Children’s Programs FAQ
Children Program FAQ
The following outlines Rhythm Japan’s (owned and operated by Rhythm & Beats. Co. Ltd.) Terms & Conditions for Rhythm Rides.
Please familiarise yourself with our program & operational information if you have booked or will be booking a Rhythm Futures, Kids Week or Progression Camp.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Rhythm Futures program is a seasonal program which operates over a 12-week period, these programs are designed to see a seasonal progression of athletes year on year and because its length is more popular among kids living year around in the Niseko area. This season we have launched our Holiday Program offerings & extra days on the snow across some National Holidays.
Progression Camp is a training program designed for athletes who are used to consistent coaching & want to continue to develop their all-mountain riding skills. The programs are available for Intermediate – Expert level riders only and run for 10 days over a 14-day period. We operate a total of 2 Progression Camps and a Bonus week.
Kids Week – Offers kids the opportunity to learn and progress their skiing and snowboarding skills over 5 consecutive days in Niseko’s first committed weekly program. The commitment of the same coach and same kids in the weekly class provides a superior learning experience.
Our kids’ week & progression programs are conducted in English. If your child does not understand English and needs assistance in a different language, please contact our Rides Guest Services team.
For the Futures Seasonal Program, please refer to the Futures section of the FAQs.
Kids Week
Meeting time is 8:45 am for warm-up
The program will finish at 15:15 pm for a stretch down & de-brief until 15:30 pm
Mini-Futures
Meeting time is 8:15 am for warm-up
The program will finish at 12:15 pm for a stretch down & de-brief until 12:30 pm
Rhythm Futures & Progression Camps
Meeting time is 8:15 am for warm-up
The program will finish at 2:45 pm for a stretch down & de-brief until 3 pm
Dot Base – your instructor will meet you on snow.
Please arrive ready for your day of skiing and snowboarding.
Every morning, our Kids Supervisor or Managers will be available at the meeting point to ensure the day runs smoothly. Also, you can always reach out to our coaches to assist you with any questions.
Futures & Kids Week –
Kids Week level 1-3 – a Grand Hirafu lift pass.
Kids Week level 4-6 – an All Mountain lift pass.
Progression Camps – An all-mountain pass is required.
Mini Futures* – Please note that Niseko United no longer provides pre-school lift tickets for free, so a valid pass that will cover the four-hour duration of each week for Grand Hirafu Resort will be required.
- Lift passes – levels 1-3 require a Grand Hirafu pass, and levels 4-6 require an All Mountain pass.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to request a specific instructor for our group lessons. However, it is possible to book a specific instructor for our Private lessons.
No. Rhythm Rides does not offer a waiting list. You can head online to find a different available date or contact our Rides Guest Services.
To make any changes to your booking 24 hours prior to the lesson start, please contact our Rides Guest Services team or call +81 50 3773 0913
Once the lessons have commenced it will only be possible to join the group if our staff is available to help. If you are running late, please call Rides Guest Services to confirm if it will be possible to still join the group.
- Futures, Progression Camps and Kids Week: 7 – 14 years old
- Mini-Futures: 4 – 6 years old
Every child is different, and the best approach depends on the circumstances. Some children may respond better to private one-on-one lessons. Please contact our Rides Guest Services in advance to determine the best option for your child.
Yes, helmets are mandatory for all Futures Programs & Kids lessons. We are able to offer seasonal helmet rentals at a reduced rate for season long rental.
This is not mandatory, however, we do highly recommend them for beginner snowboarders.
Full Day Programs (Rhythm Futures, Kids Week, Progression Programs)
Each training day will include a 1-hour lunch break. Depending on the ages of the group, and how each group is handling the conditions the coach may take additional breaks during the day as needed.
Mini Futures Program
Will typically take a 15-minute break during the middle of the session to rehydrate, and use the bathroom. This is also a good time for your little one to have a snack and energise, so we recommend packing some snacks.
We aim for our children to be able to experience as much of the mountain as possible during their time in our programs & we have a range of lunch options on the mountain and in the resort which our groups will visit during the season. Depending on the skill level of your child, the lunch could be locally in Grand Hirafu or the other resorts such as Niseko Village, Annupuri or Hanazono, at all locations we offer a variety of meal options.
Please fill out the medical release form. Our Kids Manager will then check in with you on the program’s first day to confirm any additional information needed to ensure the best care for your child.
We ask parents or guardians to provide us with a phone number they’re contactable on in case of any problem. You will be contacted by our team as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, we are unable to reschedule or provide a refund for this reason.
Kids under 6 years old will always ride with a responsible adult and if riding with an instructor this will only ride with one kid at each side, maximum 2 per ride.
King Lift #4 and Wonderland lifts are not allowed for any kid.
Children signed up to our program should be toilet trained and able to use the restroom.
- Children will not go to the toilet unsupervised.
- 7+ years we will wait out the front
- 3-6 years we will go with the child and provide assistance but we will not enter the cubicle of the child.
KIDS Week
Our weekly program is the first of its kind in Niseko, offering a consistent multi-day approach to learning. Our program starts each week on a Monday and runs consecutively until Friday. Each day builds on the previous lessons & progression by the same coach & kids. Our Kids Week will provide your child with a superior & super fun learning experience.
We will form groups firstly around those who have a similar ability level and goals & then secondly around appropriate age groups. To do so we pay special attention during the sign-ups and then we do a safety lap every Monday.
