Freeski Park and Pipe Team

Winter park Freeski Team

Freeskiing is a specific type of freestyle skiing on terrain park features such as rails, boxes, jumps, halfpipe, and other obstacles. This form of skiing resulted from the growth of snowboarding combined with the progression of freestyle skiing. Skiers on the Winter Park Freeski Team will follow a progression to develop the all-mountain skiing skills needed to build a foundation to excel in terrain park skiing. Freeskiers will explore competition in the local Battle of the Grommets™ slopestyle competition before progressing to compete in the U.S.A. Snowboard and Freeski Association (USASA) Rocky Mountain Series events for a chance to qualify for USASA Nationals.

Have aspirations to become an elite freeski competitor? Dream of competing in the X-Games or Olympics? Experienced competitors may join the Freeski Competitive Team or apply for acceptance into the Freeski Full-time Academy. These athletes pursue the dream to join a long legacy of exceptional Winter Park freeskiers, including those currently on the U.S. Freeski Team: Birk Irving, Svea Irving, Hunter Carey, and Olympian Lyman Currier.

Development Team

The Freeski Development (Devo) program is designed for athletes who want to begin their journey toward becoming competitive Freeski Park and Pipe skiers. Freeskiing is a specific type of freestyle skiing on terrain park features such as rails, boxes, jumps, halfpipe, and other obstacles.

Skiers in the Winter Park Freeski Development program will follow a progression to develop all-mountain skiing foundations with an added emphasis on the terrain parks. Participants will gain exposure to small terrain parks such as Bouncer and Ash Cat, and will also have access to the Freestyle Devo Mogul Course and the Competition Center’s Jump Hill during training (a coach is required to ski in these closed areas).

Competition is optional but encouraged in the Internal Devo Mogul Events and Battle of the Grommets™ Slopestyle events. To view the Competition Center events calendar, click here.

ABILITY EXPECTATIONS
This program requires one year in an organized ski program and a coach recommendation for athletes younger than 10.

2023-24 Tuition

Program Options Days Offered	1 Day Sat. or Sun.	2 day Sat&Sun
Tuition	$2550	$3400
Parent Volunteer Deposit	$300 Learn More
Event & Volunteer Calendar	View All Comp. Center Events
Season Pass	Comp Center WP Pass Info Ikon Pass Info
Dates*	Dec. 2, 2023 - Mar. 24, 2024
No Training	Dec. 23-24, 2023
Times**	9:00 am - 3:30 pm

*Programs must meet enrollment minimums to run.

*Training times and camp dates are subject to change as communicated by the program director and/or head coach.

2023-24 Details

Ages	8+ based on year of birth.
Ski Locker	No
Team Jacket	No: Visit the Team Jackets section on our Registration, Resources, and FAQ page for jacket details.
Lunch	Not provided
Competitions*	Battle of the Grommets™ Slopestyle
Camps	Dec. 26 - 29, 2023 tentative
More Information	General Competition Center information can be found on our Registration, Resources, and FAQ page.

*Competitions listed are only shown as an example. Athletes will work with their coaches to determine competition opportunities. All competition entry fees, registration, licensing, and travel arrangements are the responsibility of the parent/legal guardian.

Park and Pipe Team

Freeski Park and Pipe Team

The Freeski Park and Pipe Team is focused on building enthusiasm for terrain park riding and developing the skills which allow our athletes to compete at the next level. The Freeski Team skiers will train all-mountain to improve the overall skiing skills necessary to build a strong foundation for terrain park and half-pipe skiing. These skiers will begin to refine basic skills of sliding rails and boxes and proper form for jumping and air awareness. They also spend time on focused freeskiing, practice drills, fundamentals, general all-mountain terrain, and carving drills.

Freeski Park and Pipe Team athletes will have opportunities to compete in freeski events such as Winter Park Resort’s Battle of the Grommets™ slopestyle event. Those wishing to compete in USASA events at Colorado resorts must have at least one year in an organized Freeski program and/or obtain coach/director approval to move up to the Freeski Park and Pipe Competitive Team.

