An hour before school started on a recent morning, several Vickery Creek Middle students gathered behind the school to hit the bunny slope.There’s no snow on the small hill, though it is covered in white, and students strapped to snowboards and skis are at work learning the fundamentals of snow sports.“Raise your toes up,” an instructor tells a student learning to stop while sliding on a snowboard down Vickery’s “mountain.”The program, offered by Southern School of Snow Sports, brings a white carpet similar to artificial turf, and teaches fundamentals and safety for five days.After that, the group takes a daylong trip to the Cataloochee ski area in Maggie Valley, N.C., to test what they’ve learned.“First we bring a slope to you, then we bring you to the slopes,” owner Trey White said.Southern School operates in the Charlotte, N.C., and the metro Atlanta metro area, forming Snowriders’ Clubs at the schools they visit.This is the first year the program has come to Vickery Creek Middle and its third appearance in Forsyth County. The past two years classes were offered at South Forsyth Middle.More than 50 Vickery students signed up for the program this season.Mckenna Butler has skied once before, but a collision with a man on the slopes left her wanting to learn more skills before attempting the sport again.“I wanted to know how I could avoid that again, like get around him,” Butler said.She signed up with friend and fellow sixth-grader Kelsey Kasischke so the two could share the experience.“It’s going to be fun to be able to ski with your friends,” said Kasischke, who has previously gone skiing with family.Seventh-grader Grace Ernest also signed up with a friend, with both girls choosing to try snowboarding.“I thought it would be hard to learn, but I think we’ve learned pretty quickly,” Ernest said.The students primarily practiced stopping on their heels during the sessions on the hill.Though Ernest expected some fake snow, she was surprised to find the “white carpet” as a practice mat for boarding.“I thought you’d have to go somewhere like Colorado,” Ernest said. “I’ve never heard of anyone having slopes like this.”White said he’s used this style of teaching for more than 15 years.