Chickadees are small but fierce creatures with an innate love of winter. They stick around, no matter the weather. They tend to hang out in flocks and are known to be curious, agile, and tough creatures.
So too are the skiers and riders in the all-girl Chickadees program. This program is designed to encourage and empower young women to grow together into kind and confident girls who rule the mountain with a deep understanding of what it means to be Raised Jay.
Led by strong, confident, and kind women skiers and riders, including Gina Basiliere, Hibby Whitten, and Bonnie Kolber who designed the program, the Chickadees extend well beyond on-mountain skills. Chickadees is an 11-week camp for intermediate to advanced young women open to both skiers and snowboarders. Each week will include a theme to help guide the girls through personal and group growth. No goal is too big or too small for a Chickadee. Be it stomping a new trick for fun or a comp, finding the perfect powder line, or exploring a new glade, we’ll be sure to meet them where they are and move forward from there.
Weekly themes will include Respect, Responsibility, Communication, Fluidity, Style, Patience, Flexibility, Perseverance, Play, Progression, Cooperation, Friendship, and Fun. The coaches will encourage the girls in the camp to identify their strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of the season and develop goals against them. Chickadees will be supported if they choose to participate in competitions as well.
The Chickadees program is for intermediate and advanced skiers and riders and runs for 11 weeks.
| Schedule | |
|---|---|
| 8:30a | Drop-off (Meet on snow at the Stateside Base) |
| 8:30a-9a | Stretch Session |
| 9:15a-12p | Morning Session |
| 12p-1p | Lunch (Parents must pick-up & drop-off) |
| 1:30p-3p | Afternoon Session |
| 3p-3:30p | Expression Session |
| 3:30p | Pick-Up |
| RATE | PROGRAM DATES | BLACKOUT / NO MEET DATE(s) | MAKE-UP DATE(S) |
| $1,665 | Sundays, Dec 13 - Mar 14 | Dec 27, Jan 17 & Feb 14 | Mar 21 |
A pocket snack, water bottle, lunch/lunch money, positive attitude, journal and all your outdoor gear.
Gina grew up in the Northeast Kingdom and has been playing in the snow at Jay since she was four years old. She came through the Foundations program in elementary school and later competed with her local high school snowboard team. Gina began teaching snowboarding in 2011 and has loved every minute of being part of the Jay Peak community.
She holds PSIA-AASI Level 3 Snowboard, Children’s Specialist 2, and Freestyle Specialist 1 certifications and teaches both skiing and snowboarding.
In the summer, Gina loves hiking, gardening, swimming, and skateboarding. When she’s not working at the mountain, she works as an architect in the Mad River Valley, where she lives with her spouse, dog, and cat. As one of the founding members of Chickadees, Gina loves helping the girls develop confidence while growing their on-snow and interpersonal skills.
Bonnie Kolber is a PSIA-AASI Level 3 certified Snowboard Examiner and a coach of the Eastern Region Children’s Education Staff with both Children's Specialist 2 and Freestyle Specialist 1 certifications from PSIA-AASI. She holds a master’s degree in elementary education and Level 1 Mountain Bike Instructor certification from PMBIA.
In the winter, you’ll find Bonnie in the mountains riding, teaching, and training snowboard instructors. During the summer, when she’s not running mountain bike adventure camps, she’s tending to the gardens and critters at her off-grid homestead, paddleboarding, hiking, or curled up somewhere with a good book.
Bonnie is one of the founding members of Chickadees. She loves helping students build their skills and confidence while developing a stronger sense of community and connection with themselves, their peers, and the natural world. For Bonnie, time spent outside is an opportunity to learn, grow, and feel more at home in the mountains.
Hibby has loved skiing for as long as she can remember. She grew up skiing in New Hampshire and Maine, but made the fateful choice to ski Jay in 2013 and never looked back. She loves it here and wants every Chickadee to love it here, too. She lives in Cambridge, Vermont, with her husband and two dogs, and they happily drive past the road to Smuggs to get here.
Hibby holds PSIA Level 2, PSIA Children’s Specialist 2, and IFSA Level 100 certifications. She is passionate about women’s empowerment in snowsports and creating experiences that leave young athletes thinking, “Whoa, I rip.”
In the off-season, Hibby is usually training for a fall marathon or mountain ultra. She also loves gardening, swimming, petting her dogs, and thinking about skiing. “When it snows, I wake up smiling.”
Click 'Book & Buy' on this page or reach out to Activities (800) 451-4449 or activities@jaypeakresort.com
Spots fill up fast, especially for holiday and weekend periods. It’s best to make your reservation as soon as possible.
Rates are subject to change without notice and are inclusive of 6% Vermont tax unless stated otherwise.
Lift tickets are required for everyone taking a lesson and are not included in the lesson rates.
Participants under age 13 are required to wear a properly fitted/fastened winter sports helmet. We recommend participants of all ages do the same.
Children over the age of 6 in lessons with multiple participants may ride lifts without an adult.
Contact Chickadees Program Lead, Gina Basiliere.
gbasiliere@jaypeakresort.com
