U8 (6 and 7 year olds)

The GKHAT U8 program is for skiers who want to develop strong skiing skills, have fun with their friends, and learn through a combination of race training environments, race events, and all mountain skiing.

Please read the GKHAT Parent Handbook for details. All GKHAT families must read and agree to the Parent Handbook including volunteer commitments before registering. 

As a prerequisite, skiers must be able to ski comfortably and independently on steep intermediate terrain (Silver Lining, Show-off, etc), and should have some experience in some steeper ungroomed terrain (ie. Think twice, Bowl Over).  Beginner and Intermediate skiing programs are offered by the Winter Sport school at Kicking Horse. Feel free to contact us to help decide what is the right program for your young skier.

The focus of the program is to develop skiing and ski racing skills while having as much fun as possible skiing the mountain with friends. We want to spark the ski racing fire in our young skiers! Safety, technical skills, tactics, focus, athleticism, and team spirit are all key components of what we aim to develop in this program to make great skiers who love skiing, and have a strong foundation in ski racing.

Through the season we host two or three club events which are a part of this program.  In addition, athletes have the option to travel to other local hills for Nancy Greene Festivals and races hosted by our neighboring clubs. These events are always a fun addition to the season and can help develop team spirit and a love for the sport.

Choose Fridays/Saturdays/Sundays 9:00 am - 2:30 pm

First day of program: Usually the second weekend Kicking Horse is open (regular program doesn't run over Christmas weekends - see registration pages for details on dates).

Volunteering

Our U8 skiers turn into strong little skiers in GKHAT and this is where THEY will start to depend on you less and GKHAT gets to depend on you more. While your skier was in the mini program, event volunteer positions were being run by the parents of older skiers. You are now the parent of an older skier and the club needs more of your assistance in the events themselves. We need a balance of parent in this age group sharing the tail-gunning duties and race/event duties. The good news is, most event positions put you in a great position to watch and cheer on your little racer and it is fun to watch their growing independence on the ski hill!

Volunteer Positions for U8 parents:

• Tail-gunnig at GKHAT events
• Course crew
• Set up/tear down crew
• Gatekeeping
• Hand timing
• Starter
• Start/Finish Crew
• Shadow a lead volunteer position (Chief of gates, chief of timing)

Equipment (see parent handbook for more details)

GKHAT Parent Handbook

*About Friday Skiing

Friday Skiing offers a slightly different experience than other ski days. Lift lines may be shorter, and programs are not interrupted by club race days. However, parents should be aware that since fewer athletes register for Friday skiing, this will often require mixing ages and abilities within groups and that groups may change through the season with mixed duration of ski seasons for the different ages. Also due to timing of operation of some of our ski racing environments and grooming requirements, the ski cross course may be less available for use on Fridays. 

Financial Assistance

To Register