Warrior Ski Club

What is Warrior Ski & Snowboard Club? The Ski & Snowboard Club is an after-school activity available to ISD 197 Grade 5-12 students. Ski & Snowboard Club meets on select Friday nights throughout the winter season to go to Afton Alps. The Ski & Snowboard Club is not open for students not enrolled in our schools. 

Ski Club Advisors: Ski Club Advisors are District 197 teachers who accompany the students to/from Afton Alps. 

Two Rivers Advisor: Brian Whalen | Friendly Hills: Scott Reddy | Heritage: Leigh Danner

2024 Dates: Jan 5 & 19, Feb 2, 16, 23

Program Fees (Transportation, lift tickets and rentals have increased in price again this year) 

These fees are paid per trip. 

• Registration/Transportation Fee: $45 covers coordination, administration, credit card processing, supervisor stipends for up to 3 district teachers on Friday nights, and coach bus transportation to/from Afton Alps. You will pay this fee only if you have a season pass and your own equipment. 
  • Note: The $45 fee may seem high, but after exploring various options, this allows us to continue the program. District 197 transportation isn't viable due to late completion of after-school bus routes at 4:20 pm. 
• Lift Ticket & Registration Fee: $84--if you have your own equipment, please register for this option which includes a lift ticket-group rate price and transportation. 
• Ski/Snowboard Rental/Lift Ticket/Registration Fee: $122--This rental package includes: Skis/board, boots, helmet, poles(ski) and a lift ticket and the transportation fee.

Community Education will need to prepay Afton for all tickets and rentals prior to the scheduled trip.

**NEW THIS YEAR! For ALL January trips you must register by Tuesday January 2 at 10pm. For ALL February trips you must be registered by January 23 at 10pm.

My participant has an injury/illness and can longer go. What can we do? Please email us, we can work to find another date and move your registration or issue a refund minus a $10 processing fee.

My participant has a season pass to Afton Alps, do I need to pay? Yes, please sign up for the $45 registration fee only, to cover the cost of transportation and registration.

I registered my participant for the wrong school. How can I change the registration? Please email us, we can easily switch the registration.

Where does my participant store their equipment at school?

• Two Rivers | Mr. Whalen’s Room, Room #E020 Tech Education 
• Heritage |  Equipment stored in a conference room across from the cafeteria. 
• Friendly Hills |  Equipment will be stored in the meeting room across the hall from the cafeteria 

**Please drop off equipment in the morning. Middle schools don’t open doors until 8:30 am. Advisors will be on hand to assist. 

What is included in the rental packages? The rental package includes skis or snowboard, boots, poles (ski), helmet, registration fee and lift ticket. **Goggles are not included in rentals but are recommended. 

Helmets are highly recommended. Helmets are included for those renting equipment. It is recommended your child have one while skiing. 

Have someone else’s equipment by mistake? Email us with details (equipment type, brand, size, color) and we can send an email to the families that attended the same trip. 

Lost an item on the bus? We are using coach buses, not district transportation. Email us and we can provide contact information for our transportation service.  

Lost an item at Afton? Reach out to Afton Alps directly.

Students should meet at the following locations to load buses after school:  

• Heritage | Students should check in with Ms. Danner in the cafeteria by 3:30pm for attendance and loading. Backpacks will be stored in the conference room across from the cafeteria. 
• Friendly Hills | Students should check in with Mr. Reddy in the cafeteria by 3:30pm for attendance and loading. Backpacks and anything kids will not bring to Afton will be stored in the meeting room across from the cafeteria once the ski equipment is removed. Kids will not be allowed to return to lockers at the end of the night. 
• Two Rivers | Students will meet Mr. Whalen in his room by 3:15pm for attendance and to start getting ready for the trip. Students may leave their backpacks in his room. You will not be able to go to lockers when you return.  

What to bring? Students may bring one small bag on the bus, it must fit under their seat or on their person. Please encourage your participant to refrain from bringing valuables to Afton. Ski Club is not responsible for lost or stolen items on the bus or at Afton. 

Does my child have to ride the bus both ways? YES! Kids MUST ride the bus both ways to and from Afton. The ski club advisor needs the same kids going out to Afton as leaving. Kids can't be dropped off later or leave early with friends, this is too much for the advisors to keep track of and how kids are left behind. Thank you for following this safety procedure. 

