An Academy for Snow Sports
If you love to play in the snow, this is your place. Whether what drives you is speed, mastering tricks in the halfpipe or in the terrain park, seeking the best line on the biggest mountain, or gliding across the finish line in a cross country event, there is no better place to live and to train than Sun Valley and no better program than Sun Valley Ski Academy.
Yes, we are a top-notch ski academy, but that's just one aspect of what we do. Here, don't have to choose between excelling in competition and in the classroom. Our faculty, coaches, and our support staff are here to help you excel in all arenas. What's more? At this ski academy, you are encouraged to participate in a wide range of activities that we offer—the arts, our Outdoor Program, service learning, athletics, and more.
Race with Us
If you have a need for speed, Sun Valley Ski Academy will be your happy place.
SVSA offers alpine competitors an unparalleled opportunity to excel at school while accelerating on the slopes, with skier-friendly and travel-friendly course schedules, teachers who understand, and coaches who will push you to be your best on and off the slopes. To help accomplish this, the SVSA works hand-in-hand with the acclaimed Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation (SVSEF).
Your Team
SVSA alpine athletes are placed on one of several SVSEF teams based on age and ability level when they join: FIS Team, USSA Team, or Intermountain Team. Each alpine team is managed to optimize age-appropriate progressions for maximizing athletic development, with the goal of creating productive and healthy timelines for athletes to ensure the best possible outcomes and experiences.
Your Training Venues
Sun Valley’s Bald Mountain is arguably one of the finest racing mountains in the country, with consistent steep pitch, a hard reliable surface, world-class snowmaking and grooming, and varied training conditions all over the mountain. Alpine athletes also train on Bald Mountain’s sister slope, Dollar Mountain, located just behind Community School’s Trail Creek academic campus.
Members of the U16 and older age groups also participate in year-round fitness training designed to complement their on-snow skill development. The conditioning program strives to strike a balance between utilizing the best that modern equipment and training theory has to offer with the timeless pursuit of adventure and inspiration that comes with being immersed in mountain-town culture. Athletes work out in the Athletes’ Training Center, located within the Ketchum Campus Residence Hall, and, during the fall dryland season, outdoors—enjoying the incredible network of trails to hike, run, and bike.
What Your Year Will Look Like
SVSA athletes get on the snow in Sun Valley in mid-November, when training camps launch on Bald Mountain. On-snow training and competition then extends through the competitive season (early April). Spring, summer, and fall camps are offered for SVSEF alpine athletes, with unique and age-appropriate opportunities to enhance development.
Throughout training, whether on snow, in the gym, or in the outdoors, SVSA skiers embody the core values of SVSA and SVSEF: passion, perseverance, sportsmanship, teamwork, creativity, and character.
Glide with Us
READY TO FIND YOUR STRIDE? SUN VALLEY SKI ACADEMY IS YOUR PLACE.
Recognized as USSA Club of the Year four times, SVSEF is a renowned cross country program with an excellent reputation. SVSEF cross country skiers have won U.S. Junior National Championships, U.S. National titles, Super Tour races, and Super Tour season titles; five former SVSEF cross country athletes have represented the U.S.A. at the Olympic Games.
Sun Valley Ski Academy skiers have left SVSEF and Community School to go on to ski for top-tier NCAA Division ski programs, including: Dartmouth College, University of Utah, University of Colorado, Middlebury College, Bates College, Bowdoin College, University of Vermont and University of New Hampshire, with many of our alumni earning NCAA Championship podium finishes and NCAA All-American Honors.
YOUR TEAM
SVSA cross country athletes train and travel as part of the SVSEF Comp Team, a year-round ski program that provides high school skiers aged 14 to 19 the opportunity to fully develop their ski capacity through a comprehensive training program. Based out of the SVSEF Lake Creek Training Center north of Ketchum, Comp Team athletes attend training camps and competitions as members of one of the most successful winter sports clubs in the United States.
YOUR TRAINING VENUES
The Sun Valley area is recognized as one of the premier cross country skiing destinations in the world. Over 200 kilometers of ski trails are groomed by PistenBully and offer a complete array of trail profiles for all training needs. SVSEF facilities and trails have been designated by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee as an official Olympic cross country training site on the basis of the organization’s exceptional facilities and programming. Consistent snow conditions, including what is often some of the earliest-available skiing each winter season in the United States, and an ideal training altitude that helps athletes develop maximal aerobic capacities are also benefits for cross country skiers.
