2016

AASI RM instructors,

It’s been an awesome few years for the Rocky Mountain division, and as we plan for the next few, I’m excited to introduce myself as the new Snowboard Education Committee Chair.

First, I want to offer a huge thank you to my friend and mentor, Scott Anfang. Scott steered the ship for the last two years, but after accepting the PSIA-AASI National Team Coach position decided to step down from the committee chair role.

Likewise, I want to thank Spicky, Tony Macri, Jeff Patterson, Ray Sforzo, and everyone who has dedicated time, served as committee chair, and helped drive our organization to where it is now. It is no small task, and it’s because of their dedication that we’re all able to enjoy a career in snowboard instruction.

So what is the snowboard education committee? It’s a question I’ve heard a dozen times in the last few months, and my answer changes a bit every time. Essentially, it’s a group of seven passionate, dedicated volunteers, who’ve been elected by the RM Education Staff to continue the development of our division while holding to the national standards and maintaining the quality we’ve all grown accustomed to. The committee is largely responsible with balancing feedback from our members, member schools, the RM office, and national standards while maintaining a level of consistency, honoring our past, and looking to the future.

The committee seats are selected from members of the education staff, except for one position which may be held by a non-examiner “member at large.” The current Snowboard Education Committee is: Scott Anfang, Christina Bruno (Member at Large), Chuck Hewitt, Robin Kisiel, Mark Lawes, Tony Macri, and Chris Rogers (Chair).

In the last few years, the committee has revamped the exam process at all three levels, recorded new MA videos annually, introduced an e-learning component to the Level 1 exam, created riding standards videos for our exam tasks, redeveloped the written exams, kept the website documents updated, and made hundreds of little tweaks throughout the entire process.

I’m proud of what the committee has accomplished, but looking at the to-do list, know we have even more to accomplish. Our first committee meeting of the season was held at the examiner Fall Training event and we began discussions for some big projects that will absolutely affect snowboard education in Rocky Mountain.

One of the biggest announcements for 16-17 is the rollout of paired examining at the L2 Exams. We’ve added a second examiner to each exam group to evaluate performance on the Ride and Teach days with the goal of adding transparency and creating a higher level of consistency with our standards.

Paired examining is just the start, and I will be asking this committee to be more active, to seek more input, and to become more flexible, fast moving, and proactive. We will be adopting new education tools and concepts from other disciplines and organizations, rebuilding our exam assessment forms, re-evaluating the cert pre-requisite system, designing and promoting additional elective clinic opportunities, hiring new E1s, and snowboarding as much as possible! As such I encourage you to be more active as well. There will be surveys, focus groups, and plenty of opportunities to get involved and have your voice heard. Your feedback is essential to the development of our discipline, our division, our organization, and ultimately our profession.

I believe it is an exciting, fast-moving time to be a part of our industry, and I’m stoked to be on this journey with you all. Please reach out to me, the committee members, or the RM office with any ideas, questions, and concerns.

Welcome to winter… Let the snow fly!

Chris Rogers

Follow along on Instagram & Twitter: @chrisrogersvail

Click here for the Alpine Education Staff Job Description

On November 17^th at 6:00 the Rocky Mountain Board of Directors will have a regularly scheduled board call where they will be voting on amending the Bylaws. Below is a link to the proposed changes.  All members are welcome to attend this call by coming to the RM office at 6:00 on the 17^th. The address: 2300 Mt Werner Circle Unit C2 Steamboat Springs, CO.

PSIA-RM-AASI Bylaw Change

As the final leaves are falling and ski and ride videos are consuming all of my social media accounts, I’d like to let you know about a few educational announcements and reminders.

Alpine and Snowboard Level 1 members are no longer required to attend the Certification Update Clinic. 

As announced last season, we introduced the Certification Update clinic as a required clinic every four years for all certified alpine and snowboard members. Click here to read the announcement. The purpose of the clinic is to keep members who are no longer in the certification process up to date with current methodology and education standards.  After running several of these events over the last couple of years, we have listened to the membership and we have decided to remove the requirement from Level 1 certified members.  This change will allow our Level 1’s to focus on their pathway towards Level 2.  It also will allow us to match experience levels in the CU clinic to make it more productive for all attendees.

