PSIA-AASI

5.11.2012

Snow Pro Update: The Season that Wasn’t (and Yet Wasn’t All Bad)

Unless you had a liftside seat to the ski and snowboard season in the Pacific Northwest, Alaska, or Taos this year, then you know that in most of the country winter never really happened. The good news is that, although snow didn’t fall, participation in lessons didn’t fall much either (more on that later).

The preliminary report for the Kottke National End of Season Survey 2011–12—released this week at the National Ski Areas Association annual convention in San Antonio, Texas—showed just how bad a season it really was. An annual compilation of skier visits, snowfall totals, and lesson volume, the Kottke report estimated that U.S. resorts recorded 51 million skier and snowboarder visits during the 2011–12 season, the worst overall total since 1991–92, when 50.8 million visits were recorded.

It’s a steep fall from the record 60.54 million skier visits set last season, and also a far cry from the roughly 58 million-plus visits the industry had been averaging over the past 10 seasons. Snow, or the lack of it, was the deciding factor, of course, with 2011–12 marked by the lowest national average resort snowfall since 1991–92.

According to the report, 50 percent of responding ski areas opened late, and 48 percent closed early this season. Also, every region experienced a decrease in overall days of operation, with particularly significant declines in the Southeast, down 13.9 percent, the Northeast, down 13 percent, the Pacific Southwest, down 11.7 percent, and the Midwest, down 10.6 percent. More modest declines in total days of operation were experienced in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions, with each showing a 0.8 percent decrease.

Snowboarding in particular seemed to take the brunt of the hit, recording only 29.8 percent of the total visits, compared to 30.4 percent of the total skier visits in the 2010–11 season, and 30.9 percent the previous two seasons. It’s worth noting, however, that snowboard participation held relatively steady in the Midwest and Rockies and has steadily increased over the past three seasons in the Southwest.

If there is a silver lining, especially for snowsports instructors, it’s that lesson volume was only down 8.6 percent. Compared to the 14.6 percent loss in visits, lesson participation actually increased 7 percent, according to the report, which included the statement that, “The fact that lesson volume held up better than visitation (albeit still trending down) should help soften the revenue impacts of decreased visitation.”

Other “good” news? Overnight visitation was up for the third consecutive season, accounting for 48.5 percent of visits compared to 46.9 percent and 45.8 percent the previous two seasons, which means that more people are committing to staying at the mountains. Also, history shows that the industry can be remarkably resilient. After a precipitous 17.6 percent drop in visits during the 1980–81 season (also the result of poor snow), visits fully recovered with a 22 percent increase in the 1981–82 season.

Just add snow, and visits will grow, it seems. Which means it’s never too early to start hoping for some deep snowpacks next season.

— Peter Kray

Photo by Sherri Harkin

5.2.2012

PSIA-AASI Team Selection: The Highlight Reel

Even to an objective observer, PSIA-AASI’s Team Selection events really are incredible experiences, filled with daily drama, athletic excellence, and a remarkably supportive environment of friendly competition.

From the Snowboard Team and Alpine Freestyle Specialist Selection at Copper Mountain, Colorado, to the Alpine Team and Nordic Team Selection in Snowbird, Utah, this year was no exception.

In fact, as someone who first covered team selection in 2002, the level of innovation in the tryout process in just eight years has been startling—from the actual depth of on- and off-snow candidate evaluation, to the overall quality of the people putting themselves up for the challenge. Here are a few highlights from two extraordinary weeks.

The Commitment
When it comes to team tryouts, it really is hard to imagine another professional endeavor filled with as much passion as this. From the candidates to the selectors to the PSIA-AASI staff, all day and deep into the night there was an incredible sense of focus on just getting it right. Maybe that’s because there’s no way to ever put a price on all of the wet- boot mornings, freezing chairlifts, and new skier/rider smiles everyone logged getting to this point.

The History 
The PSIA-AASI Teams are almost as storied as the association itself, with the first Alpine Demonstration Team going to Interski in 1962, only a year after PSIA was formed. And over the past five decades, the teams have helped steer some of PSIA-AASI’s greatest innovations. The presence of so many former team members and coaches as selectors, including Mike Porter, Craig Panarisi, Carol Levine, Bob Barnes, Deb Willits, Earl Saline, and Megan Harvey to name a few, as well as former PSIA-AASI President Ray Allard, only adds to that storyline. It also makes it even more exciting to start imagining where the 2012–16 Teams will take us next.

