School Programs
Whistler Olympic Park offers affordable school group lessons, tours, and self-guided activities in cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and biathlon. Located in the scenic Callaghan Valley, it's a winter playground for students of all ages and abilities. Our programs build physical literacy through snow literacy—fostering the skills, confidence, and motivation to stay active for life.
Review our program details and booking policies below, then submit a booking request.
Visit our "Know Before You Go" page for additional pre-trip information.
Programs
Ski Lesson
Gr. K-7: $32/student
Grade 8-12: $42/student
Our traditional cross-country ski program includes a morning lesson (classic or skate skiing) followed by ski games, orienteering, a ski playground, or adventure trails after lunch.
Snowshoe Tour
Gr. K-7: $32/student
Gr. 8-12: $42/student
Follow our guides through old-growth forests and scenic viewpoints while learning about Nordic sports, our Olympic legacy, and the area's natural history. Choose to depart after lunch or stay and play - guided or self-guided.
Biathlon Combo
Gr. 4-6: $48/student (electronic biathlon only)
Gr. 7-12: $58/student (electronic rifles or .22 calibre rifles*)
Pair a ski lesson or snowshoe tour with our signature biathlon experience. The program includes a morning lesson/tour followed by a marksmanship session and friendly competition after lunch.
*Our staff follow a comprehensive safety plan on the biathlon range. Our standard program uses tethered .22 calibre rifles, and the range is fully licensed by the RCMP and the International Biathlon Union. Schools can also choose an electronic biathlon option with no live ammunition. For more details, see our “Know Before You Go” section below.
Snow Luge & Snowshoe Combo
Gr. 3-6: $32/student
Luge is the fastest sport in the winter Olympics! Learn to luge on snow in our toboggan area with specialized sleds, led by our luge coach. Learn about equipment, steering, and safety. The session is followed by a guided snowshoe tour. Students must bring their own snow sports helmet.
*We can facilitate approximately 1 class per 1.5 hour snow luge session. For two classes, students will rotate through snow luge and snowshoe activities. Snow luge is a variation of the traditional luge sport, adapted to be done on snow rather than ice. Slower and safer than ice luge, this activity is great for beginners and school groups.
Self-guided Skiing or Snowshoeing
15% off daily ticket & rental rates. Recommended for Outdoor Ed groups and teachers leading their own programs. Programs are not supported by Whistler Olympic Park instructors/guides.
Accessibility & Adaptive Support
Contact Whistler Adaptive Sports (WAS) directly to book adaptive equipment and/or a Leisure Buddy (1:1 support) for your program. WAS can help integrate any participant into a lesson/tour.
Lunch Program
An optional lunch program is provided by Whistler Cooks Catering, $8.50/student. Includes choice of sandwich (ham & cheddar, turkey & gouda, or roast beef all on white house made sourdough, or falafel wrap), apple or orange, cookie, and hot chocolate. New this year, parents can order direct through Whistler Cooks - link provided with booking confirmation.
FAQ's
New to our programs? Book a site visit prior to your trip. Contact us for more information.
Once a booking is confirmed, we require a flat rate deposit of $250 for groups of 10-15 students or $500 for 15+ students.
Lesson and tour programs will be staged at our Cross-Country building. Access to a multi-purpose room is included with lessons/tours, subject to availability. Teachers are responsible for supervising this space. Please note, we cannot guarantee a designated indoor space for self-guided groups. Day lodge amenities are available for all to enjoy.
Review our booking policies at the bottom of this page.
Visit our "Know Before You Go" page for additional pre-trip info.
Booking Policies
Dates & Booking Requests
School programs are available weekdays from December - early April, excluding holidays. Our booking request form opens mid-September annually.
Information collected using our Booking Request Form will be used for the sole purpose of field trip communications. All contacts will be added to our mailing list. If experiencing issues with our web form or to be removed from the mailing list, please contact us directly.
Booking Confirmation
When your trip is confirmed, a Booking Confirmation will be emailed to all contacts provided. Upon receipt, please complete the following steps:
- Review your confirmation email and booking details. Carefully read our Booking Policies, including deposits, payments, changes, and cancellations. We require a flat rate deposit, see "Payment".
- Visit our "Know Before You Go" page for teachers and parents. Show students what they can expect by sharing our video.
- Help us learn more about your group! Guided lessons/tours only: Determine skier skill levels and divide students into groups of approximately 10-12. Include boot sizes for ski rentals. A sizing chart and skier levels cheat sheet are included with all confirmation emails. Ski groups and boot sizes must be sent 1 week in advance of your trip. Sizing is not required for snowshoe rentals. Any additional information about your students will be helpful, e.g. behavioural cues, adaptive needs, etc.
