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CENTRAL LINE the The PSIA National Academy returned to Snowbird, Utah, last Spring, April 21-27. Snowbird usually gets between 500 and 600 inches of snow each year, but at the time of the Academy, there was only 350 inches, considered really low here, but a figure most western resorts would be bragging about. So, as they say, a below average snow year at the Bird is still better than most other places. And, the Bird did not disappoint. SNOWBIRD AT A GLANCE: THE MOUNTAIN Located at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, just below Alta, the Bird has 2,500 acres of marked runs; combined with Alta (with which there is joint access), and guide accessible terrain, there are over 6,000 acres. Most of the stuff is quite steep, much of it ungroomed. Usually, there is over a 100" base, sometimes near 150", in late April. The fastest way to the top (Hidden Peak) from the base is by a high speed tram, which holds 125 passengers, and has allegedly been repro- grammed to make the trip up in under 7 minutes. From the base of 7,760' to the top of the tram (11,000') is 3,240' vertical. If one is energetic and in good shape, one can do top to bottom runs on varying terrain, choosing between steep and steeper. Several years ago, Snowbird added lifts to Mineral Basin, a back bowl, which has some groomed runs, but more importantly seems to maintain good, fairly steep, powder skiing, most of the time. This year Snowbird added a high-speed quad, the Peruvian Express, which takes riders from the base to several hundred feet below the top of the tram. From there, one can travel through the newly-opened 600' Peruvian Tunnel, coming out in Mineral Basin. The tunnel is 12' high and 10' wide, pretty neat stuff. Now, the Bird has some of the steepest, wildest terrain in North America. So, even though this was my eighth Academy, if one is a flatlander from THE 2007 PSIA NATIONAL ACADEMY ROCKIN' THE 'BIRD by Mike Goldfield Central, it is usually best to arrive a few days early to adjust physically and psychologically. I flew in Wednesday, the 18th, with rain and sleet at the airport. By the time we got to the base of the canyon (4,000'), it was near white-out, with the barely visible digital, roadside, thermometer reading 29 degrees F. Already getting stoked. Fourteen inches of fresh stuff had fallen by Thursday morning. The mountain was ready. I woke early, did my yoga practice, ate, and went to get the first tram. It had been 5 weeks since I had been skiing “The Wall” at Pine Knob (Michigan), so there was, to be honest, a bit of apprehension. EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008 Looking for an event? Check out the event calendar at psia-c.org! In This Issue Continued on page 17 3 CATCHING UP WITH THE OLD NEW 4 BOYNE SNOWSPORTS ACADEMY 7 2007 MIDWEST SKI AREA ASSOCIATION SUMMER MEETINGS & TRADE SHOW 8 SNOW SPORTS RESPONSIBILITY CODE 10 EPIC ADVENTURES TO THE CENTRAL DIVISION 12 NSSRA EXPLAINS POSITION ON PRO FORMS 14 ASEA-C CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS 19 CENTRAL DIVISION 2007/08 EVENTS CALENDAR 31 EDUCATION EVENT APPLICATION 33 ASEA-C MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 34 ASEA-C ORDER FORM

Transcript of aseacf2007

Page 1: aseacf2007

CENTRALLINE

the

The PSIA National Academy returned toSnowbird, Utah, last Spring, April 21-27.Snowbird usually gets between 500 and 600inches of snow each year, but at the time of theAcademy, there was only 350 inches, consideredreally low here, but a figure most westernresorts would be bragging about. So, as they say,a below average snow year at the Bird is stillbetter than most other places. And, the Bird didnot disappoint.

SNOWBIRD AT A GLANCE: THE MOUNTAINLocated at the top of Big Cottonwood Canyon, just below Alta, the Birdhas 2,500 acres of marked runs; combined with Alta (with which thereis joint access), and guide accessible terrain, there are over 6,000acres. Most of the stuff is quite steep, much of it ungroomed. Usually,there is over a 100" base, sometimes near 150", in late April. Thefastest way to the top (Hidden Peak) from the base is by a high speedtram, which holds 125 passengers, and has allegedly been repro-grammed to make the trip up in under 7 minutes. From the base of7,760' to the top of the tram (11,000') is 3,240' vertical. If one isenergetic and in good shape, one can do top to bottom runs on varying terrain, choosing between steep and steeper.

Several years ago, Snowbird added lifts to Mineral Basin, a back bowl, which has some groomed runs, but more importantly seems tomaintain good, fairly steep, powder skiing, most of the time. This yearSnowbird added a high-speed quad, the Peruvian Express, which takesriders from the base to several hundred feet below the top of the tram.From there, one can travel through the newly-opened 600' PeruvianTunnel, coming out in Mineral Basin. The tunnel is 12' high and 10'wide, pretty neat stuff.

Now, the Bird has someof the steepest, wildestterrain in NorthAmerica. So, eventhough this was myeighth Academy, if one isa flatlander from

THE 2007 PSIA NATIONAL ACADEMYROCKIN' THE 'BIRD by Mike Goldfield

Central, it is usually best to arrive a few daysearly to adjust physically and psychologically. Iflew in Wednesday, the 18th, with rain and sleetat the airport. By the time we got to the base ofthe canyon (4,000'), it was near white-out, withthe barely visible digital, roadside, thermometerreading 29 degrees F. Already getting stoked.Fourteen inches of fresh stuff had fallen byThursday morning. The mountain was ready. Iwoke early, did my yoga practice, ate, and wentto get the first tram. It had been 5 weeks since I had been skiing “The Wall” at Pine Knob(Michigan), so there was, to be honest, a bit of apprehension.

EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008

Looking for an event? Check out theevent calendar at psia-c.org!

In This Issue

Continued on page 17

3CATCHING UP WITH

THE OLD NEW

4BOYNE SNOWSPORTS ACADEMY

72007 MIDWEST SKI AREAASSOCIATION SUMMER

MEETINGS & TRADE SHOW

8SNOW SPORTS

RESPONSIBILITY CODE

10EPIC ADVENTURES TO THE

CENTRAL DIVISION

12NSSRA EXPLAINS

POSITION ON PRO FORMS

14ASEA-C CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORS

19CENTRAL DIVISION 2007/08

EVENTS CALENDAR

31EDUCATION EVENT APPLICATION

33ASEA-C MEMBERSHIP

APPLICATION

34ASEA-C ORDER FORM

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2 PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

THE CENTRAL LINETHE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE AMERICANSNOWSPORT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION—CENTRAL

General Information Members should contact theirboard representatives to share concerns or opinionson policies or procedures in order that they bemore effectively represented.

