U8 Ski Program at Mountain Creek

For Kids Ages 6–7

The U8 program is the first step into alpine racing at Mountain Creek. It’s designed for young skiers who are ready for more than just cruising the hill — kids who want to build strong skills, make friends, and start exploring the exciting world of ski racing.


The U8 program is all about making skiing fun while laying the groundwork for future racers.

What Kids Learn


  • Solid Skiing Basics – Balance, carving, edge control, and confident turns on a variety of terrain.
  • Intro to Racing – How to ski through gates, inspect a course, and race in a fun, no-pressure environment.
  • Mountain Skills – Independence on lifts, handling gear, and skiing safely on intermediate and advanced runs.
  • Confidence & Fun – Building friendships, working with coaches, and discovering a lifelong love for skiing.

Program Goals


  • Develop strong technical foundations that set kids up for future racing success.
  • Introduce competition in a fun, encouraging way.
  • Build confidence, teamwork, and sportsmanship.
  • Prepare athletes for the next step: the U10 program.

Parent Info


  • Age Group: 6–7 years old (comfortable on intermediate terrain).
  • Terrain: South Mountain — includes intermediate & advanced slopes, plus features like rollers and small jumps.
  • Commitment: Weekly training sessions, with opportunities to try fun races during the season.
  • Gear: Properly sized skis, boots, helmet, and race-style protective equipment recommended.

Mountain Creek Ski Racing DepartmenT
U8 Athlete Criteria

Considerations and requirements for participation in the Mountain Creek U8 Alpine Ski Racing Program for the 20-21 season. Under 8 (U8) are based on age on December 31, 2020.


When evaluating athletes for participation in the U8 program, please make a careful and unbiased review of the athlete’s skiing ability, maturity level and independence prior to signing the athlete into the program:


  1. U8 athletes must be members of US Ski and Snowboard and their current membership must be the appropriate age bracket for the 2020-21 season.
    *For an athlete to qualify for the U8 bracket they must be     no younger than the age of 6 as of December 31, 2020

  2. U8 athletes must be able to put on their own ski equipment including boots and skis.
    *Additionally, equipment such as jacket, pants, gloves and under layers should be appropriate for winter outdoor conditions.
    * The athlete must have the proper helmet for ski racing.

  3. All athletes in the U8 program should have the ability to ski with their skis in a parallel position with a slight or minimal spreading of the tails, or wedge movement during turn initiation returning to parallel as a turn is completed.
    *Skiing in a wedge position more than for brief periods during turn initiation if necessary, should be avoided.
    *U8 skiers should be age appropriate intermediate or better skiers who         ski in control at all times and are ready to advance their skiing with coaching, drills and age appropriate training equipment.

  4. U8 athletes should be able to stop with skis in a parallel position, referred to as a hockey stop, when necessary.
    *This includes but is not limited to: upon entering the lift area, when regrouping during coaching and to avoid other skiers.

  5. U8 skiers should be able to load and exit the lift without help from coaches and be able to close the safety bar.

  6. U8 skiers should be able to get up from most falls unassisted.

  7. U8 skiers must be able to side-step uphill.

  8. U8 skiers must be able to herringbone uphill (duck) walk.

  9. U8 skier must be able to use poles for propulsion.

  10. U8 athletes must have the maturity level to work in medium sized groups and have the ability to ski and train for somewhat sustained amounts of time (several runs) without taking a break


The U8 and other programs will be held at the Mountain Creek South area. The terrain is intermediate and advanced. In addition, Mountain Creek South terrain includes jumps, rollers and metal freestyle features used by the general public in some areas. U8 skiers should be comfortable negotiating areas which have these features. U8 skiers will typically not use these areas, however, to move about the hill to access training slopes, during warm up runs and for variety of terrain U8 skiers will be exposed to various areas of South


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