FAQ

All Big White Freestyle winter programs include coaching from highly certified freestyle coaches. Athletes meet Saturday or Sunday mornings at 9:30 am at the top of Woodcutter.  Athletes will be dismissed from training for lunch from 12:00 – 1:00 pm and parents are expected to pick-up/return athletes 12 and under on time. Athletes will be returned to their team’s meeting spot after afternoon training at 3:00 pm (full day programs) or 3:30 (half day programs).  Additional breaks throughout the day to warm-up, fuel-up and hydrate as needed are at the coaches discretion. Additional program info and Duty of Care policy can be found HERE.

Skiers and boarders MUST have their own ski/board pass, skis/snowboards, poles, boots, goggles, gloves and be dressed for the changing weather conditions.  Proper fitting ski/board helmets are MANDATORY. Back protectors, wrist guards (snowboarders) and mouth guards are encouraged. Athletes must also have a brown bag lunch. The appropriate Freestyle Canada/Canada Snowboard insurance requirements (up-to-date membership license) must be met before an athlete can ski or board with the team.

We try our best to run classes every week as scheduled.  At times, training may require cancellation due to inclement weather, coach illness or injury and the unavailability of a suitable substitute coach. If there is a change or cancellation we will send out an email notification to everyone with as much advance notice as possible. Additional information can be found HERE. 

Yes!  Our introductory level FUNdamentalz and Riders Green programs are half-day. You will be notified of your athlete’s time slot after all registration has been completed. The club does not offer part-time programs.  Full fees apply to all members, even if athletes cannot attend all training sessions. All fees are to be paid in full prior to season start. Licensed members from other freestyle clubs are welcome to arrange a drop-in session with our club if space is available.

Yes!  Both athletes and parents must review and sign the Big White Freestyle Team code of conduct when they register.  Failure to do so will result in a registration not being accepted.  See here for the BWF Club Manual and BWF Bylaws. 

There are inherent risks for snowboarding and skiing in winter conditions. Safety and injury prevention are very important to our club. Athlete’s follow planned skill progression pathways to minimize the risk of injury, are instructed to ski/board within their limits and are coached to pay attention to changing weather conditions. If an athlete sustains an injury, they may be required to provide a note from their doctor or physiotherapist to confirm when they are clear to ski/snowboard again. If an athlete has an accident on mountain, a Freestyle Canada Accident Report must be completed within 24 hours. It is the coach’s responsibility to complete the Accident Report. Coaches will review on-mountain safety plans with athletes at the start of each season and revisit as required. The club will brief parents on the safety plan at our first parent meeting of the season. Additional safety training such as tree well safety and avalanche awareness may be completed with athletes as necessary.  All athletes must wear a helmet and are encouraged to use additional safety gear (hip and spine protection, mouth guard, wrist guard, etc.).

Coaches meet their groups in the morning at the top of Woodcutter. If you are late and the groups have left you can check in with our Program Director who is often there up to 10 minutes after the program starts to help your child join their group or you can use TeamSnap to message your coach and make alternate arrangements.  If you are unable to attend a training day, please notify your team coach so that your athlete’s group is not held up waiting.  Please be familiar with our Duty of Care policy for dropping off/picking up your athlete.

As a not-for-profit organization we strive to keep our fees as low as possible. All athletes and families are responsible for program and parent participation fees. Competing athletes will also be assessed competition fees.

We recognize our season may be disrupted by circumstances beyond the club’s control. Big White Freestyle will aim to provide make-up sessions for days Big White Freestyle must cancel training due to resort closures, program cancellations, coach unavailability or local/provincial/national health guideline changes. For any days we are not able to offer a make-up, we will offer a pro-rated credit less any fixed costs that can be applied to future activities with the club. Make-up days and credits will not be issued for adverse weather conditions that fall outside of our operational parameters. Any credits will be issued at the end of the season. If an athlete cancels the winter program at any point due to injury, the club will provide a
credit towards their next winter season’s fees on a monthly prorated basis, minus a $250 non-refundable administration fee. There will be no credits issued after February 1st.

Full policy can be seen HERE.

Yes, all athletes will have access to specials offered by our partners and sponsors. These will be communicated to registered club members by email during the season.

Big White Freestyle does not administer a lunch program. Teams will be dismissed for a lunch break from 12:00 – 1:00 and parents will be expected to pick up/return their athletes as per our Duty of Care policy.  We are unable to release athletes 12 and under on their own.