Submissions: Submissions of articles, photos, and other items for publication are welcome. Alldocuments that are submitted will be published on the web, therefore they should be submitted inMicrosoft Word Format (7.0 or higher) with thefollowing header: article name, date and author.Documents can have minimal graphics (GIF/BMP)small size - no photographs (for website).Photographs may be submitted to the office andwill be published in the Central Line but will not be published on the web. Please send to the PSIA-Coffice at the above address. Articles are acceptedon the condition that they are released for publica-tion in all PSIA and PSIA division periodicals. PSIA-C reserves the right to edit all articles.

The Central Line, copyright © 2005, is publishedfour times per year by the Professional SkiInstructors of America-Central. Permission is hereby given to the Professional Ski Instructors of America and other divisions to copy originalmaterial from this newsletter providing credit isgiven to the Professional Ski Instructors ofAmerica-Central and the material is not altered.Articles that contain specific copyright notices may not be reprinted unless written permission is obtained from the author. It is requested that a copy of any publication containing reprintedmaterial from this newsletter be sent to the editorat the address above.

Subscriptions: Persons who are not members ofPSIA-C can purchase a one-year (four issues) subscription to The Central Line for $15. Send your name and address, along with your check, to PSIA-C at the above address.

Note: Materials published in The Central Line thathave been provided by persons who are not writingas PSIA-C officials are the responsibility of theauthor and are not necessarily endorsed by PSIA-C.

2007 | 2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Wm. “Skip” DickelExecutive Vice President Will NourseEducation Vice President Robin RobertsFinancial Vice President Gary KeplerMarketing Vice President Engelbert GalAlpine Directors 1 Wm. "Skip" Dickel

Jeff Lewin2 Will Nourse

Brent Heiman3 Robin K. Roberts

Joe Benka4 Kris Agnew

Walter B. Sappington5 Douglas Wren

Mark D. Foyteck6 Engelbert Gal

Gary D. KeplerAdaptive Director Terri HendersonSnowboard Directors 1, 2, 3 Del Schirmer

4, 5, 6 Eric SchultzEx-Officio PSIA-N Director John Peppler

2007 | 2008 EDUCATION FOUNDATIONBOARD OF DIRECTORS

President Wm. "Skip" DickelExecutive Vice President Will NourseFinancial Vice President Gary Kepler& SecretaryAlpine Directors 1 Wm. "Skip" Dickel

Jeff Lewin2 Will Nourse

Brent Heiman3 Robin K. Roberts

Joe Berka4 Kris Agnew

Walter B. Sappington5 Douglas Wren

Mark D. Foyteck6 Engelbert Gal

Gary D. KeplerAdaptive Directors Terri HendersonNordic Director Mike StockreiterSnowboard Directors 1, 2, 3 Del Schirmer

4, 5, 6 Eric SchultzEx-Officio PSIA-N Director John Peppler

Contact information can be foundat www.psia-c.org/whoswho

PSIA-C | 3225 West St. Joseph | Lansing, Michigan 48917Phone (517) 327-0601 | Fax (517) 321-0495 | [email protected]

PSIA-C STAFFExecutive Director Donnelly K. Eurich

Director of Membership & Kelsey GregoryContinuing Education

Membership & Education Denise Vaughn

Administrative Support Heather Frazier

Editor in Chief Engelbert Gal

Director of Financial Services Donna Devereaux

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What was new electronic information manage-ment is getting old, and we still are trying to catchup. Central Division is looking for online servicesthat have become routine. Central also is lookingfor a new website host that can provide servicesrecommended by Central's office, in Michigan, andbeneficial to member instructors and snowsportschools. Meanwhile, in Colorado the Nationaloffice has identified and plans to purchase a newassociation management software system.

REGISTRATION AND PROFILESLong overdue is online registration for PSIA andAASI events. Ideal support systems will providecomplete member registration, event status, auto-mated notices to registrants about any change, realtime data for event coordinators, and real time eventinformation for presenting examiners and clinicians.

Marketing in most industries, today, includes onlineidentification and connection between a product orservice, desired by the searching consumer, andsources or venders where the service may be found.Similar marketing support should be online forCentral Division members, who provide instructionand coaching, and the snowsport areas and schoolswhere their services are available.

Once established, each member will have websitespace for a personal profile. Each snowsport areaand school will have website space for marketinginformation. Together, if mutually agreed, mem-bers, schools and areas will have cross-links. Aninterested snowsport guest will be able to searchby individual, discipline, certification, area,school... plus whatever else creativity and imagination may develop.

NATIONAL'S CONNECTIVITYThe National office expects to have full-serviceonline capability sometime between 12 and 18months from now. Registration and profiles thenmay be taken over by National. Planning has been going on all summer and into this autumn.Representatives from each division joined National in a four days conference for softwarepresentations, and later in several days of onlinedemonstrations.

The new system should unite and integrate operations for all divisions and services for all

members. On October 4, the National Board, division presidents, an administrator from eachdivision, plus most of the National office staff metfor three days of strategic planning. A major goalof that planning was to sort out how National can better support all divisions, what divisionsneed and want, and where common interests canbe served collectively.

Human connectivity is necessary to make use of electronic connectivity. Very visibly, and veryeffectively, National and all nine divisions areworking together to exchange information, toshare development, and to share natural and intellectual resources. Joint meetings of divisionpresidents and administrator with the NationalBoard have become regular annual events. Fromthe Division Presidents Council, a chairpersonnow joins the National Board meetings andNational's Officers Committee meetings.

With improved online services, National supportfor division members will be developed based onjoint human decisions. Central Division's talents,skills and enthusiasm will become even moreprominent in this nation-wide association, whichis both integral in today's snowsport industry andessential to snowsport business survival.

THEN THERE'S THE COSTTo achieve improved efficiency and consolidatedstrengths, there will be a cost. In addition, theshared expense relationship with National SkiPatrol has faded. We will go on alone.

National's new software system has a price tag in the range of $500,000, to be paid over severalyears. Inflation and increased operating expensesat National will be reflected by a $10 increase innational membership dues, beginning in 2008. Anannual dues increase of $10 isn't too bad, whencompared to a hotel fee for online connectivityoften has a price of $9.95 for one day!

Catching up has its cost. But we must, and wewill, catch up!

Skip DickelPresident

CATCHING UP WITH THE OLD NEW

A major goal

of that

planning was

to sort out how

National better

can support all

divisions, what

divisions need

and want, and

where common

interests can

be served

collectively.

3EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008

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Boyne's

teaching

skills are

unique

because

they use

multicultural

snowsports

techniques.

Some days I am lucky to walk without trippingover my own two feet, so the thought of doing a360 degree off the top of the pipe, completing amogul run, or flying out of the gates headingdown a steep mountain as fast as gravity will letme go seems slightly beyond me and frightening.

