FAQ’S
At what age can kids join the club?
Fernie Freestyle Ski Club provides Freestyle Training for skiers aged 6 to 17 in Park, Slopestyle, Moguls, Big Mountain and the natural terrain at Fernie Alpine Resort. New to this year 2024-2025 we will be running some Adult programs 18+ for those wanted process there freestyle skills in our venues. Our goal is to build these skills in a fun, safe and challenging environment where the athletes learn from experienced FC certified coaches.
Before you register for the season can your athlete do the following:
1. Get on most chairs unassisted?
2. Ski parallel turns with poles?
3. Ski mostly blue runs in our 5 alpine bowls and progressing to black runs at Fernie Alpine Resort?
If you answered yes to the above 3 questions, then you can register your athlete for Fernie Freestyle.
All athletes, parents, coaches and board of directors must agree to the Code of Conduct 2024-2025 Season
What programs do you offer?
Winter Freestyle Program:
Runs from December, to April, and athletes can choose to ski one, or two days each weekend depending the program they select. There is a Christmas camp included along with optional Spring Break Training. We also train On Snow on Wed(NEW) and Fri and run Trampoline Monday and Wed all winter long.
In addition, we have skiing mid-week at Canada Olympic Park that starts in Jan and ends mid-March. This program is run with Panorama Freestyle.
Trampoline Training:
We offer it year round with a Spring, Summer Camps, Fall and Winter Sessions.
The Fernie Trampoline Training is at Max Turyk Community Centre and we run Trampoline Training in Calgary in Spring and Fall with Panorama Freestyle. Athletes must be registered in the Winter Freestyle Program in order to attend Trampoline Training in the Winter.
Off Season Training:
In addition we offer dryland training in the off season. We also run remote camps in the Summer for Water Ramp Training & Air Bag Training.
Whistler Glacier training camp is available in the summer during July and a Progression Air Bag camp in late Sept.
We also run pre-season training with locations changing depending on snow if there interested athletes.
What level do you have to be?
All skiers should be able to load the chairlifts and T-Bar at Fernie Alpine Resort. You should be comfortable skiing most blue runs in the bowls progressing to black runs at Fernie Alpine Resort. Athletes must like jumping and hanging in the park.
Do you have to be a competitive skier?
No but the club encourages to try a competition locally for everyone as well as aspiring competitors competing in the Freestyle BC circuit.
Where and when do you meet?
Athletes will receive a designated meeting location from their coaches that they will stick to for the season.
Training starts at 11:30AM and runs until 4pm both Saturday and Sunday. Funstylerz(6-8) is 9-12 or 1-4. Wed and Friday Afternoons run 1-4.
What time does the training run?
Programs run: Funstylerz(6-8) 9-12 or 1-4 and Freestylerz(9+), Performance(12+), Jr Performance(8-11) and Snowboard(6+) 1130-4.
How much time is spent in the bumps, how much in the park and how much freeskiing?
About one third in each, depending on the snow conditions and training goals each weekend. If it's a pow day - that's where we will be. Our Performance athletes focus a bit more on there disciplines but we recommend athletes stay well rounded in all areas of freestyle.
Does Fernie Freestyle cancel due to cold weather?
Generally, Minus 20 Celsius, including windchill. RCR policy that no one loads any lifts when it's -25 Celsius or below. We use the RCR weather to make our calls if temperature comes into question but do our best to keep athletes safe and skiing.
What equipment will I need?
Ideally a pair of twin tip park skis, a helmet is required and a mouth guard/back protector are recommended. Powder and mogul skis are optional.
What other fees will I be looking at for the year?
A season pass for Fernie Alpine Resort. A Freestyle Canada/Freestyle BC (FC,FBC) Membership is mandatory for all athletes as it provides insurance. If your child attends competitions outside Fernie expect to incur:
- Competition Entry Fees
- Hotel cost, lift tickets, meals associated with 'away' competitions.
- Coach travel expenses/day coaching expenses outside of the program you choose for Competitions.
Where do the fees go?
Fernie Freestyle is a Volunteer run organization. The fees that you pay cover the costs of coaching, renting facilities, purchasing and renting equipment to support our training. Examples include: snowcat time at Fernie Alpine Resort for grooming and shaping courses, bamboo, fencing, shovels, racks, video equipment, etc.
What is your cancellation policy?
After the season starts we will not offer any refunds. Athletes may purchase optional insurance for injuries that can occur during the season. Injury insurance only pertains to season ending injuries. Details can be found on the registration page.
What is a FC Membership and how do I get it?
The Freestyle Canada (FC) sanctions and insures Fernie Freestyle Ski Club and all members of the Club must be FC/FBC members. You can easily sign up online, click here to access the form. You will need a minimum of CLUB; this covers training and competition at regional events. Athletes competing at Provincial events and higher, athletes need a Provicial license. Insurance can be upgraded during the season, if you are unsure about what level of competition your athlete will attend.
Competition Info: Club skiers compete primarily in events that are organized by the Freestyle BC. We also participate in some IFSA events(Big Mountain). Note IFSA events require another membership on top of you Freestyle. Fernie Freestyle encourages athletes to try competitions which we host locally each year and we have athletes qualify for Canadian Junior National Freestyle Championship, Canadian Series events and Alberta and BC Provincial Games each season.
Is Trampoline included in the program?
Trampoline training is a key aspect of freestyle skiing and we strongly encourage parents to enroll their athlete in this program that is an additional charge. We have trampoline training in Fernie at Max Turyk Community Centre and we also train in Calgary during certain times of the year.
Trampoline sessions run in SPRING, FALL & WINTER sessions, along with SUMMER CAMPS during Aug and Sept. When you sign up to our Winter program you can add it onto the registration fees. All our registration links for all seasons of training our under programs on the website.
Do I need to volunteer?
At Fernie Freestyle, we recognize the importance of making your athlete’s freestyle learning experience a complete developmental experience including learning, training, competing,...and most importantly having fun. To accomplish this objective, Fernie Freestyle has always depended upon families and parents to help volunteer with several requirements around the club. We need every family helping to participate in these volunteer requirements even if it is in a minor capacity. Truly...every little bit helps. Volunteer Requirments 2024-2025
