You may be feeling a few nerves leading up to camp with the possible factors of unknowns such as a ski area where you may not know all of the terrain, meeting new people and the anticipation around trying different terrain or techniques on skis. However, we believe that trying new things is where growth happens (see our last blog!). We get that most people like to feel as prepared as possible when diving into a fresh experience so here is a bit of what to expect during your two-day resort camp with us.
Day One
REGISTRATION
At the set time, usually 8:20 AM the coaches will meet and greet you as you arrive at the set indoor meeting place at the base of the mountain. The coaches will make sure that you have filled out your pre-camp paperwork and get you set up with a name tag to put on the side of your helmet. If you purchased lift tickets online, pick those up at the guest services ticket window prior to registering. Then you will have a few minutes to mingle with the other ladies while you get your boots on.
INTRO + YOUR WHY
We will get started with some opening words and timing details for the day then split up into smaller groups based on your self-assessment of skills from the pre-camp questionnaire you filled out. In the smaller groups we will talk about everyone’s motivations for coming, finish getting geared up and head out to ski.
WARM UP, BODY POSITION + SKI
There will be a couple of warm up runs so everyone can get their feet under them. In the morning all of the groups will work on the foundation of body position. Good body position allows us gain stability and we will do this through some drills usually on groomers. Often campers find this a challenging part of camp because you are focusing on moving your body a bit differently than you may be used to, but these physical adjustments have big payoffs! Throughout the day the coaches will be videoing you. If weather allows, we can show you the videos on the lift, if not we will look at them at lunch and after skiing.
LUNCH
We will break for lunch around 12:30 at the base area lodge. If need be the coaches can help facilitate moving a skier to another group if their self-assessment didn’t land them in the right group.
NEW TOOLS FOR YOUR SKI GOALS
Once back out skiing we will introduce different types of turns to check speed while maintaining fluidity. Here is where we really start stepping away from what you may have learned in other ski lessons or clinics. We will do a combination of these techniques on-piste and then in more interesting terrain. We will wind down the day around 3:30- 4:00.
APRES!!
Over an after-skiing beverage of your choice we will do some video analysis. This provides some time to get to know the other skiers and to learn from the coach feedback on each other’s videos. Campers can make dinner plans with each other and then it is time to rest up for day two.
Day Two
REVIEW + WARM UP
At 8:30 AM we will meet up again at the lodge, talk about the schedule for the day and then split into our smaller groups to see what everyone’s takeaways were from day-one. Once suited up, we will head out skiing. On occasion people are a bit stiff on day-two so we always take a couple warm up runs.
MORE TOOLS + NEW TERRAIN
We will spend some time in the morning on visualizations and regrouping exercises. Then it is into terrain management techniques which will vary by the group you are in but could be anything from mini airs to trying a straight line. Again, video will be taken throughout the day. We will break for lunch mid-day. The afternoon is about putting it all together, and your coaches will help with refinements to your skiing along the way. We will have an après and go over the final videos, then goodbyes until next time.
WRAP UP
You can expect to come away from the two days with bunch of new skills and strategies for your skiing as well as some pretty funny ways to remember them! You will no doubt go home with additional confidence and joy for skiing. Guaranteed that you will make some new ski buddies who you can plan future adventures with!
Photo Credit- Mindy Wu (https://www.instagram.com/mindywu_/)