07falledge

President’s MessageMore in Store than Before

As November sneaks up on the northern hemisphere another season of sliding takes aim on all of us eager to put our summer training regiments to the test. Over the summer your Western Board of Directors met to piece together a season full of exciting events and expanded

offerings. Leveraging off the momentum of a fully incumbent board returning for ’07-’08 you can expect more event scheduling options, added publi-cations and materials, expanded Ed Core and Education Founda-tion Scholarship event scope, a new Senior’s Level I Specialist Accreditation to complement the Level II offered at Convention, greater alignment between disci-plines, added recognition items and a completely revamped website with greater e-commerce capabilities.

Event Calendar . . . pgs. 12 & 13

National Dues Increase. . . . pg.14

In Defense of Gravity . . . . . . . . pg.17

Remembering Thredbo, 10 years later . . . . pg. 20

Launching our New Website and So Much More....

This fall kicks off a number of new benefits that deliver quality services to our membership including member snowsport schools and their directors. These improvements were developed after careful consid-eration of your feedback on how we deliver services, growing our member base, and our commitment to increasing the member benefit package.

2007-08Updates Heidi Ettlinger – Publicity & Advisory Committee

One of the most significant changes this season will be how you access information and sign up for events using the new web site. We have created menu options that divide-up the disciplines to make accessing certifi-cation and event information more straightforward, as well as providing several new opportunities to register for events and re-new your membership online. One of our goals is to make locating important information from manuals and study guides to preparing for Module/Certification events easier. We encourage you

(cont. on pg. 15)

The Board has also moved out on the effort to grow and expand the Education Foundation and associated scholarship fund through the implemen-tation of a structured strategic plan based on the recommendations outlined in the Streamline Con-sulting study conducted last season. Based on the themes of Leadership, Camaraderie, Adventure, and Excellence, areas of concentration include member-ship growth and retention, international exchanges, expanded event scope and tiered adventure offerings, and active solicitation of corporate sponsorship, mu-tual by-products of which are intended to be broader membership access to additional perks and increased exposure for our sponsors. Stay tuned and keep your (cont. on pg. 21)

Neil Bussiere, ASEA-W President

By Neil Bussiere, ASEA Western President

theedge • Fall 2007 Page 2

Fall Events

Fall Rally/Alpine Ed Core Heavenly Ski Resort December 2-3, 2007

Space is limited to 100 par-ticipants, so get this application in as soon as possible to the PSIA/AASI-W office.

Fall Rally is open to all members and will offer a variety of Educational clinic topics. You may attend one or both days.

Alpine Ed Core is for Level 3 certified members and Level 2’s who are the primary trainers at their snowsports school. Recommended for members who want to try out for Tech

Come get “fired up” for the 2007-2008 season, hone your skills and fulfill your educational requirements. Use the website or the “Event Application” to your right to sign up.

Team, or will be conducting In-House training at their school. Both days recommended. Level 2’s please e-mail Mike Hafer, [email protected] for permission to attend.

Snowboarders, don’t be shy! We will definitely be there offering clinics.

Cost is $40 per day, which in-cludes a Heavenly lift ticket.

Snowboard Ed Core Heavenly Ski Resort December 3-4, 2007

Snowboard Ed Core is for Level 2 and Level 3 certified members who are the primary trainers at their school. Cost is $40 per day, which includes a Heavenly lift ticket.

Nordic Symposium Donner Summit December 12-14, 2007

Nordic Symposium is an event for Telemark and Cross Country ski-ers to jump start the season with a variety of education clinics and exam prep opportunities.

The Cross Country events will be held at the Auburn Ski Club and Royal Gorge, and the Telemark at Sugar Bowl.

Cost is $60 per day for Education clinics and a sliding scale for Exam Prep (see below.) Exam preps offered at Nordic Synposium:Dec. 12 – Cross Country Level 1 Prep Auburn Ski Club . . . . . . . . . . . . .$70

Dec. 12 – Telemark Level 1 Prep Sugar Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$70

Dec. 13-14 – Telemark Level 2 Prep Sugar Bowl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$80

Participants will be required to purchase lift tickets unless they hold a pass at the above areas. Expected prices are: $15 at Sugar Bowl, $19 at Royal Gorge, and no charge at Auburn Ski Club.

We will be holding our banquet Wednesday, Dec. 12 – location and price to be determined. Numerous lodging options are available in the Truckee area.

Here are a couple options near the events: Clair Tappan Lodge, operated by the Sierra Club @ $54/night, www.ctl.sierraclub.org; Ice Lakes Lodge @ $100/night, www.royalgorge.com, click on “lodging.”

theedge The Edge is a publication of the The Western Division of Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA-W) and the American Association of Snow-board Instructors (AASI-W) covering California and Nevada. We are one of nine divisions that make up the American Snowsports Education As-sociation (ASEA). PSIA was founded in 1961 to devel-op a standardized system for teach-ing and to unify instructors through-out the country in the disciplines of: Alpine, Nordic, Snowboarding, Adaptive, as well as Backcountry.

The Edge is published three times annually.For advertising submissions and information, contact our office:PSIA/AASI Western Division9709 Highway 267, Suite B, Truckee, CA. 96161phone (530) 587-7642fax (530) [email protected]

For all membership inquiries, check out our website at www.psia-w.org or contact our office for additional information.

Spring Convention – April 18-20, 2008issues of “The Edge” as the season progresses.

Responding to member sugges-tions, we will be offering more selection for attendees who want to try a snowboarding or adaptive clinic. How about, “Fun with Sit Skis?”

We expect a very high-energy event, as tryouts for the PSIA/AASI National Tech Teams will be held at Mammoth following our event.

Visit www.psia-w.org for more information!

Mammoth Mountain will again be hosting our Spring Convention. This event is built around opportuni-ties for camaraderie and fellowship with our fellow instructors, com-bined with an impressive array of on-snow clinics and learning expe-riences. Mammoth has offered our membership discounts at all three Mammoth operated resorts, Mammoth Mountain Inn, Juniper Springs Resort, and The Village.

Information on lodging and event registration will be located on our website, and in future


Elissa was born in New York in 1933 and began skiing in Vermont and New Hampshire in 1954. She joined the Squaw Valley Ski School in 1967, was awarded her PSIA Associate Certification (Level II) in 1968 and Full Certification (Level III) in 1972. The following season she became an examiner/clinician and in 1974 was elected to the Board of Directors of the FWSIA (PSIA-W).

In 1975, recognizing a need that was not being met, Elissa started Woman’s Way Ski Semi-nars, the first women’s only ski instruction program. By 1978 she was running the seminars in 10 ski areas across the country, from New Hampshire to Califor-nia. Her book, Ski Woman’s Way, co-authored with Dinah Witchel, was published in 1979. There are now over 200 such programs across the country.

As a result of her experiences teaching skiing Elissa became interested in learning theory, in gender differences, and in the factors that motivate people and those that hold them back. In 1983, at the age of 50, she re-turned to school and was awarded a Ph.D. in Psychology.

Elissa is still involved with skiing and ski instruction, work-ing as a Special Instructor on the Squaw Valley Ski School, skiing 3 or 4 days a week, and giving

clinics for PSIA/AASI on such subjects as dealing with fear on the slopes, the psychol-ogy of the aging skier, and other aspects of


Honorary Members

Elissa Slanger

For anyone who has ever harbored a ‘closet’ Olympic dream, Nordic skier Nancy Fiddler pro-vides inspiration. Nancy started out as lacrosse and field hockey athlete at Bates College in Maine. As a sophomore, she discovered the sport of cross-country skiing and excelled, nabbing All-Ameri-can status.

After graduation, and an unsuccessful attempt at making the U.S. Ski team, Nancy moved to California and taught skiing at Bear Valley Nordic. In 1981 she completed her PSIA Nordic Full Certification and was the PSIA Nordic Chief Examiner from 1985-86. All the while, Nancy raced in citizen races, and kept training. In 1986, after teaching herself the skate technique only a year prior, Nancy finished first in a skating race at the National Championships at Royal Gorge.

