FAQ’s

The London Track 3 Ski School has been a volunteer non-profit organization since 1987 and is a leader in providing downhill ski and snowboarding programs for children and adults with physical, cognitive, visual and hearing challenges. London Track 3 offers a six-week adaptive teaching program for its skiing, sit-skiing and snowboarding students. There are over 220 volunteers who make up the Program. All members are volunteers who donate their time, energy and love of alpine sports and helping people. These include Instructors, Assistant Instructors, Session Coordinators and Equipment and Building Teams. All volunteers are provided with a comprehensive training program that has been developed to provide the skills and knowledge to work with our students. We have approximately 110 students in the program and more on a waiting list to join.

Students are assessed by their instructors to determine how to ensure that this a positive ski or snowboarding learning experience. Students will be asked about their level of mobility and observed on how they move. They will be asked about other sports they may play, their strength, flexibility, areas of weakness and endurance. This information will guide the instructor in determining what level of adaptive ski or snowboard instruction is required. Adaptive ski instruction uses teaching aids such as tethers and hula hoops to more advanced adaptive equipment such as outriggers and sit-skis. Outriggers are crutches with skis attached (for an amputee this makes 3 tracks in the snow – hence the name Track 3). Sit-skis are essentially a wheel chair on skis that can be skied independently by a student possessing the necessary upper body strength. Instructors support the student as mobility needs require. Some students require no adaptive equipment and the instructor teaches basic skiing skills while providing the cognitive support required for safe skiing. While snowboarding is offered at London Track 3, students may need to be evaluated to ensure that the added strength and skill requirement for snowboarding is met.

The Track 3 program usually starts the second week of January and runs for 6 weeks. Students indicate their initial preference for a chosen weekly session time. The session times available are Monday – Friday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. or 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. There are approximately 100 students and 220 instructors in the program. On occasion, it may be necessary for the student to be offered an alternate session time to best optimize student and instructor pairings. The Track 3 Student / Instructor Pairing Team will try to be as accommodating as possible. Space in the program is limited based on the number of available instructors. Towards the end of the season, London Track 3 holds a fun / festive day called “Boler Blitz”. This optional fun ski day hosts all members of the Track 3 program and provides our students and instructors an opportunity to ski with other students and instructors in different sessions of the program. We also offer an opportunity to ski with students through the Waterloo Adaptive Ski Program.

The London Track 3 Ski School is located at Boler Mountain on Griffith Street in Southwest London. The building is an accessible ski chalet located near the main ski building at Boler Mountain. Students are able to meet their instructors, put on their equipment and leave and return from the hill as well as socialize with their instructors, family and other students. At Boler Mountain, the Snow School lift lines are for the exclusive use of the Boler Mountain Snow School, not Track 3 students – the only exception being for Track 3 sit ski students. Track 3 students and their instructors will use the regular lines at all times.

Please see the information on registration on the website at www.londontrack3.ca under the Student Registration tab. Please see FAQ for Students and Families for further information.

Please see the information on registration on the website at www.londontrack3.ca under the Instructor Registration tab. Please see FAQ for Instructors for further information.

Yes, we have several positions that can be filled by non-skiers including volunteering to help organize special events, fundraising, equipment-room assistance and as a session or an assistant session coordinator. Training is provided for these positions.

Yes, certainly. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! The Track 3 is delighted to accept your donations to continue to deliver a high quality program to all of our program participants. Your donations can be targeted to equipment, building, training or to the general operating budget. Charitable receipts are provided. Sponsors are recognized on the Track 3 website.

Go into your email contacts and make info@londontrack3.on.ca a contact. Now your filter will recognize this email as friendly.

Please email questions to info@londontrack3.ca or leave a message at 226-289-2943. Members of the London Track 3 Program can provide information sessions if desired.