Eligibility

The Polson Youth Ski Club is available to all area school kids in grades 5-12 (home school kids, too!). This note is intended to help moms and dads better understand the week-to-week workings of the club.

Buses run to Whitefish Mountain Resort (Big Mountain) each Saturday from the first Saturday in December through the last Saturday in March...as long as there is sufficient snow.  Exceptions may occur when holidays fall near a Saturday, roads are too hazardous for safe transportation, or the weather/temperature is deemed hazardous. The weekly bus fare is $5. A Season Bus Pass is $50.. The club uses Polson School District buses and drivers.  The drivers are compensated by the club from weekly bus-ride receipts and are paid through the school district payroll system.

If departing from Polson, your child should be at the bus yard behind Cherry Valley School by 6:50AM.  The bus will depart at7:00AM sharp and, if requested, will stop at the Jette Store, the Big Arm post office, the store in Elmo, the Dayton post office and/or the store in Rollins.  Subsequent buses, if any, will depart at 7:05 and go directly to Whitefish Mountain Resort.

Buses depart from the ski area for the return trip to Polson at 3:30PM. Kids are instructed upon arrival at the ski hill to plan accordingly and be at the bus ready to go before 3:30PM.  Once in a while, a student will be late causing the group to be late departing.  If this happens, the member(s) causing the delay may lose the privilege of riding the ski bus the following week.  Chaperones cannot wait any later than 4:00 for your child to return to the bus because all other parents will be waiting for their children to return from the trip.  At such point, transportation home for the late student will become the responsibility of the parents or guardians.  In such cases, chaperones will contact dispatch at Whitefish Mountain Resort and make all reasonable efforts to contact the student and the parents to inform them of the bus departing. Trips are planned so that buses arrive in Polson at about 5:15PM.  Please be on time to pick up your children.

Students riding a ski bus are expected to adhere to all expectations as prescribed by district policy.  Failure to behave accordingly may result in suspension of riding privileges for one week or longer.  Severe misbehavior may result in termination of riding privileges for the remainder of the season.