Ability Expectations
· Must be proficient skiing blue-black terrain and small terrain park features as designated by the Park Smart system (e.g. Bouncer and Ash Cat terrain parks).
· This program requires one year in the Freeski Development Team and coach recommendation for athletes younger than 10 before participating.

8-9 year old athletes interested in Park and Pipe who have had at least one year in an organized, seasonal ski program and coach approval may enroll in the Freeski Development Team.

The Freestyle Team is recommended for those who do not meet the prerequisites, or would like to have a dual focus on terrain park and mogul skiing.

2023-24 Tuition

Program Options Days Offered	2-Day Sat. and Sun.	3-Day Fri., Sat., Sun.
Tuition	$3625	$4125
Parent Volunteer Deposit	$300	$600
Event & Volunteer Calendar	View All Comp. Center Events
Season Pass	Comp Center WP Pass Info Ikon Pass Info
Dates*	Nov. 18, 2023 - Apr. 7, 2024
No Training	Dec. 23-24, 2023
Times**	9:00 am - 3:30 pm

*Actual start date depends on whether the athlete is enrolled in the 1-day or 2-day program. Programs must meet enrollment minimums to run.

*Training times and camp dates are subject to change as communicated by the program director and/or head coach.

2023-24 Details

Ages	13+ based on year of birth.
Ski Locker	No
Team Jacket	Visit the Team Jackets section on our Registration, Resources, and FAQ page for jacket details.
Lunch	Not provided
Competitions*	Battle of the Grommets™ Slopestyle
Camps	Dec. 26 - 29, 2023 tentative
More Information	General Competition Center information can be found on our Registration, Resources, and FAQ page.

*Competitions listed are only shown as an example. Athletes will work with their coaches to determine competition opportunities. All competition entry fees, registration, licensing, and travel arrangements are the responsibility of the parent/legal guardian.

Full-time Academy

FreeSKI park and Pipe Full-Time Academy

Register Returning Athlete

The Winter Park Competition Center (WPCC) Full-time Academy is a year-round, highly intensive program dedicated to the serious, motivated, and experienced slopestyle and/or halfpipe competitor. The Winter Park Freeski Team has produced top-level athletes including 2014 Half-Pipe Olympian Lyman Currier, and the 2016 Youth Olympic Half-Pipe Champion and U.S. Rookie team member, Birk Irving.

Our program offers a place where dedicated athletes can achieve their highest aspirations in the sport; while at the same time achieving our program philosophy to help athletes achieve ones’ highest potential as an athlete, person, and competitor.

The Freeski Full-time Academy offers the opportunity to do a variety of slopestyle and/or halfpipe competitions. The majority of the competitions are USASA Rocky Mountain Series held in Colorado. The USASA Rocky Mountain Series affords skiers the opportunity to qualify for USASA Nationals. With coach recommendation, some athletes will also attend U.S. Ski and Snowboard events such as the Futures Tour, Revolution Tour, and other elite-level events for the aspiring athlete who has dreams of the U.S. Freeski Team, X-Games, and the Olympics.

About the WPCC Full-time Academy

The Winter Park Competition Center (WPCC) Full-time Academy is a year-round, highly intensive program dedicated to the serious, motivated and experienced snow sport competitors. Our program offers a place where dedicated athletes can achieve their highest aspirations in the sport; while at the same time achieving our program philosophy to achieve ones’ highest potential as an athlete, person, and competitor.

Application and Registration Process

Admittance to the WPCC Full-time Academy is through an application process. Commitment and attitude are the most important attributes we're looking for. Applications are due July 1 for middle and high school age applicants (7-12 grade) and are due August 1 for post-graduate applicants. Late applications and registrations will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Once accepted to the program, registration must be completed in order to finalize your status in the WPCC Full-time Academy. Interested applicants should also directly contact the specific discipline director. Please reference the contact chart below for the appropriate contact.

For general application or registration questions, contact the Competition Center, office at 970-726-1590 or ccenter@winterparkresort.com.

New Academy Athlete - Application Checklist

Returning Academy Athlete - Application Checklist

Commitment

Full-time Academy athletes train 5-6 days per week during the ski/snowboard season. During the off-season, they participate in specialized training camps and are expected to consistently participate in the year-round sports performance program. This commitment to athletic excellence ensures that they stay fit and are physically and mentally prepared to achieve peak performance each season.

