Early Years
The CTA Youth Programs started in 2011, with the goal of getting students out on skis during the wintertime. In the first few years, the program was run as an after school program with different schools and groups in the Burlington area. These years were logistically challenging because Burlington snow was unreliable.
Move to Bolton Valley/School Programs Begin
In 2013, the Ski Cubs program began at Bolton Valley Nordic Center on Saturday mornings and participants were transported there for programs from the Burlington area. We also started working with Robinson Elementary School in Starksboro, VT, skiing at Camel’s Hump Nordic Center. In 2014, the Robinson program was moved to Sleepy Hollow Nordic Center in Huntington for similar reasons that motivated the move to Bolton—consistency, quality, and ease of instruction.
Multi-Week Programs Take Priority
By the end of the 2014 season, the CTA had two parallel multi-week Ski Cubs programs running at two Nordic Centers. Expansion continued and in 2016, our first School Program began at Brewster Pierce Memorial School for 3rd and 4th graders. This in-school program worked well, leading to another new program in 2017 at Shelburne Community School. These programs continue to this day, along with many additional in-school programs throughout Vermont.
Incubator Programs
While our in person programs expanded, the CTA purchased an additional “loaner” set of ski equipment and launched the first Incubator Program. We partnered with schools in southern VT, where local volunteers worked with two elementary schools to start new nordic ski programs. Our Incubator Program provided an opportunity for the CTA to support a community-run program with equipment, curriculum, and our years of experience running youth ski programs.
Current Offerings
Today, Ski Cubs continues to be our Flagship program, running Saturday mornings and hosting students from the Greater Burlington area. We also offer School Programs in Chittenden, Addison, Washington, and Franklin Counties, hosting programs with 15 schools and non-profits. Please contact us at outreach@catamounttrail.org for more information or to start a program at your school.
