ABILITY LEVEL | SKIERS | SNOWBOARDERS |
LEVEL 1 | If this is your first experience skiing, you will be learning the fundamentals of sliding, stopping, turning, and riding the lift. Your goal is to learn safely and to responsibly start a lifetime of skiing…and have FUN! | If this is your first experience snowboarding, you will be learning the fundamentals of sliding, traversing, and riding the lift. Your goal is to learn the basics of stance, equipment, reading terrain, traversing to a stop and avoiding hard falls….but mostly having fun! |
LEVEL 2 | You can ski in a cautious wedge on the easiest slopes. Your goal is to gain confidence, improve control with linked, round wedge turns and to stop on green terrain. | You can perform basic maneuvers with skidded traverses on toe and heel side. You can skid from a traverse to a stop and load and unload the lift. Your goal is to continue to develop tow and heel side skills, balance, and speed control. |
LEVEL 3 | You can ski with confidence on all green trails making round wedge turns. Your goal is to progress toward parallel turning by gradually reducing the size of your wedge and to explore more green trails. | You are comfortable negotiating green terrain in a series of skidded traverses and cautious edge changes and elementary turns. Your goal is to begin linking turns and varying turn shape and size with rhythmic movements. |
LEVEL 4 | You ski confidently on all green trails and ski cautiously on some blue trails (more difficult trails). Your goal is to start turns with a wide parallel stance and ski blue trails more confidently. | You are linking turns on green terrain with confidence, controlling speed and turn shape. Your goal is to move toward more difficult terrain with proper tactics and to learn some elementary, fun freestyle movements like riding fakie and small jumps and ollies. |
LEVEL 5 | You ski the blue trails with wide-stanced parallel turns. Your goal is to begin to develop independent leg action while steering both feet through the turn. | You have mastered all green terrain, explored some sections of easiest blue terrain and are ready to be introduced to intermediate blue terrain. Your goal is to confidently ride blue terrain, begin to carve on green terrain, introduce varying conditions and improve your switch riding. |
LEVEL 6 | You ski parallel on smooth blue trails and use a pole plant when turning. Your goal is to ski in a natural parallel stance and meet changes in snow condition and terrain while developing your ability to carve more and skid less. | You are gaining confidence and beginning to carve turns on blue terrain. Your goal is to increase proficiency in varied conditions, small bumps and ungroomed terrain. You would like to explore terrain features. |
LEVEL 7 | You ski parallel with a functional stance while controlling speed and rhythm in small bumps on blue and easy black. You can carve effectively on blue terrain. Your goal is to control direction and speed in varying conditions and entry level black terrain. | You are skidding cross-under turns, riding and turning switch and riding small bumps and terrain features. You are confident on all blue terrain. Your goal is to increase your ability to carve, explore the easiest black terrain and have fun exploring freestyle movements. |
LEVEL 8 | You can ski almost all terrain confidently, efficiently, and dynamically. Your goal is to hone your skills, develop tactically, and explore the most difficult terrain. | You are carving dynamically on blue terrain and would like to perform on black runs. You want to learn more advanced spins and jump in the park, take off and land switch and carve in the bumps. - |