Richard Wren, Kids and Teen Camp Director atBoyne SnowSports Academy and veteran skier,tried to convince me that Boyne SnowsportsAcademy could teach anyone no matter what theirwalking level.

He explained that throughout the 60 plus yearsthe Boyne Snowsports Academy at BoyneMountain and Boyne Highlands resorts inMichigan has been around, they have continued torefine and develop their teaching skills.

Boyne's teaching skills are unique because theyuse multicultural snowsports techniques. They usetechniques from Austria and the United States.Every season, Tony Sendlhofer, Boyne SnowsportsDirector, hand selects the Austrian and theAmerican instructors. There are around 100instructors at the academy all with a variety of talents and specialties. Continuing education forinstructors is always part of the game at Boyne.

The Academy also has another advantage to beinga great ski school and that is their instructors arehighly motivated, enthusiastic, dedicated, and pas-sionate about snowsports. All which helps an indi-vidual from the novice level to the experiencedlevel because the instructors want their studentsto learn. Richard reassured me that their studentsare in highly capable hands. At this point, myfright level subsided slightly after hearing thisinformation. I was thinking maybe I would try asnowsport.

In addition to the competent staff at the academy,Richard also told me about the variety of lessons,clinics, and camps offered. The Academy has avariety of options for students. They offer privateand group lessons. Private lessons can be as shortas an hour or last for six. The group lessons aretwo hours long and the instructor group individu-

als by skill level.This maximizesthe time individu-als have with theinstructor andbuilds confidencein students.

Clinics are also part of the programming at Boyne. There are threeclinics offered:Conditions Of The Day, Ski & SnowboardFreestyle Session, and Racing Workshop. TheConditions Of The Day focuses on basic to intermediate skills appropriate to that day'sweather and snow conditions. Ski & SnowboardFreestyle Session stresses more technique andskills. This clinic is for intermediate and advancedskiers and snowboarders. Even those who havehad trouble walking, after a couple of lessons and clinics could master this class! And the racing workshop is for the “hardened warrior ofthe gates” as Boyne's website describes it. Thisclinic is geared towards intermediate andadvanced skiers.

The classes and lessons are for students of allages. The kids' camps take children as young asthree years old. Last year, Boyne had an 88-year-old student. After hearing all this information,Richard turned my meek attitude of, “yeah, right”towards snowsports into an attitude of I can do it!By attending Boyne SnowSports Academy, I would definitely improve my snow skills, have amemorable experience and build my confidence,but it still might not improve my walking andtripping issue.

Denise has recently joined the ASEA-C staff as an Education & Member Specialist. Don't be surprised to see her on skis or snowboard this yearat one of our events! ASEA-C will be holding thefall workshop on December 7-9, 2007 at BoyneHighlands Resort. We hope to see you there!

ANYTHING IS POSSIBLEBy Denise Vaughn, Education & Member Specialist ASEA-C

PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

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5EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008

TWO-DAYTRAINERSCOLLEGEAT NO COST

The American Snowsport EducationAssociation - Central Division (ASEA-C) is

offering a two-day Trainers College at no costfor Alpine and Snowboard to one trainer

(representative) from each member snowsports school in Central Division.

This promises to be an exciting weekend.Your trainer will return to your snowsports

school with a wealth of information tostrengthen, develop and expand your ski

and snowboard programs.

Attendees of the Trainers College can only beregistered for this event through their

respective Snowsports Director. Snowsports Directors: Watch your mail for more information on registering a participant for the Trainers College!

Dates and Locations for the Trainers Colleges:

Alpine Trainers College:Mt. Brighton, MI January 19-20, 2008

Chestnut Mountain, IL February 2-3, 2008

Snowboard Trainers College: Mt. Brighton, MI January 5-6, 2008

Wilmot, WI January 12-13, 2008

Breckenridge - The Perfect Mountain Town... The Perfect Mountain Job

If you’re interested in employment with us,please visit www.breckskiandride.com

for more information.

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6 PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

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The August 5th thru 8th M.S.A.A. meetingsbrought industry experts to Chestnut MountainResort in Galena, Illinois. This annual event focuses on managing a wide variety of currentSnowsports issues. Attendees heard the latestinformation concerning day to day operations forSnowsports managers and staff to offer a safe andenjoyable experience.

The School Directors group started with a breakfast meeting and update from AmericanSnowsports Education Association ExecutiveDirector, Mark Dorsey. We also discussed goalsand the focus for the next 3 days of meetings.Group lunch sessions added additional time fordiscussion, and brief presentations. Mr. EnglebertGal, ASEA-C Marketing Director, highlighted therecent Central Division Board meeting topics, the 2007-08 budget and future event schedules.

The M.S.A.A. terrain park breakout sessions werepresented in a logical and easy to understandorder. National Ski Areas Association President,Michael Berry, always hosts an interesting “state ofthe industry” presentation. Data was shared from ahistorical perspective, and useful information fromlast season covered all facets of our industry. Wewere brought up to speed on several pending largejury verdicts and how the outcomes may affectSnowsports business. Statistics showing future trendsto assist marketing, snowmaking, grooming andmany other topics were presented by industry lead-ers. There was a lot of information to gather, andeveryone went home with new ideas to implement.

The ASEA-C Snowsports School Directors first session focused on Terrain Park Safety issues led by Mr. John Murphy from Wells Fargo Insurance. The information shared was very useful. Severalincident cases and their outcomes were discussed.The highlights were: Treat every minor incident thesame as a major incident! Keep thorough recordsand document everything possible. “Incident ActionTeams” should be prepared for any incident. Lastly,staff training, for all departments, is critical duringpre-season meetings.

The topic of our second session was VideoApplications in the Snowsports School, with John Reents from Afton Alps presenting. John discussed equipment purchasing tips, camerashooting techniques and the future of video in the Snowsports Schools.

A BIG THANKS TO:

Chris Stoddard, the MSAA Team, the NSAA, the IndustryReps. and the staff at Chestnut Mountain for putting

together such an informative Meeting & Expo. If you have not attended one of these important

gatherings, don't miss the next one.

We had 16 attendees at our sessions, representing 14 different industry affiliations.

Rob Hupperich Chestnut Mtn.

Mary Rosett Welch Village

Peter Zotalis Welch Village

Mike Mettler Perfect North Slopes

Denny Cunningham Wild Mtn.

John Reents Afton Alps

Justin Soine Afton Alps

Tim Penkhus Mt. Kato

Jan Hitchcock Wilmot Mtn.