Winter
The information below provides the general winter training schedule for all WPCC Academy athletes. Specific dates and training times vary by discipline and age group. Please refer to the program tuition and details table for more comprehensive and specific training information for your discipline.

Full-time Academy Middle School
Tuesday and Thursday: afternoon training
Friday through Sunday: full day training; times vary by discipline and age.

Full-time Academy High School and Post-Graduate (PG)
Tuesday through Thursday: afternoons for high school athletes; PG athletes may full day training.
Friday through Sunday: full day training; times vary by discipline and age.

Summer
Each discipline offers off-season training programs to maximize fitness and progression to maximize competitive edge. Camp offerings and training venues will vary by discipline, and may change year to year. While specific opportunities vary by discipline and by year, some examples of summer training opportunity include:

·Participation in our year-round sports performance program, including our spring and fall fitness assessments.
·May on-snow camps held at Winter Park Resort.
·Sand Dunes Fitness Camp in September.
·Based on discipline*, athletes may attend technical progression and on-snow camps held at locations such as Mt. Hood, Mammoth Mountain, Steamboat Springs, and the Utah Olympic Park in Park City, Utah.

*Camp offerings vary by discipline and camp locations may vary year to year.

Academic Excellence

Academic excellence is a core value for members of the Full-time Academy. Most of our middle and high school athletes enroll in the East Grand School District (EGSD). East Grand is on a 4-day school week, so skiers have a full day of training on Friday!

Schedules are arranged for core classes to take place in the morning, and students/athletes are transported to the ski area at lunch time for afternoon training. Those who do not enroll in EGSD are able to make arrangements for alternative or online education programs. Regardless of schooling choice, grade eligibility is verified weekly throughout the season.

Year-round Sports Performance

Our Sports Performance Program provides full-time athletes with year-round conditioning, strength training, fitness assessment, mental skills training, and return-to-sport support to build a strong mental, physical, and technical base going into and throughout the competitive season. Participation is required for full-time athletes and we work with athletes to navigate scheduling conflicts for those who may also participate in other sports.

2023-24 Tuition

Program Options Days Offered*	Middle School Tues., Thurs.-Sun.	High School and Older Tues. - Sun.
Tuition	$6850	$7450
Parent Volunteer Deposit	$600 Learn More
Event & Volunteer Calendar	View All Comp. Center Events
Season Pass	Comp Center WP Pass Info Ikon Pass Info
Dates*	September - April. Exact Dates given by Coach
No Training	Dec. 22-24, 2023
Times**	Tues.-Thurs.: 1-4 pm Fri.:10 am - 3:30 pm Sat.-Sun.: 9 am - 3:30 pm

*Actual start date depends on whether the athlete is enrolled in the Middle School or High School/Post-Graduate program. Programs must meet enrollment minimums to run.

**Training times and camp dates are subject to change as communicated by the program director and/or head coach.

2023-24 Details

Ages	Middle School: Grades 7-8 High School/Post Graduate: Grades 9+
Ski Locker	2 slots and 1 full locker; Pending capacity and availability
Team Jacket	Yes: Visit the Team Jackets section on our Registration, Resources, and FAQ page for jacket details.
Lunch	Not provided
Competitions*	Battle of the Grommets™ USASA-sanctioned events U.S. Ski and Snowboard Futures / Revolution tour, pending coach approval and qualification status
Camps	Dec. 26 - 29, 2023 tentative

*Competitions listed are only shown as an example. Athletes will work with their coaches to determine competition opportunities. All competition entry fees, registration, licensing, and travel arrangements are the responsibility of the parent/legal guardian

About the Terrain Parks

Terrain Parks at Winter Park Resort

Ashcat is our starter park for those who are just learning the proper techniques of jumping and sliding boxes. Ashcat has multiple boxes and small rails, all low to the ground, and smaller jumps with the largest only being 25ft. This is a great place to safely learn how to jump and slide boxes/rails.

Re-railer is a step up from Ashcat with slightly larger boxes and rails a little higher off the ground and a 30-35ft jump. This is the place for those that now know how to jump to start working on spins and grabs.

Dark Territory our largest park that is a pass-required park with larger rails and jumps starting at 40ft up to 65ft. This is where you focus on your air awareness and technical larger tricks. This is also where the WP Freeski competitive teams will spend most of their time training.

Railyard is the park where we have our larger rails located. When you have your basics of sliding boxes and rails, this is the place to go to challenge your rail sliding skills.

Learn about the Winter Park Terrain Parks and Smart Style terrain park etiquette by visiting the Winter Park Resort Terrain Park webpage!

Discover Winter Park Resort's Terrain Parks
Camps

Camps

May Camps

2022 Freeski Terrain Park May Camps
Friday- Sunday, April 29 - May 1
Open to all WPCC Freeski Park & Pipe athletes

Colorado’s ski season is not over! We are excited to kick-off the “new” season with at home spring camps! The Explorer Lift will be exclusively available to our athletes and those from a few other teams, allowing us to build and train on more technical features and create a strategy to define the needed skills to conquer those features. Our park crew will be working to keep select features in Re-Railer Terrain Park open for the camp, allowing park riders to progress their skills.

Daily schedule: (subject to change)

8:00 am - Meet team at Balcony House
8:30 am – Warm up and stretch at Snoasis
9:00 am – On-hill practice
12:00 pm – End of on-hill camp
12 pm –Lunch break / Ski and Jane
2:00 pm –Trampolines at Rec w/ Snowboard (Sat @ 2:15 pm)
4:00 pm – End of camp

Camp cost:

Early Bird Price: $75 per day or $195 per weekend (Fri-Sun)
Includes Explorer lift access. Prices increase $10/day or $20 for the full camp registration if you register after April 22!
Registration for each session closes the Wednesday before the weekend session starts.
For more info call (970) 726-1590 or email ccenter@winterparkresort.com

REGISTER

LODGING OPTIONS

Trampoline Sessions

More information coming soon.

Steamboat Ramp Camps

More information coming soon.

Woodward Copper

More information coming soon.

Utah Olympic Park (UOP) Camps

More information coming soon.
Contact Information and Resources

Contact Information
For program questions, contact:
Laurie Mooney
Freeski Director
lmooney@winterparkresort.com

Ben Fulmer
Freeski Head Coach
bfulmer@winterparkresort.com

For registration questions, contact the Competition Center office at 970-726-1590 or ccenter@winterparkresort.com.

To view the complete Competition Center Staff Directory, visit the Important Information and FAQ section of our Registration, Resources, and FAQ page.

Freeski Resources and Policies

USASA Rocky Mountain Series
Battle of the Grommets™

Key policies such as the Code of Conduct are signed on the Member Portal during registration. Please review our registration details, important resources, and more at the links found below.

Registration, Resources, and FAQ
Parent Volunteer Program
Sports Performance Program
History of Excellence
History of Excellence

The Winter Park Freeski Team has produced top-level athletes including:

Birk Irving won Dec. 2022 Halfpipe World Cup @ Copper Mtn. and took silver at Xgames Aspen Halfpipe in 2023.
Svea Irving entered Xgames Aspen Halfpipe in 2023 as an alternate and took Bronze
Bennett Kobe won Youth (15-16) USASA Slopestyle Nationals, placed 3rd in USASA Railjam Nationals, and placed 3rd in Futures Tour Slopestyle Tahoe (Northstar) in 2023
Cade Benton won every single competition he entered in the 2023 season, including Grommet (9-10) USASA Slopestyle Nationals
Christopher Mattes advanced to 2022 USASA Slopestyle National Finals and finished 8th in the country for his age group.
Bennett Kobe advanced to 2022 USASA Slopestyle National Finals and finished 9th in the country for his age group.
Bennett Kobe advanced to 2022 Park City Futures Tour Finals and secured 1st in his age group.
Birk Irving became a member of U.S. Ski Team in 2015 and competed in the 2022 Winter Olympics.
Svea Irving joined the U.S. Ski Team in 2018.
Four athletes represented Winter Park Competition Center at Junior Worlds in 2018.
Lyman Currier competed in the 2014 Winter Olympics.