The Lake Creek Training Center offers a strength gym, wax room, athlete lockers, and bathrooms and is situated on the team’s FIS homologated race trails. The Athletes’ Training Center (located within Community School’s Ketchum Campus) is a fully equipped gym modeled after the USSA Center for Excellence in Park City, Utah. The state-of-the-art 3,200-square-foot space that serves Community School Upper School and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athletes offers everything an athlete needs to become strong and fit for their athletic endeavors.
WHAT YOUR YEAR WILL LOOK LIKE
The Comp Team trains year-round through dryland and on-snow programming. The summer season includes multiple training camps, with both dryland and on-snow opportunities, and athletes often compete in local summer endurance events that include mountain and road bike races and running events. The winter season competitive schedule is made up of regional and national-level races both in our community, including U.S. Super Tours, IMD Divisional races, and the ever-popular Boulder Mountain Tour, and within the Intermountain Division.
Ride with Us
READY TO MAKE YOUR MARK IN PARK AND PIPE? SVSA IS THE PLACE TO BE.
If you’re a committed snowboard athlete looking to find challenge and benefit from expert coaching, one of the country’s best park and pipe training and comp venues, and a proven track record in developing world-class athletes, Sun Valley is the ideal place to be.
Snowboard athletes compete in slopestyle and halfpipe, both of which are X Games and Olympic events, training to excel in jumps, rails, wallrides, boxes, quarterpipes, halfpipes, hips, and jibs. Snowboard athletes devote considerable training hours to the balance, strength, and ski techniques essential to aerial maneuvers. Throughout training, the snowboard team exudes enthusiasm and team spirit, supporting one another and creating positive momentum.
YOUR TEAM
SVSA snowboard athletes ages 14 and up are members of the Travel Team. The team trains five days a week (Wednesday through Sunday) and averages 100 days on snow. Trampoline and conditioning sessions at Community School’s Air Barn complement on-snow training.
YOUR TRAINING VENUES
Snowboard athletes train primarily on Dollar Mountain, which sits just behind Community School’s Trail Creek academic campus and includes a world-class terrain park and big air venue. The team also spends time freeriding Bald Mountain throughout the winter. In addition to these on-snow venues, snowboard athletes spend time honing aerial skills and commit time to strength and conditioning at Community School’s Air Barn and at the Ketchum Campus Athletes’ Training Center.
WHAT YOUR YEAR WILL LOOK LIKE
The Travel Team trains July through June of the following year. Snowboard athletes prepare for the competitive season with summer ski camps and summer and fall dryland sessions, including considerable time spent in the Air Barn, making the most of the trampolines and strength and conditioning equipment. When the snow falls, the team trains five days a week and continues with weekly Air Barn sessions.
The Travel Team has a full travel schedule, averaging six trips each season, as well as Revolution Tour, USASA Nationals, Jr. Nationals, Grand Prix and Open events for those who qualify.
Fly with Us
READY TO LAUNCH YOUR MOGUL SKIING TO A NEW LEVEL? SVSA IS YOUR TICKET TO FLY.
Sun Valley is one of the birthplaces of freestyle mogul skiing, where early pioneers like locals Bobbie Burns and Penelope Street honed their skills on Bald Mountain’s natural terrain park. Today, this heritage shines through young mogul skiers whose commitment to their sport is clear in their mogul and aerial technique, their passion for achieving their lofty goals, and the spirit they show in support of their teammates.
YOUR TEAM
SVSA athletes are members of SVSEF’s mogul competitive teams (Travel Team or Progression Team), created to provide a training and competitive pipeline for athletes who are ready to commit to intensive, year-round ski training and, in some cases, aspire to become professional mogul skiers. Through trampoline, water ramp, and on-snow aerial training in the summer and fall and on-snow training and competition November through April, Mogul Team athletes gain skills and confidence to set, strategize, assess, and achieve their skiing goals.
YOUR TRAINING VENUES
Mogul Travel and Progression Team athletes train on the famous Roundhouse Slope located on Bald Mountain, as well as on our new full-time mogul training venue within the Warm Springs Race Country arena. Content consists of technical ski work, access to a mogul course application, and on-snow aerials, as well as a wide range of challenging, terrain-focused free skiing.
The Air Barn is our indoor anti-gravity training venue located at the Dumke Family Sagewillow Campus. Athletes have access to a dry-slope tow-in ramp to airbag, three trampolines equipped with spotting rigs, and an additional airbag pit. The Air Barn also provides a year-round indoor venue, which supplements conditioning provided within the Athletes’ Training Center, located within Community School’s Ketchum Campus. The state-of-the-art 3,200-square-foot Athletes’ Training Center serves Community School Upper School and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athletes and offers everything an athlete needs to become strong and fit for their athletic endeavors.
