TRAINING AND COMPETITION

ON SNOW DAYS PER YEAR:

Minimum 80+ days per year. Ski racers are encouraged to ski as often as possible during the ski season and to ski with friends and family even when there is no formal training program. Most ski areas open late November/early December and close late March to mid-April.

Ski racers are encouraged to participate in 1 to 3, on-snow offseason camps to boost their number of days on-snow (10 to 30 days). Late spring and summer are perfect opportunities to refine technical skiing skills in a fun, camp environment. Late summer and fall are great time periods to work on transferring technical skiing skills into tactical environments. 

THERE WILL BE DIFFERENCES IN ALL REGIONS DUE TO THE LENGTH OF THE SEASON AND THE PRESCRIBED NUMBER OF DAYS ON SNOW SHOULD SERVE AS THE BENCHMARK. SKI RACERS SEEKING THE COMPETITIVE PATHWAY WILL SKI MORE THAN THE RECOMMENDED MINIMUM NUMBER OF DAYS ON SNOW. THE NUMBER OF DAYS ON SNOW WILL VARY BASED ON THE GOALS AND ASPIRATIONS OF THE INDIVIDUAL SKI RACER.

ON SNOW VOLUME RECOMMENDATIONS:

• Minimum three days per week and an additional two days to promote skiing three to five days per week when possible throughout the ski season. 
• Providing a quality sport experience for the ski racer is of utmost importance. All activities should provide the appropriate level of challenge while maintaining an element of fun to build the ski racer and instill the love of ski racing. 
• Competition environments, venues and course sets, should promote racing allowing ski racers to push their limits while carving on the outside ski and skiing as fast as possible from start to finish. 
• Inspection time lengthens as the ski racer strengthens their ability to define their line and tactical approach to be used in competition in partnership with their coaches. Ski racers are encouraged to develop their inspection skills during training and competition.
• Ski racers are encouraged to practice their starts including the use of team event and ski cross start gates and starting while wearing super giant slalom and downhill length skis. Race to the first gate! 
• Gate environments should be set according to your provincial course setting guidelines for the Train to Train stage. 
• Drills and courses at the Train to Train stage should be age appropriate and match the skill level of the ski racer to promote the proper level of challenge and use of the ski to encourage symmetrical carving turn to turn. 
• The ski area is the playground: 40 to 50% of the time on-snow should be (structured and unstructured) free skiing.

GENERAL TRAINING:

General training includes technical free skiing, drills, and coursework to apply foundational technical skiing skills in various tactical situations. 

• Time on-snow should include gate training environments and structured and unstructured training, technical freeskiing, skiing in bumps, steeps, terrain parks, trees, and off-piste to encourage the development of spatial awareness, action and reaction, adaptability, balance and athleticism on skis. 
• Course sets should be set both rhythmically and arrhythmically utilizing a variety of terrain including rollers, small wave tracks and spines. Include delays and combinations.
• Courses should test the broadest range of ski technique, changes of direction, and utilize different radii turns to promote the development of adaptability and athleticism on skis. 
• Course sets should test the ski racers inspection skills and their ability to look ahead.
• Course sets should promote decision making and improve a ski racers ability to navigate a variety of course sets resulting in the ski racers ability to the fastest time regardless of the course set in competition. 
• Use of timing during training is important to promote self-discovery and feedback when ski racers are testing their inspection and tactical execution skills. 
• Development of  speed and ski cross skills through participation in regional, provincial and national training speed and ski cross training camps.
• Speed and ski cross camp training environments can provide ski racers with a safe training environment where they can focus on the development of their skills to ski and race confidently at speed over and through various naturally occurring and machine-made terrain features. 
• Speed elements training should include gliding, tucking, jumping in both a super g and downhill environment on super g and downhill skis. 
• Ski racers are encouraged to ski with friends and family as often as possible while balancing rest and recovery, travel and educational demands. Ski for the soul!

COMPETITION SPECIFIC TRAINING AND COMPETITION

Ski racers should be encouraged to compete in a variety of events including:

• Simulation Races and Time Trials.
• Sprint format events with multiple runs per day, i.e., two races in one day.  
• Giant slalom and slalom events. 
• Panel slalom and dual "team" events.
• Ski Cross and Super G events. 
• Fun races and skills events, club or local with no pressures. 

COMPETITION STARTS AND TYPES

Ski racers should complete 15 to 30 days of on snow training at the U14 level and 30+ training days on snow at the U16 level prior to the ski racers first competition.

Ski racers compete at the provincial, regional, zone and club level events depending on their individual goals and aspirations:

• Competitive U14 ski racers are aiming to participate in provincial championships and CanAm races which include skiing skill evaluations. 
• Competitive U16 ski racers are aiming to be selected for Alpine Canada's Rising Stars, Ski Cross NextGen and Para-Alpine Carving the Future camps.
• Keystone events include the U16 Nationals, Canada Winter Games and being named to Team Canada at Whistler Cup. Depending on the province, competitive U16 ski racers may have the opportunity to race internationally in FIS Children's events. 

Number of Competition Starts:

• U14 ski racers should participate in 12 to 20 days of competition throughout the ski season.  
• U16 ski racers should participate in 16 to 24 days of competition throughout the ski season. 

Set all competition courses according to your provincial course setting guidelines for U14 and U16 ski racers. 

NOTE: At a minimum, two days of training are required per competition start.