Mike Nesheim Great Bear

Cheryl Uppling The Mtn. Top at Grand Geneva

Rick Van Tongeren Cannonsburg Snowsports

Ken Meldahl NSPS

Mark Dorsey ASEA

John Murphy Wells Fargo Insurance

Englebert Gal ASEA-C Marketing Director

2007 MIDWEST SKI AREA ASSOCIATION SUMMER MEETINGS & TRADE SHOWBy Rick Van Tongeren - Snowsports Directors Committee

7EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008

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MAKING THE

SNOWSPORTS

RESPONSIBILITYCODE

SINGBy Bill Claire,

Peak Resort's - Mad River MountainLearning Center Ed Staff

PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

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34

A key element of the Snow Sport School's curriculum is to impartwhat we affectionately term the “Rules of the Road” to our students.More formally, these are the 7 points of The Snow Sports ResponsibilityCode. This begins with the first lesson and is reinforced during eachsuccessive encounter.

It's often difficult to present this in a memorable fashion for the student. We've grimaced as instructors read the code from apreprinted and waterproofed card, regurgitate it after spending timeon rote memorization (oh, the memories of grade school, a rulerand Sister Mary Susan - or - Paris Island is a wonderful place),impart only the first few elements, and all too often just leave it out of their lesson content altogether.

So how do you make it easier for you - and your students - toremember these important points? At Mad River, we developed anapproach that enables our instructors to accomplish both goals in areasonably effective manner. We turn the Responsibility Code into abrief story about the students' forthcoming Snow Sports experience.The story follows the progression of a skier/boarder as they glidedown the hill, is conducted in a conversational manner, and makesit easier for the student to remember the “Rules of the Road”.

It goes something like this:

Before we get started down the hill there are a few Rules of the Roadwe need to cover. The driving laws of Snow Sports so to speak.Let's follow a skier/rider's path down the hill to illustrate the points.

As you are skiing or boarding down the hill, remember that you are responsible to stay in control at all times. If you can't stay incontrol, try turning up the hill to burn off some speed, or simplyfall down - to the side of your skis is usually best.

The people down the hill from where you are skiing/riding have theright of way. Be sure to ski/ride so that you can avoid them, even ifthey make a quick move that would cut you off - much like drivingbehind someone in your car or on your bicycle.

When you stop on the hill, make sure you stop in a place where youare not blocking the path of other skiers and are not in a spot wherethey can't see you.

Before you start skiing/riding again, or if you are crossing a trail,look uphill first to make sure you are not skiing/riding into the pathof oncoming skiers/riders.

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time on the lift. They will often slow it down tomake your first ride easier to navigate.

That's it!

I like to cover this when we first go up to the topof the beginners lift to ski/ride. At this point, thestudents have successfully glided down the hilland been able to stop, i.e. executed a straight run

and a braking wedge, maybeeven a simple wedge turn ortwo for those skiers amongthe readership. There are toomany distractions - the snow,the equipment, the excite-ment, the fear factor, - at the start of a beginner's lesson for this to sink in.After they've “Conquered the Mountain” via sidestepor herringbone they're more receptive to “new”information and it is farmore relevant.

Telling this as a story is particularly effective if youcan find a place to illustratethe points without placingthe students in danger. OurSnow Sports Resort happensto have a flat spot at the topof the beginner hill with a

small cliff just above that no one can ski over.Standing here enables us to illustrate the pointthat if skiers were coming over the rise, theycould not see the students. This really helps todrive the point home.

Our Ed Staff director uses this in the dry land andon-snow clinics we conduct throughout the season.

Every thing we do to make the environment saferand more enjoyable adds to our guests' experience.Hey, if nothing else, at least you get one questionright on the written Certification exam!

Every thing

we do to

make the

environment

safer and

more enjoy-

able adds to

our guests'

experience.

9EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008

5

6

If you should happen to fall, which we all do fromtime to time, I hope you made sure the safetydevices on your ski or board were working beforeyou put your equipment on. If your equipmentdoes get away from you and starts rapidly slidingdown the hill, yell “SKI” or “BOARD”, much likea golfer would yell “FORE”. This lets those belowyou know that an object may be headed their way.(Editorial Note: You would not believe how farinto the wooden doorframe aski will go if it has a wholehill to build momentum.) I remember a particularoccurrence in the days ofHEAD Metal Skis. Dude,those boards were heavy!Someone, who shall foreverremain nameless, added anew door handle to the mainsnow-side entrance to the skilodge! Quite effective formidgets and children, but abit cumbersome at 210 cm.)

As you are skiing down thehill you will notice signs andtrail markers. They mayindicate something along the lines of “Closed” or “Slow” or “Experts Only”.Be sure to follow theinstructions on the signs.Keep off closed trails. Alsomake sure that you are skiing on a hill that matchesyour ability - Green Circles are the easiest beginnerhills, Blue Squares are more difficult intermediatehills, Black Diamonds and Double BlackDiamonds (dare we dream here in the Midwest)are the most difficult expert hills. A trail map isposted at the top of each lift to help you orientyourself to the proper hill for your ability.

When you reach the bottom of the hill and areready for more challenging terrain, make sure youare familiar with how to ride the lift. If you don'tknow, ask your instructor or someone you ski/ridewith who is proficient with that specific lift. Besure and tell the lift operator that it is your first

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Every year there is an exciting story about a PSIA Alpine Team Member making the Journey tothe Central Division. For the past 3 years I havehad the opportunity of visiting Welch Village,Minnesota, home of the dreadful run named

Chicken. I am happy toreport that I have onlytaken one fall on that runending up in the parkinglot... unfortunately it wasa touch muddy that day.

My trip with AndyDocken started out pretty normal this year.Visiting Andy in Aspen,with his very convenientCondo across the street

from the airport, we headedout the front door and walked across a frightful 4lane busy highway. In tow I had my sharply tunedskis and duffle bag. Our airport experience was astory in itself. To start, there had not been a planeout of Aspen for 3 days; ours would have been thefirst. The following is a short list of mishaps thatturned our trip into a very exciting comedy show.

• The Saab driving 90 miles an hour down the run way doing brake tests for the airplane.

• Our first airplane not landing due to the runway being too icy for the Saab to stop

• Getting switched to the next plane, however still being on time to make our flight in Denver.

• Cargo door not opening to the plane, as a result, our luggage was trucked to Denver. They promised us that luggage would arrive safely in Denver around 10am the next day (the day we were supposed to be skiing).

• Arrive in Denver fine... Missed our connection... OOPS

• Dinner at Subway• Jumping on a plane the next morning and

arrived in Minnesota at 11am Saturday morning. **Without luggage

• Lunch at Subway • Finally arrive at Welch Village ready to

ski 1:30pm!!!

The next challenge was finding some ski clothes.Luckily, we took the PSIA Manual's advice and carried on our boots. So with our jeans on weslipped on some borrowed ski pants, thanks to the hospitality of the ski school director (unfortu-nately mine did not touch the tops of my boots)and some borrowed skis... oh and don't forget therental poles. We finally got on the hill sporting our brand new Welch Village head bands to meetour groups.

For a second there Andy and I were not sure if itwas worth making the trip for only two days butfor the next day and a quarter we realized howright the decision was to continue our journey.The energy we found from the participants of thegroup was great. Seeing all the familiar faces andthe dedication to personal improvement is whatdefines PSIA Central. Home to Andy Docken andmany other team members, I know everyone onthe PSIA Team looks forward to every event scheduled in the Central Division.

Traveling around to all nine divisions in PSIA youstart to realize the assets each division brings tothe organization. The diverse terrain and slopesprovide for such a great way to change and develop teaching progressions for each hill wevisit. I know every team member looks forward tothe next time we visit the Central Division and areable to ski around the unique terrain it provides.

Thank you to all the participants for being patientduring entertaining situations like this one, andthank you especially to event coordinator, MarkLewis and everyone else who put so much timeand energy into making the Welch village event sopositive for the members. The PSIA/AASI Teamslook forward to seeing more participation in ourclinics around the Central division... We promiseto work on our timeliness.

Cheers,

Nicholas Herrin

PSIA Alpine Team Member

EPIC ADVENTURES TO THECENTRAL DIVISION

PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

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11EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008

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If you are interested in joining the team, please contact Booie Alward at [email protected] | www.loonmtn.com

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Alta offers world famous snow and terrain to alpine and telemark skiers of all abilities. We pride ourselveson providing outstanding value and a sincere and thoughtful ski school experience to skiers who are

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system, is highly dependent on the ability to connect personally with students, creating return clients.

If you feel that your personality and professional skills may fit at Alta, then please contact Scott Mathers,Alf Engen Ski School, PO Box 8064, Alta, Utah 84092. 801-799-2273. [email protected] | WWW.ALTA.COM

ATTENTION EXPERIENCED SKI AND SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTORS!

Put your knowledge and skill to work for you and live at a Resort this winter. Chestnut Mountain is a fullscale destination resort located less than a three hour drive west of Chicago. We boast 475 verticle feet

of elevation directly overlooking the Mississippi River, just south of historic Galena, IL.

Come join a PSIA/AASI school that offers competive salaries and wages along with free lodging and training to all instructors. All levels of certification are encouraged to inquire.

Contact Rob Hupperich, Ski and Board School Director with any questions at [email protected] or call him at 1-815-777-1320, ext 480.

EXPERIENCE LAKE TAHOE WHILE SHARINGYOUR PASSION FOR SKIING AND SNOWBOARDING!

Sierra at Tahoe is offering 2-week teaching programs for experienced, certifiedinstructors with your choice of Christmas, Presidents or Spring Break.

Increase your level of professionalism! High quality training by current and former PSIA Demo Team members, competitive wages and great skiing benefits are all part of the package!

Apply today by calling Kevin Mitchell at 530-659-7453 x 287 or e-mail [email protected]

Visit http://www.sierraattahoe.com/info/winter/about.asp for more information.

OBITUARYCHARLES JEFFERSON RICE, JR. commonly known by his family and friendsas “Charlie” was born March 8, 1925 and ushered into the loving presenceof his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on October 18, 2007.

Charlie courageously served his country as a Sergeant in the Army Air Corpsduring World War II at the young age of 18. He flew 31 active bombingmissions over enemy territory and received the Medal of Honor and 2Distinguished Flying Crosses among other commendations. After returninghome to Racine, WI he worked with his father, Charlie Rice, in the familygrocery store where he learned all aspects of the business.

Finally, there came a time when Charlie had to follow his own dream. Hehas a passion for skiing and set out to change his life and become a skiinstructor. After receiving his certification he constructed and operatedParadise Valley Ski Area in East Troy, WI and offered package lessons for the Johnson Wax Ski Club. In 1972 Charlie began working with the PlayboyClub in Lake Geneva in the development of their ski area and school. WhenAmericana bought out the Playboy Club and turned it into the GrandGeneva Resort they knew what an asset they had in Charlie. For the next 35 years Charlie was the head of the ski school and trained thousands ofinstructors and students. The resort honored Charlie by naming the skischool after him last year. The Charlie Rice Ski and Ride Academy was the culmination of Charlie's years of love, devotion and passion for the sport of skiing.

Charlie was a much respected certified member of the Professional SkiInstructors of America and was honored with the first PSIA-C LifetimeAchievement Award in 2005. Charlie Rice and skiing have become synonymous throughout the Midwest. His wisdom and example are cherished by his fellow ski instructors and students.

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The recent National Ski and Snowboard Retailers Association(NSSRA) article “O Proform, Proform! Wherefore Art ThouProform?” printed in the Late Winter Edition of the PSIA CentralLine newsletter provides the greater PSIA community an opportunityto view an ongoing discussion between specialty retailers and theirvendors regarding the role of Proforms in today's snowsport industry.

The opening sentence in the article states that “Proforms will be athing of the past if the National Ski and Snowboard RetailersAssociation have their way”. NSSRA would like to make clear thatthis is absolutely not our position on Proforms. Our concerns are not with Proforms themselves. To the contrary, NSSRA always hasbeen in favor of proforms. Our issues are solely with how our manufacturers distribute them.

From a specialty retailer's perspective, there are varying views on theissue of Proforms. Many retailers came into skiing and snowboardingthrough the teaching side of the business. Those retailers gained avaluable perspective on the importance of the instructor in the future growth of skiing and snowboarding and feel that Proforms are an important means of supporting the professionals that serveour customers.

At the other end of the spectrum are retailers that have supportedinstructors, racers, coaches and other professionals yet have felt thevery real financial loss of business due to the abuses of the Proformsystem by some of its beneficiaries and the Proform distribution policies of our vendors.

The NSSRA's official position on this issue is that we support aProform system where forms are distributed through a vendor'sauthorized retailers. NSSRA feels that Proforms serve an importantrole in the snowsport community. Clearly they are an important wayfor our industry to support the individuals that are so very importantto the health and well-being of our sport. Secondly, they are animportant means by which snowsport vendors can promote and position their performance oriented equipment to the skiing andsnowboarding community.

What retailers object to are the flagrant abuses of the Proform system by vendors and their agents.