The Community
Several former team members were also present, supporting and, in some cases, even sponsoring friends and family who were trying out. Having earned a second term on the team at the selection event at Copper Mountain, Alpine Freestyle Specialist David Oliver was his own pit crew on skis at Snowbird, with a backpack of water and energy drinks on hand for all takers. Returning AASI Snowboard Team Coach Lane Clegg and Snowboard Team Member Eric Rolls also came to share the stoke. Members like Grant Nakamura (a former Junior Education Team member), who was also acting as an interviewer, shot and shared hundreds of beautiful images from Utah, while candidates themselves cheered, encouraged, and supported each other at every stop.

The Grace of Those Who Didn’t Get the Call
With all of the high-quality instructors who—by virtue of an thorough application process—were invited to the on-snow events, more than two-thirds of them didn’t hear their names announced. Big kudos to the way all of them handled it, cheering on those who did make the teams, and vowing to keep working on their own skiing/riding and teaching as they keep improving themselves. And a special nod to the calm demeanor of returning Alpine Team Member Nick Herrin, who was still sitting in the audience after the new team had been announced when Alpine Team Coach Rob Sogard said, “Ooops, there’s someone we forgot…”

The PSIA-AASI 2012–16 Teams
To all those who did make the PSIA-AASI Teams, congratulations! You earned it. And now the real work and fun starts. With the alpine freestyle specialist contingent growing from one to three positions on the Alpine Team, and the clear delineation between telemark and cross-country experts on the Nordic Team, it seems there are already strong signs of where to start looking for innovation next. The snow’s the limit.

— Peter Kray

Photo of AASI Snowboard Team Coach Lane Clegg by Dann Coffey

4.27.2012

New PSIA-AASI Alpine and Nordic Teams Step Into Starring Role

What has often been billed as the U.S. ski and snowboard instructor’s Olympics certainly fit the bill Thursday night in Snowbird, Utah, as a standing-room crowd of well over 100 people came to hear the announcement naming the PSIA Alpine and Nordic Teams for 2012–16.

In addition to the dozens of talented ski instructors who tried out for the teams, the volunteer selectors who worked day and night evaluating the candidates, and the PSIA-AASI staff that crunched a veritable election-day’s worth of data, the room was filled with PSIA-AASI Team alumni, ski company executives, and family members of the hopefuls. Their presence was a well-earned tribute to an incredible week of hard work, in which the candidates pushed themselves to the edge of their skiing and teaching abilities in a bid to make one of the teams.

“One of the great problems we have is one of having more talent than we have spots for,” said PSIA Alpine Team Coach Rob Sogard before announcing the teams. “We will work hard with (PSIA-AASI Professional Development Manager) Earl Saline to help keep everyone in the loop going forward, because there’s too much talent in this room not to keep everyone involved.”

The 2012–16 PSIA-AASI Teams, including the AASI Snowboard Team and the freestyle specialists on the PSIA Alpine Team, which were named in Copper Mountain, Colorado, are: 

PSIA Alpine Team
Jonathan Ballou – Aspen, CO
Robin Barnes – Heavenly, CA (second term)
Mike Hafer – Northstar at Tahoe, CA (second term)
Nicholas Herrin – Crested Butte, CO (third term)
Jeb Boyd – Thornton, NH (third term)
Matthew Boyd – Thornton, NH (second term)
*Ryan Christofferson – Northstar at Tahoe, CA
*Kelly Coffey – Breckenridge, CO
Heidi Ettlinger – Truckee, CA
Eric Lipton – Blue Mountain, PA (second term)
David Lyon – Stevens Pass, WA (fourth term)
*David Oliver – Breckenridge, CO (second term)
Michael Rogan – Heavenly, CA (fifth term)
Jennifer Simpson – Vail, CO (second term)
*Freestyle Specialist 

AASI Snowboard Team
Scott Anfang – Breckenridge, CO (third term)
Chris Hargrave – Northstar at Tahoe, CA
Seth Johns – Heavenly, CA
Tony Macri – Copper Mountain, CO
Tommy Morsch – Bristol, NY (second term)
Eric Rolls – Canyons Resort, UT (second term)  

