Snow School FAQ

General FAQs

People of the same “reservation group” may ride the lift together so lessons can ride with their instructor or students in their lesson.

We don’t know yet. We will follow state and CDC guidance. Mask mandates can change at anytime and we encourage you to be prepared to wear masks in lessons.

We will release a rental fitting times schedule in December to ensure the participant has proper fitting equipment. Rentals for multi-week programs and vacation week programs MUST be pre-fit. Stay tuned for pre – fit appointments!

Ski Ward does not offer refunds or credits. Refunds (cash, credit, rain checks, etc) will not be issued for withdrawal from the program and/or for equipment rental.

Lessons start promptly at the time you booked it. Group lessons will be leaving the lesson meeting area at that time so if you are late your child may miss the lesson. Time will not be added on to your lesson if you are late, it will end as scheduled.

Some lesson packages come with additional free ski or ride time after the lesson. This free ski or ride time is UNSUPERVISED and an instructor will NOT be present. You need to decide whether or not your child is capable of participating in this and responsible enough to do so. Arrange a meeting spot with your child to meet them at the end of free ski.

We are going to try our best to run walk- in group lessons. Please note this could change at anytime in accordance with local and state guidance.

There is no guarantee that participants in Little Stars and Small Tracks will be riding the chairlift this year. Whether or not children ride the chairlift in these programs will be up to instructor/operator discretion and can change at any time. Children will be taught to use the T-Bar when they are at the appropriate level to do so as an alternative to the chairlift. Children in Little Stars and Small Tracks programs will not always ride the T-Bar with an instructor, they may ride the T-Bar alone, this is up to instructor/operator discretion.

Skiing and snowboarding is a winter sport. Make sure to dress appropriately for weather- this includes a hat, gloves, insulated pants (ideally snow pants), a warm, insulated jacket and wool socks. If it’s snowing or we’re making snow, you may want a pair of goggles and/or a face mask. Please have the kids ready to stay outside for the duration of the entire class.

The best way to communicate with the Snow School is by email. Both the director and manager check the emails often both during open hours and at times during the night when the mountain is closed. We respond to emails faster than leaving voice mail. If you need to speak to the Snow School Staff, send an email with a short message about the nature of your inquiry with a convenient time frame and a number to get a call back. If you like to book a private lesson, please do so online.

You must pay for your lessons online in order for them to be booked. Putting a lesson in your cart does NOT register you, you must complete checkout. To check your reservation after payment, please login to your account and click the My Account button on the top right hand corner of the screen. In your account tab you can update skill levels for participants and check all of your reservations.

Multi-Week Lesson FAQs

Children are separated by both age and ability so instructors can cater teaching styles to their unique needs.

ONLY lessons cancelled by Ski Ward will be rescheduled. If you or your child misses a lesson for personal reasons including but not limited to, scheduling conflicts, weather, ect. and Ski Ward has still held the lesson (i.e. we did not cancel or reschedule) you/your child will NOT receive a makeup lesson, credit, or refund.

The 4-7 year old programs will have a max of 6 children per instructor. Ages 8-14 programs will have a maximum of 7 children per instructor. Group sizes are often smaller though as we try to make the best possible learning environment for your child.

What level is my child?

Skiing

Level 1: First time; never skied before

Level 2: Beginner; not quite able to stop and make turns yet

Level 3: Stopping, turning, using a lift on easy terrain

Level 4: Knows how to ride a chair lift and ski well on moderate terrain

Level 5: Ready to learn more advanced technical skiing skills

Level 6: Advanced parallel skiers looking for new challenges

Snowboarding

Level 1: First time; never boarded before

Level 2: Tried boarding before but needs more help

Level 3: Introduction to tows/lifts. Can stop under control

Level 4: Can ride beginner lifts. Can link turns on beginner terrain

Level 5: Ability to use chair lift and intermediate terrain

Level 6: Ability to ride intermediate terrain. Efficient and effective riding under all terrain and snow conditions

Level 7: Beginning 180’s (frontside and backside). Comfortable in bumps, gates, and rails