Established in 1982, the school's alumni include Olympic competitors Bode Miller,[1] Seth Wescott,[2] Kirsten Clark,[3] and Emily Cook,[4] as well as Jeremy Jones,[5] nine-time Snowboard Magazine Big Mountain Rider of the Year.

In 1972 the Maine State Board of Education approved a tutorial program at the center, held for four to five weeks during the winter.

In 1982 the SRSEF helped found CVA as a five-month tutorial program, in a new campus in the former Capricorn Lodge, and the following year it became a nine-month ski academy, with 20 students.

The Capricorn Lodge was used for classrooms, dining, equipment storage, and the boys' dormitory.

CVA has students from abroad, including Japan, Korea, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.