Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD)

The concept of "Park to Podium" is at the core of Canada Snowboard's Long Term Athlete Development (LTAD).

By progressing through each of the LTAD's eight stages, athletes will be able to learn the sport of snowboarding, acquire the skills needed to excel as a competitor, and make the transition to roles within the sport following their competitive years.

These eight integrated stages are designed to help snowboarders reach the podium and are based on the participant’s developmental (both physiological and mental) age, rather than chronological age.

We invite you to explore each of these stages in greater detail:

Stage 1 - ACTIVE START (Ages 0 to 6)
Physiological development: initiation of basic human movement skills: running, jumping, kicking, throwing, catching, swimming, sliding, etc.


Stage 2 - FUNDAMENTALS (Ages 6 to 9)
Physical literacy: interrelation of movement skills and sport skills. Speed, power, and endurance are developed using sports and games.

Stage 3 - LEARN TO TRAIN (Ages 8 to 12)
Snowboard literacy: introduces snowboarders to all disciplines. This will allow the child to identify what they like while creating a great multi-skill foundation.

Stage 4 - TRAIN TO TRAIN (Ages 12+)
Training literacy: Specialization and emphasis on strength and conditioning. Focus on training rather than competing.

Stage 5 - TRAIN TO COMPETE (Ages 14 to 16+)
Competition literacy: Emphasis on developing individual strengths through modeling, physical, technical and tactical skills.

Stage 6 - LEARN TO WIN (Ages 17 to 18+)
Excellence: Transition period between national and international level. All performance factors are now fully established in order to optimize performance.

Stage 7 - TRAIN TO WIN (Ages 20 to 24+)
Mastery: Focus on the preservation of high quality and consistent performances to be "winning for a living."

Stage 8 - ACTIVE FOR LIFE (All Ages)
Transition from competition to an active lifestyle.

The full Canada Snowboard LTAD document in PDF format is accessible online, but requires a password which can be obtained by contacting vasb@pnanqnfabjobneq.pn.

For additional information about Long Term Athlete Development, you can also visit the Canadian Sport for Life LTAD Website.