First Chair: PSIA-AASI Podcast

PSIA-AASI Rocky Mountain member Stacey Gerrish discusses the 2nd Annual Skills, Knowledge, and Inspiration talk at Beaver Creek and her involvement with the event. Hear her presentation on "Adversity Is My Superpower" in this episode of First Chair.

PSIA-AASI Northern Intermountain member Muffy Ritz takes a break from cross-country skiing across Finland to check in with First Chair. Hear about her journey from border to border.

Beaver Creek Adult Ski School Supervisor, Ryan Leclerc, talks about when ski instruction went from being just a fun job with a free season pass to a career for him and how a concussion in 2015 led him to consider a role in operations.

Sally Deland, Paula Osorio, Twila Southhall and Alice Thompson report live from the annual Women’s Summit that’s happening March 19 - 21, 2018 and talk about their experience at this event and why it’s such an amazing adventure that helps them focus on their education. At the Summit, top female ski and snowboard pros gather to educate and inspire industry women.

Maggie Graham and Kathy Prophet, previous Canadian Ski Instructors’ Alliance team members, report live from the annual Women’s Summit that’s happening March 19 - 21, 2018 and talk about their ongoing research on gender differences that can help educate snow pros. Top female ski and snowboard pros will gather at this event to educate and inspire industry women.

Some members of the AASI Snowboard Team report from China, where they are working to help train Chinese ski and snowboard instructors for a Level I exam. Learn how this event is helping bridge cultures through snowboarding and help the Chinese’s government to reach a goal to grow the Chinese ski and snowboard population by 300 million before the 2022 Olympics.

Rocky Mountain member Lynn Hasday chats about posterior kinetic chain, which is a web of muscles and tendons that are all connected and run along the backside of the body. Learn why working on exercising key muscles in this area and getting the glutes properly firing can help you and your students improve snowboarding and skiing skills.

AASI team member, Chris Rogers, chats about how you can overcome burnout at the end of your season. Take a moment to take a few turns for yourself and reflect on why you love being on snow. You have a unique opportunity to create a great guest experience or to help fuel the passion in other snow pros by helping them to improve their teaching and skiing and riding skills. (Photo credit - Linda Guerette).

PSIA Alpine team member shares what is likes to have the #couragetocharge in both ski and whitewater racing. Learn what you and your students can learn from both of these sports and how being able to read lines and use features is to everyone’s advantage.

Check out this event recap from Logan Academy, including an interview with Kent Logan, the recipient of PSIA-AASI’s Distinguished Service award. He shares how instructors are a key part of helping retain guests. He shares that by being “yourself and bring a friendly smile,” all snowsports instructors can help to improve the guest’s experience.

Steamboat Adaptive Recreational Sports’ (STARS) adaptive instructors Anne Krieg, Andy Wiener, and Susan White discuss their experience going through the PSIA alpine Level I exam with Dave Schuiling, who is on staff at PSIA-AASI and serves as education director. STARS’ mission is to empower and enrich lives through adaptive recreational activities.

Three PSIA-AASI snow pros comment on Ester Ledecka’s recent story (who made history with double gold in skiing, snowboarding) and what skiers can learn from snowboarders and vice versa. Learn why spending time learning different disciplines can help you improve how you teach, ski and ride. Did Ester win because she looked at the course differently? Or because her athletic training from both sports gave her an advantage?

This week, first to third-year instructors are spending three days skiing and riding with several PSIA-AASI Team members during Logan Academy at Vail. Hear from AASI team member, Chris Rogers, on how this event serves a mission to help expand the tradition of the Logan Scholarship for PSIA-AASI’s National Academy and to create lifelong adventures through education. It provides national-level training to instructors that show strong performance, keen interest in training, and significant potential for future contribution to the ski and snowboard schools.

Stacey Gerrish, from Rocky Mountain, chats about what will happen on snow in your groups during the annual Women’s Summit on March 19 - 21, 2018. All ski and ride levels are welcome! Top female ski and snowboard pros will gather at this event to educate and inspire industry women. Learn more about the event, organized by leaders in PSIA-AASI Western’s division, at www.womens-summit.com.

AASI Snowboard Team members Nick “Robert” Alfieri, Eric Rolls and Chris Rogers chat about AASI’s Rider Rally, which heads back to Colorado's Arapahoe Basin May 7-11, 2018, for several days of incredible shredding and education. Plus, snag 24 hours of continuing education credits. Learn more and register now at http://www.thesnowpros.org/riderrally.