Athletes are encouraged to begin their ski season preparation with the summer conditioning camp at the legendary Stratton Mountain School campus. At conditioning camp, athletes participate in weight-lifting exercises to establish proper lifting technique. Each session will contain discipline-specific games to enhance their muscular and cardiovascular development.

 

In the second step of the progression, athletes travel to Mount Hood to continue into the on-snow preparation period. On-snow training maximizes the time spent on snow, working through age-appropriate skill drills and technique. Mornings are spent on the glacier free-skiing, working through fundamentals, hip progressions, and gate training while afternoons are filled with a variety of fitness-based activities. Day-to-day activities vary, however, some activities include: mountain hikes, dryland fitness training, Dartfish-enhanced video review, and more.

 

To wrap up the preparation progression, athletes are also encouraged to attend the SMS Holiday Camp in December where they will begin the winter season with a refresher course on ski racing fundamentals.

 

No matter what, the SMS coaching staff will provide the athlete with the latest in athletic training methods both on and off snow.