Children Specialist 1 Exemption for Alpine Level 2 candidates will expire at the end of the 16/17 season.

When the Children’s Specialist 1 requirement was introduced to the Level 2 alpine certification pathway, we provided a temporary exemption to the CS1 requirement for those members who had previously passed the Teaching module.  This is the last season the exemption will remain in place.  Starting in the 17/18 season, the CS1 component of the alpine Level 2 will be required for all members working through the exam process.

Required Education Credits reminder for all members.

Don’t forget to keep your membership current by maintaining your education credit requirement through PSIA/AASI clinics taken every two years.  This is a great opportunity to refresh your knowledge, try a clinic in a different discipline, share your experiences, and spend time with your peers in our various clinic offerings.

If you are unable to find a clinic that fits into your busy schedule, give the RM office a call and we can discuss fulfilling your credits through our non-PSIA/AASI program.  This is a great option for those who are taking non-PSIA/AASI classes and are unable to make it to one of our clinics.  There is a fee involved. If you are a full time student, see our newsletter section about the new Student CEU Waivers we are offering.

(Inactive member requirement is once every 4 years, 25 year member requirement is once every 5 years and 35 year members or over the age of 70 are no longer required to attend clinics)

Attending events and continuing your education is one of the hallmarks of being a certified member, but taking the time off to attend those events is not always easy.   For many part-time Pros weekend events are the only option for them.  PSIA-RM-AASI works with our member schools to build our event calendar and therefore we do not host events during busy times or on busy weekends.  We do however have a few weekend events over the course of the season that you may find doable.  Here is a list of those weekend events, please visit our webpage to learn more.

Nov 29-30 Santa Fe, NM & Frisco, Co – Technical Foundations, Alpine MA201, MA301
Nov 12-13 Loveland, Co – Alpine & Snowboard Certification Update
Dec 17-18 Purgatory, Co – Alpine Teaching Contemporary Skiing
Jan 21-22 Aspen Snowmass, Co – RM Academy, Alpine, Snowboard, Telemark, Freestyle, Children’s
Jan 28-29 Sunrise, NM – Children’s Specialist 1
Feb 4-5 Sunrise, Nm – Adaptive Functional Ski Prep, XC Classic & Skate Improvement
Feb 11-12 Ski Apache, NM – Children’s Specialist 1
Feb 25-26 Angel Fire, NM – Alpine Teaching Contemporary Skiing
Mar 4-5 Arizona Snowbowl, Az – Children’s Specialist 1
Mar 25-26 Taos, NM – Southern District Spring Fling: Alpine, Telemark & Snowboard Clinics
Mar 25-26 Aspen Snowmass, Co – Adaptive Ski Bike, Adaptive Tethering
Apr 8-9 Vail, Co – Spring Fling: Alpine, Telemark & Snowboard Clinics
Apr 15-16 Aspen Mountain, Co – Alpine, Snowboard
Apr 29-30 Arapahoe Basin, Co – Alpine, Telemark & Snowboard Clinics
Summer Clinics: DH Mountain Biking Skills & Intro to SUP – more info in Spring 2017

Greetings Nords!  Your N-mail is back, just like winter.  You can’t avoid it.  And why would you want to?

I know.  It’s been a while since you’ve had your N-mail.  When time passes, things can change.  It’s hard to keep up, but we must.  And that is part of the reason for N-mail’s very existence:  to help you keep up with changes.  Our team of N-mail writers, editors, and reporters caught up with XC Chair Person, Patti Banks for an interview to find out about changes in the PSIA-RM XC world for the coming season.  Here’s what went down.

N-mail:  So Patti, what’s the biggest change in our division’s Nordic Certification program these days?

Patti:  Well, I think it’s the fact that Exam Prep Clinics and Certification Exams will be held on alternating years.  And, they are guaranteed to go.  In the past, we would schedule both Prep Clinics and Exams every year, but quite often we would have to cancel one or the other (or both) because of lack of participation.  I’m sure this was highly frustrating for Nordic members who prepared for and expected an event, only to have it cancelled a couple of weeks before it was to take place.  Now, even though events are every other year, they are guaranteed to take place, even if only one person signs up.

