Hello SWSC Alpine -

Ski racers of all ages benefit hugely from a mix of spring, summer and fall skiing opportunities. ‘Off-season’ skiing windows focus on distinct areas of the sport, from technique to gear to gate training to dry-land training.

The main thing to know about non-winter skiing at the younger ages is that athletes should be involved in multiple sports. If you are facing a choice between warm weather sports activity and skiing at any point in the warm-weather seasons, I suggest going with the former.

That said free skiing its always valuable in April and May at the end of the Stratton season, at Killington or Sugarbush for a few weeks after we close, or out west. This is a time for skiers to explore the range of new technique they acquired during the year, improve their snow feel in variable conditions, and have tons of fun in the sun! This window of ski time can also be an ideal opportunity to size up skis, or (for older skiers) test different brands. In my opinion gates are not a priority during late spring.

June brings more intensive summer ski camps. This year I will be joining our colleagues at SMS to coach at the SMS Mt Hood Camp. SWSC recommends this camp as the best US-based midsummer opportunity for SWSC U10/12/14 skiers.

Led by our own U14 Head Coach Rodney Calafati, DJSR offers excellent indoor camps at Big Snow (New Jersey) in July and October. These sessions are incredibly efficient and feature high quality coaching and reps close to home. Given the venue, the focus at these camps is skills and SL. SWSC coaches often feature on the staff of DJSR camps and I hope to coach at least one camp this year. DJSR camps are a no-brainer for SWSC participants.

SMS also offers a dry-land camp here at Stratton in late July. In line with my recommendation to keep skiers active in a variety of sports and activities we recommend trying out the SMS HP Summer Performance Camp if you plan to be in Vermont during this time.

Finally, late fall camps are invaluable in getting skiers rolling physically and ironing out equipment updates. Year after year we see skiers who start the SWSC season ready to make progress right off the bat because of Thanksgiving prep. This year, our Alterra colleagues at Winter Park will host the SMS Thanksgiving Camp.

SMS Camps – Mt Hood (June) – Stratton (July) – Winter Park (Thanksgiving): https://www.gosms.org/athletics/nextgen-campsprograms

DJSR Camps – Big Snow (July and October): https://dontjustski.com/

Older athletes may reach out directly to head coaches or to me about additional summer camp opportunities in Europe.

I’ll hold a Q&A about camps and other additional ski opportunities this Saturday at 3:30pm in the upper room of the Ski & Board Club (immediately above the guest services ticket windows). Detail on this weekend’s training and racing is in the relevant Team App calendar entries.

Jason
jweinberger@stratton.com