PSIA Nordic Team
David Lawrence – Winthrop, WA (second term)
Ross Matlock – Crested Butte, CO  (third term)
*Jim Shaw – Winter Park, CO
Megan Spurkland – Homer, AK
*Telemark Specialist

PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team
Geoff Krill – Loon Mountain, NH (second term)

For the 2012–16 term, Rob Sogard will serve as the PSIA Alpine Team Coach, Lane Clegg as the AASI Snowboard Team Coach, Scott McGee as the PSIA Nordic Team Coach, and Kim Seevers as the PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team Coach.

Later, in a meeting for all the newly selected members, Saline told the 2012–16 teams that they represented a new era going forward, and that along with their opportunity to take the association to “the next tier” in terms of education and instruction, he also hopes they will play a key role in identifying up-and-coming instructional leaders who can help do the same. “We need you to help us keep identifying future leaders,” he said, “and providing new opportunities for other instructors who are raising their hand.”

In a statement announcing the new teams, Saline said, “The selection events were amazing; all of the candidates should be recognized for their efforts and long hours spent preparing. The team coaches and selectors worked incredibly hard in choosing this group to represent PSIA-AASI and bring forward new and innovative ideas. We are confident each team member will do an excellent job working with our members across the country.”

— Peter Kray

Photos of PSIA Alpine Team (with Freestyle Specialists) and PSIA Nordic Team by Julie Shipman
Photo of AASI Snowboard Team (also with Alpine Team Freestyle Specialists) by Dann Coffey
Photo of PSIA-AASI Adaptive Team Member Geoff Krill by Cesar Piotto

4.26.2012

PSIA Alpine & Nordic Team Selection: The Future is Here

It’s another nerve-filled day at Snowbird, where all of the talented ski instructors who stepped up to try out for the PSIA Alpine and Nordic Teams are anticipating the official announcement late this afternoon, waiting to hear if their name will be called.

That moment is sure to elicit elation for some, and disappointment for others who have worked so hard to get to this point in their professional snowsports instruction careers. In many ways, it will also set the stage for the future of PSIA-AASI, as the new teams begin to serve as both a think tank and sounding board for the association’s continual quest for instructional innovation, forever refining the mix of technique, technology, and learning in ways that help people across the country get more enjoyment out of their time on snow.

For anyone who has had the pleasure of watching the 2012 tryouts, however, it’s obvious that the future is already here. That’s because the constant exchange of information, in the on-snow teaching sessions and also in the indoor presentations, is providing everyone in attendance—from team hopefuls to selectors to PSIA-AASI staff—with a wealth of new ideas. To sit through just an hour of 10-minute prepared presentations is like being given a menu of potential clinic, seminar, or article ideas.

That sense of present future is especially tangible on the nordic side, where two separate tryouts are being held for cross-country and telemark team members. As much a reaction to the changing nature of free-heel skiing, it’s also the result of a conscious effort by PSIA to give the separate aspects of nordic skiing the full attention they deserve.

“We want to be represented by the best skiers in each discipline,” said PSIA Nordic Team Coach Scott McGee. “It marks a departure from the past, where all of us on the team were kind of jacks-of-all-trades in that we did both, but that’s really become kind of a rarity now. To have credibility with the members, we need to acknowledge how much the equipment and techniques in telemark and cross-country have diverged.”

That kind of specialized knowledge is very appealing to Reese Brown, the nordic director for SnowSports Industries America, who is at Snowbird helping out as a selector. “I’m so impressed with the overall knowledge of the people who are here,” said Brown. “They’re so highly trained, and spend so much time thinking over every aspect of the sport, and also making it so much fun, that they really accelerate that learning curve. That’s key to getting people to come back for more. I can’t wait to see what possibilities there are to work more closely with them in the coming year.”

All around it seems as if the seeds for next winter have already been planted, and that for everyone here for the PSIA Alpine & Nordic Team Selection, they have started to grow. (Be sure to check TheSnowPros.org and The Snow Pros Facebook page late this afternoon for news of who made the teams.)

