 | Mission
To provide and continually develop a program that builds the complete athlete, allowing oneself to achieve personal excellence.
Vision
For Stratton Mountain School to be the premier athlete development and alpine ski program in the United States.
The coaches and athletes at SMS work together to achieve success. Our program has three areas of primary focus; on-snow program, conditioning program and equipment preparation. In addition to these areas of focus, we address the many facets of alpine ski racing.
Our conditioning program has been updated to include both the latest training methods available and newly innovated workouts only being done here. We utilize both our new sports science testing lab and a series of field tests to evaluate the athletes. From the testing we build age-appropriate and individual conditioning programs aimed at building the complete athlete. While we do specific training for alpine skiing, it is important to develop well-rounded athletes first.
Our on-snow programs are lead by top coaches from around the world. The coaching staff’s extensive experience is both domestic and international. The current staff has been highly successful moving athletes from the development levels to World Cup and Olympic victories. We organize year-round, on-snow training camps in Europe, South America and North America in addition to the outstanding training at Stratton Mountain Resort. The latest technical and tactical methods are being used to teach alpine ski racing. We are also using the latest in technology for timing, video analysis and race simulation. Our current athletes compete at all levels from Local J4 competitions right up through International FIS and Championship events.
Our final primary focus is assisting athletes with proper ski equipment selection and preparation. We have former World Cup ski technicians assisting our athletes to prepare their equipment at the highest possible standards. Our coaches work one-on-one with the athletes to teach them proper tuning technique and help them when a specialist is needed. Equipment preparation is as important as any other component in alpine skiing, and we take it seriously.
In addition to these primary areas of focus, the coaches work hard to make certain the athletes are getting what they need in the specialized areas of our sport. Such areas include; racer management, sports psychology, sports nutrition, secondary sports, and sports medicine. These areas complement our program to round out the additional needs of our athletes. |
SMS Alpine girls take 1, 4, 7, 10 in Sugarloaf Downhill
2/3/2012
Sugarloaf, Maine – The Stratton Mountain School women’s alpine team claimed first, fourth, sixth and 10th at the Sugarloaf speed week Downhill (DH) on Thursday, Feb. 2.
Senior Emily Husson, Derry, N.H. took the top finish in first place; senior Amanda Reilly finished fourth; freshman Alice Merryweather, Hingham, Mass. placed seventh (third for J2s); and senior Lily Eriksen, Seattle, Wash. was 10th.
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Ruminations from the 2012 Youth Olympics...
1/31/2012
Click here to read SMS Nordic Program Director Sverre Caldwell's observations from the 2012 Youth Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. Sverre coached the U.S. athletes, SMS senior Paddy Caldwell and alumna Heather Mooney (SMS '11). Paddy took fifth in the Sprint, and both Paddy and Heather rocked the bronze medal for the biathlon/cross country relay!
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Steffey, Katz dominate the ERS at Whiteface
1/30/2012
Whiteface, N.Y. – On the heels of his SVC GS win at Stratton, Stratton Mountain School freshman George Steffey, Lime Center, N.H. dominated the competitive Eastern Regional Series (ERS) races at Whiteface, N.Y. on Jan. 21 – 22. This series hosts the best J3 alpine racers from the Eastern region.
“It shows them where they stand against their competitors from other clubs,” said SMS J3 Head Coach Dave Edry. “SMS brought 13 athletes to this year’s ERS and had success. George Steffey and Nicola Katz were the standouts for the team with three podiums between the two.”
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SMS racers post 8 of top-10 spots at annual Beckie McGill race
1/24/2012
Stratton, VT – The Stratton Mountain School girls’ alpine team took their duty to remember their friend, Beckie McGill, seriously during the Giant Slalom (GS) Rebecca McGill Memorial Race at Stratton on Saturday, Jan. 21, taking 8 of the top-10 finishes for the day.
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Bronze for USA Nordic Team; Korte-King 7th in SS at Youth Olympics
1/23/2012
Innsbruck, Austria – The four Stratton Mountain School student athletes who are representing their countries at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Austria have brought home some hardware in a third-place finish in the Cross Country/Biathlon Mixed Relay.
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SMS community honors the memory of Beckie McGill
1/21/2012
Stratton, Vt. – More than 100 racers gathered to remember Beckie McGill (SMS ’10), who died freeskiing in Sugarloaf, Maine three years ago today. The annual Rebecca McGill memorial race hosted by Stratton Mountain School has taken place for the past several years at Stratton.
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Four athletes represent SMS at Winter Youth Olympics
1/17/2012
Korte-King 5th; Mooney 13th; Caldwell 16th; Hudson 16th
, Austria – Four Stratton Mountain School student athletes are representing their countries at the first Winter Youth Olympic Games in Austria this January 13 – 22. Junior Quincy Korte-King, Ottawa, Canada is representing Canada in snowboarding. Senior Patrick Caldwell, Lyme Center, N.H. is representing the USA in cross country skiing. Heather Mooney (SMS ’11), Peru, Vt., is representing the USA in cross country skiing. And, sophomore Piera Hudson, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, is representing New Zealand in alpine skiing.
