Rick Morson School Program

The Rick Morson School Program provides an opportunity for Vancouver Island elementary school students to experience the sport of Cross Country Skiing.

Founded in 2002 and by long standing donor Rick Morson, the Rick Morson School Program focuses on providing elementary students with a safe and fun way to experience cross-country skiing. This program is made possible through the support of Rick Morson and Susan Carson of Morson Carson Wealth, our club (SNSC), Mount Washington Alpine Resort, Nordiq Canada, and Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports (VISAS). We also acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia.

We respectfully acknowledge that the land we gather on is on the Unceded Traditional Territory of the K’ómoks First Nation, the traditional keepers of this land.

DATES

School programs are available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from early January to the end of March from 9:30 to 11:30 in the morning. Lessons are reserved on a first come first served basis. Due to the length of our season, we have a limited number of dates available. Due to high demand, booking requests received October 31 onwards will be waitlisted. We will contact you if dates become available.

PROGRAM FORMAT

The full program consists of three 2-hour lessons spread over three weeks, students are taught safety and the basics of cross country skiing in a fun atmosphere by certified instructors. The program is open to all elementary grades (Grade 4 and beyond work well). We can support up to 45 students at each lesson. Partial programs of one or two 2-hour lessons are also available.

GROUP SIZE

We can accommodate up to a maximum of 45 students.

COST

The cost of the program is $25/participant per lesson. This includes two hours of on-snow instruction, a trail pass and full equipment rental from Mt Washington. Participants who bring a valid Mt Washington Nordic Season Pass (or MW Gold Pass) are eligible to receive a discounted rate of $10/lesson. Please note: participants MUST bring both a valid MW Nordic trail pass and their own equipment to qualify for this discounted rate. Complimentary tickets and rentals are provided for chaperones on a 1:15 ratio. For example, if you book 45 students, we will provide complimentary tickets and rentals for 3 chaperones. A flat rate of $15 per person applies for each chaperone in excess of this ratio. Schools will be invoiced by the SNSC School Program at the end of the last lesson.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY, INCLUSION & ACCESSIBILITY

Contact us to discuss any accessibility needs/barriers to students and ways we can support. Financial support is avaialble for Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQQIA+, low income and newcomer populations to increase their participation in the sport. Please indicate to what degree assistance is required when applying for the program. Adaptive equipment and support can be provided in cooperation with Vancouver Island Society for Adaptive Snowsports (VISAS), to integrate any participant into a ski lesson. Please contact VISAS directly to make arrangements.