Yes. It is an entry requirement of the Mighty Mite program that an athlete can load, ride, and unload the chair independently. We cannot guarantee an adult will always be on the chair with your athlete. We review chairlift safety with athletes every morning before we head to the chair. Our protocol is the bar goes down as soon as we load the lift and does not get lifted until our feet are over the ramp. We teach the kids how to ask the lifty to slow the lift down and we can also ask lifties to put the bar down for the kids as they load. If you do not want your child riding without an adult you will need to ride with them.

Coaches have found that 3-hours on the snow is the most productive; keeping progression, fun and safety in mind. Three-hour training sessions on weekend days and 2-hour sessions on weekdays enable a positive learning pace with favorable long-term results. The US Ski Team has spent a lot of time and money into this training progression.

At this stage, the best thing to do is take some laps with your child(ren) and let them have fun. They get a lot of coaching input during training. It’s a lot to think about. In skiing, like most sports, we are working towards unconscious competence, doing the right things without thinking. Athletes are thinking a lot during training as they are getting feedback, digesting, and applying it. They need time to turn the brain off and let it all come together. Fun laps are productive because skiing is fun!