Only one boy and one girl are chosen from each country in each discipline, so Mooney and Caldwell are the sole representatives from the United States in Nordic skiing. All competitors are the absolute top of their field in their age group and face the best of the best from around the world.
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Steffeys crush competition at SVC alpine races
1/17/2012
Stratton, Vt. – For twins George and Amanda Steffey, Monday, Jan. 16 was a good day to be an alpine racer. SMS freshmen from Lyme, N.H. won their respective Giant Slalom (GS) J3 races at Stratton, beating out 60+ racers in the Southern Vermont Council (SVC) race series.
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SMS alpine women take three, top-10s at Stratton FIS series
1/15/2012
Stratton, Vt. – This Jan. 10 – 13, the Stratton Mountain School women’s alpine team claimed the home-field advantage as they raced two Giant Slalom (GS) races and two Slalom (SL) races at Stratton.
On Tuesday, Jan. 10, the SMS girls took to the GS course, and postgraduate Morgan Klein, Oregon, Wisc., placed 8th; while freshman Alice Merryweather, Hingham, Mass, placed 50th after starting 97th; and sophomore Whitney Hadden, Manchester, Vt., finished 53rd after starting 93rd. On Wednesday, Jan. 11, the women’s team competed in their second Stratton GS. Merryweather finished 38th after starting 100.
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SMS alpine boys score at Waterville FIS
1/10/2012
Waterville Valley, NH – On Sunday and Monday, Jan. 8 and 9, the SMS alpine boys traveled to Waterville Valley, N.H. for two FIS Development Slalom (SL) races. All racers in attendance scored personal point bests: Zach Kinsella, Kazui Kusumi, Brian Mangiacotti, Finn McNamara, Gavin Chen and Dylan Bibeau.
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Krause and Klein score big finishes at Eastern Cup races
12/20/2011
Sugarloaf/Sunday River, Maine – For SMS alpine racers, the holidays aren’t quite complete without some early season race results. SMS postgraduate Morgan Klein (SMS ’11), Oregon, Wisc. finished second on Monday, Dec. 20 in the Sunday River, Eastern Cup Slalom (SL) amid a field of top racers from the U.S. and Canada. At the Sugarloaf men’s Eastern Cup SL also on Dec. 20, U.S. Ski Team rookie Nick Krause (SMS ’11), Northborough, Mass., finished third.
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Mottau, Merryweather finish big at Sunday River FIS races
12/11/2011
Sunday River, Maine – On Saturday, Dec. 10 and Sunday, Dec. 11 Stratton Mountain School traveled to Sunday River, Maine for some FIS Slalom racing. SMS freshman Alice Merryweather, Hingham, Mass., competed in her first FIS races, but didn’t seem at all intimidated by the field of older racers. On Saturday, Merryweather finished 10th in the women's SL, which was first for J2s, and on Sunday, she took 12th place overall, and first again for J2s, scoring 40-point races both days.
On Saturday, SMS senior Tanner Mottau scored 12th place at the men’s FIS Slalom (SL). His result scored him a 40-point race, which is his best SL finish of his career.
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SMS racers make big moves in Nakiska Nor-Am Cup
12/8/2011
Nakiska, Alberta Canada – SMS racers Emily Husson, a senior from Derry, N.H. and sophomore Piera Hudson, from Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, competed in the Nakiska Nor-Am Cup Super-G (SG) on Dec. 7. Both Husson and Hudson made big moves to improve their start times against an international field.
Husson started with bib 39 and moved to 22nd place, which was only 2.1 seconds off the leader and placed her as the seventh American. Hudson moved from a start number of 35 up to 23rd place, only 2.11 seconds out, which was the second finish for a J2 racer.
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Gibson finishes 18th in Nakiska SG
12/7/2011
Nakiska, Alberta Canada – For Jamaica, Vt. local and Stratton Mountain School junior Libby Gibson, Tuesday was a good day to be a ski racer. Gibson, who was recently named to the U.S. Ski Team, competed in the Nor-Am Super-G (SG) race in Nakiska, Alberta on Dec. 6 and moved from a start number of 52 up to 18th place.
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First race of the season – Mottau captures 16th
11/16/2011
Vail, Colo. – In the first Giant Slalom (GS) of the year at Vail on Nov. 15, SMS senior Tanner Mottau, Stratton Mountain, Vt., finished 16th amid an international field of competitors. SMS postgraduate Takehiro Watanabe, Sapporo, Japan, finished 30th.
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Hudson wins NZ National Championships
9/9/2011
Coronet Peak, New Zealand – For Stratton Mountain School sophomore Piera Hudson, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, summer vacation has been less about sun, sand and relaxing as it has been about snow, skis and national championships.