N-mail:  So what does this mean for members as far as planning and training for certification?

Patti:  It means folks need to think and plan ahead!  If you want to get certified for XC Level 2, 3, or RMT, you need a training plan that spans at least  two seasons, allowing time for the mandatory prep clinics.  That being said, Level 1 Prep Clinics and Cert. Exams will still be available each year, usually in the early part of the season.  Our first XC Level 1 Clinic and Exam will be offered as part of the Nordic Instructor Rendezvous in early December.  It’s coming soon, so sign up now!

N-mail:  What if a group of folks, let’s say 5 to 7 people (minimum numbers can vary from location to location), want a Prep Clinic.  Could they have one set up to order as a Travelling Clinic at a time and place of their choosing?

Patti:  Absolutely!  We just need to get an Ed Staff member for the event (so the date would have to work for them too).  The best way to arrange this is to start by calling the PSIA-RM office!

N-Mail:  What else is new for this year that Nords need to know?

Patti:  Oh, lots.  First, there’s a new PSIA National XC Team, and both members are from our own Rocky Mountain Division!  They are Emily Lovett and Greg Rhodes.  We are very proud of them, and we are excited to have members meet them and take clinics from them, because they rock!  They’re so talented, both as Cross Country skiers and Instructors.  We are really fortunate to have such exceptional talent in our division.

Speaking of talent, I’d also like to congratulate Marianne Osteen from Steamboat, who is our newest Ed Staff member.  Marianne has some great energy (in addition to her skiing and teaching skills) to contribute to our division and members.  Please give her a high five and get to know her if you run into her out on the trails!

Also, we have some new materials available.  I’m hoping folks are already aware of our latest National XC Technical manual, which came out last year.  New for this season, our RM Divisional Nordic Handbook and XC Workbooks have been rebuilt to align with each other and the National technical manual.  Dale Drennan has written a great article about XC Movement Analysis and the new Workbooks, so I’ll leave the specifics to her.  But check out the materials on the RM website.  They are really useful, a great resource!

N-mail:  Thanks Patti! Enough shop talk, what are you looking forward to the most for this winter?

Patti:  Hmm.  I guess I’d say skating on perfectly groomed trails in the mornings, watching the sun rise in the quiet.  This is my moving meditation and sets me up for a successful day!

N-mail:  That does sound like something to look forward to.  Well, you heard it here first.  I guess it’s time to start getting my skis ready for the inevitable change and onslaught of winter.  I hope I see you out there either on the snow, or exploring those canyons while waiting for the change.  Until then, you can e-mail n-mail at hugeglide@aol.com.  See ya’.

 

 

 

 

By Dale Drennan

During the summer I like to watch professional tennis tournaments like the French Open and the US Open. In junior high I played tennis competitively a little bit and then recreationally for a few years after that before moving on to other sports. My exposure to tennis has been enough for me to recognize that the announcers know the sport so much more deeply than I do. Their movement analysis always makes sense to me once I hear it. Often for up to a set, they accurately comment on and describe what they see a struggling player doing before they offer ideas for changing movements.  They also point out and explain the ideal movements that produce a particular point winner. The commentators, all former professional players themselves, seem to agree on what the ideal tennis shot would look like for a given situation.

This deep understanding of sport specific skills exists in cross country skiing as well; it is an integral part of instructor certification because accurate movement analysis facilitates target instruction. For this reason, our cross country education staff have been working on improving how we train instructors to analyze movement.  Our goal is for instructors to use the Cross Country Technical Model as a tool to facilitate describing skiing in terms of the four elements of the Sports Pyramid: Fundamental Body Position, Fundamental Movements, Timing and Power during the three phases of the Cycle of Cross Country Skiing, which are Pushoff, Weight Transfer, and Glide.