— Peter Kray

Photos (top to bottom) of telemark candidates Tom Marshall, Ann Schorling, and Mike Beagan by Grant Nakamura

4.25.2012

PSIA Alpine & Nordic Team Selection: The Walk and The Talk

If all of the world’s top skiers could easily and effectively communicate the mental, physical, and emotional ingredients to their success, it would raise the level of understanding for our entire sport.

But they can’t. And when it comes to being a top ski instructor, being a great skier isn’t even half of it. Being a great student, of yourself and especially of the people you want to teach—and then being able to communicate what you are learning—are just as important.

Which is why so much of the PSIA Alpine and Nordic Team Selection process is based not just on great skiing, but also on impromptu presentations, in-depth personal interviews, and extensive on-snow teaching sessions designed to show just how well each candidate can analyze and explain all of the nuances of good ski technique. In short, if you want to make the team, you have walk the walk and talk the talk.

“The whole process is like a high-end ski lesson on steroids,” said Mark Dorsey, PSIA-AASI’s executive director and CEO. “Along with all of the ski tasks, what we’re looking for are people who can effectively communicate in a number of ways on and off the snow—with guests, with their peers and newer instructors, and with the association’s longtime vets. In the case of the impromptu sessions, for example, it’s about finding out how well they can think on their feet. That’s because if they’re on the road and their on-snow session gets canceled by a pouring rain, they may only have minutes to prepare for an indoor presentation, and need to be confident that they can do that.”

For the candidates themselves, managing the focus between the athletic elements of each skiing task and the cerebral aspects of live presentations can be the most demanding part of the week. “We can be on the mountain all day and only actually ski for 10 minutes,” said Robin Barnes, a member of the 2008–12 PSIA Alpine Team who is also trying out for the 2012–16 Team. “You really have to be able to manage those adrenaline spikes between waiting and actually skiing, and then be able to slow down to a lower gear when it’s your turn to think and talk. At that point I think you really have to trust your preparation, and having a plan for when you’re here really helps.”

Nick Herrin, who is trying out for a third term on the PSIA Alpine Team, agreed, adding that “It’s a total gear shift from the physical to the cognitive aspects, and you have to make yourself aware that you’re making that change, whether it’s really being involved with the group, or giving yourself time to internalize and go into your quiet space.”

For Mike Hafer, another alpine team member trying out for a second term, some forward thinking and a little sports metaphor also helps. “I like to think of a Wayne Gretzky quote while I’m here, where he talked about never playing the puck where it was, but where he thought it was going to be next,” Hafer said.

— Peter Kray

Photos by Peter Kray

4.24.2012

PSIA Alpine & Nordic Team Selection: Raising Your Hand

On the Snowbird tram at 8 a.m. on Monday with just the PSIA Alpine Team hopefuls and selectors, it might have been hard to remember what PSIA-AASI Professional Development Manager Earl Saline had said the previous night to the full complement of candidates at the opening reception.

How he had called them “The best of the best,” and congratulated them for helping better themselves, each other, and the entire association just by “raising your hands and wanting to try out.”

For the time being on that tram, there were only the nerves, the promise of rock-hard snow to start the day, and the fact that if any of the hopefuls slept at all, they still woke up in the dark. “If there are butterflies in your stomach, make sure they’re all flying in formation,” someone finally said, offering a timely suggestion for how to harness that nervous energy as the day got underway. Then the candidates dove down the mountain for their warm-up run, preparing their legs and hearts.

It wasn’t until 20 minutes later that the actual tryouts—and the fun—finally kicked off at a breakneck pace. The 42 candidates split into two groups to start being graded on their skiing tasks; making round, medium-radius turns down the hardpack of Regulator Johnson, alternating between the groomed and the crud of Mineral Basin, and skiing without poles down the Silver Dipper slop.

“It’s great to see how they’re all skiing at the top of their game right now, because they’ve all been practicing so hard to get to this point,” said former PSIA Alpine Team member Doug Pierini, who had come to support his wife, Leigh, who was trying out. “It’s a huge commitment in terms of all of the training and traveling they have all done to get here, to put it all on the line, and I think it really does help raise the level of instruction for all of us.”

