#BlizzardKids

Our Kids Programs

Certified Professional Instructors

Our goal is provide our students with the best instruction possible from our highly trained staff. As one of the oldest professionally organized schools in Michigan, we're proud to continue our time-honored tradition of teaching skiing and snowboarding to everyone, at all levels. We require our instructors to obtain and maintain a national certification by the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and / or American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI).

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Tot's Ski Program

Seasonal Program for Ages 3-5 Years Old

The TOT’s program is designed to introduce your child to skiing. Tot students will develop age-appropriate skills to improve their skiing at their own pace. Blizzard Tots are with a certified Blizzard ski instructor and adult supervisors for one hour and fifteen minutes for eight Saturdays. This has 3 different sessions available, You pick one of the three, Morning (AM 10:30 - 11:45), Noon (NN 12:15 - 1:30), or Afternoon (PM 2:30 - 3:45). We teach all four skiing skills: Balance, Rotary, Pressure and Edging. Beginner skills: we start with walking in boots, walking with boots and skis, side stepping, gliding on skis, gliding to a stop, gliding and turning in one direction, and introduce Tots to the magic carpet. Intermediate Skills are more defined beginner skill plus, we teach smaller wedge turns (moving to parallel turns), traversing, speed control using Turn shapes, turning both left and right, backwards skiing, hop turns, interdiction to chair lifts as we move the children towards being independent skiers.

Lessons on Saturdays with alternating trips between MT Holly and Pine Knob, see calendar for dates and location. The child needs to be 3 years old on or before April 15 of the current Season.

Mini Ski Program

Seasonal Program for Ages 6-8 Years Old

(Approximately 11 Weeks)

Mini’s have their own age appropriate skill levels that allows them to develop their skiing skills at their own pace. Mini classes average seven students per instructor for Beginner/Intermediate lesson levels and eight students for Intermediate/Advance lesson levels. Mini’s ski with a Blizzard certified instructor, adult supervisor for the lesson period, lessons are 2.5 hours long. We have two different sessions, the Morning AM lessons (10:00 am - 12:30 pm), and the afternoon PM lessons (1:30 pm to 4:00 pm).

Lessons on Saturdays with alternating trips between MT Holly and Pine Knob, see calendar for dates and location. The child needs to be 6 years old on or before September 1st of the current Season.

Minis move through 6 different lesson levels:

• White (new never skied)

• Yellow (new/beginner)

• Green (beginner/intermediate)

• Blue (intermediate)

• Black (intermediate/advanced)

• Double Black (advanced)

Mini Ski Program

Seasonal Program for Ages 6-8 Years Old (Approximately 11 Weeks)

Mini’s have their own age appropriate skill levels that allows them to develop their skiing skills at their own pace. Mini classes average seven students per instructor for Beginner/Intermediate lesson levels and eight students for Intermediate/Advance lesson levels. Mini’s ski with a Blizzard certified instructor, adult supervisor for the lesson period, lessons are 2.5 hours long. We start Morning AM lessons at 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, and afternoon PM lessons at 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm.

Minis move through 6 different lesson levels:

Youth Ski Program

Seasonal Program for Ages 9-13 Years Old.

(Approximately 11 Weeks)

This Program is designed to help in the transition from moving out of the Mini Program into the Teens. Youth member’s lessons are 1 1/2-hour with a certified instructor and are with a supervised Free Ski group for the remainder of the day. The lessons are a combination of technical exercises and teaching games designed to allow your child to develop the physical and mental skills needed to further their skiing ability. Blizzard uses ten ski levels, dividing skill development into the small obtainable steps needed to become a great skier. The Lesson levels are based on skiing skills not age. Based on skill level lesson time will be 10:00 am, or 11:30 am, or 2:00 pm.

Lessons on Saturdays with alternating trips between MT Holly and Pine Knob, see calendar for dates and location.

Levels for Youth Ski members:

• B (new to Skiing)

• L & I (beginner levels)

• ZZ & A (beginner/intermediate level)

• R & D (intermediate level)

• Bronze & Silver (advanced level)

• Gold (expert level)

Youth/Teen Snowboard Program

Seasonal Program for Ages 9-17 Years Old.

(Approximately 11 Weeks)

Snowboard member’s lessons are 1.5-hour with a certified instructor and are in an instructor lead free ride group for the remainder of the day. All snowboarders will have one lesson on each trip. Based on their snowboard skills, lesson time will be 10:00 am, or 11:30 am, or 1:30 pm. The lessons are a combination of technical exercises and teaching games designed to allow your child to develop the physical and mental skills needed to further their snowboarding ability. Blizzard uses eight snowboard levels, White, Yellow, Green, Blue, Black. Bronze, Silver, and Gold, dividing skill development into the small obtainable steps needed to become a great snowboarder. Lessons on Saturdays with alternating trips between MT Holly and Pine Knob, see calendar for dates and location.

Levels for Youth Ski members:

• White (new to Boarding)

• Yellow (beginner levels)

•Green (beginner/intermediate level)

• Blue (intermediate level)

• Bronze & Silver (advanced level)

• Gold (expert level)

Youth/Teen Snowboard Program

Seasonal Program for Ages 9-17 Years Old. (Approximately 11 Weeks)

Teen Ski Program

Seasonal Program for Ages 12-17 Years Old. (Approximately 11 Weeks)

This is the original Blizzard program and remains very popular today. Teen members lessons are 1.5-hour with a certified instructor and when not in lesson Teen members can free ski with Family and friends. The lessons are a combination of technical exercises and teaching games designed to allow your child to develop the physical and mental skills needed to further their skiing ability. Lessons on Saturdays with alternating trips between MT Holly and Pine Knob, see calendar for dates and location.

Levels for Teen Ski members:

• B (new to Skiing)

• L & I (beginner levels)

• ZZ & A (beginner/intermediate level)

• R & D (intermediate level)

• Bronze & Silver (advanced level)

• Gold (expert level)

Adult Ski Program

Our Saturday Adult program is run on designated weekends (see online calendar for designated dates) from 2:00 –3:30 p.m. This program is designed for our adult members to begin or sharpen their skiing or snowboarding skills to help them improve. You do not need to have children in our other programs to participate, just a desire to learn. Lessons are available for everyone, from those who have never skied or snowboarded to the expert, who wants to revisit and improve their skills.

Sunday Family and Friends
Private/Semiprivate Lessons

Sunday Family and Friends Lessons, Blizzard offers lessons for Skiers and Riders of all ages. You have the choice of Private 1 hour lessons or Semi-Private (2,3, 4, or 5 person) 1.5 hour lessons. The Semiprivate program is designed to allow you to create the Semi-Private group lesson. So, Mom and daughters can take a lesson together, or Brother and sisters, Grandpa, Grandma and kids. By committing to multiple weeks, you can save even more as we have package pricing available based on the number of lessons scheduled. We limit the number of skiers in a lesson based on age and skiing levels, 3-4 yrs that never skied are single private lessons, 5-6 yrs olds never skiied are 2 in a lesson group and 7 yrs old and up limited to 5 in group.

Keeping Up with the Kids

This new program is designed for Moms and Dads looking to refine skills, gain confidence, develop tactics for different mountain conditions, and have FUN! Weekends are busy, so this program will run Wednesdays during the day in January and February at Pine Knob - a more relaxed and less crowded setting. Instruction will be conducted by Blizzard’s top instructors, and offered in Private, Semi-Private, and Group sessions. Six sessions are planned beginning Wednesday 10 January. Start time is 10am. Wednesday 21 February is reserved as a make-up day, if needed. Lessons can be purchased individually, or as a package of three or six. Friends and family are more than welcome!