The ski and snowboard business has never been tougher. While theNational Ski Area Association reports that skier days are relativelyeven for the last 20 years, the retail world has been rocked. Theindustry has seen over 1,200 specialty ski/snowboard retailers closein the last 10 years and we have lost the sales of some 300,000 sliding units (a generic way of talking about skis and boards). There

NSSRAEXPLAINS

POSITION ONPRO FORMS

by Brad Nelson,

NSSRA Chairman

PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

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are a number of theories as to why this might be,too many to get into in this short article. The pointis that, at the same time the remaining specialtyretailers are working hard to support the stake-holders of our sport, we are facing flagrant abusesof the Proform system by some of our vendors.

Some of these abuses are: closeout or previousyear's equipment being dumped to the pro market(How does this help promote the new gear retailers have on their shelves?); area and pro reps who offer forms to anyone with a warm pulseand a credit card; the purchase of multiple modelsof gear by some pros so that it can be re-sold;friends and family hook-up cards that allow benefits that are specifically extended to pros to be passed along to family members, neighborsand co-workers. In a declining market, these abuses are like death by a thousand cuts to specialty retailers who work hard to support pros and the greater community of skiers andsnowboarders.

Specialty retailers have worked hard to supportprofessionals in our sport and now we need yourhelp. Here's how you can help;

1) If you are in the market for new Proformequipment, please shop prior to Nov 1st and please shop with your local specialtyretailer first. You'll get the same Proform from your local retailer that you'll get from the pro rep or a website. The benefitof shopping with your local retailer is that (a) you'll get more selection, (b) you'll usually get a break on service work, (c) you'll be able to try competing vendors' equipment and (d) you'll get the gear that will fit you best. Everyone gains by a strong relationship between the pro and their local specialty retailer; the pro, the retailer and the customer. Help us help you help our customers.

2) Please work with area and pro reps that support their local retailers. Area reps and pro reps that refer you to local retailers perform a tremendous service to

both you and the local retailer. Area repsand pro reps that pass out forms that encourage you to bypass the local retailer are either weak in the marketplace and are struggling for sales or are cheating the very retailers that carry their product. Either way, it's hurting thelocal retailer that is there to support you.If you need product, ask your retailer first.

3) As an industry professional you qualify for preferential, promotional, pricing from snowsport vendors. These prices are not only less than what the general consumer pays; they are in some cases less than what a retailer pays for the verysame product. Please be sensitive to the fact that the student in your class and the customer standing next to you in thestore pays a different price. Please don't talk about what you paid for your gear.

The ski and snowboard industry would not existif it weren't for the efforts of instructors, patrollersand other industry professionals. Likewise, itwould not exist without dedicated specialty retailers. Our industry is facing tremendous competition from all the activities and productsvying for our customer's time and attention. Forthe health of our industry and for the well beingof the sports we all love, please support your specialty retailer.

Our industry

is facing

tremendous

competition

from all the

activities and

products

vying for our

customer's

time and

attention.

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AS

EA-C

CER

TIF

IED

IN

STR

UC

TO

RS

ADAPTIVELEVEL 1Steven CampbellJennifer HoffmanPhong LuongPaul MilesKevin Richman

ALPINE LEVEL 1Karen AbendrothJohn AmesDavid K. AndersonRick AndersonIndia BaughmanBob BellCurtis BennettLisa BogumillEmma BorrmannAnn BrdostDerek BroeringChristopher J. BrownCharles BryseKurt BuckwellWendy BungeryThomas J. BungiEmil BurlacuEmilian BurlacuGreg CalhounChris CarlsonCheryl CarrEric CellMarty ChalupaWilliam ClaireJulie ClarkMartha CohenNancy ColeRachel CollinsDerek ComaiJason CooperAlison CouzensSteven CraigEvan CretneyGeorge CutaiarJonathan DavisKimberly DeGroveJeff DekkoSarah DriscollMarcia EbaughMary EnglerNick Evans

David Bradford FieryLauren FlachVera FlorovBarbara Jean FontanaAndrew FrenchJonathan FrenchScott H. FurmanDan GallagerBarbara GeeScott GerlicherEugene GibbonsForrest GibsonJerome GildnerValerie GonikmanLafe GoodfellowJason GrandyBrenda Grundeen StrehlowConnie HammondSherry HansonMarcus HarrisAnthony HermanAnthony HermanDale HesselrothMike HillCaitlin HiteGregory Roger HoelJeremy HofstetterDon HollisTom HollowayTracy L. HowellChristopher HunterH Alfred HurstNicholas JamesRyan M. JohnsonCheryl JohnsonClayton JuelfsJerome KaminskiKathryn KaporisSarah KellyDrew KerberDon KerrSarah Korb Julie Kosanke David Kramer Joseph Kramer Dennis Krankowski Sherry Krueger Samuel Lantz Phillip Laverdiere Robert Lee Bruce LeFevre

Caroline Leider Michael Leininger R. Eric Lloyd Kathleen Lugio Mark Lurch Philip Maaninen Rauno Maaninen Dennis Malkowski Katherine Markey Doug Marsh Kirk Marthaler Michael Martien Annie Massie Timothy Mayes Jeff McKenna Gregory Merz Francoise L. Michno Dennis Mikulich Eric Mintalar Bryce Moltzan Nancy Morley David Murray Eric Nelson Julie Nitzsche Ben Noren Annaka Norris Tonya Odadzin Johann Odermann Lawrence P. O'Keefe Mason V. Palmer Donald R. Park April Payne Paige Pearson A. Pedersen John Pelmear Davey Peterson Renee C. Peterson Gary Phleger Tom Prentice Scott Ramm Alicia Rigoni Seth Rissmann Cody Rollings Lenore Roose Chris Roth Terrance P. Ryan Dean Sandell Georg Schluender Erik Schuller Donald Sevre Timothy O. Shaughnessy

FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF CERTIFICATIONS OBTAINED IN THE 2006-2007 SEASON

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Karl Sieve Francis Simpson David Smith Cary Smith Jay Soule Michael Spector Juli Ann Sprunger Denny Stafl Matthew Stair James Stringer Steve Terry Kevin Tolzmann John Travis John Vining Tony Wagener Amy Jo Warrick Timothy Weinand Peter Wemple Stan Weston Sharon Wiggins Sarah Wild Susan Williams James Williams Joseph Wing Russell Page Witte-Dycus Teresa Wolfe Temple Wray Charles Yole Emily Yurga John Zaegel Carl Zeilon

ALPINE LEVEL 2Rick AdamsRick AdamsHeidi Marie Anderson Paul Bowman Raymond Boyle Diana Carlson Raphael Cohen Douglas Danks Steven C. Doane Tomiko Ford John Kohler David Martella Anne E. Mattack Jane Karen MausserJim McleodTim Peter MolitorFred Pike IIBrian Christopher PitmanGregory M. PolanskiLogan PricePaul S. Rosenberg