It was also fantastic to see how all of the hopefuls kept encouraging each other on every run, as shouts of “Oh, that’s good,” “He’s taking it,” and, “Show us the way, baby!” kept ringing out. Even though they’re all vying for a limited number of spots, there seems to be a clear realization that the challenge is less with each other than within themselves.

That sense of challenge continued deep into the evening—and after a full day of skiing and analyzing each other’s movements on snow it was clear that the interviews, impromptu presentations, and on-snow teaching were still just beginning. One day into a four-day process, it appears there will be no easy spots. But easy wasn’t what they asked for when they raised their hands and asked for this chance to find just how far they can take their ski teaching—as well as all of us.

— Peter Kray

Photo by Peter Kray

4.23.2012

PSIA Alpine & Nordic Team Selection: Backstage Pass

PSIA Alpine and Nordic Team Selection may start today in Snowbird, Utah, but the preparations have been going on for so long it’s almost impossible to track.

From the formal application and invitation process for potential team members, to the years of skiing, teaching, and learning that have gone into each instructor ever even reaching this level, there is a deeper back story to every single turn and presentation that will take place this week.

At the venue itself, the buildup has been obvious since the start of PSIA National Academy, when the hopefuls started showing up in the tramline, surveying the mountain the way golfers prepare for The Masters, watching the weather, and trying to read the course. And in the way they keep running off to the tuning room, trying to find the magic mix of wax and base structure, especially as the temperatures keep climbing and the snow keeps getting softer, grabbier and slower, until it seems as if Elmer’s Glue might be the most appropriate sponsor for the event.

For the selectors, the preparations are just as intense. Many of them are former team members themselves, and they gathered in the Cliff Lodge—headquarters for selection—on the Sunday morning before selection started to discuss the particulars of the tasks they will put in front of the hopefuls, the movement analysis and interviews, and especially, how to put them in situations that will test them, while still allowing them to show their best.

“The conditions are going to be changing from crunch to slush,” said PSIA Alpine Team Coach and Snowbird local Rob Sogard. “We’re going to be doing a lot of adapting this week.”

But it isn’t until the selectors are actually on the hill that they realize the true weight of what Sogard has said. By 11 a.m. pinwheels of snow and loose rock are already peppering the Mineral Basin traverse, and after just two runs in the slop Mike Porter has seen enough. A former Alpine Team member, coach—and selector since 1975—he gets on the chair and surveys the fields of slush. “I think this is the most challenging snow for selection ever,” he said.

By lunchtime, the hopefuls are already heading off to their rooms to put the finishing touches on their skis, and their heads. “I think waxing might play an important role,” Mike Hafer, a member of the 2008–12 Alpine Team and a hopeful for the 2012–16 said when he was asked. While Eric Lipton, who is also trying out for a second term on the Alpine Team, thinks he might have a secret weapon that the other skiers might have overlooked. “I’m thinking of putting Crisco oil on my bases,” he joked.

It’s a not so subtle sign that things are about to get very hot.

— By Peter Kray

Photos of PSIA Team hopefuls at the top of Snowbird, by Peter Kray

4.20.2012

Three Receive PSIA-AASI Award for Educational Excellence

Three remarkable snowsports instructors were honored with the PSIA-AASI Award for Educational Excellence at the PSIA National Academy this week in Snowbird, Utah.

Linda Crockett, Katie Ertl, and Dave Merriam received the very prestigious award, which recognizes those exceptional members who, over the years, have authored PSIA-AASI educational materials, and have contributed significantly to, and possibly even changed, the educational direction of PSIA-AASI. All three have exhibited dedication, devotion, and self-sacrifice as they have helped guide and implement an educational system that supports the professional development of PSIA-AASI members.

“These recipients are dedicated to providing world-class education for our members, and were instrumental in broadening PSIA-AASI’s view beyond alpine ski teaching,” said PSIA-AASI Executive Director and CEO Mark Dorsey. “Linda, Katie, and Dave continue to inspire skiers and riders across the country, and their work is one of the reasons we enjoy today’s success.”

Linda Crockett
Linda Crockett served as the PSIA-AASI Education Director for 13 years, from 1993–2006. While Linda’s specific education contributions are too numerous to mention, under her leadership PSIA-AASI dramatically improved the quality and timing of education resources, creating the first consistent reviews and updates of PSIA-AASI education materials in the organization’s history.

