Race training

Question
We are based in the UK and flying to DC on 16 December. We  are looking to  have a week skiing prior to flying to join family in Florida 23 December. We  are probably looking at West Virginia  Pennsylvania but are open to options within reasonable distance.  My son (dob 01/25/2001) competes  in Snowsport England Club Nationals  and the British  Indoor Grand Prix Series (Snowdomes). He has also  done a limited  GS training on the Lauberhorn Race Piste in Wengen  and we are looking if possible  for  him to  have some Mountain Race Training. Obviously based in the UK we have limited access to mountain training.  

I also  have  a daughter 12/10/2003 who competes in fun  races  at  present (she is not old enough to do  registered races). And also  took  part  in the GS training  mentioned above. I  appreciate she may not  be old  enough  to do formal  training but  would  be looking for somewhere where we can  work on her technical  skills, get her further used to  skiing the whole mountain ?and of course, most importantly,  generally having fun. Any advice  resort or  contact where we  can find details of training  availability would be  very welcome and much  appreciated.  

Answer
Dear Ruth --

December is early in the season for mid-Atlantic states to have ski racing clinics.  There would be more opportunities if you could travel to up-state New York or northern New England.

However, if the resorts in the mid-Atlantic states have snow, you can always hire a private coach to work with your son on ski racing fundamentals, and aspects of his skiing that would improve his racing.

The same would apply to your daughter, but she might not need an experienced race coach.  A skilled ski instructor might be sufficient for her needs.

The available ski areas in West Virginia can be viewed at this site: http://www.skiingwv.com/downhill-skiing/

Of all the areas I recommend Snowshoe.  It's the largest and has a fair sized ski instruction team.  However, it may or may not have snow in mid-December.

The resorts in Pennsylvania can be viewed at this site: http://www.skiingwv.com/Pennsylvania-Ski-Resorts/  

The closest area to DC that I recommend is Whitetail.  But again, snow availability in mid-December is questionable.

If you are willing to travel further, let me know and I will recommend some areas in New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.

Good luck to one and all.