When does the bus leave Afton? Buses depart Afton Alps at 9:00pm. At 8:45pm all students should be ready to start boarding the buses.  

Ski Club pick up locations: 

• Friendly Hills: Main parking lot; unloading at gym doors. 
• Heritage: Main parking lot; unloading at gym doors. 
• Two Rivers: All students must be picked up in the lower parking lot (Aquatic Center) By Door 7

Sibling Group

If you have siblings at two different schools and you want to pick up from 1 location at the end of the night, email us.  We can let the advisors know to adjust their take-home roster to include the sibling. This must be done ahead of time, not the day of the trip. 

Be prompt at pick up

Sign up for the Remind App included in your confirmation email for departure and arrival updates via text. A $15 late fee will be assessed to families for late pick ups over 20 minutes.

What happens when the kids arrive? When kids arrive they receive tickets/rental equipment as needed. A few tables will be selected in the Chalet for 197 kiddos to store their stuff. Kids will store all bags, etc. under the tables so other guests can use the tables while they are not in the chalet. Kids are then free to ski and have fun with their friends! Ski club advisors will be out skiing or in the chalet. 

How much money should I give my child for dinner at Afton?

Afton DOES NOT take cash anywhere including the restaurants. Options for students:

1. Send a credit card with your kid to use or a visa gift card.
2. Go to Afton and purchase a gift card to be used on site.
3. Call them and preorder a gift card and have your child pick it up at guest services when they arrive. 
4. Pack your kids dinner/snacks to bring to Afton. 

The number for Afton is 651-436-5245, press 6 for other in the menu to get an employee in guest services.

What if my participant is injured? In the event of an injury, the injured participant will be taken to the First Aid Building/Ski Patrol at Afton and met by an ISD 197 Ski Club Advisor. Parents will be called and notified of the injury–please make sure your phone numbers are correct when registering. Depending on the nature of the injury and what the recommendation of the ski patrol is, the participant may:

• Ride the bus back at the regular time, where he or she will be met by parents

• Be picked up at Afton Alps by the parent

• Be taken by ambulance to the nearest emergency room.  An ISD 197 Ski Club Advisor will go with the participant. Parents must meet their participant at the hospital.      

Ski Club Advisors will check in with First Aid throughout the night. Ski Club Advisors cell phone numbers are left with the main office/first aid office at Afton. Cell service can be sketchy on the hills and in the chalet. If you need to get ahold of your child, the main office number at Afton is 651-436-5245.

Ski/snowboard in control and safely. Click HERE for Mountain Safety at Afton. 

Ski with a buddy—always have someone with you from your group. Have a meeting place with your friends if you get split up—example, upstairs in the Chalet on the hour.

Be kind and respectful to Afton employees and fellow slope users. Represent our school community with pride.

Can I chaperone? At  this time with only 1 bus scheduled for each trip, we do not need adult chaperones as three of our district teachers/ski club advisors will all be on the same bus with a max of 50 students. 

If we have a large waitlist and order a second bus, there may be a need for a few chaperones. This will be dependent on numbers. 

If we are able to offer the opportunity for parent chaperones ISD 197 requires a background check (at your expense) completed through ISD 197 in order to chaperone. The cost is $25.00 and is valid for one year. This must be submitted 72 business hours prior to the applicable ski club date.

What happens if the ski trip is canceled?

For our skiers and snowboarders there is no such thing as too much snow! But for our bus drivers, there may be. 

When ISD 197 schools are closed or have an early release due to weather, all community education classes and activities are canceled including Ski and Snowboard Club. 

If inclement weather (road conditions, severe cold, etc) forces school or after-school activities to be canceled, announcements will be made at schools and emails sent to the email provided upon registration. If the trip is canceled during school hours, students will be sent home per their usual means of transportation. 

Do I get a refund?

If a trip is canceled due to weather a full refund will be issued. 

We will try to cancel trips and make decisions as early as possible. Due to a multitude of different factors, there is not a specific temperature in which we will cancel a trip. 

If you don’t see your questions answered here, email us at warriorskiclub@isd197.org