President’s Message by Greg Lyons – from the Edge 2017

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President’s Message by Greg Lyons, President PSIA/AASI-West

Accept the challenges so that you can feel the exhilaration of victory.
– George S. Patton

My self-imposed challenge in 2017 is to ski at least one day every month. I was able to ski until the

The Lyons family, Kayla, Greg, Karleen and Kylee (l to r) on “The Patch”

end of April at my home resort of Heavenly. Mt Rose was outstanding for Memorial Day weekend and Squaw was open for fun sliding in June and July. In August, accompa- nied by my family, we ventured up a dirt road off Carson Pass, fol- lowed by a short hike to “the Patch”. We found snow in September near Highland Lake off of Ebbets Pass. October? Well, we’ll see where the search for snow take us.

Last season offered up its own challenges, with its record- breaking precipitation and snowfall. It was also a huge year for the Western Division. Our membership topped 3,300 and we had the most members ever seeking to improve their skills and qualifications through certification. Best of all, the preparedness level of candidates was impressive. Congratulations and great job to our members and their trainers!

Please welcome Kristi Prochazka to her new role as Administra-tive Director of PSIA/AASI-W. She has been a critical piece of the
western office team for nine years, and is well prepared to further contribute to the success of our division.

We are also grateful to Mitch Dion for his many years of outstanding leadership of the Western office. His caring and respect for all of our members, members resorts and stakeholders in the snowsport business set a very high standard. Mitch will continue with the Western office as the treasurer. He continues to provide excellence in his new role.

Much of the work of the Association is done by volunteers. Allie Ace and Jamie Marso-Tanner have joined the Membership Linkage Committee, which will act as a conduit for information between the membership at large and the national organization. In addition, congratulations to Jamie for being the recipient of last season’s “Rising Star” award. Heidi Ettlinger, in addition to her roles as a Western Director and a National Team member, is also volunteering for the Education Leadership Committee. This committee is made up of education and certification leaders from across the country and is do- ing critical work toward consistency among, and making new learning products available to all divisions.

We welcome the PSIA-AASI National Board of Directors meeting which will be held in conjunction with our NorCal Winter Session at Squaw Valley this January 21-22. We appreciate the efforts of the National organization to come out west and interact with our membership. Take advantage of this opportunity!

Enjoy the challenge in life. – Greg

This was published in print in the Fall 2017 Edge Newsletter.
The Edge is a publication of the The Western Division of Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA-W) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI-W) covering California and Nevada. We are one of nine divisions that make up the American Snowsports Education Association (ASEA).
PSIA was founded in 1961 to develop a standardized system for teaching and to unify instructors throughout the country in the disciplines of: Alpine, Nordic, Snowboarding, Adaptive.
The Edge is published two times annually. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors, and are not necessarily the policies and opinions of PSIA/AASI Western Division.
For advertising submissions and information, contact our office:
PSIA/AASI Western Division 9709 Highway 267, Suite B, Truckee, CA. 96161
phone (530) 587-7642
fax (530) 240-6252 info@psia-w.org
For all membership inquiries, check out our website at www. psia-w.org or contact our office for additional information.

Alpine Discipline News – Fall 2017

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Bryan Schilling, Alpine Chair

When asked for the solution to society’s woes, Henry David Thoreau famously quipped: “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity…” Well that quote has always stuck with me, partly because it’s brief (and redundant) enough so that a ski instructor like me might remember it, but primarily because it rings true to my experience about life, and more importantly – about skiing. As instructors we work hard to put things into simple terms for our guests. Straightforward makes sense. This season our new members will have one simple, affordable choice for Level 1 certification; a two day module. With input from trainers, resort operators, and accessing best practices from other PSIA-AASI divisions, we are working hard to implement this pathway to Level 1 certification. I believe this simplicity for prospective members portends many positives. We have revamped the exam outline to be engaging and experiential education-based. Resort Trainers will be relieved of the burden of administering the “in-house” certification, allowing them to focus on candidate engagement over evaluation. A simpler format decreases the ‘barrier of entry’ cost for the candidate and administrative cost to the PSIA-AASI West office. What isn’t changing is that there will still be level one tasks, demos, movement analysis and teaching. The national standard is still the standard. In conjunction with this change, as PSIA-W Education Staff training will focus on pedagogy with a capital P, the method and practice of teaching. This means facilitating ‘experiential education’ approaches to learning outcomes (not just lecturing on them.) Simplicity applies to all levels of certification, it’s what great instructors intuitively do. So, there you have it – simplicity in a nutshell – we are back to the basics again. So grab friends, spouse n’ family – tell them there is never a better time to train (or re-certify!) as a level one instructor! Can’t wait to ski ya on the slopes!

