on our registration website or contact Club Manager Terry Hartford and/or Alpine Director Justin Lillie.
Devo Ages:
6-9 years old (DOB: January 1, 2014 - December 31, 2017)
Program Cost:
$600
Saskadena 6 Pass: Alpine Devo participants are expected to have a Saskadena 6 season pass. Ski Runners participants are eligible for the $129 “Book-it” Season pass, which can be purchased at this link.
Dates & times:
Weekends December 30 – March 10, 2024. For each age group, Ski Runners is planning for one comprehensive training session each Saturday and Sunday morning lasting between three and four hours.
DEVO participants can expect at least 2 Masters of the Mountain events.
Pre-Season Dry land training:
Alpine Devo participants do not participate in pre-season dry-land training.
Equipment:
Properly fitted ski helmet and goggles
Skis
Poles
USSA & VARA Licenses:
USSA & VARA membership is not required for participation in Alpine Development
Parent Work Obligation
1 event during 2023/24 season: Supportive parents are a crucial element of any youth sport, and that is especially true of ski racing. We cannot host events without help from our membership. Meet your fellow Ski Runners members, enjoy a great catered lunch for the race workers. It’s fun!
Alpine Devo participants compete in the Masters of the Mountain event. It is a club requirement to work your child’s event. If you are unable to work this event, please consult the complete race schedule and make alternate arrangements with Terry Hartford at office@skirunners.org.