The Killington Mountain School Freestyle and Freeride Program is the best choice for an athlete looking to pursue their goals in freestyle and freeride skiing.

Training at KMS
The KMS Freestyle and Freeride program offers the most extensive training in the East. Athletes train in small groups with top-level coaches.  Early season training focuses o­n fitness training and skiing fundamentals. As the season progresses, o­n-snow training prepares athletes for all levels of competition. The team trains Tuesday through Sunday when they are not o­n the road competing.

At KMS our athletes have access to a wide variety of terrain for training in all disciplines on Killington Mountain. Challenging alpine terrain, parks and pipes, mogul runs, consistent snow conditions, and fast, accessible lift service provide a myriad opportunities for our athletes to enhance their ability. Additionally, a top-notch training facility complements the work completed o­n the hill.

The KMS mogul athletes train o­n the East Coast's renowned mogul trail: Outer Limits. The Killington course crew is famous for its cat-built courses, laying down arrow-straight lines and building huge kickers. Outer Limits (OL) supports o­ne of the longest and most challenging mogul runs in the country at 250m. Located Bear Mountain under the Quad chairlift, OL is a perfect place to see and be seen, ski and compete, and most importantly, challenge yourself to accomplish your dreams and excel at your sport.

New for 2006-2007 and beyond, Killington Mountain provided the freestyle team with a permanent training venue that is closed to the public which enables our athletes to have venue training during the week before competitions.

The KMS Freeride athletes train on Killington’s super pipe and extensive selection of terrain parks. Killington Mountain continues to improve and expand their terrain parks every year, where their superpipe has been the host to several top notch events including the 2006 and 2007 US Freestyle Championships.

Training Camps
In addition to winter training at home in Killington, the KMS Freestyle and Freeride athletes have an extended year round camp schedule that includes: summer skiing in British Columbia, water ramping in Lake Placid and early season on-snow camps in Europe and the Rocky Mountains. Training and travel is planned to cater to the individual needs of our athletes, who may range in ability from the first-time competitor to the most seasoned veteran competing in the US Nationals or Junior World Championships.

Training Philosophy
Most athletes that come to KMS are o­n a five to six year progression with the goal to peak closer to age 21 rather than 15. Therefore, training for long-term athletic development sometimes takes precedent over training for specific races or competitions. At KMS we also believe in training the "whole" athlete; all our athletes, in all disciplines, train and compete in all events. KMS athletes develop a wide range of skills and abilities needed to handle any o­n-snow, athletic situation. Coaches work diligently during the off-season to create Athlete Management Plans for each individual, which take into account the winter competition schedule, academic requirements, and the long-and short-term personal goals of the athlete. Winter snow sports can be accompanied by a high rate of burnout; to avoid that, we encourage KMS athletes to have fun as they work toward their peak performance. Training begins in late spring with physical fitness work and summer o­n-snow camps. Fall dry-land and early season training in November and December prepare athletes for the winter competitions.

Competition Circuit
Our athletes compete in The United States Ski Association (USSA) Eastern Division events (Eastern Freestyle) and the International Federation of Skiing (FIS).

KMS athletes travel throughout New England for USSA Eastern division mogul, dual mogul, aerial, half pipe and slopestyle competitions. Additionally, the program supports athletes who qualify for regional championships, national level competitions, and international level competitions. KMS has supported athletes o­n trips to British Columbia, The Czech Republic, Sweden and Switzerland. The athletes range in ability from the first-time competitors at USSA divisional contests to our athletes that qualify to compete at Junior Olympics to our elite level athletes competing o­n the NorAm circuit, US Nationals and Junior World Championships.

KMS Freestyle Alumni
As a hotbed of freestyle skiing, Killington has produced many Olympic, National Team, and professional freestyle and freeride skiers.

Some of our notable KMS alumni include:

• Current US Freestyle Ski Team member - Michael Morse '99
• Evan Dybvig '97 - Nagano and Salt Lake Olympics, Two-time National Champion
• Luke Westerlund '98 - 2004 US National Mogul Champion
• Evan Rapps '96 (Evan skied for the US Freestyle Team, but is known for his musical interests and a successful career in the skiing community as one of the innovators in the freeride movement.)
• Steve Desovich '83
• Chuck Martin

Come ski with us for a day and experience all the KMS Freestyle and Freeride Team have to offer!  Send an e-mail to the Head Coach, Deb Newson for more information: dnewson@killingtonmountainschool.org