FREEHEELERS Info
Weekly info at www.juniornordicprogram.orgInformation for Saturday morning of week 1: SKATE. Pack lunch and drinks for the 4-hr session. You head up top and will eat out on the trail with your group. Meet your instructor at 9AM at the Lower check-in area.
- #1, If your child will be out, please let the program lead know. It really helps us plan the groups and activities, esp when we have instructor absences.
- Make sure your child gets a good night of sleep and a hearty breakfast.
- Show up early for the first day if you need season rentals. If you don't need rentals, 8:15am should be fine. Any later and the parking lot is liable to fill up.
- Make sure to check your name on your group's checkin sheet (at the check in table). If you don't check in, your instructor assumes you did not come and might get on the lift without you.
- If you need season rentals, hopefully you’ve done that ahead of time. If you need rentals, arrive as early as possible to pick them up on Day 1. Freeheelers mostly skate but sometimes classic ski based on conditions. However, Freeheelers will mostly skate, so if you can only get one type of gear, get skate gear.
General Freeheelers Info
- Freeheelers must have their trail pass or season pass on them. Lifties will not let them on the lift even with their instructor. If they forgot their season pass, head to the cashier to fill out a 'forgot my pass' form. If you haven't bought your child's season pass before lessons, buy a trail pass and then head to Guest Services at West or Central with their ticket after lessons. You can credit the ticket price to a nordic season pass.
- To buy a nordic pass online, go here and then go to the cashier or Guest Services at the Nordic Center to pick up the pass. Nordic Season Passes.
- To buy a nordic day pass instead, go here. When you get to the Nordic Center, there is a kiosk inside to get your day ticket. Nordic Day Pass.
- FREEHEELER lessons run from 9AM-1PM with lunch on the trail with their group.
- Check-in for lessons will be inside the lodge this year. We will meet your skier on the east (uphill) side of the lodge and drop your skier off at the lodge at 1PM.
- ALWAYS pack a lunch. Freeheelers will eat with their group. Maybe up top, maybe on the trail, maybe at the lodge. Freeheelers are an independent bunch and ski the whole trail system.
- Mark your child's skis and poles in a VERY obvious manner. Most kids have similar brands and sizes. Phone number is good too.
- Mark your child's clothing (so we can get it back to you when/if your child misplaces it).
- Those integrated drinking systems are great (with an insulated tube). A SMALL backpack with small water bottle works also.
- Pack YUMMY food in your child's snacks;lunch. We need them to eat their food so they have energy the whole session.
- WAX your kid's skate skis. Seriously. Freeheelers need waxed skis. At the very minimum, you can get some Swix paste wax (like Swix Universal Rub-On-Fluoro 40ml F4 Paste Wax on Amazon) and rub that on before each session. Or hot wax if you are set up for that.
- There are no restrooms on the trails unless the honeybucket is up at Grand Junction (not sure it is). But there are plenty of trees.
- 'We're going to be late. What should we do?' Lessons start at 9AM. After check-in Freeheelers head up top on the lift. If you miss your group's departure, you probably won't find them.