Frequently Asked Questions

WHAT ARE THE COSTS?

Membership Cost's

$80 for registrations on or before September 30th

$100 for registrations received on or after October 1st

Once membership is purchased, you need to come into Williams Ski & Patio with the member and parent to receive a Snowflake photo id and Snowflake patch.  A new photo id is required each year, you cannot use last years.

Trip Cost's

2024-25 trip fees are $110.00 for Alpine, Little Switzerland and Wilmot and $125.00 for long distance trips to Devil's Head and Chestnut.  We will offer a parent drive option again this year and it will be listed as a bus stop location when purchasing a trip. 

WHAT IS A LONG DISTANCE TRIP?

Long distance trips are to Chestnut and Devil's Head

The buses for these trips will depart from the Highland Park bus stop ONLY.  Buses depart at 6:30am and will return at 7:00pm.  Lessons are not offered on these trips.  Due to the length of the commute and the increase in the slope at these locations, children must qualify to attend Chesnut & Devil's Head trips.  Snowboarders must be Level C or higher and Skiers must be Level 3 or higher.  All children must be 10 years of age or older.  Sorry, there will be no exceptions.

WHERE ARE FRIDAY NIGHT TRIPS AND WHO CAN GO?

HOW DO I SIGN UP FOR A TRIP?

Online Registration

ALL REGISTRATIONS ARE ONLINE ONLY AND STARTS OCTOBER 29th @ 8:30am.  You must be an active member to purchase trips.  An annual membership must be purchased for each child.  You can use the parent email to create your account and to receive confirmations.  You can purchase multiple memberships under the one parent email.  Active members can purchase trips from the main page of the Snowflake site by selecting "Purchase Trips" from the bottom of the page. 

WHEN IS THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE FOR A TRIP?

Registration Deadline

The registration deadline for trips (including Monday trips) is at midnight the Wednesday before the trip.  

WHAT IF I NEED TO CANCEL A TRIP?

How to Cancel a Reservation.

Log into your snowflake account and from your "dashboard" select the "trips" tab, locate the trip you want to cancel and on the right side of the screen press"X" to request a cancellation.

You can also use the link below to send an email request. 

Cancel Trip - Email Us Here  Include members name, trip, and trip date in the body of the email.

All cancellation requests are done online, either from your Snowflake dashboard or via email.  

ALL CANCELLATIONS WILL INCUR A 25% CANCELLATION FEE.

LATE CANCELLATIONS (REQUESTS PLACED AFTER THE REGISTRATION DEADLINE AND UP TO AND INCLUDING THE TRIP DATE) WILL INCUR A 50% CANCELLATION FEE.  

There will NOT be a full refund issued for cancellations placed due to illness (the same fees as outlined above will apply).  COVID OR ANY ILLNESS will incur either a 25% or 50% cancellation fee.

NO REFUNDS FOR CANCELLATIONS PLACED AFTER THE TRIP - SORRY NO EXCEPTIONS.

All cancellations will be issued as a credit to your credit card.  A cancellation request does not automatically create a refund, the Snowflake Office will process your request within a week (usually sooner) of receiving the request.  You will receive an email confirmation of the refund and refunds/cancellations can be viewed from your Snowflake dashboard under the "Payment History" tab. 

If the Snowflake Club cancels a trip for any reason, a full refund will be processed to your credit card.  Refunds will be issued within 5 business days, you do not need to send an email request.

WHAT ABOUT WEATHER CONDITIONS?

Weather

Weather can be very unpredictable during the season.  All of the local area ski resorts have state of the art snowmaking capabilities.  There does not need to be snow on the ground here for us to go skiing or riding so please, do not hesitate to sign up for trips.  We have links to the ski resorts with current weather conditions, directions and much more.  On a rare occasion, weather conditions such as dangerous driving conditions or if the air temperature is not above zero will cause us to cancel a trip.  If you are ever in doubt, please check the Snowflake site or you can also call the store at 847-831-4300, choose option 6 and then option 4 for last minute status of that weeks trip.  

