If you've read through the rest of the camp information you'll now have a good idea of what we offer. Please also read our FAQs page, which will answer more of your questions (some of which are repeated below). Please feel free to call or email us if you have further questions or if you'd like references from other campers or their parents, we are happy to supply contact information of people in your area. Your child's happiness and well-being is our priority and after 16 years of running teenage camps we've learnt how to give them a truly rewarding and memorable camp experience, with many campers coming back year after year.
Here are some of the most common questions we get from parents:
• Supervision
• Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco
• Safety
• Injuries
• Travel questions
• Payment/Cancellation policies
• Options for parents accompanying
their kids
The campers are supervised throughout the day on the mountain and during the afternoon and evening activities. During free times campers can walk around the village, but under 19 yr olds have to be back in the hotel by 10:00pm. Whistler is a small, pedestrian village, so it's safe and easy for campers to enjoy the atmosphere of the squares and cafes and get safely back to the hotel, which is located in the heart of town. Our staff and camp director stay in the hotel and do a room check each night. We also have a dedicated councellor to help with supervision at the hotel, along with our ops staff. We state the camp rules very clearly during our welcome meetings and ask that campers respect them. This attitude of mutual respect usually means everyone can have a good time and make new friends without too much trouble!
We have a zero tolerance policy on drugs –- campers will be sent home with no refund. If campers under the legal drinking age (19 years) are found drinking alcohol, we will contact their parents to discuss appropriate action. We have staff on duty each night to check on campers and search rooms if alcohol or drugs are suspected. There is a no-smoking policy in the hotel and on the mountain. We expect campers to respect our rules to create a healthy, happy and safe environment for all concerned.
Like any action sport, freestyle skiing has inherent risks, but we try to minimize these by using experienced staff and following a strict policy of due diligence. Our staff is fully briefed on our operating procedures and campers are told the camp and mountain rules and regulations at our welcome meetings. We ensure that campers are well warmed up and stretched before they start skiing and ski in small groups with skiers of a similar ability so that they learn at a comfortable pace. We do not allow inverts on the first day and we only allow people to flip once they have shown proven ability on the water ramp. Skiers wanting to flip for the first time must first show their air sense on trampoline and then qualify their jump on the water ramp before attempting it on snow. Helmets are mandatory. We have a crew of staff who work to keep our terrain in top condition, smoothing jumps and ensuring the features are in good shape before the skiers use them. Afternoon activities are fully supervised; trampoline and water ramping are overseen by a qualified CFSA aerial coach. Having said all that injuries can of course happen.
Blackcomb Mountain has fully trained ski patrollers up on the mountain, who will safely transport you to Whistler's emergency clinic along with a member of our staff, where they are very experienced at dealing with ski injuries. There is also a helicopter on call, at all times, in case of serious injury (there is a fee for this). Whistler has plenty of excellent physiotherapists to help campers get over minor injuries. A number of our staff are also qualified in First Aid. Once you have registered for camp we will send you a medical release form, which the clinic requires before they can treat anyone underage. You will have to pay for treatment by credit card and can reclaim this later from your insurance company. Campers must have their own travel and medical insurance, which covers them for skiing. There are no camp refunds in the case of injury.
- Airport welcome: We have members of staff at the airport to meet all arriving campers. We are not allowed to meet flights at the gate, but will be waiting in the arrivals area of the international terminal for all US and international campers. Our staff has a cell phone at the airport so you can call in case your flight is delayed. The cell phone # is: 604 905 8244.
- Late arrivals: We always have a sweeper minivan and staff member at the airport specifically to wait for late arrivals. If however your child's flight is going to be extremely delayed and we have other campers also waiting at the airport, we may book him/her onto the express bus or arrange for a taxi, and will discuss this with you. You will be responsible for these extra costs. Please call us with your new arrival details on cell: 604 905 8244.
- All Americans now require a passport to fly to and from Canada. Please apply for a passport as soon as possible if you do not yet have one. All other nationalities must also carry a valid passport to eneter Canada.
- If your child is under 18 you should also give them a notarized letter of permission stating the child's full name, birthday, the purpose of the trip, the dates of the trip, where they will be staying and this needs to be signed by both parents, with their addresses and phone numbers.
- Unaccompanied minors: Please check with your airline what their ‘unaccompanied minor' rules are. You may have to pay an additional fee for airline staff to accompany your child at either end of the journey. Note that Momentum staff are unable to do this as we are busy meeting new arrivals on travel day. Please contact us nearer the time for the name of our staff member who will be meeting your child as the airline will require this.
- If you need assistance with booking flights David T Travel American Express in Vancouver, offer a special rate for Momentum Campers. Please contact Angela at 604 669 3338.
We accept visa/mastercard, checks, money orders or travelers checks. We require a $400 deposit per session, with a postdated check for the balance dated 3 weeks prior to camp start or credit card authorization to charge the balalnce through. If you cancel in writing prior to May 1, 2009, $200 CDN is non-refundable. If you cancel in writing after May 1, 2009 and up to a week prior to camp start, $400 CDN is non-refundable. After this date and once camp has started, there are no refunds whatsoever. Note that there will also be no refunds if a camper is injured or required to go home for other reasons.
Whistler is a great location for a family vacation and parents can enjoy all the great activities the resort has to offer, while their kids are busy at camp. We can either book you into the same hotle, a local condo or you can make your own arrangements –- there’s plenty of accommodation nearby from luxury hotels to more affordable condos. Please contact us for suggestions. We prefer not having parents taking part in the youth-only sessions as they are geared for teenagers, (who are having a break from their parents!), but if you're young at heart, or want to accompany your child, we have had the odd parent attending in the past. We are also offering a Youth Freeride and Adult-only Moguls/Freeride/Hybrid in Session 1, so this would be the best week to sign up for if you want to attend with your kids.