Do I need my own skis/snowboard, boots, poles, and helmet? No, you are able to rent all of this gear for a fee from the ski area.
Can I buy my own skis, boots, poles, and helmet in Minnesota? Yes. If you are interested, contact one of the coaches, listed above, and they can help you get that sorted out.
Do I need to know how to ski or snowboard? For skiing, no. Lessons will be provided for the beginning skier, free of charge, by Michele Cornish. For snowboarding, you will need to know how to snowboard to join the club if you are a boarder (we don't have a snowboard coach).
Do I need my own cold weather gear? Yes. You will need to procure your own ski/snowboard gear. You will need WARM clothing for the temperatures that we have here in MN.
Where do we ski? Welch Village (https://www.welchvillage.com). About a 55 minute drive from Faribault. Welch is a CASH-FREE ski area. You need a credit card to buy almost anything.
Does Welch have a ski shop? Yes. You can buy ski gear if you've forgotten something that you need.
When do we ski? Once per week when Welch is open and it is not below zero temperatures.
Do I need to ski every time the club goes? No. There are a limited number of seats for each trip and you need to let your coaches know in advance if you plan to go.
Is this club co-ed? Yes. The club is open to any student attending the Upper School or Middle School at SSM.
Do I need to buy a lift ticket? Yes. You will purchase your own lift ticket on-line. We gather as a group before each trip and make sure that kids have their ticket purchased.
Can I buy a season pass if I don't want to buy individual lift tickets for every trip? Yes, through the Welch website. If you have a season pass you will have a seat on the van for every trip unless you tell coaches that you are not planning to go. If the snow is good this year, we could potentially go more than one time per week. If the temperatures are really cold, we won't go. You'll have to determine if a season pass is right for you value-wise.
Is there food and drink available at the ski area? Yes, but it's expensive. We have a sack dinner with a sandwich, chips, drink, cookie, and a few other snacks, for every skier and boarder who goes on a trip.
What time of day do we go skiing? We load the van at 4:30pm and are at Welch by 5:30pm. We are back at SSM by 10:30/45pm. Generally, we look at the weather and see what week day looks the best for skiing and transportation to the ski area.
