Free Mountain program breaks down barriers

RICK MACDONNELL

Sean MacCarron's Free Mountain program is making Marmot Basin more accessible than ever. RICK MACDONNELL/SnowSeekers

JASPER, AB – Skiing and snowboarding aren’t exactly the cheapest of activities. Some parents simply can’t afford to put their children through lessons and ski schools after buying equipment, passes, transportation, etc. Luckily, though, there are those whose goal it is to make skiing/snowboarding as accessible as possible. Enter Sean MacCarron and his free-style, freeride snowboarding program called Free Mountain.

MacCarron has been coaching elite-level snowboarding for 40 seasons now. He’s been in Marmot Basin for two years, but before that he bounced back and forth for 17 years between Colorado and New Zealand, spent several years in South America, and did arctic training in Norway.

Mo' money, mo' problems

“When I came here, I mentioned that I had coached snowboarding in the past,” said MacCarron, who, in addition to Free Mountain, trains instructors full-time at Marmot Basin’s snow sports school. “But how I do it differently is that my whole operation is run not -for-profit. For the price of one full-day lesson kids can get eight weeks of professional coaching.

“What’s great about it is that it allows local kids to get out on the hill more often. It’s hard paying for skiing, so some kids only come with their school, and they live at the base of the mountain, or beyond.”

For the eight-week program the cost is only $500, and because of a deal with Sports Alberta, parents can get a $500 deductible for getting their children involved with sports activities. MacCarron purposely charges what he does so that parents can essentially send their child through Free Mountain for nothing at all.

The fruits of MacCarron's labour. RICK MACDONNELL/SnowSeekers

The kids are alright

The 2009/10 season was Free Mountain’s first, and MacCarron raved about its success. In the time since, he’s really been pleased with not only the improvement of the kids, but their attitude and passion for the sport. 

“I’m not one of these people who get hung up on results or numbers,” said MacCarron, who, ironically, has coached several World Cup snowboarders. “Some people need to be at the top, and that's fine. It's fun being at the top, but it's even better to be at the finish line and see an athlete do their absolute best, regardless of finish. It doesn't matter if they've made the top three, or made the top 40. If they did their best and you see that as a coach ... that's everything.

“If you fall, who cares? Everybody falls. They just picked the wrong time to fall.”

MacCarron’s entire focus is on the kids and their experience. If they’re happy, his job is done. “It’s all about building that self-confidence. If they’re enjoying themselves, then they’re more likely to understand and comprehend my instruction. If they understand what they’re doing all of the time, then it’s much more likely that they’ll be successful all of the time.”

Building for the future

The program runs from January through March, with lessons coming once a week. That way, students could go out on their own and practice what they had learned that week, building that self-confidence MacCarron spoke of. The age group runs from 9–16.

For MacCarron, though, building a foundation of high-quality coaches is as important to the program as the satisfaction of the children. 

“The key is that the coaches are learning while they’re coaching. That’s everything, that’s how a program develops for the future.” 

For more information on Marmot’s snow sports schools, including Free Mountain, visit www.skimarmot.com 

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