During Linda’s time as education director, she oversaw development of education resources for the newly formed American Association of Snowboard Instructors. At the same time, the so-called minority disciplines grew significantly, as true national tryouts were held—in conjunction with Alpine Team selection events—for the Nordic and Snowboard Teams, while setting the stage for Adaptive Team tryouts at a later date. The first PSIA Adaptive Manual was developed on Linda’s watch in 1997 (as was its successor, PSIA-AASI’s Adaptive Snowsports Instruction manual in 2003). Perhaps most importantly, Linda built on PSIA’s alpine strengths, and oversaw the first comprehensive approach to education development that united the alpine, nordic, snowboard, adaptive, and alpine disciplines. She led development of the Core Concepts manual, which tied central teaching and guest service concepts to each of the technical disciplines.

Katie Ertl
Katie Ertl started teaching skiing in 1987 for the Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen. After becoming a PSIA-RM Examiner in 1994, Katie taught in Australia for three seasons, obtaining full certification from the Australian Professional Snowsports Instructors in 1993 and becoming an examiner in its system in 1994. She served as the director/manager of the Aspen Highlands Ski School from 1999–2005 while holding the position of staff trainer for all four schools—Aspen, Aspen Highlands, Snowmass, and Buttermilk—during the same years. Katie has been the managing director of the Ski & Snowboard Schools of Aspen from 2005 to the present day.

Upon being chosen for the PSIA Alpine Team in 1996, Katie became an immediate contributor. During her years as a team member, she wrote and reviewed numerous articles and tips for The Professional Skier and 32 Degrees, helped author and review manuals, helped organize the last Alpine Examiners’ College, and participated in many video and photo shoots. She represented PSIA-AASI at several Interski events, including  those in Crans Montana, Switzerland, in 2003 and St. Anton, Austria, in 2011. Since 2004, Katie has served as the PSIA-AASI Teams Manager. Under her leadership, the teams have evolved into a more cohesive unit with routine collaboration and idea sharing between disciplines. Utilizing this cooperative environment, Katie recently helped lead the PSIA-AASI teams to an extremely successful Interski event in 2011.

Dave Merriam
Dave Merriam started teaching more than 33 years ago at Sugarloaf in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. When he joined PSIA back in 1979, he immediately fast-tracked through the certification levels. By the early 1980s he became part of the divisional education staff by becoming an examiner in the Eastern Division. In 1989 Dave moved to Stowe, Vermont, and worked his way up through the organization to become the resort’s director of mountain recreation. In 1984 Dave made the PSIA Alpine Team and served for three terms. He served as head coach from 1996–2004 and then became the first PSIA-AASI Teams Manager. Throughout the years Dave has been a part of developing, editing, and appearing in many of the association’s manuals and videos. In addition, he was a strong team presence at several Interskis (1987 in Banff, Canada; 1991 in St. Anton, Austria; 1995 in Nozawa Onsen, Japan; and 2003 in Crans Montana, Switzerland).

Last year Dave was awarded the Einar Aas Award by the Eastern Division for being an outstanding snowsports school director. This award was given to Dave, by his peers, for achieving and maintaining the highest standards in snowsports school management. Dave’s skiing has always produced a clean, precise image and his teaching style has always been innovative and engaging. He has helped shape and develop many educational staff members throughout the country and impacted his team members in a positive way.

Congratulations to all three recipients of the PSIA-AASI Award for Educational Excellence.

Photo of (left to right) Linda Crockett, Dave Merriam, and Katie Ertl by Julie Shipman

Linda Crockett photo courtesy of Linda Crockett

Katie Ertl photo by Cesar Piotto

Dave Merriam photo courtesy of Dave Merriam

4.19.2012

Technology Tidal Wave Could Raise Fortunes of All Instructors

If it seems like ski companies are introducing massive innovations in technology each season, it’s because they are. So much so that the past decade has come to be seen as a kind of renaissance of ski design, where every aspect of sidecut, waist width, and camber is fair game for experimentation and revision.

But what does that mean for ski instructors, who have to update their understanding of what kind of rocker or binding mounting position is in vogue each year? It could open up a whole new realm of teaching possibilities according to former PSIA Alpine Team Coach Mike Porter, who delivered a presentation titled, “Are We Keeping Up with the Constant Changes in Ski Technology?” at the PSIA 2012 National Academy in Snowbird, Utah, this week.

