Programs

The Natural Flow of Growing up with MFT

One of the questions that we get the most often is where does my child fit into MFT? This of course does not have a straightforward answer, so please read on. The natural progression would be that your child would start with us at age 7 in the Little Riders program. After a year or two in the Little Riders program they would move on to the Development (Devo) program. So around age 8 or 9 they enter the Devo program, which is an all mountain type program, and ski with the Devo program for another couple of years or possibly more. They would then try to decide which direction they would like to go from Devo- Moguls, Slopestyle, or Big Mountain skiing. This would be a personal preference towards those disciplines. Because they had already been in our Devo program they would be very familiar with the differences in the disciplines and would make an educated guess as to which team they want to move towards. They would then start at the lower level of those programs (Jr. Comp, Slopestyle (non-comp), or Big Mountain) and ski there for a year or two before deciding whether they wanted to compete in that discipline.

Of course this does not work for all kids in all situations. We have had athletes that are 9 years old that do huge backflips in the moguls and so are on our Competition Mogul program, and we have had 12 year olds that can barely ski and are in our Little Riders program. We aim to place people in the best group for their skiing development and with their friends whenever possible. If you cannot figure out what group your child should be in then they are likely Little Riders if they are less than 10 and likely Devo if they are 10 or older. The Devo group is our largest and can accomodate a very wide ranging skill set. There is considerable grey area between the Devo and Little Riders groups with the best Little Riders easily being able to ski at the lowest Devo group’s speed, but probably lacking some of the social skills of the older skiers. The same grey area exists at the lower discipline specific groups and the Devo groups. Our top end Devo skiers could ski with any of the Slope/Big Mountain/Jr. Comp teams.

Now that you are as clear as mud, here is a description of each of the teams.

LITTLE RIDERS TEAM - 

MFT encourages all children and teens to participate on our teams and either learn a Snowsport on skis or snowboards.  We have been very encouraging and accepting of all levels of each athlete from beginner to competitive.

MFT will still have a Little Riders team. However, the child/participant must meet the following requirements.

1. Must be able to ride a chairlift with another non coach adult (per law and Snowbowl, all children under the age of 12 must ride with an adult)

2. Must be able to go to the bathroom by themselves.

3. Must be able to be in the lodge by themselves (if a parent is not available).  We will not be stopping for an inside lunch. Additionally, Children that are cold must be able to go to the lodge and warm up by themselves without a Coach.

MFT has changed the minimum age, which is 7. We all know some children are more independent than others and that ability is not age specific.  It is up to you the parents to realistically assess your child’s abilities related to the above conditions/changes.  We love our Little Riders and this is very hard.  If you have questions about your child please contact Donovan Power and we will do our best to assist and guide you in this process.

Entry level program for our youngest athletes. None of our programs are for first time skiers and all athletes on the Little Riders team must be able to crash and put on their own equipment, ride the lift with an adult that is not their parents, and spend the day away from their parents.

On snow training is one day per week, every Saturday from after Christmas through the first of March. For young athletes who want to learn to ski the whole mountain and can put on their own equipment after a fall.

Includes:

• 3-day Christmas Camp
• 10 Saturdays

Little riders is geared toward teaching young athletes to ski the whole mountain. We want to teach basic all mountain skiing to a little younger audience. If you can put on your own equipment after a fall and have a desire to learn to shred then this is the program for you. Little riders meets once a week with skiers of like age and ability. We have coaches that are trained and excel at showing children how to shred.

Cost: $735

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DEVELOPMENT TEAM -

Entry level program. On snow training is one day per week, every Saturday from after Christmas through the first of March. The Development Team trains in mogul skiing, all mountain skiing, jumping on and off the mogul course as well as the jump hill.

Includes:

• 3-day Christmas Camp
• 10 Saturdays

The Development Team is designed to teach athletes to ski the whole mountain and enjoy it. We emphasize mogul skiing but ski all around the mountain every day. Whether you use it as a stepping stone to the Comp Team or an avenue to all mountain shredding, we will make you a good skier.