Accessibility & Inclusion
Contact us to discuss any accessibility needs and ways we can support. Adaptive equipment and leisure buddy support can be provided in cooperation with Whistler Adaptive, to integrate any participant into a ski lesson. Please contact Whistler Adaptive directly to make arrangements for leisure buddy support.
Lunch Program
Whistler Cooks Catering provides an optional lunch program. $8.50/student, includes choice of sandwich (ham & cheddar, turkey & gouda, or roast beef all on white house made sourdough, or falafel wrap), apple or orange, cookie, and hot chocolate.
New this year, parents can order direct through Whistler Cooks - link provided with booking confirmation. Please note that school lunch orders are prepared off-site and delivered to the venue on the day of your field trip. The day lodge café cannot prepare items from this menu.
Guests are welcome to purchase food and beverages on site at the café. Students must be accompanied by an adult. If planning to make purchases at the café, we kindly ask for advance notice to help manage volume and minimize wait times during your trip.
Group Size & Supervision
How Many Students Can We Accommodate?
Guided lessons/tours can accommodate approximately 20 - 80 students or 2 - 3 classes each day. Schools are welcome to book a self-guided experience if lessons/tours are at capacity.
What Are The Instructor/Guide Ratios?
For ski lessons, instructors are reserved on an 1:10 ratio (groups of 12 - 15 are accommodated in some circumstances). For snowshoe tours, we reserve approximately 2 guides per class. If a biathlon program has been requested, additional instructors/guides are reserved to supervise the biathlon range.
In addition to paid staff, Whistler Olympic Park volunteers may assist on program. They can be identified by a green vest.
Teachers & Chaperones
A chaperone is a teacher, educational assistant, support staff, parent or guardian. We ask that these individuals help us in the following areas:
- Assist students in the rental shop with equipment pick-up/return. Help students with boots/skis/snowshoes.
- Ski with a group and assist with supervision during on-snow activities, washroom breaks, etc. Those who are not skiing may walk on trails in designated areas only.
- Supervise students during lunch.
To ensure a student focused learning environment, chaperones need to have the same or greater skiing ability as their assigned student group.
Complimentary tickets and rentals are provided for teachers and chaperones based on SD48 field trip ratios. A rate of $32 per person applies for each chaperone in excess of those ratios. Additional complimentary tickets/rentals can be requested for EA's and 1:1 support staff. We do not charge for chaperones who have season passes and/or their own ski equipment.
Payment
Taxes apply to all products. Please email us if you require a breakdown of applicable taxes.
A quote will be provided with your confirmation email, and a hold placed on your trip date(s). To secure your booking, we require a flat rate deposit of $250 for groups of 10-15 students or $500 for 15+ students. We will issue a final invoice for the balance owing post-trip.
Payments can be made by credit card, e-transfer, or cheque. Please contact us for credit card authorization form or e-transfer details. Cheques can be made payable to Whistler Sport Legacies, 1080 Legacy Way, Whistler, BC, V8E 0K3. Include your school name, trip date, and note deposit or final payment.
Changes & Cancellations
Change Of Date
If a scheduling conflict arises, please contact us as soon as possible.
Change To Group Size
Changes within 1 week of your trip are non-refundable. We understand that numbers can fluctuate, please contact us as soon as possible if group numbers change and we will do our best to provide a solution.
Cancellation
- More than 4 weeks' notice - no penalty, deposit refunded.
- Less than 4 weeks' notice - deposit is non-refundable.
- No Show – 100% of original booking value applies.
Cancellations made by WOP or as a result of district-wide bus cancellations or highway closures will not be penalized.
Contact us prior to your trip if you are considering cancelling due to extreme cold. Admin fees will apply if we are notified last minute / day of. WOP remains open during rain or cold weather events. Our staff are prepared with contingency plans to facilitate programs in variable weather. The Callaghan Valley can experience different warming/cooling patterns in comparison to Whistler/Squamish – check our Weather page for current conditions. Some schools choose to come despite the cold, therefore extreme cold cancellations are at the discretion of the school in consult with Whistler Olympic Park. In the event of extreme cold, we recommend following Cross Country BC’s cold weather policy for event cancellations. Temperature is what will be expected/measured at program start time, start time may be delayed if warming is predicted.
- -15°C cancel event for age 12 & under
- -20°C cancel event for age 13 & up
We understand public health orders have seen on-going change over the past few years. Refunds will be provided for cancellations if public health orders prohibit field trips, large group gatherings or travel between communities. Admin fees may apply.