The return to Whistler, B.C. is bringing back a lot of fond memories for Ann-Marie Pelchat, while her skiers have been busy making some.

The former Olympian mogul's competitor and current coach of the Yukon Freestyle Ski Team is in the process of going through a nine-day summer training session at the Canadian resort.

"It's going really well, the kids are improving a lot," she said. "They get to train just beside the world cup team also and some pro skiers are here too, so they get to see all of that and they get to be motivated."

This is the third straight year the Yukon Freestyle Ski Team has made the trip down to the B.C. ski club, which this year includes not just skiing, but also practising maneuvers using a water ramp.

The water ramp is a large outdoor pool with jumps of various sizes. The idea is to provide an easier landing for participants.

The skiing portion takes place on a glacier, which requires three chair lifts and a bus ride to make it to the top. It's about an hour of travel each day to the top of glacier.

The Yukoners have about three and a half hours of skiing practice each day and around two hours at the water ramp.

Four boys and one girl from the Yukon team are attending, including James Boyle, Anna Smith, William Thomson, Miguel Rodden and Logan Florkiewicz.

Trips like this are made possible as a result of the Yukon Freestyle Ski Association receiving funding from Yukon Sport for Life. The money is for enhanced athlete development training.

This year, the group was given $10,000, which it will spend throughout the 2009-10 season. With the 2010 Arctic Winter Games coming up and the 2011 Canada Winter Games approaching the funding couldn't have come at a better time.

All of the organization's training will be reflective towards both competitions, said acting vice president Loree Stewart.

Stewart said in addition to traveling Outside, the organization will be exploring bringing some instructors up to the Yukon.

One of the things that makes Whistler appealing, besides it being a world renowned facility, is it's also relatively close in overall distance from Whitehorse.

The Yukon Freestyle Ski Association also has contacts in B.C., which this year set it up with Myles Ricketts, who is the head coach of B.C.'s half pipe team. Ricketts, a fully certified level two air and trampoline coach from Vancouver, is heading water ramp sessions with the Yukoners.

Pelchat, who trained at Whistler on an annual basis for more than five years, said her group has improved a lot with their technique, including body position, absorption and are more stable when going out off jumps.

"For sure there is still a lot to work on," she said. "It's never perfect enough from my point of view, but I mean it's really noticeable. Even someone who wouldn't know anything about the sport, it's really noticeable."

Rodden is currently the only team member who is not training as a result of a biking injury he suffered earlier in the season. The crash broke his collar bone.

He attempted to tough it out on the first day in Whistler, but after falling on his shoulder decided against it.

Pelchat said despite him not training, he's still coming out and supporting the team, watching them at the water ramp.

"I am really impressed with the way he's taking it," she said. "He knew it was a risk and he's really mature (about it)."