As a predominately self-taught and self-coached athlete, Nancy made the United States Ski Team in 1987, and for the next six years competed on an Interna-tional level. Arguably one of the top U. S. Cross Country skiers of all time, Nancy was a 14 time National Champion and a member of two U.S. Olympic teams.

Nancy Fiddler

George Twardokens aka “Dr. T”

Nancy Fiddler – Photo courtesy of Mark Nadell.

sports psychology. Elissa was in-strumental in the formation of the newly created Senior Certification program in our Division.

Today Nancy continues her love of skiing and teaching as the Director of Skiing at Tamarack Cross Country, Mammoth Lakes, CA. In her ‘spare time, Nancy works with skiers of all ages, start-ing with the Tamarack Gliders program, and coaching the Mam-moth Middle School and High School Cross Country Ski Teams, the Far West Junior Nordic Ski program, and Masters clinics.

George was born in Poznan, Poland and was a world class fencer in his early years, par-ticipating in the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and medaling in several World Championship competi-tions. George became an American citizen in 1965, and began a long association with the University of Nevada, Reno, teaching classes

on kinesiology in the Physical Education and Recreation Depart-ment. First as a ski coach, and then Director of the UNR Ski School, George began studying the biomechanics of skiing, eventually authoring numerous publications on the subject.

George was an examiner for PSIA-W from 1968-1976 and held senior staff positions at Alpine Meadows for many years.

Skiing is a family affair for the Twardokens. His wife Halina,

George Twardokens – Photo courtesy of Lori Adamski.

Elissa Slanger

These six Western Division members are being honored for their outstanding contributions furthering the profession of teaching winter sports.

country and organization in two International Conferences of Ski Instruction (Interski) in St. Anton, Austria in 1991 and Nozawa Onsen, Japan in 1995 and has traveled and coached extensively in the U.S. as a D-Team member.

David served as a member of the PSIA-W Board of Directors (Education VP) and was Chair-man of the PSIA National Educa-tion Committee from 1998-2000. He also co-authored PSIA’s Work-book series and has had articles on skiing and technique published in several major publications. Today, David continues to teach and coach on a part-time basis at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area and looks forward to many more opportunities to contribute to the success of PSIA and its members.

Doug Pringle is a graduate of the United States Military Acad-emy at West Point and a disabled Vietnam veteran. In 1972 Doug Pringle became one of the first three-track (one-legged) skiers to be Alpine full certified. There was no adaptive certification at that time.

During the 1970s and 80s, Doug led a team of clinicians across the nation teaching people with disabilities to ski and train-ing ski instructors in adaptive techniques and teaching methods. They conducted nearly 50 five-day clinics over a 10-year period.

In the mid 80s Doug devel-oped an adaptive ski instruc-tor Training and Certification Program. He developed certifica-tion levels, teaching progressions and standardized methodolo-gies for all forms of adaptive ski instruction. He assembled a team of examiners and traveled to all the PSIA Divisions conducting certifications. After four years, PSIA integrated the program into its divisions.

Doug was honored by a plaque in the Ski Hall of Fame in 1990 and inducted into the Dis-abled Ski Hall of Fame in 1997. He currently serves as President of Disabled Sports USA, Far West.

Leroy was born in Logan, Utah in 1937 and started ski-ing at age 19. His ski industry involvement began in 1960 at Squaw Valley, where the winter Olympic Games had just been held. As a member of the Squaw Ski Patrol, Leroy was fortunate to work with leg-ends in the ski patrol and snow avalanche fields.

He began teaching skiing in 1971, joining Far West Ski Instructors Association (FWSIA) and passed his Full Certification (Level 3) in 1973. He joined the Kirkwood Ski School as Assistant Director that same year and was elected to the Board of Directors of PSIA/AASI-W. He served 21 years on the Board of Directors, including two terms as President.

Leroy returned to Squaw Val-ley as Assistant Director in 1977 and became Ski School Director. He remained in that position until the mid 90’s. He teaches skiing full-time at Squaw and plans on continuing into the future.

David Mannetter


We extend them our heartiest congratulations. Honorary Members

Leroy Hill

Doug Pringle

is a former downhill racer, and daughter Eva was a member of the U. S. Ski team, participating in two Olympics.

David Mannetter began his skiing career in 1965 at Kratka Ridge in the San Gabriel Moun-tains. In 1969, David and his family moved to Mono County, CA. where David skied at June Mountain Ski Area. Between 1969 and 1980, David continued to free ski and race as a member of the June Mountain Ski Team and the Far West Ski Association. In the fall of 1980, David was hired as a part-time apprentice instructor by the June Mountain Ski School, where after a short time, he real-ized how fun and rewarding it was to teach skiing.

Since that time, he has been an instructor, supervisor and trainer at June Mountain, Mt. Rose, Kirkwood and Mammoth.

David joined PSIA-W in 1980 and passed his Associate Certi-fied (Level 2) exam in the spring of 1981. He became Fully Certi-fied (Level 3) in the spring of 1982. David became a member of the PSIA-W Examiner Trainer Squad in 1985, and served as a Trainer and Examiner until 2001. In 1988, he was selected to the PSIA National Demo Team and served three four-year terms as a PSIA National Demonstration Team Member. He represented his

David Mannetter

Doug Pringle

Leroy Hill


Alpine By Mike Hafer, Alpine Vice President

New Season – New Offerings

A co-worker of mine came up to me this week and stated that we were in for a big winter. I asked what made him so optimis-tic. He said the large amount of pine needles falling off the trees was the sign of a healthy winter to come. His prediction, whether true or not, fired me up and put a smile on my face. The anticipa-tion of winter is why I love this time of the year. My ski buddies are rolling into town and bringing their energy with them for the up-coming season. So what’s in store for the upcoming season?

Our early season event, the Ed Core/Fall Rally will be held at Heavenly. The number of partici-pants will be limited on this one, so get your applications in early. The focus for most of us will be shaking off the rust from the summer. If you are interested in trying out for Tech Team, or will be conducting training at your mountain, I highly recommend Ed Core.

In response to your requests, you will see a number of new

course offering this season. First off, in an attempt to accommo-date our weekend staff, there are more clinics scheduled on Sundays.

New for the season will be a six day clinic for anyone outside of the industry that is interested in becoming an instructor. It is listed as the “Level 1 New Instructor Module” and will be offered twice this season (December and April.)

The “Fundamen-tals of Instruction and Skill Development” clinics will be for the apprentice instructor.

These clinics are designed to give the first year instructor some guidance in the beginner zones of teaching and skill improvement. These clinics will be helpful for those interested in becoming cer-tified down the road and for the mountains that may have limited resources for training.

Last season I received mul-tiple requests for clinics designed specifically for training candi-dates towards certification. Your wishes are granted. On the calen-dar you will find several “Level 2/3 Module Training clinics.” These are NOT prerequisites for taking the certification modules, but are optional days to give candidates a better idea of what to expect. The clinics will focus on the format of the modules, the standards, and feedback on your teaching and skiing.

For the ladies in our division, the 2 day “Women’s Seminar” will be conducted by the division’s top female clinicians. Please watch the web site for details.

I have invited Nick Herrin and Chris Fellows, both from the Alpine National Demonstration

Team, to give a couple of clinics in January to take your skiing and teaching to the next level. One day will be ski improvement and the following day will be teaching improvement. Bring your skiing legs to this one, these boys love to charge.

Our very own Western Dem-onstration Team will be trying out in Mammoth at the end of the season for a spot on the National squad. There will be two events offered that will give you the opportunity to ski with the new team, one in the north and the other in the south. This clinic will be a skiing improvement clinic. Come on out and meet your West-ern Team and get some feedback from the best our division has to offer.

To top off the list of new clinics for the season is one of my personal favorites, a back country day. This clinic will work in con-junction with the North American Ski Training Center. The group will be exploring the Donner Summit area. You will be expe-riencing some amazing views of Donner Lake and the surrounding terrain. There will be a limit on the group size due to guiding per-mits and safety. You must supply your own equipment. This is for a randonee set up only, sorry snow-board and tele! If you have any questions regarding this course you can contact the NASTC office at (530)582-4772.