The Cycle of Cross Country Skiing

The Sports Pyramid

To aid instructors and certification candidates in this type of Movement Analysis, the PSIA-RM Cross Country education staff have developed a new series of certification workbooks that move candidates through the MA process in a step by step manner. Candidates begin by viewing a student skiing video, located at http://www.psia-rm.org/education/cross-country/cross-country-movement-analysis-videos under Cross Country Movement Analysis videos.  A certification candidate (or really anyone who is curious!), can view these video clips numerous times, pausing whenever they wish.  To finish the movement analysis, the candidate then completes a MA rubric worksheet. The complexity of the rubric increases with the level of certification. The full cert/trainer rubric is shown below.

Movement Analysis Worksheet

 

With the information from the MA worksheet, exercises in the workbooks will guide the candidate through the teaching model to create a lesson for the student seen on the video clip.

Admittedly this process is a bit formulaic. However, I can testify that the discipline of taking the time to really try to accurately describe movement within this framework has helped me to sharpen my observations of all cross country skiers from beginners to racers, and including myself!

We invite instructors from all disciplines to view the videos and the workbooks to see what we are up to. We believe that this coupling of videos to online written materials moves our cross country education program forward into the 21st century. In the future we plan to improve the quality and variety of the videos clips. If you are preparing for a certification event please view your level specific videos and complete the workbooks before coming to the event.  This will facilitate discussions and deepen understanding during the event.

Finally, we welcome your feedback. Your feedback will help us continue to improve our educational materials and our understanding of our sport. After all, as cross country skiers we all want to keep moving forward continuously down the track!

 

This ski season, sign up for an action-filled SkillsQuest clinic to improve your skiing and teaching! SkillsQuest is a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association (USSA) program designed to encourage racers to learn to ski well in order to ski fast. This is your opportunity to learn about the technical side of racer development and come away skiing better and with ideas you can use in your lessons. Taking place out-of-the-gates, SkillsQuest is all about skill development.

Scott Birrell, PSIA-RM Children’s Examiner, Rocky Mountain Trainer, and APSI Level 4 Examiner, attended the clinic last winter at Loveland. He summed up the experience by saying, “SkillsQuest was a fun event and added to my bag of tricks for teaching. It was a good insight into what the US Ski Team is trying to achieve with developing athletes and their current team.”

So, what is SkillsQuest all about? It’s a program in the U.S. Ski Team’s Alpine Training System comprised of specific tasks to address pressure-, edge-, and rotational-control skills at different levels of athlete development. It is divided into 6 phases that consider age, maturity, and experience level in pursuit of long-term athlete development. As shown in this table, tasks for each skill increase in challenge as athletes progress:

In the clinic, you’ll ski through the tasks for Phases 1–4 and some of the tasks for Phases 5–6, and you’ll learn about the requirements for perfect execution. In this regard, Ron Kipp, USSA Alpine Sport Education Manager explains, “Participation in a SkillsQuest clinic will enhance your understanding of ski/snow interaction while augmenting movement analysis expertise.”

These tasks are reference points for athlete performance and provide guidance for coaches. The framework is filled in with other training designed to refine these tasks and apply the skills learned to skiing in and out of the gates. This is also addressed in the PSIA-RM clinic.

Scott Birrell added, “Since completing the SkillsQuest clinic, I have incorporated a number of ideas into my own clinics and lessons. I have used the clinic handouts and online videos with students to supplement my explanations, and as incentive to work on specific tasks or drills.”

During your 2-day clinic, you’ll address balance and athletic stance, upper body discipline, outside ski to outside ski, early lower leg activation, ski-snow contact, pole usage, and more.

In ski racing, “winning or losing is tenths or even hundredths of a second, which is the differences in a few degrees of rotation, a degree or two of edge angle and when the ski is pressured along its length. These are all very small and sometimes imperceptible amounts. SkillsQuest drills allow the skier to learn to make these minute adjustments unconsciously.” ~SkillsQuest Evaluator Manual

Please join USSA Sports Education clinicians and certified SkillsQuest evaluators on your quest to expand your knowledge of skiing through the facet of ski racing.