-Bryan Schilling

 

This article appeared in print in our Fall Edge Newsletter in September 2017.

Mountain Bike season isn’t over yet

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Last Friday, Members from PSIA-AASI joined us in one of our off-season events at Northstar’s mountain bike park.

People from all ability levels were able to progress and learn new skills thanks to our instructor, Kristen.

This was a great way to kick off our fall season. Every day now is getting closer to Winter! Until then, I’m sure us bike enthusiasts can get a few more bike rides in.

Want to take part in our last off-season event? Check out our professional development day on October 14. This is an indoor clinic that gets you education credits, and it is a great opportunity to hone your teaching skills.

Big Bear Mountain Resorts is Hiring Snowsport Instructors

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Are you an enthusiastic, outgoing, people person who loves the mountains?  If so, Big Bear Mountain Resorts is looking for you to join our team of ski and snowboard instructors for the 2017-2018 winter season.  Enjoy the crisp, clean, sunny mountain air of Big Bear Lake.  Above 6,700’ in elevation, Big Bear is the place to ski and ride in Southern California.  Work alongside other outdoor enthusiasts.  Experience the joy and love of teaching others how to ski and snowboard.  Make some friends.  Have a lot of fun.  Earn some money and get multiple employee benefits, including free skiing and riding this season along with other discounts.

We teach all levels and all ages of skiers and riders, from beginners to experts.  You need to have a love for people, for the mountains, and working outside.  If you can ski and ride on blue, groomed runs, we will take care of the rest.  There are multiple levels of involvement, starting with Holiday only employees, to Part-time, all the way up to Full-time.  Our busy times are weekends and holidays, which works great around school and other work schedules.  

All applications are through our link below.  As of now, positions are open, and we are actively hiring.  Our typical season is from Thanksgiving through the first two weeks of April.  Expect as a first-year instructor to work from the beginning of December through the second weekend of April. 

Apply online at https://www.mammothresorts.com/jobs/bear-mountain-and-snow-summit-jobs

Joshua L Spoelstra
Director
Ski and Snowboard School
Big Bear Mountain Resorts
Tel. 909 866-5766, Ext. 193
jspoelstra@mammothresorts.com

Western Education Foundation

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The mission of the Education Foundation is to provide education opportunities for PSIA/AASI-Western instructors looking to enhance their personal growth and further their careers in snowsports instruction.

 

Examples of some of The Education Foundations projects:

  • Direct support of PSIA/AASI-W events such as the Professional Development Day to make education less expensive and more available to our members.
  • Supported consistent and unified National standards for certification by funding National Standards training
  • Supported the educational and professional development of individual members through scholarships

History of the Foundation:

The PSIA-W Education Foundation was incorporated in 1993 and accepted as a 501 (c)(3) by the IRS in 1995. The early organizing committee included Greg Felsch, Blaine Lomen and Katherine Hayes-Rodriguez. The initial goals of the Foundation were to raise money to cover the cost of producing publications, such as the Division newsletter and exam manuals and to offset costs of events for our members for events such as Convention or Fall Rally. One of the early accomplishments of the Foundation was production and distribution of the Master Plan document in the mid-1990s. The Foundation continues to support the mission of PSIA by supporting development of individual members through scholarships and funding education projects.

The Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) Organization in good standing, Federal ID # 77-0381837. The Foundation is supervised by the Education Foundation Board of Directors.

Your Education Foundation Board of Directors:

  • Katherine Hayes-Rodriguez, President
  • Blaine Lomen, Vice-President
  • Dave Sutherland, Secretary
  • Artie Castro, Treasurer
  • Nick Treat, Director

Contact Us

Interested in applying for a scholarship? Visit our Scholarship Application page.

CAMP Skate IA

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In August we are partnering with SkateIA – Skate IA teaches and certifies skaters how to teach. They offer programs in-person and online, and an annual camp for the general skating public called CAMP Skate IA.
On August 18-20, members can register with the SkateIA Camp to be held in Los Angeles.

