Youth IFSA Comps, costs and details

[safetymeeting]

Hey All
I was curious if there any dads out there who have kids competing in IFSA youth comps. I am checking out the series for my 11yo for next year. Can’t find a lot of information about what to expect in terms of costs. Kind of curious what the budget looks like before I sell it to my better half.

Does the entry fee for these events include lift tickets? Or is there a discount for lift tickets?
What kind of fees are needed for the coach, especially the L100 license? That would be me, doesn’t look like you get discounted lift passes for a coach with only a single athlete.
Does anyone know if these events offer discounted lodging?

My sense is it may be the sort of thing where “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” but these events look very cool. Any insight is appreciated.

[powdork]

In general lift tickets are not included, although I am mostly familiar with events at Kirkwood. Either an Ikon or epic should (most likely ikon) get you pretty far, and indy resorts are probably more likely to include tix, and or will be cheaper. Just geting to events is crazy expensive. Picture being a soccer mom where all the events start at 100 miles away, and the better they do the further away the events get.

[savemeasammy]

On the east coast, the resorts (usually) offer discounted lift tickets for athletes and discounted spectator tickets for family - but the number could be limited. The event cost is found on the registration page for each event. You will definitely need your L100 to be able to bring your kid on the venue for the inspection run. IFSA offers a “one-time” membership which can be upgraded to a full membership if they want to compete in more than one event. I know that membership for the IFSA is growing, and some of the events can be hard to get into depending on which region you are in.

In the Eastern region we also have some “friendly” events with a lower level of competition that are perfect for those who want to get a better idea of what the events are all about.


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[rudy]

Hey All
I was curious if there any dads out there who have kids competing in IFSA youth comps. I am checking out the series for my 11yo for next year. Can’t find a lot of information about what to expect in terms of costs. Kind of curious what the budget looks like before I sell it to my better half.

Does the entry fee for these events include lift tickets? Or is there a discount for lift tickets?
What kind of fees are needed for the coach, especially the L100 license? That would be me, doesn’t look like you get discounted lift passes for a coach with only a single athlete.
Does anyone know if these events offer discounted lodging?

My sense is it may be the sort of thing where “if you have to ask, you can’t afford it” but these events look very cool. Any insight is appreciated.

This is the situation that I'm currently in. The cost is approx $200 for your kid to register w IFSA and about $100/comp that they get in. It will cost you another $100 to register as a coach and you will need basic first aid CPR training as well. I got this through my employer and you may be able to do this locally for free but haven't needed to look into that but something to consider.

Lift tickets are not included but believe you will get a discount (we've always competed in comp that were on our pass). No discounts on lodging.

The other HUGE factor in this is that most of the comps are extremely difficult to get into as there are limited spots (at least in my area). It is basically a ticketmaster situation where you click the button right at the time registration opens and a second later are told that the event has sold out and you might be put on a wait list that never turns into an actual spot to compete. The benefit of being on a team (typically $2-4k depending on the team/age) is that they are given an allotment of spots for comps so that you can ensure your kids gets into a few comps. I attempted to get my sons into 4 comps and was only able to get into 1 of the 4 but that may be due to being in a very populated area (CO) for skiing.

Other thing to be aware of is that post Covid many of the comps are on weekdays so be prepared to pull your kid out of school to compete. Happy to answer any other questions from my experience. Good luck.

[savemeasammy]

The other HUGE factor in this is that most of the comps are extremely difficult to get into as there are limited spots (at least in my area). It is basically a ticketmaster situation where you click the button right at the time registration opens and a second later are told that the event has sold out and you might be put on a wait list that never turns into an actual spot to compete. The benefit of being on a team (typically $2-4k depending on the team/age) is that they are given an allotment of spots for comps so that you can ensure your kids gets into a few comps. I attempted to get my sons into 4 comps and was only able to get into 1 of the 4 but that may be due to being in a very populated area (CO) for skiing.

No more quota spots next year, but they will increase the number of prequalified athletes.

I’ve heard that the western region is pretty full. We were at the Mad River Glen 3* (VT) this past weekend, and I heard there was a kid from Vail (independent) and another from Jackson.


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[safetymeeting]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I did a bit more research since I wrote the post. Looks spendy.

I live in the Northern region and I am budgeting about $2-2.5k per weekend. I saw Jackson offers 30% discounts for athletes and coaches but Jackson tickets for me and my son for 3-4days, plus lodging, gas, meals, adds up real fast. The entry fee for the Big Sky comp is $180. Plus my license fee and my son’s IFSA membership… it starts to look as pricey as ski racing.


My kid really likes DH bike racing… the costs are much lower by comparison, even when you include the cost of his enduro bike (assuming it fits 2-3 seasons). Plus at those events I do endless laps with him and get a lot of riding in. With free ski comps though I imagine there is a fair bit of standing around scoping lines?

[rudy]

The first hour-ish you get to inspect the venue for your run. That usually means one lap down (this is an inspection, not a real run) but sometimes 2. After that you can ski as much as you want until your son is up for his run and after. You can usually get a decent amount of skiing done on a comp day but it can also help if you watch some other competitors prior to his run to get a feel for snow conditions and what is working/not working for other skiers.

[rbciii]

If your 11 year old is just looking to get into IFSA comps then you should start with regional 2* comps. They are easier to get into, cost less, and have a lower level of competition. Being on a team is great if you have one at your mountain, but it isn't required. You can go and rip around with your kid and have fun while they get better and better.

The cost of travel is significant. If you have an event at your home mountain that is awesome, but if not you are looking at hotels, gas, meals, and lift tickets on top of registration and entry fees. Most events sell discounted competitor tickets, some sell discounted parent tickets, and many give free coaches tickets, even to parents of single athletes. They IFSA registration pages say no tickets for single athletes, but I have never had to buy a ticket to coach my son. The mountain has always given me a free ticket when I showed my coach registration. YMMV.

The amount of standing around is up to you. You can watch lots of runs or you can take lots of runs. It depends on how focused you are on the results. If you watch a ton you can pretty quickly understand what lines score well, but if that line is not within your child's skill level it doesn't mean as much.

My son races and does freeride and the racing is more expensive up until freeride gets really serious and then most of the comps require a plane ticket and that ads up quickly.

[safetymeeting]

Thanks all for your responses. All very helpful.