![](http://images.fasterskier.com/2012/01/28.jpg" "GMVS")
The Green Mountain Valley School offers a unique high school and post-graduate experience that has produced some of the best young American skiers in the past decade. Our ability to give individual attention, our prime location and facilities in Vermont, and our opportunity for national and world travel is unrivaled. Our philosophy towards skiing extends beyond the race track, and our program encourages student-athletes to well rounded skiers, using year round training and adventure to explore the Green Mountains and beyond.
Each fall, we travel to the Italian Alps in an exchange program with the Sport Oberschule in Mals, Italy. While there, we enjoy early season skiing on the Stelvio Glacier, breathtaking hiking in the surrounding mountains, and incredible rollerskiing in the valleys. We also get a great taste of Italian culture (and food!) in our daily interactions with the students at the sports school. In addition, GMVS travels out west for early snow opportunities, and spends close to a month on snow before the first races in New England. Once the season begins, our students compete in regional races, and travel for national and international competitions. We have placed an athlete on the USST J1 Scandinavian Trip three out of the past four years.
Head Coach and Director of the Nordic Program, Justin Beckwith, has coached at the Regional, Junior National and International Level. Beckwith raced collegiately for Middlebury College, was a World Junior Team member, and has World Cup start to his credit. Our coaches instruct from the side of the trail and are often training alongside athletes: we have at least one coach actively training every day. Our campus is located in the heart of the Green Mountains where we are fortunate to live in a snowy part of the hills with many trails and adventures out our door. During the winter we frequent the Catamount Trail and take advantage of the slopes of Sugarbush and Mad River Glen. Our racing program is based upon the premise that a true love of skiing fuels a desire for competition. We work with each individual to design an athletic plan that helps them reach their goals, whether they aim to be a collegiate skier or a world champion!
A welcoming student body and fantastic location in Waitsfield makes time spent here both fun and productive. We have a phenomenal student-faculty ratio (5:1) that allows constant individual attention and encourages success for all of our student-athletes. Skiing offers a dramatic leg-up in the college process, and our strong academic program produces young adults who are far more than just skiers: graduates are well prepared to negotiate life after GMVS, and are successful regardless of whether or not they continue to pursue skiing.
This winter there are several ways to join our program: we offer two, weeklong Flex Term Camps for young junior skiers, and welcome visits to campus for perspective skiers to train and compete with our current team. During the summer we offer training camps and have a strong local training group. Come visit us in the Mad River Valley and learn more about our spectacular program and keep up to date with our activities at gmvsxc.blogspot.com.