In attendance: Joel Munn, Rick Rodd, Rick Hinckley, Robin May, Jane Tarlow, Alicia Heckel, Jenny Cooper, Andy Docken, John Kirchner, Bob Lemley and Donnie Mechalke.  Also in attendance were Executive Director Dana Forbes, Dave Gregory, Stacey Gerrish, Patti Banks, Guy Sedillo, Rudy Miick, Jim Shaw, Chris Rogers, Jonathan Ballou and Dave Oliver

MINUTES: Donnie moved to approve the January 2016 Board minutes, as written.  Jane seconded the motion.  The motion carried unanimously.

PUBLIC COMMENT: There was no public or member comment.

Education Director – Dave Gregory

·         Scott Anfang would be stepping down from the position of Snowboard Chair.

·         Kristen Atkins stepping down as Adaptive Chair.

·         Discussions of how to proceed in China have been tabled until May.

·         National Team selection event had gone really well.

·         Feedback from the new required certification update clinic was very positive. Next two years will likely focus on teaching

 

Alpine Committee Chair – Jonathan Ballou

·         Planning for Fall Conference is to focus on establishing a national process (the how) for the examinations. He reviewed the relationship between the Fall Conference and the examiner exchange. Jonathan said that divisional representatives to the event would all be invited to the Fall Training.

·         Committee is discussing solutions on how the five alpine fundamentals are assessed at each level.

·         Also addressing concerns relative to candidates deficiencies in highlighted skills

·         Reviewed the plans for the Rookie Academy in New Zealand.

·         He noted that there is an emerging conversation regarding policy for international activities.

·         He cited several examples of multi-national trainings at different locations around the world.

 

Snowboard Committee Chair – Chris Rogers (for Scott Anfang)

·         New level 1 e-learning modules had been rolled out and successful

·         Good year for examiner advancement

·         Non-traditional clinics had been very successful.

 

Telemark Committee Chair – Jim Shaw

·         Events went well this year. Interest in Fall Training and in other upper-level events was high.

·         Positive feedback on the NEW RMT process.

·         Unfortunate that many resorts have made it more difficult and expensive for guests to rent tele equipment and take tele classes. He offered that the only way to generate interest in telemark is to increase its visibility and availability.

 

Alpine Freestyle Committee Chair – Dave Oliver

·         All of the FS events ran this year!

·         This summer the committee will solidify the workbooks and process, updating the scorecards and getting materials online.

 

Children’s Committee Chair – Stacey Gerrish

·         Kid’s events were very busy this year.

·         Planning to add a full-day of on-snow training for the children’s staff

·         Stacey said that the second CRMT had gone well, with four successful candidates.

·         The CS3 discussion had been tabled until summer.

·         Kids hired 6 new examiners

 

Cross-country Committee Chair – Patti Banks

·         XC Had a successful RMT this year

·         Plans to hire another XC examiner next year

·         Addressing challenges in getting XC events going in the southern district.

 

Total Training Program Report – Guy Sedillo

Stats:

·         17 participating schools

·         165 days of training

·         942 hours of training

·         1259 people trained

·         36 Ed Staff members utilized

·         88 Alpine Days

·         45 Snowboard Days

·         18 Adaptive days

·         6 Kids days

·         Next season we will better survey and track participants.

·         TTP while a scholarship program is creating growth in other areas of the business

·         Exploring using the TTP model for new hire training noting that this would provide great exposure to people who are not yet members.

 

Executive Director Update

·         RM’s focus is on providing a quality product rather than on pushing membership however membership is at an all-time high at 7,727.

·         2015/16 saw a spike in event revenue. Credit this to increase in rate, membership and overall satisfaction in events

·         Dana commended the office staff and reviewed future staffing needs.

·         No dues increase for 2016-17 and that future increases should not be more than $1 – $2 at any one time. She reviewed the discussion of coordinating dues increases with ASEA and moving toward a percentage-based dues model.

 

Lifetime Memberships

Joel presented nominations for Carl and Francie Peterson for lifetime memberships. He reviewed their accomplishments and history. Dana reviewed the procedure.

