Browse StagesSkier Essentials
FORM THE FOUNDATION
In the Skier Essentials stage, skiers continue to develop fundamental movement and skiing skills in fun, structured and unstructured environments. Providing fun, inclusive and developmentally appropriate physical activity experiences will promote the development of a child's confidence and desire to ski. Skiers at this stage are focused on developing technical skiing skills in a wide variety of training and competition environments.
- Boys 6-9
- Girls 6-8
- Snow Stars 1-5
- Club Level
- Local Club and Inter-club skill events
KEY CONCEPTS
Skiers are still in the discovery stage while they continue to develop overall movement competency by skiing around obstacles through a variety of terrain including small features in the terrain park. Skiers should focus on maintaining and generating speed using a range of turn shape and radii. Skiers are aiming to symmetrically carve their skis cleanly.- The focus is on the consolidation and refinement of fundamental movement and skiing skills in various environments on and off the snow.
- The focus remains on the discovery of skiing and fun while consolidating the fundamental technical skiing skills.
- During this stage, a skier’s coordination of movement will be inconsistent in a variety of on-snow environments. As skiers gain strength and confidence in their skiing skills, their technical skiing skill execution will become more consistent and appear to be seamless regardless of the environment.
- Skiers should participate in Snow Stars Levels 1 -5.
- In the winter months, children should strive to attain as many days on snow as possible by participating in an introductory structured ski program and skiing with parents as often as possible to increase mileage.
- Children should aim to achieve 180 minutes of activity per day, with 60 of those minutes spent completing some vigorous physical activity.
- Activities should include significant time for repetition, require minimal correction allowing children to test their limits and improve their abilities through self-discovery experiences safely.
- Activities should be helping children build confidence and competence as they engage in physical activity and skiing in structured and unstructured environments.
- Emphasize the overall development of the child’s physical capacities, fundamental movement skills and the ABCs of athleticism: agility, balance, coordination, and speed.
- Develop skills by exposing participants to a variety of environments both indoors and outdoors, on land, ice, and snow, in the air, in and on the water.
REFERENCES:
ACA LTAD Training and Competition Focus Matrix
ACA LTAD Training and Competition Volume Matrix
ACA LTAD SX Progression Matrix
ACA LTAD Para-Alpine Progression Matrix
Sport for Life - Long Term Development in Sport & Physical Activity 3.0 Higgs, Colin & Way, Richard & Harber, Vicki, Jurbala, Paul, Bayli, Istvan. (2019). Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0. Canadian Sport for Life. ISBN: 978-1-927921-62-3.
Canadian Sport for Life Article: Maximizing the Sport Experience for our Children by Dina Bell-Laroche
Developing Physical Literacy: A guide for parents of children ages 0 to 12
Actively Engaging Women and Girls
Sport for Life No Accidental Champions: LTAD for Athletes
with a Disability (2nd Edition)
Sport for Life for all Newcomers to Canada
Sport for Life Aboriginal Long–Term Participant Development Pathway 1.1