Description: Join skating instructors from around the world and cross-pollinate your skating and teaching skills with the Skate Instructors Association! PSIA/AASI-W members will receive Outside Education credits for attending this camp which offers mini-clinic sessions on: skate to ski, hockey, artistic, slalom, trail, race, derby, skate park, tricks, games and more. Details about the camp and how to register here: www.skateia.org/camp.

Details about the camp:  www.skateia.org/camp
 
Promo code for those purchasing 1 day of camp: Regular price is $85, discount is $10 off for one day of camp:  PSIA$10off1day
 
Promo code for those purchase 3 days of camp: Regular price is $150, discount is $25 off for purchase of all three days: PSIA$off3day

The West is kicking off another great season.

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The Western Division board members just finished planning our 2017-2018 season and we have a lot of great events in store!  We are happy to welcome Kristi Prochazka as the new Administrative Director of PSIA/AASI-W.  She has been a strong employee of the Western office team for eight years.  Her creativeness and motivation to help each member is inspiring.  PSIA/AASI-W thanks Mitch Dion for his many outstanding years leading the Western office.  His careful planning and caring for all concerned with how our division operates set a very high standard.  Mitch will continue with the Western office as treasurer.  He continues to provide excellence in his new role.  Please wish both the best.  

– Greg Lyons, President PSIA/AASI-W

Check our calendar page in the near future to see when out winter education events, certifications, and accreditation events are happening.

“We have 2 exciting end of the summer events available for you to sign up for!”

Surf to Snow, September 9th, San Onofre Beach 

Mountain Bike Skills Clinic, Sept. 15th, Northstar California

Diamond Peak Ski Resort – Your Tahoe Place! Hiring Child Ski Center Manager

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Diamond Peak Ski Resort – Your Tahoe Place! Hiring Child Ski Center Manager

Now hiring a Child Ski Center Manager with the passion and ability to share their leadership and experience teaching children at Diamond Peak’s Child Ski Center (group/private instruction for ages 3 – 7 years old).

This is a Seasonal Manager salaried and benefited position (medical, dental, vision, paid sick and vacation). Season runs October 1 through April 30.

Promote exceptional customer service working in a fun and low instructor-to-child ratio environment. Plan, direct and coordinate daily operations in a beautiful new state-of-the-art facility that includes; fully computerized registration, rental shop, large break room and conveyer belt lift, all in a friendly and welcoming environment!

Requires: High School Diploma (GED) and college level courses in a related field; four years ski industry experience, including responsibility for children’s program development/implementation and two years in a management position; or equivalent combination. Possess PSIA Level II or equivalent and valid Driver’s License. Salary depending on qualifications and includes on-mountain, food/beverage and recreation center privileges. Position is open until filled. Submit District Application (resume optional) to Human Resources at yourtahoeplace.com or diamondpeak.com  775-832-1100   jobs@yourtahoeplace.com

4 ways to keep your mind and body ready for next ski/snowboard season

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 1. Mountain bike
Applying to both skiing and snowboarding, controlling your downhill momentum is an important skill
to practice in and off season. Cue mountain biking.

Even if you’re not into going fast downhill, or you just like the idea of having all your bones unbroken, cross country mountain biking or road biking are also great ways to keep up your fitness and feed your love of being outdoors.

Check out our mountain bike skills clinic in September here!

2. Surf

Surfing is pretty cool. Here at Western Division, we have access to some great surfing right in our state (or maybe the state next door).

Ready do learn to surf or improve your already-awesome surf skill? Check out our Surf camp at San Onfore Beach.

 

3. Study up!

Not only do you need to be physically prepared for your next exam or season of teaching, you also need to know the technical knowledge necessary to move up the PSIA ranks.

Whether you’re looking to spend money or not, read books or watch videos, we have options for you to learn all the skills and teaching techniques you need to know to be a successful instructor.

Get your manuals and books here

View videos for every discipline and skill on our new matrix feature

Or plan on going to our Professional Development Day in October

4. Make sure all your gear is up-to-date and ready to go!

Who wants to start next ski reason running around, trying to get all the gear you need at the last minute, paying full price? I sure don’t.

PSIA-AASI works with outdoorprolink.com and our national site thesnowpros.org to get you the best deals on all outdoor gear. Check out all out benefits and discounts here.

Here are some of the brands we work with that will get you the hookup on some sweet discounts through National: