Intro to Team Summit: What “ITS” Ski & Snowboard Really Is
If your young skier or snowboarder from the Front Range loves the mountain and is ready for the next challenge — something that goes beyond a few laps and steps into competition, community, and growth — you’ve probably started wondering what comes next.
That search can quickly lead to a confusing wall of terms: moguls, alpine, ski cross, boardercross, park and pipe. It can also make it feel like your athlete needs to pick a discipline right away and commit to an expensive, Olympic-sized path.
That’s exactly what Intro to Team Summit (ITS) was built to avoid.
ITS is Team Summit Colorado’s starting point for Front Range and Summit County families with young skiers and snowboarders who are ready for more. It introduces athletes to an all-mountain ski or snowboard experience without forcing them to choose a discipline before they know what they actually enjoy.
The program comes in two options: Intro to Team Summit Ski for skiers and Intro to Team Summit Snowboard for snowboarders.
Here’s what ITS really is, how it helps athletes grow, and why it may be the right next challenge for your young skier or rider.
Explore ITS Ski →
Explore ITS Snowboard →
A Few Helpful Clarifications About ITS
ITS is a team-based introduction to competition. It is a multi-discipline youth ski and snowboard program that introduces athletes to different aspects of skiing and riding while supporting Team Summit’s broader youth-development mission. Athletes build strong fundamentals including stance, pressure, edging, rotary movement, and balance, then apply those skills across varied terrain and competition environments. ITS is not only for future Olympians. Team Summit has proudly developed athletes who have competed at World Championships, the X Games, and the Olympics, but that is the ceiling, not the entry requirement. ITS is for athletes who want to become stronger skiers or snowboarders, experience competition, and develop the mindset needed to work toward challenging goals. Those lessons extend far beyond skiing, snowboarding, and medals. Athletes do not need to choose a discipline. Your child does not have to declare a specialty when joining ITS. The program is intentionally designed as an introduction to competitive skiing and snowboarding. Athletes experience different disciplines so they can discover what they enjoy and where their strengths may take them. The decision to specialize can come later, after they have had the opportunity to experience the full range of winter competition.What Is the Intro to Team Summit Program?
A youth-development program. Everything in ITS is built around helping kids grow as athletes and as people. Competition is the vehicle, not the destination. Competition-focused. Athletes train toward events and experiences that give their effort meaning. There is a season, there are goals, and there is pride in working toward something alongside a ski or snowboard team. Built around personal podiums. At Team Summit, success is not measured only by medals. We want athletes to achieve their own personal podiums — their individual version of success. For one athlete, that might mean confidently stepping into a start gate for the first time. For another, it could mean learning a new trick, improving a racing skill, or overcoming a challenge that seemed impossible earlier in the season. A community. Athletes train with peers, encourage one another, take on challenges together, and build friendships that often extend beyond the season. Stable coaching. Athletes stay with the same group and coach each week. Some intentional group adjustments may happen during the first couple of weeks to create appropriate skill matches and healthy group dynamics. After that, athletes benefit from a consistent coach who knows their goals and can follow their progress throughout the season.A Season With a Rhythm
For ITS Ski, athletes train with their group from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. over a 14-week season. Mornings use U.S. Ski & Snowboard’s SkillsQuest framework, focusing on foundational skills such as edging, rotary movement, balance, pole use, and pressure. After lunch, athletes begin tying those skills together as they explore the mountain and prepare for upcoming competitions. SkillsQuest gives coaches and athletes a structured way to develop fundamental skiing skills and track progress throughout the season.Optional Youth Competitions Are Included
ITS athletes have four competition opportunities included at no additional cost, including the resort ticket for those competition days. These events expose athletes to several different disciplines and give them the opportunity to experience competition as part of a team without immediately specializing in one area.- Alpine racing at Keystone Ski Resort
- Moguls and big mountain at Arapahoe Basin
- Park and pipe, including slopestyle and halfpipe, at Copper Mountain Resort
- Ski cross and boardercross at Breckenridge Ski Resort