Shawn RyanDon SelbitschkaRick Owen SilvermanMichael StencelJohn A. TaylorBruce M. VanBurenDonald J. WeisbrodNathaniel J. WertJohn WheelerLeslie Wilcox

ALPINE LEVEL 2SKIINGACCREDITEDRyan Vanderscheuren

ALPINE LEVEL 2TEACHINGACCREDITEDLucas Blazejewski Robert A. Bright Michele Cashmore Ron Cousineau Eric Gesteland Charles T. Herzog David A. Hesse Laurie McMurray Mark Pompilio Joni E. Rapp Shannon Christine Schmitt Nancy Vrabec

ALPINE LEVEL 3Derek G. AlthofJohn H. Bellamy Michael Wietecki

CHILDREN'SACCREDITATIONJohn Brandt Paul D. Burns Debbie Charbel Caroline Dawson William M. Dickel Deborah Kim Dukes Koren Griffis Patrick L. Hall William L. Hicks Armella C. Jenkins Niels R. Jensen David W. Johnson John B. Kerber

Erich A. Krausser Michael R. LaFleur Scott Lanphear Cherie LeTourneau-Shearer David Luebke Paul W. Maahs Kevin McCarthy Laurie McMurray Marlene Moreno Robert L. Neff Julie O'Neill Robert Platzer Adam Putney Jeff Rechten Paul Rechten Doug Tomayko Liesel M. Virchow John Wilson Karen Youker

FREESTYLEACCREDITATIONGregory D. Barnes Candice Dungan Keven D. Gee Jeffrey Hessler Andrew D. Joy Franz A. Lieder Gregory James Reister Amy Schultz Nick Schultz

NORDIC TRACKLEVEL 1Erik Berg Thomas Brian

SNOWBOARDLEVEL 1Andrew Andrepoulos Amir Ansari Brian Bakken Andy Beemer Brent Beveroth Ross Bjella Heather Blake Grant Boerhave Scott Boggess Robert Bosworth Chris Brachna Briston Brocker

Continued on page 16

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Rachel Brosnahan Katie Bueter Luke Burke Philip Cabreana Matt Chalupa Jason Chrzan Adam Clark Warren Cleary, II Amanda Cole Chase Coleman Randy Cox Andrew DeCrans Thomas DeHaas Melissa Dickson Brent Easton Luke Eichten Nissma Eldeeb Michael Ferrell Jason Fischer Adam Foster Erika Friedman Myles Fullerton Christopher Gardner David Goodman Sean Greene Garret Greer Larry Grifin Gabe Hagen Mark Harring Michael Harvey Edward Hickman Cory Hoefs Christopher Hoffman Martin Holte Chelsea House Alex Jackson Obadiah Johnson Robert Johnston Emily Jones Clayton Juelfs Jason Kist Kevin Klasen Trent Klebe Laura Kletti Lyle Kuykendall Randall LaFoy Benjamin LaLuzerne Jennifer Lehto Dana Lockwood Matt Lullove Jeffrey Mann

Paul Markert Elizabeth Martin David McCabe Jim McCaslin Conor McClure Dustin Miller Nikki Misiewicz Jason Mowry Ben Mullinkosson Anne Murphy Steven Najem Mark Olsen Jennifer Omness Christopher Oniciu Erik Pederson Shane Penn Doug Powell Michael Raczynski Jill Reifsnider Tim Robitshek Josh Rosenberg Brian Rost Trevor Routman Cesar Santana Jennifer Sass Dane Seering Elizabeth Sibet Mariah Standal Neil Stignani Eric Sugg Brian Taylor Sean Tayra Joel Temple Nick Terry A.J. Touchstone Kelly Tousley John Vance Mark Vanosdoc Jack Venier Tyler Vitale Brandon Voelker Andrew Weaver Joel Weaver Michael Weaver Scott Weaver Corey Weinstein Joel Welsman Paul Whitney Brooke Wieczorek Gary Wilson

SNOWBOARDLEVEL 2William Ballard, II Andy Beemer

Robert Bosworth Rebecca Boyce Doug Brown Kendall Burt Jim Derrick Cory Hoefs Tyler Johnson Jessie Jones Michael King Karen LeBlanc Lynn Mallach Hunter Miller Charles Milton Eric Pestorious Ric Poorman Chris Raudabaugh Daniel Rinehart John Roberts Rod Robertson Joshua Ruffles David Schwab Chris Shanks Robert Shaw William Snyder Troy Southwick Nick Terry Jan Walor Aaron Wernerehl Bryan Wyzgoski Jarrod Zuker

SNOWBOARDLEVEL 3John RobertsDavid Schwab

TELEMARKLEVEL 1Lynn D. DinningDouglas FerronHiroki Hirata Steve Iuppenlatz Stephen Loukin Thomas O'Dea Shawn Ryan Bill Schulman

TELEMARKLEVEL 2Andrew M. Chinavare Linda E. Smith

CERTIFIED INSTRUCTORSContinued on page 16

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At the top, I wondered how long itwould take to regain my ski legs.When I hit the first steepish pitchof Chips (labeled the easy waydown), there was over a foot offreshies on it. I got ready to go forit, for skiing is like what Yogi Berrasaid about baseball: it's 50% physi-cal and the other 90% is mental. Ialso remembered what Mike Porter,former PSIA National Demo Teamcoach once said about skiing challenging terrain: The most difficult turn is the first one, sodon't let every turn be your firstturn. Not to worry. This stuffturned out to be hero snow. And,so it went for the whole day. Themountain was covered and very little had been groomed. On themorning of the 20th, I was fortunateenough to ski with Laura Schaeffer,head of public relations, and a skitester for Ski magazine, a reallyfantastic skier. The rest of the day, I skied with people from Central,including Lou Porter and SteveSmith. We checked out Alta on the 21st, to make the whole pre-Academy warm-up complete.

SOMEBACKGROUNDFor those who have never been toan academy. The first night beginswith a banquet, where there areservice awards, information, andintroductions to the clinicians.Then the group splits take place.There are three basic categorieswith a high, medium, and lowwithin each one. They range fromthose who do not want to slowdown, whatever the pitch, obstacles,or conditions to those who want to

take a beer break every hundredyards or so, and leave the hill earlyfor the hot tub. Much time is spenttalking to people trying to find acompatible group. One skis withone's group four out of the nextfive mornings, coming in for luncharound 12:30. In the afternoonthere are electives, both indoor andoutdoor, and a full day elective onthe third day. More on that later.There were 199 attendees from all9 divisions, 53 from Central, 48from Eastern (as one would tend to expect), although surprisingly,there were 47 from RockyMountain. There were 29 clinicians(26 current and former D-teammembers, 1 telemark team member,and 2 freestyle coaches), plus quitea few staff from the national office,including the event coordinatorKaren Hagaman, and the newEducation Director Kim Seevers.

