The Franconia Ski Club is an alpine racing club competing in NHARA and USSA sanctioned events. Our long history of open membership spans more than 90 years.

All our programs start the weekend after Thanksgiving (pending snow) and continue through the last weekend of March.  Training during the Christmas and February school vacation weeks is included.  

All FSC athletes need to be Cannon Mountain season pass holders.  For information about purchasing a season pass, please visit Cannon's website at https://www.cannonmt.com/ski-ride/passes

Please note that per U.S. Ski & Snowboard, age groups are designated based on a child's age as of December 31st.  FSC will occasionaly consider requests for children in the U10 age group to ski down with the U8's. We do not condone athletes skiing-up with any group as doing so can be detrimental to their development.

Our youngest group starts at ages 6 and 7 in the non-racing U8 program.  Plus, the group can accommodate 8 year olds who are first-time racers and who have not participated in FSC before.  The group spends mornings (8:30 to 11:30) skiing around Cannon Mountain with our highly enthusiastic coaches whose primary goal is to create fun mornings, teach fundamental ski techniques and keep the children safe and active. The U8s start their day at the same time and place as the older racers and it’s not unusual to see them first in the lift line waiting for the first chair!

Note:  U8 candidates should be able to ski all green and blue trails in parallel and ride a chairlift independently.  They should be working towards skiing black terrain and riding the t-bar.

2023-24 Program Cost: $1,430

U10 Program

Our youngest racing group is our energetic U10 program. Serving the ages of 8 and 9 year olds, our U10 coaches have the good fortune of skiing with a hearty group of strong Cannon Mountain skiers. Fundamental ski racing technique is taught by an experienced and passionate group of coaches, each with a unique background and love for skiing. While gate training is a part of the U10 curriculum, structured free skiing is the primary teaching tool. We agree with, and follow, the philosophy espoused by the US Ski Team regarding the importance of developing strong skiers before you can build strong racers.

Our weekend days start at 8:30 and end at 3:00 with an hour for lunch (parent supervised).

2023-24 Program Cost: $2,015

The U12 program follows the philosophy of the U10 group but with more introductions to racing. The same fundamental path is followed through skill acquisition and development. All mountain skiing, trees, moguls, groomed and non-groomed terrain will be the playground for this age group. The basics will still be a major focus- pole plant, fore/aft balance, carving and turn shape will be the goals for the athletes.  Course time will be spent in the disciplines of SL and GS, starting with brushes then building up to “full” gates. This is still a very important time in the child’s development to enhance proper technique. At this level, athletes are introduced to racing through NHARA divisional and open races.  Fun filled days are always key to this age class!

A  USSS Youth membership and NHARA membership is required for all U12 athletes.

Our weekend days start at 8:30 and end at 3:00 with an hour for lunch (parent supervised).

2023-24  Program Cost: $2,015

Things start to heat up with this group of 12 and 13 year olds. Weekend training is a healthy mix of structured free skiing and gate training. Fundamental technique is still the focus and this is best taught through free skiing. Increased time in the gates allow these athletes to build good habits based on proper stance and balance.  The basics of speed are also introduced at this level as U14 racers have the opportunity to compete in Super-G events.  It’s not all work and no play; powder days and glade skiing round out their training.

These athletes participate in both open US Ski and Snowboard open races and NHARA regional races. Their season will culminate  with the U14 NHARA State Championships, from which athletes may qualify to U14 Eastern Region events.

Our weekend days start at 8:30 and end at 3:00 with an hour for lunch (parent supervised).  

2023-24 Program Cost: $2,015

The amount of competition increases at the U16 level as these athletes begin racing  for US Ski and Snowboard points.  These 14 and 15 year old athletes, compete in US Ski and Snowboard races and in NHARA state qualifiers with the goal of qualifying for events like U16 Eastern Championships or U16 Finals.  Many athletes in this age group also ski competitively for their high school ski teams and may qualify for Eastern High School Championships.  As with all the FSC age groups, time spent freeskiing and working on fundamentals is a priority to the U16s.  

Our weekend days start at 8:30 and end at 3:00 with an hour break for lunch. Weekday training is available on Fridays.

2023-24 Program Cost: $2,130

Our most seasoned group of athletes, all pushed to train and race by their absolute love of the sport. At ages 16 through 21 these athletes start their season as soon as there is snow on the ground and end their season in early April. Our U18/U21 program is run by a group of highly experienced coaches that have been on the hill for decades either as racers, coaches or both. These coaches have developed a unique talent to keep all of the athletes motivated and at their best throughout the competitive season. It’s not all hard work and toil; these athletes get plenty of time to free ski, enjoy powder days and explore Cannon Mountain’s back country.

Athletes at this level compete in open US Ski and Snowboard races such as the Macomber Cup and LaFoley Spring Series.  In addition athletes who qualify may have the opportunity to participate in entry-level FIS races.  Athletes who compete for their high school ski team may also qualify for the Eastern High School Championships.

Our weekend days start at 8:30 and end at 3:00 with an hour break for lunch. 

2023-24 Program Cost: $2,260

This program is designed for U18/U21  athletes that want to train part-time and want to participate in limited weekend races.  It can also provide additional training for his/her high school ski races.

• Eligible to train up to 30 days per season.   Attendance at US Ski and Snowboard races will count towards the total number of days.  Any additional days of training/racing beyond 30 days will be billed to the athlete at $85 per day.
• Able to train mid-week  during Christmas week and February School break week.
• Eligible for discounted race fee when racing at FSC hosted races.
• Athletes may upgrade to the full-time weekend program prior to the February school vacation week, and will be credited the LITE program tuition.

2023-24 Program Cost: $1,735