During the safety lap we will try to assign kids accordingly to their ability level, goals and age. However, if by any circumstance there’s no suitable group for your child we will offer to upgrade to a private lesson whether possible or offer a full refund.
No compensation can be made for the loss of lesson time due to injury or illness if the program has commenced. Upon receipt of a valid medical certificate, a reschedule or refund of future lessons is possible.
- We must be advised before your new lesson has commenced.
- Rhythm must receive the report within 24 hours of the cancelled/missed lesson.
Progression Camps
The same coach will be assigned across the two camps and the Bonus Week. In case any unforeseen circumstances arise we would advise you accordingly.
We will form groups firstly around those who have a similar ability level and goals & then secondly around appropriate age groups. To do so we pay special attention during the sign-ups and then we do a safety lap at the start of the program.
Our Progression Camps are designed to be run in two-week blocks. During this two-week training period, your child will have the same consistent coaching and team members. If you have signed up for multiple camps, it is possible that there could be a changeover in kids joining the camp. However, we find that a lot of our campers tend to book multiple camps in a row, which can create an awesome team environment.
If at the discretion of the coaches and the program manager your kid is not at the ability level required to participate in the program whether possible we will offer a spot on the Kids Week Program or to use the credit for private lessons. If this is not of your convenience we will offer a full refund.
No compensation can be made for the loss of lesson time due to injury or illness if the program has commenced. Upon receipt of a valid medical certificate, a reschedule or refund of future lessons is possible.
- We must be advised before your new lesson has commenced.
- Rhythm must receive the report within 24 hours of the cancelled/missed lesson.
Rhythm Futures
We will form groups firstly according to previous season groups and athletes log information, then around those who have a similar ability level and goals & lastly around appropriate age groups. We aim to have these groups formed and settled in as soon as possible in the season.
If you have booked a Kids Week or Progression Program – your lessons will be conducted in English.
If you have booked a Rhythm Futures program – we’re limited to bi-lingual Japanese instructors and working on long-term solutions to this important matter. Please make sure to select this and comment on the need for the Japanese language at the time of booking and we will be in contact to discuss your needs.
Mini-Futures:
- 4 hours per session.
- Brand New K2 Rental Gear Included.
- Events & Program Calendar to be up to date.
- Weekly Session Report and Progress Book.
- Group App for parents and coaches to stay connected.
- Community Events
Futures:
- 7 hours per session.
- Brand New K2 Rental Gear Included.
- Daily Lunch included
- Events & Program Calendar to be up to date.
- Weekly Session Report and Athlete Report.
- Group App for parents and coaches to stay connected.
- Community Events
Our coaches are serious about progressing our Futures Athletes. During the season we will conduct regular skills assessments at the start, middle & end of the program to track our athletes’ progress in a number of snowsports skills. This will provide a foundation for planning our sessions, working towards goals & also tracking our athlete’s progress over the course of their time in the Futures program. We will provide these reports to all parents at the end of the season.
Mini Futures will be provided with a progression booklet to be completed across the season and track their progress and next goals.
No, the program runs for 12 consecutive weekends without brakes starting on the first weekend of January.
Registration will be open until December 06th with program placements confirmed by December 07th. Programs require a minimum of 4 athletes per group/level in order to operate.
Waitlist positions for the program will be confirmed from December 22nd.
If you do not receive further communication from us means that everything is ok to go ahead with your booking.
At the start of the program, we will group all athletes together into training groups according to age, interests, and ability level. Each group will then have a dedicated coach for the season program, the five days of the kid’s week or, the 6 weeks of the progression camp.
Registration will be open until December 06th with program placements confirmed by December 20th. Programs require a minimum of 4 athletes per group/level in order to operate.
Waitlist positions for the program will be confirmed from December 22th.
We have adjusted our program pricing as a result of rising operational costs & adjustments required to wages to meet with inflation.
This increase allows us to maintain the high quality of our offerings and attract the best coaches, ensuring that each participant receives exceptional value from our program.
The Holiday Program is an ad on available programs for our Seasonal programs that runs during 6 different National Holidays and Sundays to allow the athletes and coaches to have more time on the slopes to build their progression.
January 5th, 12th, 13th and February 11th, 23rd and 24th.
The program is available only to be booked in full.
Same as the seasonal program we will need a minimum of 4 participants per group to run the class.
We’re thrilled to announce that kids joining our Mini-Futures and Futures program will have access to a set of brand new K2 gear from the start of the resort operation till April 6th.
*If availability is limited we might provide other brands’ gear. Offering is only available for season long programs and not for camp’s offerings.
What’s included?
A pair of skis with bindings, poles and boots or a snowboard set with bindings and boots.
When can I collect the gear?
Gear will be available to collect on Saturday 02nd and Sunday 3rd of December within the store opening hours
Kids joining the camps will be contacted directly to arrange a suitable time.
Our team will get in contact closer to the first day of lifts operations to confirm this year’s schedule.
What if I can’t come on the set days?
We will arrange another suitable time before the program’s start date.
Loss and Damage Policy
- If there is extensive damage from misuse of equipment, but can be fixed, the minimum cost of a full tune is charged.
- If equipment is damaged beyond repair or lost/stolen, a fee will be charged equivalent to 10 days’ rental for standard gear.
Contact us: If you have any questions regarding the above terms and conditions, please contact us at info@rhythmjapan.com