This is our largest group at MFT with something like 8-10 different groups of 7 Devo shredders. This is the place to learn which direction you might like to go in the future. You will practice all of the different disciplines and ski all around the mountain every day with your crew.

Cost: $780

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BIG MOUNTAIN TEAM -

Program fed from our Devo program. On snow training is one day per week, every Saturday from after Christmas through the first of March. The Big Mountain Team trains in mogul skiing, all mountain skiing, and jumping on and off the mogul course. The Big Mountain Team emphasizes park skiing as well.

Includes:

• 3-day Christmas Camp
• 10 Saturdays

The Big Mountain Team is designed to teach you how to ski the whole mountain but with an emphasis on new school skiing. We have the only terrain park at Snowbowl and it is only open for our team. We will teach you big mountain skiing techniques as well as the ability to jump and hit rails. The Big Mountain Team meets once a week like the Devo Team and can be interchanged at any time with the Devo Team.

The main difference between the Big Mountain team and the Slopestyle team is the kind of competitions that they are geared towards. Slopestyle competitions take place in a park on man made features. Big Mountain events take place on a steep slope with all natural features. The Big Mountain skier needs to be able to jump so we will train in the park for some of those skills, but they will spend much more time free skiing around Snowbowl than the Slopestyle team will.

Cost: $780

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Includes:

• 3-day Christmas Camp
• 10 Saturdays

The Slopestyle Team will have a focus on slopestyle jumping. We always ski around the mountain every day to some degree. However, the Slopestyle team will spend significantly more time in the park working on jumping and hitting rails than the Devo program. If you don’t like the terrain park then this is not the team for you.

Cost: $835

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SLOPESTYLE COMPETITION TEAM -

Program fed from Slopestyle Team Jr. Comp team or Big Mountain team. High level program. On snow training is twice per week, every Saturday and Sunday after Christmas through the first of March. The Slopestyle Competition Team emphasizes park skiing and preparation for freeride competitions.

Includes:

• 3-day Christmas Camp
• 10 Saturdays and Sundays

The Slopestyle Competition Team is designed to help you progress your freeride skills in preparation for bigger stages. We have the only terrain park at Snowbowl and it is only open for our team. We will ride rails, tabletops, hips and the whole mountain. The Slopestyle Competition Team meets twice a week.

Cost: $1,200

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JUNIOR COMPETITION MOGUL TEAM -

Program fed from our Devo program. Every Saturday and Sunday starting mid-December and running through the first of March.

Includes:

• Video analysis
• 3-day Christmas Camp
• Friday training on competition weekends
• Afternoon/evening training once a week, usually Thursday 8-10 sessions

The Junior Competition Team is meant for those athletes that want to step up from the Devo Team but aren't quite ready for the Comp Team. We will ski the mogul course almost every day but we will also ski all around the mountain. Curt and Donovan will switch back and forth coaching the Junior Comp Team. Junior Comp skis every Saturday and Sunday that the Comp Team is in town. The Junior Comp Team does not travel but has the opportunity to compete at the Snowbowl contests. It is the stepping stone to the Comp Team.

Cost: $1,020

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COMPETITION MOGUL TEAM -

Program fed from Jr. Comp Team. Every Saturday and Sunday starting mid-December and running through the first of March.

Includes:

• Video analysis
• 3-day Christmas Camp 
• Friday training on competition weekends
• Afternoon/evening training once a week, usually Thursday 8-10 sessions

The Competition Team is geared toward athletes that would like to take their mogul skiing to the next level. We train Saturdays and Sundays and travel to competitions around the state and beyond. The Comp Team is designed for athletes that want to learn how to ski and compete in a competitive environment. We have trained past and current US Ski Team members and provide a training facility that is literally second to none. Come up and see us any time on Sunrise Bowl.

Cost: $1,450

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