WHAT YOUR YEAR WILL LOOK LIKE
The mogul competition teams train July through June of the following year. Summer training includes ski and water ramp camps and dryland (strength and conditioning and trampoline workouts in the Air Barn). Dryland continues in late spring, when an additional ski camp is also a possibility based on yearly planning. Once the mountain opens, the teams train six days a week (Tuesday through Sunday), with an average 100+ days on snow and weekly Air Barn sessions. The winter season also includes a full travel schedule comprised of competitions in the Intermountain, Far West and Northern divisions. A typical season averages six trips (in addition to Junior Nationals and U.S. Nationals for those who qualify).
Go Big with Us
Ready to go big? SVSA is your big mountain base.
As an SVSA student-athlete and a member of the SVSEF IFSA Big Mountain Team, you can compete in IFSA regional, national and potentially international events.
Your TEAM
SVSA athletes on the SVSEF Big Mountain team will be introduced to mountaineering concepts such as snow safety, backcountry travel, and avalanche awareness, as well as Big Mountain competition strategy and execution for performance success.
Your Training Venues
Big Mountain athletes will train on Bald Mountain, Dollar Mountain, and in the stunning backcountry surrounding Sun Valley. (Off-resort training sessions require third-party guide services and are offered at an additional cost per session.)
In addition to on-snow venues, Big Mountain athletes will train in Community School's Air Barn, our indoor anti-gravity training venue located at the Dumke Family Sagewillow Campus. Here, athletes have access to a dry-slope tow-in ramp to airbag, three trampolines equipped with spotting rigs, and an additional airbag pit.
SVSA skiers also have access to the Athletes’ Training Center, located within Community School’s Ketchum Campus. The state-of-the-art 3,200-square-foot Athletes’ Training Center serves Community School Upper School and Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation athletes and offers everything an athlete needs to become strong and fit for their athletic endeavors.
What your year will look like
Athletes begin their season in mid-October, when dryland training begins, with sessions at the Air Barn and other conditioning venues.
On-snow training and competition runs November through April. In a typical week, the Big Mountain Team trains four days, Thursday through Sunday, with supplemental Air Barn training throughout the season.
WINTER TRAINING
Winter training takes place Thursday and Friday afternoons, as well as all day Saturday and Sunday. Select Air Barn training will be utilized as well as specific off resort training opportunities.
Please Note: Big Mountain Team members will be required to own avalanche safety equipment. This equipment will be required for all training sessions, both at the resort and during off-resort opportunities. Equipment use and education will be provided. General outline of gear: pack, avalanche transceiver, snow shovel, probe and slope meter.
Catch Air with Us
READY TO MAKE YOUR MARK IN PARK AND PIPE? SVSA IS THE PLACE TO BE.
If you’re a committed freeski or snowboard athlete looking to find challenge and benefit from expert coaching, one of the country’s best park and pipe training and comp venues, and a proven track record in developing world-class athletes, Sun Valley is the ideal place to be.
Park and pipe athletes compete in slopestyle and halfpipe, both of which are X Games and Olympic events, training to excel in jumps, rails, wallrides, boxes, quarterpipes, halfpipes, hips, and jibs. Freeski and snowboard athletes devote considerable training hours to the balance, strength, and ski techniques essential to aerial maneuvers. Throughout training, the park and pipe team exudes enthusiasm and team spirit, supporting one another and creating positive momentum.
YOUR TEAM
SVSA park and pipe athletes ages 14 and up are members of the Travel Team. The team trains five days a week (Wednesday through Sunday) and averages 100 days on snow. Trampoline and conditioning sessions at Community School’s Air Barn complement on-snow training.
YOUR TRAINING VENUES
Park and pipe athletes train primarily on Dollar Mountain, which sits just behind Community School’s Trail Creek academic campus and includes a world-class terrain park and big air venue. The team also spends time freeriding Bald Mountain throughout the winter. In addition to these on-snow venues, park and pipe athletes spend time honing aerial skills and commit time to strength and conditioning at Community School’s Air Barn and at the Ketchum Campus Athletes’ Training Center.
WHAT YOUR YEAR WILL LOOK LIKE
The Travel Team trains July through June of the following year. Park and pipe athletes prepare for the competitive season with summer ski camps and summer and fall dryland sessions, including considerable time spent in the Air Barn, making the most of the trampolines and strength and conditioning equipment. When the snow falls, the team trains five days a week and continues with weekly Air Barn sessions.
The Travel Team has a full travel schedule, averaging six trips each season, as well as Revolution Tour, USASA Nationals, Jr. Nationals, Grand Prix and Open events for those who qualify.