l love skiing. like, very very very much. but the problem is that l do not have lots of access to the mountains. l go up with friends sometimes just for fun and occasionally with family but my family is definitely not as into it as l am and my friends are not as good as me so sometimes they hold me back a bit.

here is the thing: l really, really, REALLY wanna get into competitive skiing. i'm probably advanced intermediate at the moment, but i'm steadily getting better. i'm totally confident on most trails. black diamonds are a challenge for me and double blacks, forget about it. so, as you can see, i'm obviously not at a competitive level. also, my parents cannot really help me with this.

how would l ever get on a competitive ski team?? hopefully for next year or the year after. would l ever be able to catch up with my age group? l will try and go up as much as l can. can someone please give me advice on the path to becoming a competitive skiier? l wanna be on the ski team in college and hopefully compete in my junior & senior year of high school.

i am, of course, willing to devote as much time as l can to this, but transportation is an option, and so is $$$.

is there any solution to this? any way at all that l could make this happen?

thanks =)

Locate and join one of the junior ski teams in your area. There are many junior ( U-18) programs in the country. Most of these are under the auspices of the US Ski Association, (USSA).

This is going to require alot of hard work & dedication. Even junior programs cost, so think about a part time job to help. What about service groups in ur area ( Rotary, Optimists, etc)? Do any of them have athletic bursary programs? How about through ur schools athletic program|? Maybe send an email to the director of skiing at ur ski hill, & see if he/she has any suggestions. If u r willing to make a few sacrifices, so r most of us instructors & coaches. Do not give up, & good luck.

The truely devoted move to the mountains. If daddy really loves you he will either send you to a nice private skiing academy or he will pack up the family and move to a ski town.

You have the devotion. You have the drive, you need to have the parental support first. Join a racing program, a few have been noted in this forum. Second, join a mountain ski program. Third put in about 200+days a year. If your school has a racing program, that perfect to start with, but l would say get into a program outside of school starting...NOW!

Hope this helps

Brad
PSIA level II
Killington Ski Instructor

You're in California? Well, if you're at or near Lake Tahoe, there is a ton of great programs. Interested in freestyle? Try Heavenly or Squaw Valley. Want to race? Heavenly, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley or Kirkwood r all top notch. If you're a little further south, there is Big Bear (or is it Bear Valley? l can never remember) & Mammoth.

If u have the money, a ski academy is the way to go. They have one at Squaw Valley that is decent. Personally, l went to the Lowell Whiteman School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado (they work with the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club). Its turned out more Olympians than any other program in the country. Killington in VT also has a great academy from what l hear.