The Sport
During the 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary Freestyle skiing was introduced as a demonstration sport. Four years later Mogul skiing was added to the Olympic program of the Albertville Games in France and in 1994 the Lillehammer Games was the introductory stage for Aerial skiing.
In the early 1990s skiers took their sport to the snowboard parks. Salomon ski company redesigned the skis used for freestyle and created skis with front and back tips to allow skiers to ski either forward or backward.
By 2006 there are two main branches of freestyle skiing. The Olympic version comprised of mogul and aerial, and the newer form sometimes referred to as the new school, consisting of half pipe, slope style and the skier cross. A great many skiers are learning this sport and it probably will be included in the Olympic games in the not too distant future.
We are an advanced freestyle ski club best suited for Double Black Diamond skiers ages 9 to 18. We offer a variety of training including moguls, half pipe, park and all mountain skiing, focusing on safety, fun and advanced skills development. The athlete to coach ratio small, to allow for more individualized attention.
Trampoline training in the fall before we hit the snow is an integral part of this program allowing athletes to feel comfortable in the air while performing aerial maneuvers on snow.
Our home is Lake Louise Ski Area. We train most Saturdays there. We also ski at COP, usually once a week in the evenings. Dryland and trampoline training begins in the September at Altadore Gymnastics Center.
Our athletes compete in the Alberta Freestyle Club and Provincial comps and Jr.Big Mountain comps. Also, this year we expect that Lake Louise will have a ski cross course for training and comps.
We are members of the Canadian and Alberta Freestyle Ski Associations