 

MOTION

Joel nominated Carl Peterson for a lifetime RM membership. Donnie seconded the motion. The motion carried unanimously.

 

MOTION

Jane nominated Francie Peterson for a lifetime RM membership. Robin seconded. The motion carried unanimously

 

ASEA Update: Joel Munn

Reviewed the extended process through which ASEA is conducting its search for a new COO. He said the search is being led by Sterling Martin.

 

MSM Meeting Update

Dana reported that about 12 directors attended for a working ski day. She said the among the topics discussed were the policies regarding guest instructors, what the directors want and need from Fall Training and ideas for a new product for manager training. She said that the TTP and the event calendar were also discussed.

 

Outgoing Board Member – Alicia Heckel

Joel and the rest of Board thanked Alicia for her service and Dana presented her with a plaque.

The Breckenridge Beacon·Sunday, May 1, 201694 Reads

Wow gang! I look back and realize that it’s been two months since I wrote anything other than clinic outlines, letters of intent, or season synopses. Sadly, I had let my faltered journey toward Examiner Selection get in the way of writing for The Beacon… when, in reality, writing is exactly what I should have been doing. It may have kept me along a little more focused path!! Oh well, live and learn, I guess.

As many of you know, my bid toward E1 didn’t quite pan out as well as I’d hoped. I was relying on my previous experience as a Freestyle Examiner to carry me over the top. (In MANY ways, it did!) I felt very strongly that my experience as a clinic leader, the positive feedback that I had received from participants, and my rapport with other Ed Staff members would be enough. But it wasn’t. I had fallen into the trap of believing I was ready, and stopped preparing! I didn’t sufficiently familiarize myself with the job I was applying for. I also spent too much time preparing for task-oriented skiing, and fell short on precision skiing. Both were painfully brought to light throughout the selection process.

In addition to my own failure, and before I got to go through any “process” to help me cope with all of it, I watched some very good friends wade through their own private messes. Instructors who failed their Level III exams, Fellow E1 Candidates who also were not selected, and National Team Candidates who got sent away with no coin. In an effort to be supportive for them, I missed my own opportunity to make some notes while my wounds were still fresh.

So now we are here. How do I forge a path toward next year’s selection? Where do I find the desire to put myself through all that again? When do I make the time? Do I even WANT to? Who do I reach out to for help? Why is this goal so important to me? To others?

All questions that have needed answers over the last 3 weeks. If you’ll indulge me, I’ll make an effort right now.

“Do I even WANT to?”

You bet. My time as a Freestyle Examiner has been amazing. I get PAID to travel to ski areas, and help other ski instructors develop their skills in eye-opening, and fun ways. I get to do what I love to do, and meet like-minded people from all over the region. It’s opened doors to some international opportunities that I hope come to fruition…. But Freestyle has a shelf life. At age 44, I’m starting to feel the physical effects of years of jumping, sliding rails (and colliding with them!), old injuries, and tweaking my joints time and again. Becoming an Alpine Examiner represents an avenue for me to keep doing what I love to do without beating myself up too badly.

“Why is this goal so important to me? To others?”

I feel that if I’m to bring to my ski school all the things that I say I want to… I need to validate them by putting in the time and the work. I do a lot of certification training for my ski school, and it’s important to me and the organization that the training I offer is current, and accurate. I can’t get that level of accuracy by only attending RM’s Fall Training. I gotta stay in the mix as a member of the Education Staff.

It’s also important to me that I honor the people who have helped me in my career as a skier. South Dakota, New Mexico, and Colorado. Everywhere I’ve taught there have been skiers and snowboarders who have served as mentors and examples to follow. I consider myself a melting pot of all those people, and I’m eternally grateful to all of them. Every single one. To stop, or even stall, my journey at this point would only serve to disrespect their skiing, their leadership, and the work they all did to help me when I was a new instructor!

“When do I make the Time?”

