Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What time and where do we meet?
A: We meet each Saturday and Sunday at 7:35 am at the base of Blackcomb Gondola. Our whole program is given an early load prior to the public. On Fridays, all athletes are to meet their coach at the Gemini Center.
Q: When do you finish each day?
A: Athletes train from 8 am to 3 pm.
Q: What time is lunch?
A: Groups usually break for lunch around 11:15 am. Groups will lunch at Glacier Creek Lodge, Rendezvous or Gemini Freestyle Center. Athletes can bring a packed lunch and store it at the Gemini Center.
B: What size and width skis should you buy for your athlete?
A: When standing next to them, it is suggested they come up to eye height. If you are purchasing only 1 ski for your child for the winter, it is best that they are about 90mm underfoot.
The longer the ski, the more stable it is at speed, the shorter it is the more maneuverable to turn. As athletes gain more experience they will begin to have their own preferences for ski size.
Q: What is the Timber Tour Series?
A: It is the provincial event series in Moguls, Dual Moguls, Slopestyle, Big Air, and Halfpipe. Disciplines vary from competition to competition based on the host mountain’s available terrain. These are typically 4-day events running from Thursday through Sunday. All athletes in the Full Weekend Program have coaching costs covered when attending all Timber Tours. Athletes in the Single Day Program have the Whistler Timber Tour stop included when we hold one. Average costs for a Timber Tour away can be found at this link.
Q: What is the Canada Cup Series?
A: It is a national event series in Moguls, Dual Moguls, Big Air, Slopestyle, and Halfpipe. This event is best suited for athletes 15 years old and up. These are typically 4-day events running from Thursday through Sunday. Please contact the Program Director for more information if this would be something you would like to target.
Q: What is Junior Nationals, and how do you qualify?
A: The Junior National Championship is held annually. In 2016, the event was split into 2 events. Moguls, Dual Moguls, and Aerials are held at the same venue, and Slopestyle, Halfpipe and Big Air are held at another. Each year, they switch geographically from West to East. The Selection Criteria are located here.
Q: What are Freestyle Fridays?
A: This program is designed for athletes looking for more training. Athletes will be able to add any Fridays that work for their schedule for the 22/23 season. This program starts after Winter Break. Note that unless it is a powder day athletes will train either Park & Pipe or Moguls or both throughout the day. We do not offer Big Mountain training on Fridays.
Q: How does my child start flipping on snow?
A: Freestyle Canada has a very strict system to allow athletes to flip. This is to keep the athlete safe.
If an athlete wishes to learn an inverted maneuver, we will use a backflip as an example, and they first must learn to do it proficiently on a trampoline with a coach. Following this, athletes must do 50 successful backflips on water ramps or airbag with proper technique. Finally, once the 50 jumps are complete and the coach and athlete feel ready, they will do a Qualification test. This test is 5 jumps only for that day. The coach will score each jump out of 100 and they must score a minimum of 80% to pass the Qualification. If they fail they are able to take it another day. The idea for the Qualification test is to put pressure on them as this will be the similar feeling they will get doing it on snow for the first time. Once they pass the qualification then athletes are permitted to attempt the maneuver on snow ONLY with a coach.