THE ACADEMYI was fortunate to be able to skiwith an extremely good group ofskiers, four of whom, besidesmyself, were from Central, includingGlen Peterson from Minnesota, andDaryl Case,Pat Deibel, and KarlFladzinski from Michigan. Our clinician was Josh Foster, an awesome skier, a star on theCanadian Demo Team, from BigWhite Resort, British Columbia.Josh gave us lots of helpful pointers,individual feedback, funky drills,while leading us in free skiing overa wide variety of terrain.

The Canadian confederationapproach is closer to that of PSIAthan that of other national systems.Yet, there are significant differences.One of the most noticeable is thatthe Canadians emphasize far moremovement in the vertical plane(i.e., up and down), including morebending at the waist. Thus, some inour group who have been told byPSIA examiners to stand more

17EDUCATION ISSUE 2007-2008

upright were told by Josh to bendmore. Their mantra is BBSD - ButtBack, Shoulders Down. Yet, Joshstressed that there was no right orwrong way to ski, only conse-quences [For those interested infinding more, snowpro.com will getthe Canadian website, includinginfo on ordering manuals].

The snow was pretty good most ofthe time. On our second day ofgroup skiing, there was a foot ofnew snow, so we spent much of theday skiing powder on the steeps.Yet, several afternoons it got warmenough to soften the snow a lot onthe lower part of the mountain.Thus, there were two morningswhere there was real Midwest ice inthe early morning [Many of us whohave spent time out West know thatwestern instructors often complainabout “ice” that would barely qualify as hard pack in Central - I often tell them it's not ice unlessone can see the frozen beer can afoot below the surface]. Josh skiedthese conditions smoothly andgracefully, and gave us some goodpointers. He said that this was oneplace that “park and ride” definitelywould not work. We needed to beactive and soft, progressively edgingfrom the very top of the turn, all theway to the bottom. In particular, itwas important on the bottom half ofthe turn to increase the flex of thehips, knees, and ankles (in thatorder, but without pressing too hardon the cuffs of the boots) to reducethe pressure and stop the chattering.This seemed to work well for us.Fortunately, we had very few runson which to hone these skills.

Each afternoon, there was a cornucopia of activities from whichto choose, including working onbumps, carving, or skiing onungroomed powder and crud.There were also video sessions every

THE 2007 PSIANATIONALACADEMYContinued on page 17

Continued on back cover

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18 PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

For more information contact the Central Division office at (517) 327-0601 or [email protected], or check out the website at www.psia-c.org

PSIA | AASI-C

FALL WORKSHOPS

GIANTS RIDGE, MN

DECEMBER 1-2, 2007

Deadline to Register: November 16, 2007

Clinics available in Alpine and Children’s

BOYNE HIGHLANDS, MI

DECEMBER 7-9, 2007

Deadline to Register: November 23, 2007

Clinics available in Alpine, Children’s,

Freestyle, Snowboard and Nordic

Highlight events: Alpine Mini Academy w/ D-Team

and Snowboard Mini Academy w/ D-Team

REGISTER EARLY FOR MINI ACADEMY, SPACE IS LIMITED!

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AMERICAN SNOWSPORT EDUCATION ASSOCIATION - CENTRAL

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NATIONALDEMONSTRATIONTEAM AUDITIONS

Interested in attending the

National Demonstration Team auditions?

If you are Level 3 Certified and working full time

in the snowsport industry you can!

Contact the Central Division office by

December 15, 2007 to express your interest.

(517) 327-0601 or [email protected].

SPRINGRALLY

BEAVER CREEK, CO

APRIL 3-4Deadline to Register: 3/21/2007

Alpine and Snowboard Spring Rally including a Women’s Clinic w/ D-Team

NEW EDUCATION MATERIALS AVAILABLE THIS SEASON!

CHECK OUT THE NEW ALPINE TECHNICAL MANUAL AND THE NEW SNOWBOARD INSTRUCTORS GUIDE

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE NEW MATERIALS AND OTHER GREAT

EDUCATION MATERIALS GO TO WWW.PSIA.ORG OR SEE YOUR

2007-2008 ACCESSORIES CATALOG. ORDERS CAN ALSO BE PLACED THROUGH THE

CENTRAL DIVISION OFFICE, SEE PAGE 34 FOR AN ORDER FORM!

The second edition of the Alpine Technical Manual expands material about teaching,

movement mechanics, and ski performance, and also provides an organizing tool to

show relationships between learning systems. The new Snowboard Instructors Guide

presents AASI's Snowboard Teaching System (STS), a contemporary picture of

educational necessities. This guide will help prepare yourself to teach,

attain higher certification, and further your education.

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day. There was daily bootfitting work, both indoorsand outdoors led by bootfitter extraordinaire Jim Linday. Other sessions included women's skigroups, back country and avalanche training,working with disabled skiers, teaching techniques,and terrain park and half pipe teaching. On the offday, one could also clinic on children's teaching, as well as learn to telemark or snowboard. Finally,there were always the hot tubs when one wanted.Early each morning, from 6:45 to 7:45 a.m., therewas a daily stretching class led by D-team memberKurt Fehrenbach, a certified Bikram yoga teacher.

WHY YOUSHOULD ATTENDI would urge any instructor, particularly those of us from Central who do not regularly ski reallychallenging terrain, to go to an Academy. Thepackage is a really good deal. For $900+ one gets a 6 day lift ticket, breakfasts, and 3 dinners. Thelodging (also included) is not the bunkbed variety,

but luxurious rooms at the Cliff Lodge, with accessto a large outdoor pool, and multiple hottubs. There'slots of eating places, fancy restaurants, places toget sandwiches or a slice of pizza. Plus, 5 days ofskiing with the best clinicians in the world, freedemo skis from top vendors, and large numbers ofinformative talks and electives. And, for those whowant to work out, in addition to the skiing, there is the Cliff Spa, with facilities more befitting anathletic club than a hotel... a full weight room,numerous cardio machines, multiple daily yogaclasses, and, of course, their eucalyptus steamroom. There are also numerous spa treatments(massages, nails, skin, hair, etc.), but you will have to consult the web site about these, since they are not exactly my thing. Of course, the Bird is always a great destination, even without an Academy.

Mike Goldfield teaches at Pine Knob Resort in

Clarkston, Michigan

PSIA-C | AASI-C | CENTRAL LINE

PSIA-C | 3225 West St. Joseph | Lansing, Michigan 48917

Continued from page 17