Porter, who provided a mini history lesson on ski design to an audience of more than 100 attendees at National Academy, joked that rocker has been around ever since skiers started bending the shovels of their metal GS skis in the bumps in the ’70s and found that those skis performed better in powder. From that accident of innovation to the first fat skis of the ’80s, shaped skis of the ’90s, and the present generation of all-mountain, backcountry, and park and pipe skis, technology is continually evolving to help people ski in places and ways they never have before.

“But just because it’s new doesn’t always mean it’s good,” cautioned Porter. He also said that all of the new categories of skis don’t always match the personal needs of the consumer. Which presents an opportunity for ski instructors. “Our challenge as teachers is to be able to meet the needs of our guests and match them with the equipment that can meet their needs and abilities,” said Porter.

Whether it’s helping students to better utilize the gear that they are already on, or helping them find new skis that are best suited to their abilities, properly educating people about current technology is yet one more role of the modern instructor.

For example, PSIA Alpine Team member Eric Lipton, who is with the team leading Academy ski groups at Snowbird, said he actually taught a lesson at Beaver Creek, Colorado, this season where students were encouraged to cycle through new gear. “It really helped them understand just what some of the new technology does, and also gain a better understanding of their own skiing,” said Lipton. “It’s the kind of thing I look forward to doing more.”

—  Peter Kray

Editor’s note: For a bit more background on new ski technologies with regard to student abilities and terrain preferences, see Mike Porter’s article “All Rocker Isn’t Created Equal,” which appeared in the fall 2011 issue of 32 Degrees. 

4.13.2012

Nine Will Shine as Snowboard, Alpine Freestyle Team Members

The windowless conference room near the base of Copper Mountain was packed by 4 p.m. on Thursday as two dozen instructors invited to take part in the PSIA-AASI Team Selection event for snowboarders and alpine freestyle specialists anxiously awaited word of who had made the grade.

As the names were announced of the nine who earned spots on the 2012–16 Teams—by virtue of the teaching and riding skills they’d demonstrated during the week—there was a burst of applause punctuated by fists punched in the air. While disappointment certainly settled upon those whose names weren’t called, the same spirit of camaraderie that marked the week also closed it out.

Each of the candidates worked hard from the beginning to dodge the lurking snow leopard that could end his or her dream of making the team (at least for the four-year term that commences this fall).  Those who skinned the cat are:

SNOWBOARD
Scott Anfang (third term)
Chris Hargrave
Seth Johns
Tony Macri
Tommy Morsch (second term)
Eric Rolls (second term)

ALPINE FREESTYLE
Ryan Christofferson
Kelly Coffey
David A. Oliver (second term)

This selection event marked the first time that snowboard and alpine freestyle specialists shared the same stage (in 2008, the two-plank freestylers attended Alpine Team Selection). By all accounts, the change made for a special vibe of collaboration.

PSIA-AASI Professional Development Manager Earl Saline said the entire week filled him with a tremendous sense of pride, in the association and especially in the quality of people that snowsports instruction attracts. “I’m stoked that we have such solid people out there who really want to raise their hands and contribute to improving the association for the benefit of all of us,” Saline said. “It’s not just that they are willing to be judged against each other, but that they are also focused on finding ways to help our members teach better lessons, which helps the entire snowsports industry.”

Saline said that while choosing who does and does not make the team is the hardest aspect of the selection process, he likes to stress that being on the team isn’t the only way for members to play a part. “It is one opportunity, but there are so many others,” he said. “Whether that is contributing to the content of 32 Degrees, participating in social media, working within your own region, or continuing to contribute at your own home resort.”

With the AASI Snowboard and PSIA Alpine Freestyle Specialist Team Selection now complete, Saline is heading to Snowbird, Utah, to oversee the PSIA Alpine and PSIA Nordic Team selection process.
“That’s the next step,” Saline said. “It’s great to have this week completed, and to have had this experience to build on as we start the next phase. We are all looking forward to providing everyone at Snowbird with the thorough assessment that they signed up for, and bringing forward the best people for the other teams.”

—Tim Johnson and Peter Kray