Freeski Program

About the Program:

The  Park and Pipe Freeskiing program provides a season long focused training environment.  Daily goal setting and a healthy team oriented environment help to foster the skills of young skiers.  Although this program's primary focus is  the skill set necessary to learn new tricks and ski safe in the terrain park, our philosophy of teaching has its roots in the fundamentals of skiing.  Members of this team will become agressive, all mountain skiers in addition to becomming improved park and pipe athletes.  

Those athletes who are members of the Freeskiing Competition Team will also be provided goal oriented competition coaching, as well as, scheduling and coordination of the participation in competition events throughout Southern Vermont.  Competition coaching will be provided for all Southern Vermont Series slopestyle and halfpipe events, as well as U.S.S.A. slopestyle, big air and halfpipe events.  Athletes will aspire to qualify for the U.S.A.S.A. National Championships and the U.S.S.A. regional and eastern championships.  This will be a competitive/goal oriented experience.  This is the perfect environment to begin a competitive ski career.  Participants of this program will be considered "competition program members"  (see program details for more information)  Competition coaching fees will be asessed for non-competition program members who decide to attend competitions.


Brian Knowles, Freeskiing Supervisor and Head Coach, has been involved in Freestyle and free ride skiing for over 15 years, and has been part of the sport's evolution from the time Terrain Park and Half-Pipes were for snowboarders only.  Brian was on the Allegro-Team here at Stratton, which led to Carrabassett Valley Academy, where the days were spent training moguls and poaching the park.  As a mogul competitor, he skied against guys like J.P. Auclair, Tanner Hall and Mike Douglas before they were well known icons.  In more recent years, Brian has coached all levels and types of freestyle and free ride skiers from National Champions to X-Game competitors.  Since he founded Bromley Outing Club's Freestyle program, and then headed the Mount Snow Academy Freestyle Team, Brian has seen countless athletes excel and succeed under his tutelage.  He is very excited to be coming home to Stratton, where he began his freestyle skiing career in 1992.

Program dates for the 2010-2011 season are:
All weekends beginning November 27 to March 27, as well as Winter Break (December 26-January 2), Martin Luther King Day (January 17th) and President's Week (February 21-25)

Please complete the Permission Slip for each athlete and mail them to:
Stratton Ski and Snowboard School
 attn: Freeskiing Program 
5 Village Lodge Road
Stratton Mountain, VT 05155

Brian Knowles, Freeski Head Coach: bknowles@intrawest.com