Remember to have your appli-cations in by the two-week dead-line. Thank you for your feedback, which helped us to develop this season’s calendar. I look forward to serving you for another season as the Alpine Vice President. Hope-fully the fallen pine needles are forecasting a good winter for us.

I look forward to seeing you on the hill!Mike

Alpine VP Mike Hafer committing to a turn. Photo courtesy of Aaron Rosen.


I hope that everyone is ex-cited for the fun season we have ahead. I have been appointed as the Division’s newest Snowboard Vice President and am looking to continue to lead the Western Division’s snowboard develop-ment where Ken Mattson left off.

NEW REGIONAL SNOW-BOARD DEMO TEAM!!

First off, we must recognize our four new regional Snowboard Demo Team Members: Josh Spoel-stra, Steve Bethell, Ryan Goralski, and yours truly. These individuals have been chosen to represent the western Division over the next four years and will be trying out for the National Demo Team at the end of this season. All four team members demonstrated the potential to advance our stand-ing as a Division in snow sports education and we support them as they train to represent us all at a national level. The Demo Team will be training each month at Mammoth with the two selected Regional Snowboard Demo Team Coaches: Blair McLeod and Stu Rea. Make sure to talk to your school’s trainer about using Mem-ber School Clinic Days to bring

By Doug Fagel, Snowboard Vice President SnowboardingNew Regional Snowboard Demo Team!

a Demo Team member to your resort for a day this season.

EDUCATIONAL EVENTSThis year we will again be

offering a full module based certification program. This will allow our developing members to receive direct feedback in all exam situations and promote a positive learning environment at all certification events. We are adding some optional educational events to this season’s calendar that will offer developmental training to candidates prepar-ing for their Level 2 & Level 3 Teaching Modules. We expect that these optional education days will assist more members in their pursuits for their next level of certification.

With the great success of the Level 1 & Level 2 Freestyle Accredita-tions last season we will be offering a few more of these events on the calendar for this season. The Freestyle Accredita-tion Program is a great way to develop yourself as a freestyle

The Level 1 & 2 Freestyle Accreditation is a great way to enhance your skills as an Instructor. Photo courtesy of Aaron Rosen.

specialist while improving your ability to educate and ride in free-style terrain arenas.

THE POSSEThis past spring we set up

The Posse. This is the core group of Tech Team snowboard volun-teers for the Western Division. This group helps to distribute the work load of the Snowboard Vice President and will help to improve the productivity of the snowboard disciple for the western division. Look to the web page for more in-formation on the members of The Posse and which member to direct your questions and suggestions to throughout the season. Also feel free to contact me anytime at: [email protected]. We all look forward to seeing you out on the snow this season.

Exciting Employment Opportunities Available at Tahoe Donner

Race Coach /Staff TrainerTahoe Donner Downhill Ski Area is looking for a Level

3 certified instructor to help coach our Tahoe League Race Team. This is a great opportunity to gain race coaching experience while working with kids ages 7 to 12 on week-ends and holidays. During the week, you will be involved with staff training of candidates for PSIA certification as well as teaching group and private lessons.

Snowboard Supervisor /Staff TrainerTahoe Donner seeks a qualified Level 3 snowboard

instructor to supervise daily snowboard school operations ad develop and implement training programs for staff members seeking AASI certification. We offer competi-tive pay, free access to our Trout Creek Fitness Center and Cross Country Ski Center, as well as discounts at the Lodge Restaurant.

Ski and Snowboard InstructorsTahoe Donner seeks ski and snowboard instructors

for the 07 / 08 season. We offer competitive pay, in house training for PSIA and AASI certification, free access to the Trout Creek Fitness Center and the Cross Country Ski Center, and discounts at The Lodge Restaurant.

Please send resumes to: Jim Gregory, Tahoe Donner Ski and Snowboard School, 11509 Northwoods Blvd.,

Truckee, CA 96161. Email to: [email protected]

Children’s Greg Lyons – Children’s Chair

• Revise the Level I / Level II modules so that Level I candidates will be responsible to teach up to beginning intermediate, and be responsible for basic knowledge of one discipline (cognitive, visual impairments, etc.).• Conduct education events in all regions of PSIA/ AASI–W that will welcome members seeking Adaptive Certification for the first time.• Continue to improve coaching in education and exam events.• Simplify study guides and written exams.

The Adaptive Committee Bylaws are being revised to support these concepts. The Adaptive Committee will include alpine, snowboard, and any other discipline that want to participate in adaptive education and certification. The election process was conducted to give all adaptive certified members a voice in the selection of the new committee. How-ever, the new Committee is open to comments, ques-tions and suggestions of all members who have an interest in adaptive. We encourage members to take a clinic, seek out information on the PSIA/AASI–W web site or contact commit-tee members for information.

See you on the snow!Glen Smith


This summer the Adaptive Committee was reorganized to be more representative of the member-ship and to include all disciplines that are teaching adaptive in PSIA /AASI–W. The Board of Directors asked the Adaptive Committee to conduct an election to reestablish the committee to represent the regions and disciplines of PSIA/AASI–W. An Interim Adaptive Committee was formed and sanctioned by the Board of Directors to conduct an election. Current Adaptive Certified members were asked to nominate members to serve, and an election was conducted by mail and e-mail. The following Adaptive Certified members are serving on the new Adaptive Committee:

Chairperson: Glen Smith Secretary: Lynne Haile Treasurer: Robin Conners Nominations & Standards Chair: Peter Axelson Certification Chair: Brent Kuemmerle Communications Chair: Ralph Aros Study Guide and Written Test Chair: Karey Kusuhara Events Chair: Josh Spoelstra By-Laws Chair: Bill Bowness

The Committee met in Mammoth on September 22nd to plan the 07 / 08 season.

Some of the directions established by the interim committee are:

Adaptive By Glen Smith, Adaptive Chairperson

Adaptive Committee Takes a New Look

I don’t usually like to talk about the negative, but here are a few tips to keep in mind to pro-tect yourself and the children you are teaching. These guidelines were unofficially adapted from my AYSO Soccer training class.

Avoid situations in which you are alone with a child. This is challenging for the snow sports industry because of the large use of private lessons. When teaching private lessons be aware of your surroundings. Find areas that are practical for your teaching sce-

General guidelines for interactions to prevent misunderstandings with children:

narios, but within sight of others.Privacy in changing clothes

and toilet use should be respected. When necessary to supervise chil-dren in these situations have at least one adult of the same sex of the child do the supervising.

Touching or hugging should be in response to the need of the child, not the need of the adult. Give a hug from the side over the shoulders, not from the front. Touching should be done in the open, not in private and be of a brief, limited duration.

Sexual jokes, comments of a sexual nature, kissing and sensual massages are not appropriate.

Do not use corporal punish-ment in any form: spanking, slap-ping, hitting, etc.

It is the adult’s responsibil-ity to set and respect boundaries. When a child initiates inappro-priate behavior the adult must reject the overture. Above all, stay focused.

Western Division member Josh Spoelstra (pictured) earned the AASI Level 3Adaptive Snowboard certification last spring in Mammoth. Josh is the firstperson to attain this certification in the U.S.


With another winter season approaching we are all wonder-ing whether it will or whether it won’t. For many years it seemed we could take it for granted! I hope we’re up to our necks in winter weather by the time you read this!

I’m pleased to report that PSIA-W Nordic is ramped up for the season with some new developments that came out of the summer committee meeting. It was decided to formalize the length of term for Nordic com-mittee officers at two years. Cedar Seeger and Urmas Franosch were voted in as Nordic Chairperson and Chief Examiner/Telemark Di-rector respectively. The positions of Back-Country Director and Cross Country director will be voted upon this coming summer. Anyone interested in these posi-tions should contact Cedar or Ur-mas for more information. Their contact information can be found online at psia-w.org. The telemark and cross country handbooks were updated this summer, and are available for free on line as well. These booklets complement the Nordic Technical Manual available from PSIA national, and are important reference materi-als for understanding skiing and teaching. They are required reading for exam candidates, as they explain the exam philosophy and process, and contain invalu-able information on the structure of PSIA-W Nordic. Members interested in taking exams are encouraged to download the new handbooks even if they own older versions, as much information has been added, and numerous corrections have been made.

