Every kid deserves to feel what it's like to zoom down a mountain. Let's make that happen. One family at a time.
The mountains are right there. But for a lot of families the price tag makes it feel impossible. Here is what one day actually costs:
What a family of 4 pays for ONE day at a Canadian ski resort
A family that has never skied owns zero equipment. Outfitting four people adds another $500 to $800. Most families give up before they even start.
Not every family has a car ready for mountain roads in winter. Or they do not know about the bus. The mountains feel far away even when they are not.
Norway, a country with a population only slightly larger than Alberta's, wins more Winter Olympic medals than any nation on earth. Their secret is not better snow. It is access. Every child gets to play.
Your first time at the top of a run it looks impossibly steep. Legs shaky. Come back two years later and you can barely see the decline. The mountain did not change. You did. That gap between fear and capability, closed by facing it, is one of the most important things a child can learn. Skiing delivers it over and over again for the rest of their life.
First Tracks Foundation covers the trip costs and connects families to discounted resort rates. Families go on their own time and their own way.
Short form, 7 questions, 5 minutes
Bus code or gas money by e-transfer
Free lift tickets and rentals through our resort partners
3 questions by text, 2 days later
A subsidy only stretches so far if lift tickets cost $130 each. We need Sunshine Village to offer a foundation rate around $40 to $50 per person instead of $130+. Without that partnership the math does not work at scale. This is the first and most important conversation to have.
Group trips mean buses, chaperones, insurance, and 6am departure times. It is expensive and stressful. Giving families a subsidy is cheaper, simpler, and treats people with dignity. They go when they want, with who they want.
There are two ways into the program. Both require a CRA Notice of Assessment to verify household income. No other documents needed.
Any family can apply directly through our website.
A trusted community organization applies on the family's behalf.
Every voucher issued by the foundation is tied to one income-verified family. Promo codes are single-use and cannot be shared or reused. The foundation maintains a full audit trail — every application, every NOA, every voucher, every redemption is documented. This is a structured, accountable program, not a discount code floating around the internet.
The first day is the spark. Here is how First Tracks Foundation supports families beyond that, and how a season pass becomes possible for those who qualify.
After their first day, every First Tracks family becomes a permanent alumni. They access a negotiated foundation day pass rate at Sunshine Village any time, any season, using their alumni code. The foundation pays nothing. Families just show up.
Families who want to commit to a full season apply for the season pass subsidy separately. A Sunshine Village season pass runs approximately $700 to $900. The foundation covers $300 to $400. The family pays $400 to $500 for unlimited skiing from early November to May 21st. That works out to less than the cost of five regular day passes.
Skiing is not just a day out. For kids who catch the bug, it becomes a world. Here is what that world looks like.
Ski culture is one of the most welcoming communities in sport. A shared mountain creates instant belonging with other kids, with families, and with a place.
A child who skis has a reason to travel, a goal to chase, and mountains to look forward to. That sense of anticipation and adventure shapes how they see the world.
You cannot scroll on a chairlift. The mountain competes with nothing. It demands full presence every run. Kids who have a sport they love spend less time in passive consumption and more time doing.
A kid who says "I ski" has an identity outside of school. That self-definition, that I am someone who does hard things outdoors, carries into every other area of their life.
Skiing is hard to learn and that is the point. Every child who sticks with it through the first frustrating lessons learns that effort compounds. Showing up is how you get good at anything.
Canada is a winter country. A child who learns to love winter, who runs toward snow instead of hiding from it, lives a bigger, fuller life in the country they call home.
Kids with a sport they love are more physically active, more socially connected, more resilient under pressure, and less likely to struggle with anxiety and depression. The goal of First Tracks Foundation is not a single ski day. It is the spark that turns into a passion. Passions change trajectories.
The first day is the spark. Here is how First Tracks Foundation supports families beyond that, and how a season pass becomes possible for those who qualify.
After their first day, every First Tracks family becomes a permanent alumni. They access a negotiated foundation day pass rate at Sunshine Village any time, any season, using their alumni code. The foundation pays nothing. Families just show up.
Families who want to commit to a full season apply for the season pass subsidy separately. A Sunshine Village season pass runs approximately $700 to $900. The foundation covers $300 to $400. The family pays $400 to $500 for unlimited skiing from early November to May 21st. That works out to less than the cost of five regular day passes.
Every family is referred by a verified community partner. Income eligibility is self-declared using income brackets with partner confirmation. Applications are reviewed by the foundation board, capped at 15 season passes per season, and fully documented. Sunshine processes the pass at the foundation rate. We handle everything else. This is a structured, auditable program, not a discount code floating around the internet.
Sunshine is not just the closest world-class hill to Calgary. It is one of the best-run ski operations anywhere — and the perfect place for a family's very first day on snow.
The elevation means snow arrives early and stays late, giving families a longer window to go. The quality of the snow, the layout of the beginner terrain, and the way the mountain is managed all point to the same thing: safe, well organized, and genuinely spectacular. There is no better first impression of the sport.
Nakiska is closer to Calgary but proximity is not the same as suitability.
The mission is not to get families to the nearest hill. It is to create a first experience so good they keep coming back. A family that gets consistent powder, a well-run lesson, and a gondola ride through the Rockies — that family becomes a skier for life.
Prove the model with Sunshine Village in Year 1. Then expand to Castle Mountain and Lake Louise. Castle already provides free rentals for school groups — the willingness is there. Every hill wants to be part of a proven program.
Sunshine Village and Lake Louise are west on Highway 1. Castle Mountain is a completely different direction, south near Pincher Creek. We start with Sunshine Village.
Start with Sunshine Village. Prove the model. Then expand to the other hills.