This one is tough. I’ve made myself a busy person! I seem to be able to carve out moments in the summer time, and in the evenings to write, and to document thoughts on high-level skiing/teaching. THOSE moments are why I was so successful with on-snow presentations at both the National Team Selection (2012) and this years Examiner Selection. Without a doubt I feel pretty unstoppable when it comes to engaging and challenging a group of skiers to become better. My real challenge lies in the skiing itself…

…And there lies the rub. I am challenged with finding time to SKI. No. Not just ski. SKI UNDER SCRUTINY. My winter schedule is a tornado of travel, training, teaching, guiding, and training….. and training. So it falls upon me to find a segment that I can put aside for a season. I’ve yet to decide which, but the result will be that I find a day a week to grab a mentor and put some miles on precision skiing. It simply has to happen. Those who grew up with me know that I was a middle of the road athlete, so it’s no easy task for me to push things to this level. I have the work ethic to put in the time, but along that rationale, I’m perfectly capable of becoming pretty competent at the wrong thing!

“Where do I find the desire to put myself through all of that again?”

Well. Skiing is what I’ve done for a living my entire adult life. I have to be honest here. I’m not NEARLY as good at anything else in this world. Skiing is it. So it only makes sense that if I want to improve my skills, solidify my place in the business, and make more money… I have to continue to try. I’m closer to this level than I was 4 years ago by A LOT, and some of the feedback I received from respected leaders in this region keep me moving forward. One thing I learned in my home town? The worst thing you can do in a fight is stand there with your hands in your pockets.

…..

So there it is. I’ve sufficiently talked myself into standing in front of the E1 Selection again next Spring. My hope is that my journey here will encourage others! If you are on the path to the next level of certification, or going to a job interview, or getting over a failure of any sort, figure these few things out:

1. The destination must be worth the journey… and you must make that determination before you embark.

2. The opportunities for improvement lie in the failures, not the victories.

3. You are not your skiing. Feedback that suggests that you improve your skiing skills is not a naked attack on your personality.

4. Keep your strengths sharp, but REALLY put into the areas that you know you need to improve. In my case, I need to put aside pride, ski on skis that I don’t really want to ski on, and let someone rip into my skiing. I don’t want to. It’s going to suck for a little while. It won’t be fun. I’m going to do it anyway.

5. Don’t lose “you” in any of this.

 

Thank you all for letting me vett some of this out. It means a lot to me that I can put my thoughts out into the world. Maybe, just maybe, you see yourself in any of it and realize you’re not alone. Perhaps some of you can find some semblance of motivation toward your own goals. If either of those things happen, this page is worth the effort!

Kevin “Spag” Eddy

“We cannot achieve perfection. But if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”

-Vince Lombardi-

 

skispag@gmail.com

www.facebook.com/skispag

The Breckenridge Beacon

“Why are you going to China” asked the customs agent…”to ski,” I said. His brows furrowed as he looked at me in disbelief. My heart rate increased out of fear that I was going to get in trouble…and end up being strip searched. ”Why would you leave Denver where there is some of the best skiing to go to China. I didn’t even know you could ski in China” he said. “Well Pete (he was wearing a name tag that said Peter but I felt as though we had bonded enough to get informal) to see how we can help,” I said. I then explained to him what PSIA was and how the ski industry was rapidly growing in China due to the 2022 Beijing Olympics with an expectation of over 300 million skier visits in the next 6 years. I went on to tell him all about how they had limited trained ski and ride instructors and no formal teaching system of their own, which poses a problem to all those potential skier visits. As I rambled for a solid five minutes, Pete shaking his head all the while, he finally smiled and said “cool” and with a bang, bang, bang of his stamp, he dismissed me.

Seven days later, four ski resorts later, many meetings later and two day management training by yours truly… “Why were you in China,” asked the customs agent in Chicago. “To ski, I answered, “Really? I didn’t know you could ski in China,” said Bob (aka Robert). “How was it?” “Good” I said,” I learned a lot”. “Did you take some lessons there?”, “In a way” I said with a smile. BANG, BANG, BANG went the stamp and I was dismissed.