Starting this season, the Level 2 Telemark Prep Clinic and Exam have been expanded to 2 days each. This is in response to feedback from members who felt they would benefit from more

Nordic NotesBy Urmas Franosch, Nordic Chief Examiner

time practicing skiing tasks and teaching scenarios.

The back country program is being offered again to all disci-plines. There seems to be con-siderable interest among alpine skiers for back country education. Let your fixed heel friends know that they can participate in these events without having to tele-mark ski (Gasp!!). Back country education events can be attended with alpine touring skis or split boards. In the Nordic discipline, we bend over backwards to be flexible and inclusive.

I hope to see you all at the Symposium for the big Nordic throwdown!

Good Times “A-Comin” By John “Cedar” Seeger, Nordic Chairman

Season’s greetings fellow freeheelers! The first whiff of fall is here and my steps quicken in anticipation of the coming of ski season. It’s a busy time getting ready for winter, very much to get done.

I’d like to thank the Nordic Committee for giving me the opportunity to serve as Chairman of the Division. I acknowledge Randy “Big Dawg” Wall and Urmas Franosch for their guidance, care and leadership in the past years. As I follow in their tracks, both literally and figuratively, I am grateful for their friend-ship. Speaking of the Big Dawg, Randy has been put to work by the Inter-mountain and Northern Rocky Mountain Divi-sions to organize the 10th Annual Nordic Rendezvous, which will

be held at Grand Targhee resort on April 4, 5 & 6, 2008. Mark your calendars. Good friends, good skiing.

As we know, the strength of the Nordic Division lies in our connection to our sport, our clients and each other. I encour-age you, the Nordic membership, to contact me at any time to share your thoughts and ideas. I look forward to hearing from you, my email address is [email protected].

The ‘07 Nordic Symposium will be at Donner Summit this year, December 12-14, so save the dates! We have some creative lodging arranged that should suit the Nordic pocketbook (no, it’s not out in Betchawannaland). Also, I have been bidding on eBay for a couple of storm cycles to be delivered on time. The Nordic Symposium is notorious for some good powder skiing. Good times are a-comin’….

Remember, check the website www.psia-w.org regularly for Nordic updates and news.

Until then,Cedar

United States Adaptive Recreation CenterBig Bear Lake, California

WANTED: Full Time Adaptive Ski Instructors – Experienced adaptive or alpine instructors are needed at the U.S. Adaptive Recreation Center at Bear Mountain. Always private lessons, competitive salary, 35 hours/week through most of season (December – March ). Compensation D.O.E. Send resume/cover letter to [email protected] or call 909.584.0269. Ralph Aros, Program Director, USARC.

National Demo Team member, Tor Brown. Photo courtesy of Aaron Rosen.



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2007-08 E V E N T S Per Day Date Event Location Cost 11/15 Member Schools Meeting Mammoth 4/17 PSIA/AASI-W Board of Directors Meeting Mammoth 4/19 Member Schools Meeting Mammoth

Per Day Date Event Location Cost 1/22 Welcome to Adaptive Ski/SB Heavenly $60 1/26 Welcome to Adaptive Ski/SB Mammoth $60 2/2 Welcome to Adaptive Ski/SB Big Bear $60 2/12 L1/2 Ski & SB Prep Alpine $70/$802/17 L1/2 Ski & SB Prep Bear Mtn. $70/$803/2 L1/2 Ski & SB Prep Mammoth $70/$803/18-19 L1/2 Ski & SB Teach & Tech Exam Heavenly $70/$803/20 L1/2 Ski Exam Heavenly $70/$803/24 L1/2 Ski Exam Mammoth $70/$803/24 L1/2 Ski Exam Bear Mtn. $70/$803/25-26 L1/2 Ski & SB Teach & Tech Exam Mammoth $70/$803/25-26 L1/2 Ski & SB Teach & Tech Exam Bear Mtn. $70/$803/29-30 L3 Ski & SB Prep Mammoth $90 4/5-8 L1/2 Ski & SB Exam Mammoth $70/$804/18-20 Convention - clinics Ski/SB Mammoth tba5/5-7 L3 Ski & SB Exam Mammoth $90 5/8 & 9 L3 Ski Exam Mammoth $90

Per Day Date Event Location Cost11/13-14 Tech Team Training Mammoth (staff event, invitation only) 12/2-3 Fall Rally/Ed Core Heavenly $40 12/9-14 L1 New Instructor Module Northstar $70 12/12-14 L1 Module Heavenly $70 1/6 Fundamentals of Instruction & Skill Dev. Sugar Bowl $60 1/10 Ski Improvement w/D team Squaw Valley $60 1/11 Teaching Tactics w/D team Squaw Valley $60 1/12 Backcountry Day w/NASTC Sugar Bowl $60 1/14 L2 Ski Module Training Mammoth $60

1/15 L2 Teaching Mod Training Mammoth $60 1/23 Tech Team Training Northstar (staff event, invitation only) 1/27-28 Ski with the Regional D-Team Snow Summit $60 1/29-31 L1 Module Northstar $70 2/4-5 Senior’s Accreditation 1 Diamond Peak $70 2/4 L3 Ski Module Training Alpine Meadows $60 2/5 L3 Teach Module Training Alpine Meadows $602/6-8 L1 Module Mammoth $70 2/10 Fundamentals of Instruction and Skill Dev. Snow Summit $60 2/11-12 Ski w/Regional D-Team Heavenly $60 2/13 Giant Slalom Race Day Alpine Meadows $602/14 Off Piste for Women Sugar Bowl $60 2/25 Intro to Bumps Squaw Valley $60 2/25 Alpine Tech Team Tryouts Mammoth $90 2/26 Tech Team Training Mammoth (staff event, invitation only) 2/27-29 L2 Ski Module Sierra at Tahoe $80 2/27-29 L1 Module Snow Summit $70 3/1- 2 Senior’s Accreditation 1 Snow Summit $70 3/2-3 Western Women’s Camp Squaw Valley $60 3/3 Teaching Ideas Sugar Bowl $60 3/4-6 L2 Ski Module Mammoth $80 3/7 Park and Pipe Squaw Valley $60 3/10-12 L3 Ski Module Mammoth $90 3/10-12 L1 Module Sugar Bowl $70 3/13-14 L2 Teach Module Heavenly $80 3/17-19 L2 Ski Module Snow Summit $80 3/31-4/1 L2 Teach Module Snow Summit $80 4/1-3 L1 Module Sierra at Tahoe $70 4/7-8 Free Ride Accreditation Northstar $70 4/9-11 L3 Ski Module Alpine Meadows $904/9-11 L2 Ski Mod Northstar $80 4/12-17 L1 New Instructor Module Mammoth $70 4/18-20 Convention (3 Days) Mammoth tba 4/18-20 Senior’s Accreditation Level 2 Mammoth (Convention) $70 4/20-22 L1 Module Mammoth $70 4/21-22 L2 Teach Module Mammoth $80 4/21-22 L3 Teach Module Mammoth $90

Per Day Date Event Location Cost12/19-20 Children’s Specialist 1 Northstar $70 1/14-16 Children’s Specialist 2 Alpine Meadows $70

Alpine Events

Administrative Meetings

Adaptive Events

Children’s Events

Check www.psia-w.org for updates or changes.


C A L E N D A R2/4-5 Children’s Specialist 1 Sierra at Tahoe $70 2/27-29 Children’s Specialist 2 Mammoth $70 3/1-2 Children’s Specialist 1 Snow Summit $70 4/19-20 Children’s Specialist 1 Mammoth (Conv) $70

Per Day Date Event Location Cost12/10 XC Examiner Training Auburn Ski Club (staff event, invitation only) 12/11 Telemark Examiner Training Sugar Bowl (staff event, invitation only) 12/12-14 Fall Symposium Donner Summit tba 12/12 X-C Level 1 Prep Auburn Ski Club $7012/12 Telemark Level 1 Prep Sugar Bowl $7012/13-14 Telemark Level 2 Prep Sugar Bowl $80 1/9 X-C Level 1 Prep Tahoe Donner $701/10 X-C Level 2 Prep Tahoe Donner $80 1/11 X-C Level 3 Prep Tahoe Donner $90 1/28 Telemark Level 1 Prep Mt. Rose $701/29-30 Telemark Level 2 Prep Mt. Rose $80 1/31-2/1 Telemark Level 3 Prep Kirkwood $90 3/10 Telemark Level 1 Exam Mt. Rose $703/11-12 Telemark Level 2 Exam Mt. Rose $80 3/13-14 Telemark Level 3 Exam Kirkwood $90 3/26 X-C Level 1 Exam Tahoe Donner $703/27 X-C Level 2 exam Tahoe Donner $80 3/28 X-C Level 3 exam Tahoe Donner $90 4/18-20 Convention Mammoth tba

Per Day Date Event Location Cost1/15-17 AIARE Level 1 course TBA $70 2/27-28 Intro to Backcountry Riding TBA $60 3/19-20 Overnight Winter Camping TBA tba TBA Sierra Spring Tour TBA tba

Per Day Date Event Location Cost11/14 Tech Team Training Mammoth (staff event, invitation only) 12/2-3 Fall Rally Heavenly $40 12/3-4 Ed Core Heavenly $40 12/10-12 Level 1 Module Squaw Valley $70

12/14 Level 2 & 3 Training* Mammoth $60 1/7-9 Level 1 Module Alpine Meadows $70 1/15 Tech Team Training Mammoth (staff event, invitation only) 1/17-18 Freestyle 1 Accreditation Mammoth $70 1/22 Intro to Freestyle Coaching Bear Mountain $60 1/22 Intro to Freestyle Coaching Northstar $60 1/23-24 Freestyle 1 Accreditation Northstar $70 1/23-24 Freestyle 1 Accreditation Bear Mountain $70 1/28-30 Level 2 Riding Module Kirkwood $80 1/31 Trainers Accreditation Prep Sugar Bowl $70 2/1 Intro to Park & Pipe Riding Bear Mountain $60 2/1 Intro to Park & Pipe Riding Northstar $60 2/5-7 Level 1 Module Mammoth $70 2/5-7 Level 1 Module Sierra Summit $70 2/5-7 Level 2 Riding Module Mammoth $80 2/11-13 Level 2 Riding Module Squaw Valley $80 2/11-13 Level 3 Riding Module Squaw Valley $90 2/25 Trainers Accreditation Prep Mammoth $70 2/25-27 Level 2 Riding Module Mountain High $80 2/26-28 Level 3 Riding Module Mammoth $90 2/26-28 Level 1 Module Mt. Shasta $70 2/29 Shut up & Ride Bear Mountain $60 2/29 Teaching Level 2 Training Sugar Bowl $60 3/3 Shut Up and Ride Kirkwood $60 3/4 Teaching Level 2 Training* Bear Mountain $60 3/5-7 Level 1 Module Homewood $70 3/5-6 Level 2 Teaching Module Alpine $80 3/11-13 Level 2 Riding Module Mammoth $80 3/11-13 Level 3 Riding Module Mammoth $90 3/12-14 Level 1 Module Mountain High $70 3/17-18 Level 2 Teaching Module Mountain High $80 3/17-19 Freestyle 2 Accreditation Mammoth $70 3/19 Trainers Accreditation Prep Mountain High $70 3/19 Teaching Level 3 Training* Squaw Valley $60 3/19-21 Level 2 Riding Module Squaw Valley $80 4/16 Tech Team Training Mammoth (staff event, invitation only) 4/17 Teaching Level 2 Training* Mammoth $60 4/17 Teaching Level 3 Training* Mammoth $604/17-18 Freestyle 1 Accreditation Mammoth $70 4/17-18 Trainers Acc. Exam Mammoth $70 4/18-20 Convention (3 Days) Mammoth tba 4/21-23 Level 1 Module Mammoth $70 4/21-22 Level 2 Teaching Module Mammoth $80 4/21-22 Level 3 Teaching Module Mammoth $90

Nordic Events

Backcountry Events

Snowboarding Events

Check www.psia-w.org for updates or changes.


National Craig Albright – National Board Representative

National Board Focuses on Infrastructure Improvements, Dues

I hope after the long summer, all is well and that you are looking forward to a “normal” (if there is such a thing) winter as much as I am. Snow should be in the fore-cast any day now. There are some significant items to report on from the National front, so I will jump right in.

NSP splitAfter enjoying a 17 year

relationship with the National Ski Patrol (NSP), ASEA and the NSP have moved to separate the op-erations of the two organizations in almost every area. After 18 months of meetings and negotia-tions, the two organizations each hired their own Executive Direc-tor and the respective personnel to better serve the unique needs of each organization’s membership and mission.

ASEA retained the services of Mark Dorsey as the Executive Director of the organization and successfully retained most of the staff that we formerly shared with the NSP. The areas of member services, marketing, publications, administration and most of the IT department will no longer share employees and employee expenses with NSP and each of these departments will report directly to Mark. There will still be a couple of areas of shared staff, most notably the finance department, warehouse and some of the IT department.

Both organizations benefited from the 17 year relationship, as sharing the costs of doing busi-ness has helped us run lean opera-tions and keep costs low to our respective memberships. Though it will certainly be more expensive to “go solo”, the board believes that doing so will allow us to bet-ter serve the wants and needs our membership in the long run.

Software InfrastructureAfter many years of struggling

with an antiquated association management software system, it has become evident that we must make further investments in this important aspect of the associa-tion’s infrastructure. Our mem-bers, as they should, are constant-ly demanding faster, and more convenient services – many of which are web based – and expect us to deliver on these demands. Though this is a sizable invest-ment (approximately $400k), there is little doubt that we will need the more robust web capa-bilities. We expect that the new system will help us to provide the level of service our members expect in the years to come.

Strategic PlanningWith the new realities on

the National front (NSP split and significant software investment) there is an acute need to recon-nect with the nine divisions from a strategic standpoint. ASEA National will be hosting a Strate-gic Planning workshop in early October that will bring many of the key players from the divisions together to explore the oppor-tunities that our new landscape presents the organization. Neil Bussiere, Mitch Dion and my-self will be the Western Division representatives at this workshop. We will be reporting back in the midwinter issue of the Edge.

National Dues Increase 08-09Dedicated staff, better soft-

ware, strategic planning, new edu-cation materials…a responsible board has to ask themselves how are we going to pay for this stuff?

The National BOD has wrestled with the consideration of a dues increase for a couple of years. During the process, we asked ourselves if we are spending the members’ money wisely; if we are delivering good value to the membership; how might we gen-erate other sources of non-dues revenue; how much can our mem-bers afford? We have had only two National dues increases in the last 17 years, the latest being in 2002. We also looked forward with our financial projections to see how deeply we might dig into our modest reserves if we decided not to increase dues for a couple more years.

In the end, we could see that if we didn’t increase dues we would be either putting the wants and needs of our membership on hold or the association in financial risk. The BOD moved to increase PSIA/AASI National dues by $10 for the 08-09 dues cycle. It is our hope that you will support this ac-tion with your continued involve-ment in the association.

ClosingOn a personal note, it is a

great privilege to serve as your representative at the National Board of Directors. It is certainly a challenging role; at times fun, at times exasperating, always time consuming, rarely boring, and ul-timately very rewarding. I hope to continue to serve you well for the remainder of my time in office.

I don’t know about you, but I am antsy to get back out on the snow for some turns. See you on the slopes!

Proud members of a strong Association: promoting the profession and you. Photo courtesy of Aaron Rosen.

(cont. from pg. 1)to familiarize yourself with the new site before contacting the office – as we have developed several new pages of information to answer frequently asked questions.

Also new this season is a program to recruit new mem-bers from all four corners of the Western Division. Building our member base has a cascading effect on our entire organization. It helps us to develop better products and offer more services in addition to providing a vital service to resorts, snowsport schools, and the public. The retention of our current mem-bership is equally as important, especially recognizing the diversity among our members, in order to provide them with comprehensive benefits. The new recruitment pro-gram uses a multi-media approach to capture the highlights of in-structing and presents a thorough overview of PSIA/AASI member-ship and benefits. We will also be

Launching our New Website and So Much More....

holding resort specific meetings in addition to regional presenta-tions, to support resort training programs and provide information on membership, education, and certification.

Additionally, we have put together a new Level I Module for people who are considering becom-ing a snowsport instructor, but not currently working at a resort. This program combines 3 days of education with the formal Level I Module that meets our National Standards for Level I Certifica-tion. Participants will still have to complete 20 hours of instructing to become fully certified, however, we hope this program becomes a valuable resource for resorts and ultimately members of the public who desire training before applying for instructor positions. Building a stronger full and part-timer base in all four disciplines is crucial to providing professional instruc-tion to the public and maintaining


Heidi Ettlinger – Publicity & Advisory Committee Publicity

You Are ‘The Product’Snowsport instructors have

a reciprocal relationship with resorts. They provide us with an office and we provide them with a vital service. Instructors are the product a resort sells when people buy a snowsport lesson. How do you maintain or improve your product? All of this adds more value to your product and the resort you work for, in turn, you can expect to be compensated by the contribution that your product adds to the resort. Building strong connections with your home area is crucial to this cooperative exchange. Resort guests see us as role models and we represent the mountain with our professional presence, uniform appearance and leadership skills. We are a highly marketable commodity that adds

value to the resort and snowsport school.

Instructors (like private con-tractors) pay for their certification, are valued by their expertise and experience, and have to continu-ally attend on going education to keep their certification current. Like most professionals staying competitive in our industry also means regularly improving and refining the product we deliver.

There are several pathways to build your talents in snows-port instruction. Two options are resort-based training or educa-tion/certification with PSIA/AASI, neither of which should become a ceiling in your overall develop-ment. Certified instructors who maintain their membership have access to benefits from the

Western Division and our na-tional organization (www.psia.org – see member services for links to numerous promotional offers). Aside from these valuable pro deals, the most commonly used benefit is the opportunity to train with an elite group of accom-plished clinicians to sharpen your skills, challenge yourself, and stay current with the latest in snows-port instruction.

(cont. on pg. 16)

the integrity of our association. We encourage you to share this information with friends or family who may be interested in teaching. Dates and locations for these events will be posted on the web site.

The PSIA/AASI national site (www.psia.org / www.aasi.org) continues to provide a wealth of benefits from online educational resources (internet learning center) to promotional/professional offers. From the member services area you are able to directly access the Accessories Catalog, “Pro Offers”, and a member forum to communi-cate with instructors from around the country. This site is well worth checking out to get outfitted and locate the latest teaching guides for this season.

We hope you find our new web site helpful and look forward to your feedback. Please feel free to email [email protected] or [email protected].

Do you take advantage of opportunities to grow professionally? Photo courtesy of Aaron Rosen.


Publicity Heidi Ettlinger – Publicity & Advisory Committee

You Are ‘The Product’ (cont’d)(cont. from pg. 15)

You are the product…You are it. As a snowsport instructor, like other sport trainers, all that you bring to the lesson experience is the product. [Unless of course you find yourself in a fine dining on-hill bistro for three-quarters of the lesson -that’s cheating!]. A few questions to ask yourself, “Who uses your product and why?” “What do they want - why?” “Is your product fun, exciting, captivating, does it share your passion?”

Most instructors would say the reason they teach snowsports every season is because, “they love what they do,” which makes us a very unique group of people in today’s world. However, for many of us this is also our income or a contribut-ing source and we need to be fairly compensated and recognized for our devotion, commitment, and the finan-cial investment we have made as professionals.

So ultimately who is responsible for developing instructors and the product they provide to resorts and their guests? Considering the price of instruction, the vital role that instructor’s play in grow-ing the sport, and the amount of contact time that instructors have

“There are many people who want to be matadors only to find themselves in

the ring with two thousand pounds of bull bearing

down on them, and then discover that what they

really wanted was to wear tight pants and hear the

crowd roar.”

(Terry Pearce, Leadership Coaching… A Contact Sport. The San Francisco

Examiner, 4/00).

with their guests – this “prod-uct” is important to the entire industry. Instructors can make or break guests continued involve-ment. They can often sell people on the type of equipment they should purchase, and evolve their whole perspective of the sport. Instructors develop relationships

with their clients – often lasting several years and even traveling to different resorts around the world to guide them on their adventures.

Keeping our products competi-tive and belonging to a standout school of professionals entails staying cur-rent with industry initiatives, adding new tricks to your teaching quiver, and getting out there and actually practicing what you do. Devel-oping your product and maintaining it

also involves a certain amount of athleticism and interest in being the best you can be to market something that’s brilliant.

This season, grab the bull by the horns and take advantage of what the PSIA/AASI Western Division has to offer. The 07/08 event calendar offers something

for everyone with several one and multi-day education events led by the Western & National Development Teams, a 2-day Western Women’s Camp, back coun-try programs, freestyle coach-ing courses, and of course the opportunity to schedule trav-eling clinics. This could also be the year you attend The National Academy, something every member should do at least once in their career (and generally a sell-out event).

You are a part of an outstanding internation-ally recognized organization that values you and your contributions to the indus-try. For almost 46 years our association has been seek-ing out new and innovative ways to support instructors and maintain our reputation

of excellence. So regardless of the training opportunities your resort offers, take the initiative to improve your product– unless of course you really just want to wear tight pants and hear the crowd roar….

Instructor Position

Mt. Rose - Ski Tahoe is currently accepting instructor applications for the 2007/08 season. We are looking for responsible and enthusiastic individuals to fill both part and full time positions. Benefits include a season pass for you and a friend if you work the minimum of days, discounts on food and equipment, competitive wages, and much more.

Fill out an application online today at www.skirose.com or contact: Brian Ligon, Ski School Director, Mt. Rose - Ski Tahoe, 775-849-0704 (ext 220), [email protected].

Member Schools

Management meetingopen to directors and

management staff of our member schools

November 15 at Mammoth.

Bring your ideas and energy (and your skis.)

To my Sierras old time friends, Nick FIORE, Werner SCHUSTER, Marcel BAREL and all the brave new timers, who are busy inventing our modern world, just to remind them that some boorish truth cannot be discarded as old square tacky stuff, as it will still be with our children’s children, boosting skiers a long time after we will all be bygone. – Alan Bertrand

Unfair! I protest! I've

been on deck working my ass off day and night for a few billion years, and then, a mere 3 million year old, so-called, hu-man kind has denied my very existence. The Catholic church has condemned my champion Galileo, and nowadays, hard-nosed ski instructors ignore me in spite of the fact that they eat off of my plate! Unfair! They take me for granted just because I'm reliable and serviceable. What should I do to obtain rightful rec-ognition? Divorce? Go on strike? If I were to do so I would instant-ly take hundreds of thousands of ski instructors off the slopes, as they would stop sliding downhill and their charges, I mean their students, having lost all fear of falling, would stop spending money on said, ski instructors. Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself! Does Newton ring a bell?

Since its inception over 100 years ago, skiing has been taught without reference to gravity. However, no gravity, no skiing. Gravity is the me-chanical engine of skiing and the psychological obstacle to it’s learning. The salubrious terror of free falling down a bottom-less slick slope that skiing instills within any healthy-minded stu-dent is the main obstacle instruc-tors need to help overcome. The techniques for turning and stop-ping a sliding ski are so simple


Alain Bertrand, PSIA W Alpine Level 3 since 1969 In Defense of Gravity

the steep, amounts to throwing ourselves head first into a deep pit. In the name of ‘what’ should our students trust us, if we don’t help them face and overcome this hard fact of skiing?

It is about time we realize that in spite of our admiration for Schumacher the Formula One race car driver, the mother of three, whom we currently teach, just wants to drive her Beetle to town to buy groceries. In skiing terms, why shouldn’t we tell her that carving is a racing technique designed to accelerate and extremely useful to FIS racers whose unabashed purpose is NOT to turn but to carve a track as straight as they can? Why couldn’t we recognize that, in the whole universe, the sole and only means to slow down is friction, and that friction for a ski is side-slipping, and therefore, turning and stopping a ski involve side-slipping, and that we do side-slip a lot, as do world-cup racers whenever the turn imposed on them does not match the radius of their edge curve or whenever the gate comes up too fast? And that is most of the time. How often does a car driving school instructor teach rally techniques? Why should we teach speeding to

they hardly need us to teach them. The bottom line of it all is that we need to perform these actions while standing at a square angle with the slope, which, on

people who are simply concerned with finding out where the brakes and steering wheel are?

Pondering these questions led me to write “Glee,” the first literary essay devoted to ski-ing. While I lack the nerve to introduce a complete “new” skiing method after ATM’s and a thousand other excellent manuals already on the market, I do hope my effort can help us to break new ground in three ways: 1. Psychological tech-niques to overcome our students' atavistic fear of an endless fall induced by gravity. 2. Tap gravity’s driving force, which amounts to relying on balance in place of muscular force. 3. Develop skills into kinesthetic perceptions.

This new approach

could have far reaching effects on our profes-sion: speed up the teaching process, at-tract new categories of clients to skiing and enhance our image.

If I have piqued your inter-est, by clicking on www.skipanda.com you can download “Glee” for free. On the same site you can find a manual available in its Chinese version only, but the accompanying English DVD can be downloaded for free.

There is a soul and a spirit to skiing, let’s expand with it. Illustrations

courtesy of Alan Bertrand.

Can you say endless face shots?


Visiting one of the premier European ski resorts had long been a dream of mine. This past winter, that dream became a reality, with the help of NASTC (North American Ski Training Center) and the PSIA/AASI Edu-cation Foundation. I attended a six-day trip to St. Anton, Austria with Victor Gerdin, a former four-term National D-Team member as the groups’ guide and instructor. My goal was to observe a top-level clinician and study the chal-lenges of putting on a multi-day clinic. Specifically, I was interest-ed in the balance between provid-ing enough information without overloading or burning-out the attendee, and how the clinician worked with each individual’s unique learning styles, condi-tioning level, and all the while, maintaining the FUN factor.

Victor had been to the area five times for extended stays each trip so he had a good knowledge of the terrain. Our first day provided us with sunny weather and great visibility

of endless mountain tops.

Education Foundation By Greg Lyons

Going Back to School – St. Anton, Austria

However day two thorough six brought many snow-storms with white out conditions. It snowed from eight inches to one and a half feet per day. Vic-tor modified his plans, guiding us to stunning

skiing day after day even though lift closures and avalanche condi-tions became big issues!!!

St. Anton is a huge area. Ev-ery day we skied areas that were completely new to us. I thought we had already seen quite a bit by day two, but on day three we went to Rendl for the first time and then day four we experienced Albona, another new area. A good portion of day five we explored Kapall another area we had never been to. Day six NASTC hired a local guide and we found bits and pieces of all sorts of ‘secret stashes’ that were close to terrain we had skied, but were still com-pletely new. To my amazement, the last run of the six-day trip we skied a long, untracked powder run that we had never been to. Due to the weather we were un-able ski to Zurs-Lech. I can only wonder how many miles of unbe-lievable terrain are waiting for my return trip!!!

A skiing highlight occurred on day four when we went to Albona. What awaited us was outstanding. Victor guided us to the top of a huge treeless bowl with maybe twenty tracks in it. We completed a short hike and were standing at the top of Albonagrat. The snow was close to waist deep and extremely dry. Can you say Endless Face Shots? 3000 vertical feet and an hour later we reached the bottom of the trail physically exhausted and smiling for hours!! I am smiling now as I recall that run!!

As per my goals I watched and listed to Victor help others and myself. I observed how he dealt with fatigue and learning styles. He constantly checked for feedback and allowed each participant the opportunity to make practical choices, whether it was the opportunity for a quick break, alternate trail options for skill level, or even guidance back to the hotel. At times Victor gave comments of encouragement to push the participants; other times he backed off and let them decide their own destiny.

On a training note, I espe-cially liked how Victor did a very good job linking the morning stretching classes to areas of focus with all participants. His focus for me was on the hamstrings

and which movement patterns helped me

The top of Galzig. Nancy, Mark, Victor, Greg and Theresa.

Can you say endless face shots? – Schindiergrat Spitze

Can you say endless face shots?


Education Foundation

acquire the maximum extension of my legs. In my case, thinking of moving my heels away from my hips rather than the whole foot or the toes away from the hips helped. Breaking down the sensations in the toes, heel or whole foot and then adding calves and hamstring muscles while stretching gave me some very specific areas to focus on while skiing.

Everyday, there were Après ski festivi-ties! At the bottom of each major hill is at least one large outdoor bar. The Mooserwirt was our regular stop. Whether we showed up at 4:30 p.m. or after 5:00 p.m., the crowd would be dancing on the tables listening to old Ameri-can top 40 hits. You would be

jostled around and generally

moving with the crowd because the floor was literally moving. Depending on how actively you partici-pated, the quarter mile ski to town after the Mooserwirt could be quite entertaining. The nights continued for many. A person walk-ing through town with ski boots at 10 p.m. was not uncommon.

An unbelievably good time!Once again, thank you to

the Ed Foundation for helping provide the initial funds to go for this trip. Also, thank

you to Chris Fellows and NASTC for putting on such a wonderful event. I experienced new things, learned from a true pro, and had endless FUN! Simply put, a great experience.

Greg Lyons

Victor Gerdin and Greg Lyons.

Mooserwirt Village.

Can you say endless face shots? – Schindiergrat Spitze

3,000 vertical feet and an

hour later we reached the

bottom of the trail physically

exhausted and smiling for

hours!! I am smiling now as

I recall that run!!– Greg Lyons

Greg Lyons was a recipient

of a $500 Tech Team Scholarship, funded through the PSIA/AASI-W Education

Foundation to enhance knowledge and skills.


Education Foundation By Barclay Moore

The Sodergrens Live

A decade has gone by, a lifetime for a child and what seems like a moment in time for we old geezers. This July 30th marked the 10th an-niversary of the tragedy in Thredbo, Australia. In

the dark of night 2 buildings collapsed killing 18 wonderful people. Two of those wonderful people were my very great friends Mike and Mariam Sodergren. The year 1997, 10 years ago, was ter-rible, from the moment the phone rang in the middle of the night, to the agonizing week that followed, and memorial services here and down under, to the ski season that felt empty. I knew that these were special people, extraordi-nary mentors and ski teachers. And I knew, and still know, what marvelous friends they were to

many others and myself worldwide. I had a good idea then that their memory would live through many people in many countries, but I did not think it would continue as strongly as it has. Their pictures still hang on my wall, Mike’s key ring is still in my pocket and Mariam’s stool is in my apart-ment. Each ski season their names surface scores of times with thoughts of skiing, cooking and debating. This particular year because the anniver-sary year ends with a zero we purposely have Mike and Mim in our thoughts even more often. I hope you do too.

Their friends proposed to PSIA-W to use some of the funds donated to the Sodergren

Education Fund to send a representative to Australia to attend the memorial service at Thredbo on July 30th. In order that we make it an educational event that Mike and Mim would approve of we sent the fin-est ski teacher in the country to be present and to conduct a week of workshops on our behalf. Mike Rogan, US Demo Team member, did us and Mike and Mariam proud. Mike Rogan arrived in Aus-tralia a week early and traveled from ski area to ski area doing what he does best. Those

that knew the Soddy’s and those that have never heard of them soaked up the karma these two famous instructors from Califor-nia channeled through Mr. Rogan. From all that I have heard, from friends involved, it was an emo-tional week including a 1400 skier torchlight parade (world record) and a church memorial service for the 18 lost souls. The Thredbo Ski School held their own memorial and dedication for Mariam and Mike at the ski school before work on the 30th. Bravo Thredbo!

Ski teaching is a truly per-fect medium to spread good will, knowledge and fun. It has been 10 years without our friends and 10 years with them also. I thank you all for keeping their spirit alive and vibrant, both here and in Australia. I am proud to be their friend and happy to be associated with the organization that keeps their spirit skiing amongst us all.

Mike and Mim Sodergran.

“…The sun was shining and the snow

was perfect. It was a very fitting morning

to reflect on good friends that share the

skiing passion. There was a church service

in the pm and the whole town was there...

In the evening over 1,400 people loaded

a lift to set a record for the biggest torch

light parade in memory and honor of the

town of Thredbo and the friends who lost

their lives. It was an amazing display of

friendship, support and love.”Michael Rogan, July 30, 2007, Thredbo, Australia, excerpt from an e-mail.

If these skis could talk... Photo courtesy of Aaron Rosen.


By Neil Bussiere President’s MessagePresident’s Message (cont’d)(cont. from pg. 1) eyes open for these opportunities and events as they materialize. And remember, if we all adopt a recruit and retain focus going forward our ability to continually grow the membership will trans-late directly to ever-increasing resources making the expanded Education Foundation vision an emerging reality.

Across the division the sum-mer did produce some changes in the Adaptive and Nordic arenas with Glen Smith and John “Cedar” Seeger stepping up to take the helms of those respective committees. On the Snowboard front the Board appointed Western Demo and Tech Team member Doug Fagel to oversee the Snow-board Committee to both augment the internal committee structure and address the ever-emerging freestyle expectations associated

with teaching snowboarding. We look forward to seeing these appointments pay great dividends on behalf of the membership.

On the fiscal front, while the Board chose to hold dues in check for the upcoming season, they did move to increase Level 2 & 3 certification event fees in order to continue to deliver the best training, materials, clini-cians and associated feedback for those in pursuit these certification levels. In fact, many on the board continue to tout the relative value of the PSIA/AASI certifications in relation to those of other coun-tries where fees can exceed $5K to $10K for equivalent credentials. With that said the board does remain sensitive to our organiza-tion’s ability to attract and retain entry-level instructors and does strive to maintain fees consistent with that goal.

As leaders in snowsports edu-cation we look to PSIA and AASI to enhance our ability to grow as industry professionals recognized for teaching excellence. Throw in that dose of camaraderie and a little adventure and you’ll find it’s not hard to lock into a lifestyle of on-going fun and friendships. So think ahead, make a date with ’08, and prepare to slide with pride. Spring will be here before we know it… Take care and slide safely, Neil

Building lifelong friendships with fellow instructors; the best benefit ofmembership.Photo courtesy of Aaron Rosen.


Senior Specialist Accreditations By Ted Pitcher

Level 1 Senior Specialist Accreditation Added

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Bob Savage, #15, competing in the Olympia Beer Hotdog Contest – January 14, 1972. Heavenly Valley.

The introduction of the Se-nior Specialist Accreditation last year was one of the most talked about events at Convention. We awarded 35 Accreditation pins, and representatives of other divi-sions came by to see what we were up to. This year we are broadening the offerings to include Level I in-structors who want to learn more in this area.

PSIA/AASI-W has instituted a Level I Senior Specialist Ac-creditation, open to Level I, Level II or Level III instructors of any age interested in becoming bet-ter instructors of beginning and intermediate seniors. Successful candidates will receive our new Level I Senior Accreditation pin.

We have scheduled two Level I events, February 4th and 5th at Diamond Peak up north, and March 1st and 2nd at Snow Sum-mit down south. Our curriculum and handbook are on the PSIA-W website. This is a TEACHING CLINIC/EXAM, your skiing will be coached and we will use video analysis to help improve your ski-ing but there is no skiing exam.

On snow training and test-ing will consist of :

Technical elements of con-temporary skiing and modern equipment –how these elements can improve your own skiing. How to work with seniors in terms of pacing a lesson, group dynamics, and flexibility to physical limitations, and work-ing with novice and intermediate seniors.

Indoor afternoon sessions will include review of the Senior Handbook, the psychology and physiology of aging, and the demographics of the senior skiing population. There will also be equipment information on ski selection and boot geometry.

Candidates will teach and be evaluated on their teaching the 2nd day of the program. The Level 1 Senior Accreditation is not a skiing test; we will stay on the groomers, develop your teach-ing skills and coach your skiing there.

The Level 2 Senior Special-ist Accreditation is back and better than ever!

The 3-day event will again take place at Mammoth dur-ing Convention on April 18th, 19th, and 20th. This accredita-tion is geared towards Level 2 & 3 instructors of any age who would like to improve their skills working with all levels of senior skiers. Successful candidates will receive the Senior Specialist pin on the third day. Our curriculum and handbook are on the PSIA-W website. This is a teaching clinic/exam. Your skiing will be coached but there is no skiing exam. We will use video analysis to help improve your skiing.

On snow training and testing will consist of:

In-depth study into the technical and tactical elements of contemporary skiing and modern equipment as applied to seniors. We will study how modern tech-nique can optimize strength and balance, and expand enjoyment in senior skiers. How to work with seniors in terms of pacing a lesson, group dynamics, and flex-ibility to physical limitations, and


By Ted Pitcher Senior Specialist AccreditationsLevel 1 Senior Specialist Accreditation Added (cont’d)

working with novice and intermediate seniors. Candidates will teach and be evaluated on their teach-

ing on the 3rd day. Some of our senior instructors no longer ski bumps or steeps. Because this is not a skiing test, groups will be divided into two groups: Cruisers, we will stay on the groomers and the all terrain groups will ski a small percentage of moderate steeps. And moderate bumps. And develop teaching strategies for seniors on this terrain as well as contemporary technique on the groomers.

Indoor afternoon sessions will include review of the Senior Handbook, the psychology and physiology of aging, and the demographics of the senior skiing population. There will also be equipment information on ski selection and boot geometry.

The Level II Senior Accreditation last spring was a very successful event with lots of teaching information, lots of coaching and skiing and lots of fun. If you missed it last year, sign up for one of these on our website, or using the enclosed event application.

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adaptive program of your choice.

Great Jobs Available!Check out these great employment opportunities.

Sierra at Tahoe – Snowboard Training Coordinator & Ski & Snowboard Instructor Positions Available

Sierra at Tahoe is looking for a Snowboard Training Coordinator, and Certified Level 1 and 2 ski and snowboard instructors. Apply 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.

North American Ski Training Center – Office Manager/Course Coordinator

North American Ski Training Center: Office Mgr/Course Coordinator. Very computer literate, 3-5 yrs Mgt/PR exp., passion for skiing! [email protected]

Yosemite’s Badger Pass Ski and Snowboard School – Level III Certified Ski & Snowboard Instructors

Yosemite’s Badger Pass Ski and Snowboard School is seeking a level III certified ski or snowboard instructor to run the school’s training program. Six season’s ski/snb teaching experience preferred, training exp. desirable. Pay: $138.70 per day. Call 209-372-1432 or visit our website at www.yosemitepark.com/jobs

Sierra Summit Mountain Resort

Is seeking talented individuals to fill both supervisory and operational positions available in ALL departments.

Download an application at www.sierrasummit.com; mail to P.O.B. 236, Lakeshore, CA 93634; or call us at (559) 233-2500; fax (559) 233-368

Positions Available

Sierra Summit Mountain Resort’s Snowsports School is seeking full-time/part-time ski/board Supervisors, Trainers, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 and Novice Instructors for the 07/08-winter season. Sierra Summit is located 65 miles northeast of Fresno and offers a growing resort, comparable wages, onsite housing, an awesome mountain and an exciting opportunity. Please contact our Employee Services Office at 559-233-2500 ext 4300, or [email protected] and specify the position inquiring about.

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PSIA-W/AASI-W Board of Directors & Officers 2007-08 Officers:President Neil BussiereExecutive Vice President Carl UnderkofflerAlpine VP Mike HaferSnowboard VP Doug FagelNat’l PSIA Representative Craig AlbrightPast President Dave Achey

Directors:Craig Albright (08), Neil Bussiere (08), Heidi Ettlinger (08), Steve Evenson (09), Elianne Furtney (09), Chris Fellows (09), Mike Hafer (08), Greg Lyons (10), Ken Mattson (10), Ted Pitcher (09), Finlay Torrance (10), Carl Underkoffler (10).

Nordic Chairperson: John “Cedar” SeegerAdaptive Chairperson: Glen Smith

PSIA - Western Division - AASI9709 Hwy. 267, Truckee, CA 96161(530) 587-7642, Fax: (530) 587-4273Email: [email protected]: www.psia-w.org

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