It’s a question I’m asked often: « what’s the deal with snow school? Will my kids have ski lessons this year? Will there be snow school in Quebec this season?” The short answer is: maybe.
I know this doesn’t answer your question perfectly, but I’ll explain.
The current rules on ski school in Quebec are they can continue as long as the mountain itself is in a green, yellow, or orange zone. In these coloured zones, ski school can continue as normal as long as the child is wearing a face covering (like a neck warmer).
If the area that the mountain is located in, not the city you live in, becomes a red zone, then snow school would be cancelled for as long as the mountain is in the red zone. What that means is potentially you could have no snow school all season (and you’d have a credit with the hill for you ski class for the following year). The other option could be you only get 1 or 2 snow school class and the rest of the season could be cancelled. And the best case scenario is that the hill stays in an a green, yellow, or orange zone all season long.
What Could a Snow School Season Look Like Then?
Snow school usually starts around the 9th or 16th of January, and run for about 8-10 weeks. So as of today, we still have some time for things to improve across Quebec. That being said, it’s anyones guess as to how the province and the regions will look like come January.
So back to the question of what the season could look like. It’s very possible that the season looks like the following for your ski hill:
- 1st Class: ski hill in yellow zone, snow school is on.
- 2nd Class: ski hill in yellow zone, snow school is on.
- 3rd Class: ski hill in orange zone, snow school is on.
- 4th Class: ski hill in red zone, snow school is cancelled.
- 5th Class: ski hill in red zone, snow school is cancelled.
- 6th Class: ski hill in red zone, snow school is cancelled.
- 7th Class: ski hill in red zone, snow school is cancelled.
- 8th Class: ski hill in red zone, snow school is cancelled.
In this example, you’ll get just less than half of your classes and a credit for the next year for those 5 classes that were cancelled. What’s important to note is that your pass will still work as the hill you have snow school at will still be operating even in a red zone (with modifications of course) .
At the end of day, you have to think about what makes the most sense for your family. If you’re ok with having a credit for next year at the same hill, then stay enrolled. That’s what we are doing! We know we’ll be back at our hill next year, so that credit will go to good use.
If you’ve already booked for snow school, and aren’t interested in a credit, most hills are allowing for a refund up to a certain date. Check with your hill to learn the exact details. I’ve summarized a few of the hills policies in this blog post.
Hoping for a safe and amazing ski season for you all!
Thanks for reading,
Valerie
The Snowboard Mom 