On August 6, 2026, AOA’s Athlete Development Program (ADP) on-snow season officially began. Thirteen U16 athletes and three coaches departed for El Colorado, Chile, where they are training in record snow cover and excellent conditions.
The camp’s main objective is to strengthen athletes’ fundamental skills and reinforce proper technique in training, setting them up for success on the hill next winter.
Three super-experienced coaches are leading this year’s program.
- Kevin Gosselin, from Osler Bluff Ski Club. His understanding of teaching and helping athletes understand the mechanics goes a long way in helping the athletes develop into strong individuals with the desire to succeed.
- Jacques Reid is a familiar face within AOA, having coached both the Ontario Ski Team and SOD, and now leads Coaching Development for AOA’s programs. He shares his depth of knowledge across all levels of the sport with extreme passion.
- Leslie Firstbrook joins the program this year with experience coaching Canada’s National Women’s Team (last year), along with World Cup, European, NorAm and FIS-level racing throughout North America. Leslie has also coached at Apex 2000 and with the Alberta Ski Team, bringing a wealth of high-performance experience, professionalism, and inspiration to this camp.
…And Leslie set up a special hour to meet and share stories with Alpine Canada Speed Men (pic – L-R) Jeff Reid, Jack Crawford, Brodie Seger, Raphael Lessard, Cam Alexander and Sacha Gilbert!
So far, the camp has exceeded expectations. After weeks of planning and discussions with the staff on establishing objectives for the camp and the athletes. The staff is executing this to perfection, and the athletes seem supercharged while gaining some excellent knowledge and training.
GO ONTARIO!