VSSA was founded in 2007 through an academic partnership between Ski & Snowboard Club Vail (SSCV) and Eagle County Schools (ECS) to provide full-time SSCV athletes access to a fully accredited and certified college preparatory school. VSSA, the first public ski and snowboard academy in the US, has approximately 225 students in grades 5-12.

VSSA is located in Minturn, Colorado just 10 miles from SSCV’s Golden Peak base area and Clubhouse and is adjacent to SSCV’s Nordic training area and dryland facility at the Minturn Fitness Center.

Certain photos on this page are courtesy of Samantha Lathram.

VSSA HIGHLIGHTS AS OF 2021-2022 ACADEMIC YEAR

MISSION

VSSA provides a rigorous secondary and college preparatory academic program while supporting the athletic and personal goals of our students. In partnership with SSCV and ECS, VSSA facilitates the attainment of our students’ dreams by offering challenging academics, flexible scheduling, and individualized attention.

SSCV Financial Aid

As a public school, VSSA greatly increases the financial accessibility of its students to an integrated full-time athletic and academic solution. This accessibility is further supported by financial aid made available by SSCV to cover up to 75% of SSCV athletic program fees based on financial need. Click here for details, including the financial aid application process and related deadlines.

Balancing Academics & Athletics

VSSA is uniquely positioned to enable students to pursue their athletic dreams without compromising academics utilizing the many resources available through ECS and VSSA along with utilizing SSCV Academic Coaches who supplement the VSSA teaching staff.

  • Schoology (learning management system)
  • Power School (electronic grading platform)
  • Naviance (college/career readiness platform)
  • Chromebook provided for all students.

  • Academic Concerns Study Hall (Second Trimester)
    • any student with less than 2.0 in a class is placed on Academic Concerns List, and if by start of week 3, student not at 2.0 or above in that class they must attend Academic Concerns Study Hall in lieu of training until grade at 2.0 or above
    • any student may attend
  • Lunch/Recess Study Hall (First and Third Trimester)
    • required if not off Academic Concerns List by start of week 3 of a class
    • any student may attend

  • SSCV hires Academic Coaches to supplement the VSSA teaching staff and support students in a variety of ways, including-
    • in classrooms reducing educator to student ratios, creating opportunities for differentiated learning and getting students current upon return from travel
    • in Think Tank resource center as available various periods throughout the week, including as a resource during study halls
    • additional supervision during lunch and dismissal times
    • customized academic support to HITS (high intensity traveling student) student athletes who have enrolled in the HITS level academic coach program before, during and after travel
    • supplemental support before, during and after travel for large group long term travel for longer championship events and large group international travel
    • support with organizational/executive functioning skills
    • availability of one Academic Coach during part of certain school breaks at VSSA

  • created through a combination of VSSA and SSCV academic staff, allowing for further individualized attention

  • teachers provide assignments in advance to enable students to get ahead before travel

Graduation Requirements

VSSA graduation requirements are set by the ECS school board. Close attention is given to NCAA requirements when a VSSA student-athlete is interested in competing athletically at the college level. 25 credits are required for graduation, with a minimum in certain areas. Students meeting certain requirements may graduate with a college prep diploma (recognized by ECS).

4.0 English

3.0 Mathematics

3.0 Science

3.5 Social Studies (.5 must be Civics/Government and a .5 Economics)

1.5 Physical Education (SSCV)

0.5 Health

1.0 Practical Skills (CTE, Arts, Performance Arts, Internship, Community Service)

7.5 Electives (one of the electives must be Senior Project to graduate at VSSA)
___

24 Total

4.0 English

4.0 Mathematics

4.0 Science

4.0 Social Studies (.5 must be Civics/Government and a .5 Economics)

1.5 Physical Education (SSCV)

2.0 Foreign Language

0.5 Health

1.0 Practical Skills (CTE, Arts, Performance Arts, Internship, Community Service)

4.0 Electives (one of the electives must be Senior Project to graduate at VSSA)
___

25 Total

Professional Development

VSSA staff gather as a professional learning community (PLC) on a regular basis throughout the academic year to share expertise, and work collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students.

Student Support

Student support takes on many forms at VSSA.

  • Facilitates:
    • community-wide individual and group education and support on topics including social media usage/safety, public safety, drug and alcohol awareness and bullying prevention
    • cross-age activities
    • injured athlete sessions
    • community service initiatives
    • building of a compassionate, cross-aged community culture
  • Among high schoolers:
    • creating individual student class schedules
    • helping develop community service, independent study, workplace and internship opportunities
    • providing college counseling services

As members of a Colorado public school, VSSA students may be eligible to receive specialized student support services under Colorado Department of Education guidelines and state statute which may include a Response to Intervention (RTI), 504 Plan or Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

VSSA and SSCV staff collaborate to provide support to VSSA student athletes who are members of SSCV. Ongoing communication between staffs helps provide the most seamless integration possible between academics and athletics and the reinforcement of SSCV’s core values of Character, Courage and Commitment (the 3C’s) and VSSA’s fourth “C” of Compassion.

Curriculum Highlights

The VSSA curriculum includes STEM, Spanish, Art, Advanced Placement, Dual Enrollment, Independent Study, Workplace Experience, Seminar with an advisory component, upper school Study Hall, and elective classes, dependent on grade level and, in certain cases, space availability. VSSA students undergo placement testing in Math and Spanish to determine the most appropriate academic level for them to thrive and grow.  There is also the possibility for competency based grade placement in grades 6-8 across all subjects based on VSSA established criteria.

  • 5th–7th grade-incorporates project based learning in science, technology, math and engineering

  • starting in 8th grade-Spanish 1, 2 and 3 and AP Spanish Language and Culture via live classroom setting (or another foreign language at own expense and without VSSA academic support via a VSSA approved third-party online provider)

  • currently offered in VSSA classroom setting in Calculus AB, Calculus BC, Statistics, Human Geography, US History, English Literature and Composition and Spanish Language and Culture
  • in addition, via pre-approved online course or a student prepping on their own for additional AP exams

  • currently offered in VSSA classroom setting in College Trigonometry, Economics, Anatomy and Physiology and Environmental Science, and, in addition, Calculus AB, Calculus BC and Statistics are DE classes as well as AP classes
  • in addition, via pre-approved Colorado Mountain College course held at nearby Edwards campus

  • high school students – opportunity to learn beyond traditional class in paid or unpaid internship via pre-approved proposal

  • Grades 9-12 only

  • Seminar – grades 5-12 for entire academic year which includes the following: homeroom and advisory related activities, all school or division meetings, including guest speakers, honing of executive functioning skills including grades and goals along with academic concerns list review and one day a week access to classroom teachers

  • For grades 5-8 referred to as Exploratory consisting of several multi-week rotations in content and skills to support success in school.  Examples include executing functioning, note-taking and typing.
  • For grades 5-7 art
  • For grades 9-12 currently includes the following which high schoolers will take two of:
    • Art including topics in painting, ceramics, drawing, and printmaking
    • Culinary Arts
    • Economics
    • Cults, Conspiracies, Misinformation and Critical Thinking
    • Flyfishing and fly tying
    • Kayaking

Beyond the Traditional Classroom Setting

VSSA provides opportunities for students to take part in a number of community building initiatives, extra-curricular activities and middle school and high school sports including those listed below.

  • Wilderness Trip
  • Community Service Day
  • Homecoming Week
  • All School Meetings which may include guest speakers during select Seminar periods
  • Student Council

  • field trips
  • Science and Stem Fairs
  • Model UN competitions
  • spelling bee
  • trivia contest

  • reading buddies
  • mentoring
  • volunteer work

  • at participating schools in the county, subject to CHASA and VSSA Academic Concerns Policy compliance and collaboration with SSCV coaching staff

Calendar & Bell Schedule

Academically VSSA has two semester grading periods. Athletically VSSA has three trimesters.  During the second trimester (early November through early May), VSSA reduces students’ course load by removing an elective and shortening the length of Seminar.

During the second trimester:

  • classes are held on Tuesday through Friday afternoons rather than full day and extend later
  • training is held midweek mornings as calendared by SSCV (other than Monday which is a full academic day all year long)

See below for schedule details.
2022-2023 VSSA Annual Calendar
2022-2023 VSSA Bell Schedule

The VSSA calendar provides time off throughout the school year to allow for periodization of academics and athletics to best support maximizing performance in the classroom and on the hill.

Athletics

VSSA student athletes participate in SSCV athletics throughout the academic year, taking part in strength training and conditioning sessions before and/or after school, the frequency, location and nature of which vary based on age and snow sport.

The Minturn Fitness Center, an 8500 square foot state of the art human performance center run by SSCV personnel, along with the gymnasium and trampoline room, indoor/outdoor supertramp and the nearby fields and Nordic trails are among the venues for strength training and conditioning and are located on or adjacent to the VSSA campus.   Age and snow sport appropriate physical testing takes place several times during the academic year.

During the Second Trimester, training is held midweek mornings as calendared by SSCV (other than Monday which is a full academic day all year long)

World class on-hill training is available at SSCV’s home venue on Vail Mountain for all but Nordic athletes who utilize the Maloit Park Nordic Trails adjacent to VSSA. Nearby Summit County provides access to resorts with higher elevations and varying park and pipe features for alternate on-hill training sites.

SSCV has a medical partnership with The Steadman Clinic and the Steadman Philippon Research Institute which provides SSCV with a full-time Certified Athletic Trainer to assist full-time athletes with injury diagnosis, medical referrals and return-to-sport programming.

SSCV Technical Services at Golden Peak is located at the SSCV Clubhouse in Vail and provides athletes with reasonably priced, easily accessible resources for the highest level of preparation of their equipment for both training and competition.

Nordic equipment prep is done at VSSA.

VSSA Training Table

The lunch program offered at VSSA provides our young and developing student-athletes with the opportunity to get a balanced meal after long mornings of hard training on the mountain and throughout the entire school year. Proper nutrition not only begins the rebuilding process of muscles, but also replenishes energy stores and provides fuel for the brain to excel through the academic part of the day. Food is provided by a professional chef at a reasonable cost.

Next Steps for VSSA Alumni

VSSA students have gone on to compete in the Olympics and XGames and pursue their careers with the US Freeski, Freestyle, Alpine and Snowboard Teams. VSSA students have also been accepted at competitive colleges and universities where alpine and Nordic athletes may continue to compete in their sport at the NCAA or USCSA level and other snow sport athletes may participate on club teams or with nearby ski and snowboard clubs.

For the 2010-22 season, forty-one SSCV former athletes were NCAA collegiate snow sports athletes (of which fourteen are former VSSA students). 

In May 2022, twenty-three SSCV current and former athletes were nominated to US Ski & Snowboard Association national teams for 2022-23 (of which three are current VSSA students and eleven are former VSSA students).

Alpine

Axel Bailey – Middlebury College

Lucia Bailey – Middlebury College

Reece Bell — University of Denver

Max Bervy – University of Colorado Boulder

Emma Birtwhistle – Boston College

Cleo Braun – University of Colorado Boulder 

Jacob Dilling – University of Colorado Boulder 

Emma Hall — Middlebury College

Kaitlyn Harsch – University of Colorado Boulder 

Gabriella Holm – Montana State University 

Caroline Jones —  University of Vermont

Avery Leonard – Bates College

Tucker Strauch — Colby College

Nellie Talbot — Montana State University

ALPINE NOMINATIONS: 

A Team

Paula Moltzan

Mikaela Shiffrin

River Radamus

B Team 

Bridger Gile

Ava Sunshine Jemison

Kyle Negomir

Allie Resnick

D Team

Kaitlin Keane

Kjersti Moritz

Emma Resnick

FREESKI NOMINATIONS:

Halfpipe Pro Team

Aaron Blunck

Alex Ferreira

Halfpipe Rookie Team

Riley Jacobs

Matt Labaugh

FREESTYLE NOMINATIONS:

Mogul Team

Olivia Giaccio

Tess Johnson

Elizabeth Lemley

Kai Owens

SNOWBOARD NOMINATIONS:

Slopestyle/Big Air Pro Team

Julia Marino

Halfpipe Rookie Team:

Kade Martin

Snowboardcross Pro Team:

Faye Gulini

Connor Schlegel

Meghan Tierney

VSSA Colleges & Universities

Arizona State University

Babson College 

Bates College

Bentley University

Boise State University

Bowdoin College

Boston College

Boston University

California Institute of the Arts

California Polytechnic State University

California State University, San Marcos

Clarkson University

Clemson University

Colby College

Colorado College

Colorado Mesa University

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State University

Columbia University

Dartmouth College

Denison University

Florida Southern College

Franklin and Marshall College

Gettysburg College

Harvard University

Hawaii Pacific University

Indiana State University, Bloomington

Johns Hopkins University

Lehigh University

Lewis and Clark College

McGill University

Miami University, Oxford

Michigan Technological University

Middlebury College

Montana State University

Northeastern University

Northern Arizona University

Oregon State University

Pennsylvania State University

Pepperdine University

Plymouth State University

Rochester Institute of Technology

Rocky Mountain College

San Diego State University

St. Lawrence University

St. Michael’s College

Sierra Nevada College

Springfield College

Syracuse University

Tulane University of Louisiana

United States Air Force Academy

United States Naval Academy

University of Alabama

University of California Irvine

University of California Los Angeles

University of California Santa Barbara

University of California Santa Cruz

University of Colorado Colorado Springs

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Denver

University of Hawaii Manoa

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

University of Massachusetts- Boston

University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

University of New Hampshire

University of New Mexico

University of North Carolina at Asheville

University of Northern Colorado

University of Oregon

University of Oxford

University of Rhode Island

University of Southern California

University of Utah

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

University of Washington Seattle

University of Wisconsin Madison

Utah State University

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Washington College

West Virginia University

Western Colorado University

Westminster College

Westmont College

Whitman College

Williams College

Woodbury University

Alaska Pacific University

Arizona State University

Bates College

Boston College

Boston University

California Institute of the Arts

California Polytechnic State University

Clemson University

Colby College

College of Charleston

Colorado Mesa University

Colorado Mountain College

Colorado School of Mines

Colorado State University

Columbia University

Dartmouth College

Eastern Wyoming College

Fort Lewis College

Harvard University

Lafayette University

Lewis and Clark College

McGill University

Michigan Technological University

Middlebury College

Montana State University

Northeastern University

Northern Arizona University

Oklahoma State University

Plymouth State University

Pepperdine University

Rocky Mountain College

San Diego State University

Sierra Nevada College

St. Lawrence University

United States Air Force Academy

United States Naval Academy

University of Alaska Anchorage

University of British Columbia

University of California Santa Barbara

University of California Santa Cruz

University of Colorado Boulder

University of Denver

University of New Mexico

University of Southern California

University of Utah

University of Vermont

University of Virginia

University of Wisconsin-Madison

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Washington College

Western Washington University

Westminster College

Williams College

Arizona State University- 3

Bates College- 2

Boise State University

California Polytechnic State University-2

Clarkson University

Clemson University

Colby College

Colorado Mesa University

Colorado Mountain College- Steamboat

Colorado School of Mines- 2

Colorado State University-3

Drexel University

Fort Lewis College- 2

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Michigan Technological University-2

Montana State University -13

Northeastern University

Northern Arizona University

Oregon State University

San Diego State University

St. Lawrence University

Syracuse University

University of California-Irvine

University of California Santa Barbara

University of California- Santa Cruz

University of Colorado Boulder-15

University of Denver-9

University of Massachusetts- Boston

University of New Hampshire- 5

University of Northern Colorado

University of Oregon-2

University of Utah-10

University of Vermont-5

University of Washington Seattle-2

University of Wisconsin Madison

University of Wyoming

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Western Colorado University-2

Westminster College-3

Westmont College

Woodbury University

Contact Us

Sharon Schmidt

Director of Advancement
sschmidt@skiclubvail.org
978-621-8738

Admissions, Applications and Related Deadlines

Acceptance as a full-time athlete by SSCV and enrollment as a full-time athlete at SSCV as well as acceptance as a student by VSSA are both pre-requisites to attending VSSA. Click here for SSCV Admissions process. To learn more about the SSCV application and admissions process for SSCV contact the SSCV Director of Advancement, Sharon Schmidt or call 970-790-5161.  To learn more about the VSSA application process and for the VSSA admission application go to the VSSA website at this link.

Staff Directories

Current VSSA Staff
Current SSCV Academic Staff

VSSA Parent and Athlete Resources

2022-23 VSSA Handbook coming soon
2022-2023 VSSA Annual Calendar
2022-2023 VSSA Bell Schedule

PTA & Volunteering

Participating in the PTA is a great way to get involved at VSSA.  Look to the Yeti Times for more information.

Eagle County Schools

VSSA is a part of Eagle County Schools. For more information on ECS please visit the ECS website.

Parent Testimonials

“VSSA fosters an environment where student-athletes develop life skills, such as responsibility, accountability and time management- three skills not only needed as an athlete but to succeed in the real world.”

– Parent of two VSSA Alpine Athletes

“We are very impressed with the high level of academics that are offered at VSSA. The Academic Coaches are essential to our children’s success when they are traveling and competing.”

– Parents of one VSSA Snowboard Athlete and one VSSA Snowboard Alumna

“VSSA has been an outstanding experience for my son. The small classes, involved teachers, flexible schedule, and academic coaches offered my son a great education providing opportunities for him to be successful on and off the mountain. As a senior at VSSA, we felt very lucky to have a school counselor who was excellent at guiding him through the college selection process. VSSA has been an incredible education and experience for my son.”

-Parent of a VSSA Freeski Alumnus

“Having come from a traditional school environment we have been very impressed with the ability of the VSSA staff to provide an environment where our children can achieve success athletically as well as academically. The tight integration, strong support structure, and creative scheduling of the school and athletic components have been essential to our boys gaining strong standardized test results and maintaining solid GPAs while reaching their goals in skiing.”

-Parents of two VSSA alpine athletes

“Our sons have thrived at VSSA. The class sizes are small and the students are able to foster close, collaborative relationships with their teachers. In the winter, when they are on the road, this is critical to their academic success. The emphasis on academics at VSSA is important to our family and we have been continually impressed.”

– Parents of two VSSA Nordic athletes