ORTILLO, Chile (January 2, 2017) — Ski Portillo, Chile, the renowned South American ski destination in Chile where the top ski racers in the world train in summer, announces a new program for young ski racers looking to train during the northern hemisphere’s summer months. The inaugural South American Summer U12/U14 Race Camps will take place July and August, 2017 in Ski Portillo Chile.

Directed by Portillo’s coaches who have experience with FIS- racing and coaching at all levels, the new Portillo Race Camps offer young skiers an opportunity to hone their skills and train during North America’s summer months on the same terrain as Mikaela Shiffrin, Lindsey Vonn, Ted Ligety, and the rest of the US Ski Team. These immersive race camps will have a small coach-to-athlete ratio and will incorporate the following skills:

• Slalom and GS Fundamentals
• Speed Training and Jumping
• Skills-Quest Training
• Goal Setting
• Video Analysis
• Dryland Training  

Ski Portillo Race Camps will be comprised of two sessions per day boasting many terrain options, and will include big- mountain free-skiing and free skiing as part of the training, a Thursday competitive race, and an awards ceremony.

More than just ski training, Portillo Race Camps will introduce the young athletes to a cultural experience in South America, which helps young athletes learn about traveling, training, and racing abroad. In addition to ski racing, the U14 U12 and U12 U14 skiers will be coached in basic Spanish language skills and evening dining etiquette.

Dates:

July 22 – 29, 2017

July 29 – Aug. 5, 2017

Ages:

U12 and U14 racers

(Participants must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.)     

Cost:

$1500 for Saturday to Saturday camp

++ Air Airfare and transfers are not included.

++ The price of a Portillo Ski Week is not included in the cost of the camp). Ski Weeks include seven-night accommodations, four meals daily, eight- days lift tickets, and access to all the hotels’ facilities. For more information about ski week prices, please CLICK HERE. Here is a link for ski weeks pricing.

++ All activities are weather-dependent. All participants must sign up in advance.  

Race Staff

Portillo attracts some of the best ski instructors in the world who choose to ply their craft on the slopes of Portillo. Confidence, technique and tactics combine to make a valuable experience on the mountain. Portillo’s Race Camp team are instructional experts who are USSA/PSIA trained on modern teaching methodology and have experience with FIS-racing and coaching at all levels. Following are the ski professionals and coaches who will be involved in the Portillo Race Camps for Young Racers:

• Simon Marsh has worked as a Competition Coach for Ski and Snowboard Club Vail for more than 10 years, working with young athletes to improve not only racing skills and results but also improve on important fundamentals so as to develop solid skiing skills.  He has also coached a local high school team in Vail, leading the team to two State titles in Colorado.  He is a USSA Certified Coach Level 300 and a fully certified coach/examiner for PSIA.  He has worked with teams and camps in Australia, Chile, and Mt. Hood, Oregon.  
• James Winfield is originally from the UK but has been travelling the world skiing for more than 10 years, working full time as an instructor for 20 winters. He has been teaching in Portillo since 2011 and also teaches in Japan. James has a diverse skiing skill set with experience competing in freestyle, freeride, skier- cross and alpine racing.

• Stefan Weiser has a strong background in ski racing and coaching. He studied and trained in one of the six ski high schools existing in Austria for race training, Waidhofen/Ybbs, during which time he competed at FIS and CIT races. He has completed the highest Austrian certificates for ski instruction and ski race coaching. After graduation, he worked as an assistant coach at his high school and also trained army officers for ski race competitions.  He is an examiner and coach for the Lower Austrian Ski Instructor Association as well as an instructor at St. Moritz and Portillo.
• Michael Rogan is a five-time member of the PSIA Alpine Team and current team coach. He has played a key role with the U.S. Women’s Alpine Speed Team in providing them specific programs for pre-race on-snow warm-up. Most recently he was the fundamental skills and development coach for the top U16 and U18 skiers across the country based in Park City. Rogan is director of instruction for SKI Magazine and is Operations Manager for Hotel Portillo in Chile.
• Robin Barnes, Director of the Portillo Ski and Snowboard School, has more than 20 years of teaching and training experience. She is a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) National Alpine Demonstration Team, a PSIA-Western Division Examiner, and a PSIA Level III instructor. Barnes has been a Heavenly Mountain Resort Instructor and Staff Trainer since 1989. She is a member of the Ski magazine Ski Test Team, and Ski magazine has twice recognized her as a Top 100 instructor.

www.skiportillo.com

 

Media Contact

For media inquiries, please contact:

Maureen Poschman | +1 970.948.3176 | Maureen@promocommunications.com