Hudson skied in her home-country’s National Championships at Mt. Hutt, New Zealand on Aug. 28 and Coronet Peak on Sept. 2, taking 20th place in the Giant Slalom (GS) race at Coronet Peak, earning her a 50-point race finish and the top finish for her home country of New Zealand.
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Six current SMS athletes named to US Ski/Snowboard Teams
5/28/2011
Stratton Mountain, Vt. – Six current Stratton Mountain School athletes have been nominated to the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Teams, according to releases received today from the U.S. Ski Team.
Nick Krause (SMS ’11), Northborough, Mass., has been nominated to the U.S. Ski Team’s Alpine Development Team. Brittany Lathrop (SMS ’13), South Londonderry, Vt., and Libby Gibson (SMS ’13), Jamaica, Vt., also received nominations to the U.S. Ski Team’s Alpine Development Team for women. Siblings Spencer Shaw (SMS ’11), Winhall, Vt., and Serena Shaw (SMS ’13), Winhall, Vt., were both nominated to the U.S. Snowboard Team’s Rookie Halfpipe (HP) Team. Skyler Davis (SMS ’11 PG), Stratton Mountain and Jericho, Vt., was nominated to the U.S. Cross Country Ski Team’s Development Team.
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SMS racer photos in Ski Racing Digital
2/10/2010
Stratton Mountain School student and alpine ski racer Stefan Schmidt ’10 had four of his photos published in this month’s digital issue of Ski Racing. Paige Chardavoyne ’10 is the leading image on page 55 for the story “Straight Shooters.” In the story to follow, the success of our racers is prominent in the list of results from the past few weeks; SMS names dominate the lists of top-15 results. Schmidt’s photos of Morgan Klein ’11 and Kelly Appenzeller ’11 were also used on pages 58 and 59. Keep up the inspiring work and keep skiing fast everyone!
Ski Racing Digital, February 8, 2010
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Fowler wins Giant Slalom at Sugarbush
1/13/2010
Sugarbush, Vt—Stratton Mountain School’s Danny Fowler ’12 won first place at the FIS Development Giant Slalom (GS) at Sugarbush on Jan. 12. Cole Skinner ’10 and Cole Gibson ’10 also placed in the top 10.
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SMS Men’s Alpine Program brings home six podium finishes from Attitash
12/21/2009
Attitash, N.H.—Stratton Mountain School (SMS) Alpine athletes dominated the FIS Slalom (SL) and Giant Slalom (GS) series at Attitash, N.H., this past weekend. Jay Ogle ’10 reached the podium three times throughout the series. Nick Krause ’11 finished in third place for both GS races and Blake Pendleton ’11 took second place in the second SL. SMS had nine other top-10 finishes throughout the series.
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SMS clinches 6 top-10 finishes in Alyeska FIS
12/11/2009
Alyeska, Alaska—Thirteen Stratton Mountain School (SMS) athletes competed in a Slalom ski race in Alyeska, Alaska, on Dec. 10. Prescott McLaughlin ’10 finished on the podium during his first race of the year, and Blake Pendleton ’11 was right behind him, coming in at fourth. On the girls’ side, Amanda Reilly ’12 had the best result and finished fourth. Four other SMS girls finished in the top 10. Both competitions were night races.
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SMS Alpine Program trains at Vail
11/12/2009
VAIL, Colo.—This month, Stratton Mountain School athletes have the rare opportunity to put their ski racing skills to the test against the world's best in Vail, Colo. The SMS Alpine Team are in training at Golden Peak at Vail Mountain Resort from Nov. 7 to 19. Vail Mountain Resort recently completed a $2.5-million investment in snowmaking and other improvements for high-quality training and racing at Golden Peak. SMS athletes were invited to train at Golden Peak by Ski Club Vail. In addition to SMS and Ski Club Vail, the U.S. Ski Team Women's Team are also training at Golden Peak.
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Alpine group trains in Valle Nevado, Chile
10/5/2009
Valle Nevado, Chile—The SMS Alpine Program is in Valle Nevado, Chile, to prepare for the upcoming ski season. Fourty-one kids headed south on Sept. 24 to enjoy virtually untouched terrain. Within the first week, two feet of powder fell to welcome the skiers to the South American country. The kids and their coaches got out their cameras and captured the days’ activities to share with us on the blog. Today, the gates are set and both groups are hitting it hard.
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SMS Alpine Program Sponsors | Equipe Sport generously supports the Stratton Mountain School Alpine Program. |
| Prudential Stratton Properties generously sponsors the Stratton Mountain School Alpine Program. |
| | | Click here to view all the latest on travel and training from the Alpine Team. |
| Follow on-hill updates by the SMS Men's Alpine Team. |
| Click here to see by-the-minute updates on the SMS Women's Alpine Team! |
| Stay up to date with the SMS J3 Alpine Team. |
| Click on the link above to be redirected to the Dartfish TV website. Within Dartfish, you can view winning runs by current SMS ski racers. |
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