Teaching Assistant Program (Ages 12-14)

Cancellations & Postponements

Lessons are often held in inclement weather conditions. It is extremely rare that Mount Pakenham will cancel lessons due to cold or other weather related reasons. If weather is questionable, please refer to this page or our Homepage for resort updates:

LESSON PARTICIPANTS:

LESSONS ARE NON-REFUNDABLE. When a lesson spot is booked, it is unavailable for others to book. Due to unprecedented demand for Snow School Lessons, we have made changes to maximize access to Lessons for all guests. All cancellations are subject to fees.

LESSONS RUN IN ALL WEATHER - mild, cold, snowy, rainy, mixed precipitation. On extra cold days we adapt lessons to keep students moving and take breaks as needed. 

IF YOU MUST CANCEL A PRIVATE LESSON or DISCOVER LESSON:
Non-Refundable 10% processing fee will apply to all refunds

• If you need to cancel - More than 2 weeks in advance you will be charged a $30 cancellation fee and 10% processing fee.
  We will not reschedule your lesson, you may re-book online at another time if availability permits.
• If you need to cancel - Less than 2 week in advance you will be charged a $60 administration fee and 10% processing fee.
  We will not reschedule your lesson, you may re-book online at another time if availability permits.
• If you do not show for your scheduled lesson, we are not able to offer a refund or reschedule the lesson.
• In some circumstances, you may transfer the lesson to another participant.

IF YOU MUST CANCEL A MULTI-DAY GROUP or PRIVATE PROGRAM:
Non-Refundable 10% processing fee will apply to all refunds

• More than 14 days prior to the first program day you will receive a refund less 10% processing fee and $30 cancellation fee.
• Less than 14 days prior to the first program day you will receive a refund less a $60 cancellation fee and 10% processing fee.
• After the program has begun, reimbursement for the remaining value of unused program days will be at the discretion of our snow school, less a $60 cancellation fee and 10% processing fee.

**CANCELLATION FEE APPLIES PER LESSON OR PROGRAM**

We require a written request directed to ski@mountpakenham.com for all Lesson Cancellations on dates that we are open.
All Lesson, Lift and Rental vouchers expire March of the current season.

SEASON PASSHOLDERS:

Season Passes are final sale.

We expect our season to run from mid-December until mid-March. In the event of an unforeseen circumstance where a refund of a Season Pass may be warranted - please refer to the chart below.

A 10% processing fee will apply to all refunds.

 
We encourage all Passholders to optimize the early season and get the MOST out of winter – why wait?!

PRE-BOOKED LIFT TICKETS & RENTALS:

PRE-BOOKED LIFT TICKETS & RENTAL PACKAGES ARE FINAL
Non-refundable - Non-transferable.

• This applies to all date-specific pre-booked Daytime Lift Tickets, Night Lift Tickets and/or Rentals.
• If you do not show up on the date you booked, there will be no credit or refund.

In the event of a temporary business closure on your arrival date, you will receive an automatic refund, subject to Vendor Processing Fees (up to 10%). 

Updated: 08/06/2025 MOUNT PAKENHAM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE OPERATING HOURS AND RATES & POLICIES WITHOUT NOTICE.

Lesson Terms and Conditions

Before proceeding, please review the date and time of the program you plan to book.
By completing your booking, you are committing to attend on the selected dates and times. Please note that changes cannot be made if you are unable to attend any portion of the program.

Filming of our staff while working is prohibited without express permission from the staff member and/or their parent/guardian. Please allow lessons participants to ski/ride independently from parental supervision – this allows a better relationship between instructor and student(s).

Spectators/Parents/Guardians are not allowed past the base area fencing without alpine equipment and a valid hill access pass or season pass.  Instructors/snow school supervisors will bring students to parents/guardians if required during the lesson.

Registration/ Waivers/Cancellations
Waivers are required for ALL Lesson Participants.  The link for the online waiver can be found HERE.

If you will be renting ski or snowboard equipment, please make sure you have your RENTAL WAIVER filled out prior to arrival.