For  two years some RM Examiners have contracted with China to work with a large ski school there to do Level 1 certifications for both Alpine and Snowboard, CS1 and Level 2 preps. The participants, like you, joined our division and ASEA.  While there, our pros witnessed many other countries doing the same. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, we can only certify them as Level 1 with a ski/ride portion of the Level 2. This is unfortunate since the demand for qualified instructors is high as business is booming. So why do we care? It’s simple…if China can serve their guests better, the industry as a whole will benefit. In a way it is an incredible opportunity for the industry all over the world. The resorts in China are relatively small in size and limited in snow fall. So where will the customers go when they want more? HERE, and the Alps and New Zealand. For many of the same reasons PSIA/AASI was formed, we want to help China pros. We strive for consistency in our clients experience and schools look for that in the pros we certify that they hire. The goal would essentially be for those of us with established teaching systems and organizations to help China form their own system, so they can contribute to that consistency. In the meantime we want to help them get there.

Dana Forbes
Executive Director
PSIA-Rocky Mountain-AASI

Cutting Edge
Or how steel edges created modern skiing.

Widely taken for granted, the invention and evolution of steel edges played a pivotal role in the growth of skiing. Without edges we would find ourselves sliding aimlessly and dangerously all over the mountain.  With them, we can guide the ski where we choose with accuracy and purpose.

Skis haven’t always had steel edges. In the early 20th century, skiing pioneers understood the need for the ski to bend to accommodate changing terrain.  Softer woods like poplar, ash and even pine were the solution to allow them to bend. However, changing the skis direction was another challenge.  As early skiers traversed the hill, the ski had a nasty habit of sliding uncontrollably sideways, instead of tracking forward.  In 1917, as the result of a near fatal slide-for-life, Austrian inventor Rudolf Lettner came up with the solution to give the rounded edge of his wooden skis some grip. He fashioned a sliver of steel and screwed it to the base of his skis. Not only was he able to grip the mountain, but he also found the skis easier to turn. Lettner’s invention was largely dismissed for many years until Austrian racers created a sensation in the 1930 Winter Games winning handily, making razor-sharp turns.

Fast forward to the mid 1940’s, Howard Head’s early prototype skis were missing a key ingredient: steel edges. Head had focused on the problem of the skis weight and flexibility, not grip.  After initial failures, he returned to Stowe, VT in the late 1940’s with an aluminum/wood core laminated ski that included a steel edge routed in the sides. They were an instant success.  The skis were nicknamed “Cheaters” and by the mid 1950’s, the Head Standard accounted for 50% of all skis sold in the world.

Why are steel edges so important, you ask…?

The mere fact that one of the skills in the Skills Concept is named for the radical design change speaks to the significance of steel edges. A skiers inability to balance on the stable platform an edged ski provides makes fore/aft, foot to foot pressure movements, rotary movements and, of course, edging movements, infinitely more difficult to master.

There is no argument that the changes in ski bend, plastic bases, the sidecut revolution or early rise have advanced our sport.  But we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of those developments without the skis ability to track forward and grip the slope on those marvelous slivers of steel.

 

How do I master my edges, you ask…?

 

Skate everywhere. On the flats, side hill, uphill and especially downhill. Feel the ski bend and the edges grip as you push off.  I can’t think of a better edging exercise than skating. Well, except for the other ones listed below.

Traverse with purpose and accuracy, no meandering. Perfect carved uphill arcs and guided uphill arcs. Tip the skis with ankle rolls, balancing on their edges. Control the degree of edge angle by feathering the ski from a high angle to a low angle. Know and feel the difference.

Rail Road Tracks.  You need to get good at these. Leave pencil thin lines in the snow, two of them. And when you think you’ve mastered two skis, do one footed rail road tracks. Get really, really good at these.  The bend of the ski and its side cut aren’t enough: we need that sliver of steel to slice through the snow to keep the ski tracking forward. By perfecting one footed rail road tracks you will master balancing on the thin little edge. You are well on your way to redefining your skiing.

The steel edge Rudolf Lettner invented provides skiers a stable platform to stand on and the ability to direct the ski with accuracy.  Without a steel edge, the side cut revolution probably would have been moot. Without a steel edge we would still be throwing them sideways, hoping and praying.  Ignore edging skills at your peril.

 

Ref:  International Skiing History Association, John Fry