Why SkillsQuest? (This section is directly from the USSA website)​

The USSA, U.S. Ski Team and coaches at USSA clubs around the country have long understood that for ski racers to achieve long-term success and enjoyment, they must develop into great skiers first, and only then they can become great ski racers. But answering the question of what exactly makes a great skier, and being able to prioritize and justify the time spent developing great skiers before great racers in a results-hungry junior sports environment has challenged coaches and has set back skier development in the United States.  SkillsQuest has been designed to overcome this challenge.

    SkillsQuest helps coaches, athletes and parents focus on and reward effort in the areas outlined by the Alpine Training System (ATS).
    As athletes move through the ATS developmental phases, there is always a new challenge to reach for.
    By adding SkillsQuest Tournaments to the competition calendar, racers can gain a broader perspective on their overall skiing skills that will set them up for future success.
    The U.S. Ski Team has incorporated SkillsQuest exercises into its tryout process for C and D team athletes.
    The U16 National Championship Project for the best U16 racers from the regional championships will be scored based on a combination of racing finishes and scoring on the SkillsQuest skiing skills and freeskiing evaluations.
    SkillsQuest helps young racers stay in the sport longer by exposing skill weaknesses in certain fast racers that they can work on early that would otherwise cause them to plateau, and by recognizing and rewarding skill fundamentals strengths of racers who generally finish in middle of the pack but have high potential for future success.

SkillsQuest is a rallying cry to work harder on fundamental skiing and sport skills to set a foundation for long-term success in ski racing. Best of all, it's fun!​

http://ussa.org/alpine-programs/athletes/development/skillsquest/why-skillsquest