ALL WAIVERS ARE GOOD FOR THE SEASON. YOU ONLY NEED TO COMPLETE THE WAIVER ONE TIME PER SEASON.

Lessons run in all weather – snow, rain and cold temps included.  Please dress accordingly. It is extremely rare that Mount Pakenham will cancel lessons - in the event of a lesson disruption, Mount Pakenham will contact you prior to your scheduled lesson time.  Please refer to our Cancellation page for any updates HERE

The reference age for the students’ classification is the age on December 1^st, 2025; proof of age may be required.

No lesson re-take or lesson transfer will be accepted in case of a no-show;

Arrival Notes
Participants are emailed in advance of the program start with specific Day 1 Arrival instructions. The lesson participant will be expected to arrive on time, dressed, equipment on and ready to go at the designated meeting place for the lesson start time.

Late Arrivals:
Late arrivals must search for their instructor with the help of a facilitator.  Find a facilitator identified by a Mount Pakenham blue uniform. They will help connect you with your class. For group lessons, instructors cannot wait for or extend the lesson to accommodate late students. If the class is using the chairlift, you could be waiting up to 15min to join your class.
Instructors cannot wait for late students and cannot extend the lesson to accommodate late students. Lessons will finish at scheduled time.  Please be on-time.

Lesson Structure
Lesson length: All 60 minute lessons are 55 minutes on snow; and all 90 minute lessons are 85 minutes on snow, with 5 minutes to allow for instructor feed back and questions.

Class sizes & information - We specialize in personalized attention with classes of 3 to 10 students. We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule classes due to lack of enrollment. Classes less than 3 students may have a shorter lesson.

We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule classes.

The first few minutes of class are allotted for instructor preparation: class organization, student dress and equipment and class activities.

We offer Parent & Tot lessons for new under-6 skiers/snowboarders. Parents must ski/ride at an intermediate level.

Lessons for students under 6 years of age are offered in a private lesson setting. This is the most advantageous for individualized learning. Our 'minis' instructors are chosen specifically for their love and passion for teaching young children.

CLASS PROGRESSION/INSTRUCTORS/REQUESTS
Class progression is monitored weekly.  Students will ONLY be moved levels at the discretion of the Snow School.

We cannot guarantee the same instructor for each lesson due to scheduling constraints.  To ensure continuity, instructors maintain a written record of student progress.

Special requests (i.e. with friends, family, or a specific instructor) are always acknowledged but cannot always be accommodated due to age, level, scheduling conflicts, etc.

Students are assessed and grouped according to age and ability for fast track learning.  Each group is lead by a professional ski or snowboard instructor who loves sharing their passion for winter sports. With Mount Pakenham’s certified Pros, you and your child are guaranteed to have quality instruction. Mount Pakenham’s Pros follow the Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance and the Canadian Association of Snowboard Instructors progression.  Our learning progression, exercises and drills have been developed and tested throughout the years.

MISSED LESSONS/MAKE-UP DAY

MISSED PRIVATE/DISCOVER LESSONS:
No lesson re-take or lesson transfer will be accepted in case of a no-show; Please see our cancellation policy for more information on cancelling or rescheduling these lessons.

MISSED GROUP LESSONS:
Make Up weekend is currently scheduled for Saturday March 7th or Sunday March 8th. Group lessons will go out at 1030am and/or 2pm, and participants will be grouped together by age & ability.

MISSED PRIVATE CONSECUTIVE LESSONS:
Private program participants who are skiing unassisted from runs accessible from the chairlift can join the group Make-Up weekend. Should you prefer a private lesson to make up a missed lesson - you may do so at your own expense and the lesson must be booked online.
**Please note: there is no Make-Up weekend for the Clifford Race Program.

Unused lift tickets or rental tickets can be exchanged for Make-Up weekend lessons or for another day/evening by the end of the 2025-2026 season.

For additional inquires, please contact ski@mountpakenham.com.

Please ensure you and your child are familiar with the Alpine Responsibility Code

updated 08/2025 MOUNT PAKENHAM RESERVES THE RIGHT TO CHANGE LESSON STRUCTURE AND PROTOCOLS WITHOUT NOTICE