WHAT DO I NEED TO BRING ON A TRIP?

Morning of the Trip

Please arrive at least 15-30 minutes before the scheduled departure time.  You will need to have your equipment, your current Snowflake ID, and Snowflake patch.  Parents and members please remain in your vehicle and proceed through the check-in process.  If you are not registered for a trip, you will not be allowed on the bus.  Don’t forget to pack a lunch or bring money to buy your lunch.  Wilmot is not accepting cash this year.

Patches & Photo ID's

Patches AND ID's must be worn on every trip and at all times.  The back of the id serves as authorization to provide medical treatment should that be necessary.  The patch is our way to quickly identify our members.  Please sew or pin your patches on the upper left sleeve of your jacket.

Lunch Money

You may bring your lunch and put it at the white flag table or you can buy lunch at the ski area.  Usually, $15.00-$20.00 is enough to cover lunch.  Wilmot is NOT accepting cash this year.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE IS INJURED?

Accidents

In the case of an accident, the parents will be called (please confirm that your members ID has your correct phone #).  Parents if your child is injured please be aware that you may receive a call from an unknow number while your child is on a Snowflake trip so please be available to take an emergency call.  The injured member is taken to the ski hill first aid area, if further medical attention is required the parent will be contacted.  Your child should know the name of your doctor and your preferred hospital.

WHAT WILL I NEED?

HOW CAN I USE A SEASON PASS?

The Snowflake club will reimburse members who PRESENT a resort season pass $30.00 for trips.  The $30.00 refund will be issued to the credit card on file.  The snowflake member must show the season pass at check-in.  If you do not bring your season pass, there will be no refund.  Only members who BRING A CURRENT SEASON PASS will be refunded when the trip is reconciled by the Snowflake office following the trip.

HOW DO I REACH SNOWFLAKE DURING A TRIP?

The Snowflake Club has a cell phone at the "white flag table" the number is 847-542-1672 (Phone is only operational when the club is at the hill - NOT ON THE BUS RIDE).   When we have multiple trips on the same day, the emergency phone numbers are listed on the main page of the Snowflake site.  If your child is on a trip and contacting you, please direct your child to the white flag table for assistance.     

WHERE ARE THE BUS STOPS?

Please follow the link below for detailed information.

Bus Stop Locations & Times

If you accidently buy the wrong bus stop, you will need to call the Snowflake office (Mon-Fri 9:30-4:30) before the registration deadline.  The office will move your bus stop location.  A new email confirmation will be sent for the correct stop.  If it is after the registration deadline when you realize you purchased the wrong stop, please call the Snowflake office.  We cannot guarantee that we will be able to move your registration but we will try to accommodate your request if space is available.

WHAT IF YOU NEED HELP WHILE ON A TRIP?

White Flag Table

On every Snowflake trip there is a table that is identified by a white flag.  The white flag table is where members can find:

• ski school letters (patches)
• announcement sheet with lesson and departure information
• a clock
• someone to help with anything!

It is extremely important that new and younger members are made aware of where to go for help.

WHAT IF WE WANT TO PICK-UP OUR CHILD AT THE HILL?

Please call the Snowflake office 847-831-4300 by 1:00pm Friday afternoon and inform them that you (or someone else) are going to pick-up your child.  The parent MUST go to the white flag table (please have a form of ID with you) and sign-out the snowflake member.  

HOW CAN I CHANGE BUS STOP LOCATIONS?

Please call the Snowflake office (Mon-Fri 9:30-4:30) to request a bus stop location change.  There needs to be availability at the stop you are looking for inorder for us to move you.  You should NOT cancel a registration from one stop to purchase the other stop (you will incur a 25% cancellation fee).  Also, the system allows for ONLY one registration per trip and the process of requesting a cancellation is not automatic.  The Snowflake office has to process that cancellation before you can register for that trip again at a different bus stop.