First Chair: Psia-aasi Podcast

On this episode, podcast host George Thomas catches up with Maggie Loring who is the chair of the Women’s Council for Equity and Inclusion (WCEI). Maggie talks about the history of the women’s council and what their goals and objectives are. Maggie talks about one of the main focal points is finding and they are working to improve the pipeline for women in snowsports to achieve career goals within the industry. George and Maggie talk about how the WCEI is a member resource that anyone can tap into to help progress their own initiatives within the industry. Tune in to hear more or head to thesnowpros.org.

On this episode, podcast host George Thomas catches up with Pete Allison, Penn State Associate Professor of Values and Experiential Learning, Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management. Since 2016, the Penn State Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Management in the College of Health and Human Development has been working closely with PSIA-AASI to evolve the association’s National Standards, Performance Guides, Assessment Forms, and to transform practices to be consistent across the country based on What Makes a Great Snowsports Instructor. The partnership has been key to aligning PSIA-AASI’s educational framework and structure, while unifying the professional experience for snow pros across the nation. The certificate program has just launched for this semester and is going well! Tune in to hear more or head to thesnowpros.org.

We’re diving into the teaching situations, national standards, teaching with guests and much more with AASI Team member Brian Donovan. Brian and George discuss the full gamut of how to create great experiences with our students and guests. The first topic discussed is how important good communication is, which devolves to new hire training, figuring out the goals of the instructor and your student, and how to help them achieve them. Tune in to hear more about some of the intricacies of teaching snowsports and how you can improve at assessments and certifications, for more, head to thesnowpros.org.

Geek out with some pro snowboarders and hear about how snowboards are made, how to choose the right board for you and how to help your students find the right board for them. AASI Snowboard Team member Lyndsey Stevens and AASI Snowboard Team alum Chuck Hewitt sit down with Tony Sasgen from Never Summer to discuss all things snowboarding. Listen to this fun bonus episode and get some useful insights on how to manage your board and learn more about why a snowboard is made the way it is. Learn more at thesnowpros.org

What's up, Snow Pros? Check out this pod with Rob Berlin. An instructor at Copper Mountain with his Snowboard Level III and Freestyle III certifications. First Char Podcast host George Thomas talks with Rob about all things Freestyle like the exam process, how to work towards getting certified, and his pathway to success in the industry. Coming from the Midwest, Rob moved to the Rockie Mountains after college and tuned into becoming an instructor. Rob is now on the Intermountain Development Team hoping to get on the Education Staff in the future. Learn more about Freestyle skiing and riding by heading to thesnowpros.org.

On this episode, podcast host George Thomas catches up with Kevin Jordan, a skier on the PSIA Alpine Team. Kevin and George talk about summers in Colorado and what is happening in Kevin's neck of the woods as a Mountain Bike Instructor at the mountain bike school in Aspen, CO. They chat all things mountain biking and instruction from Colorado. Listen in to hear the insights of going from a ski instructor to a mountain bike instructor. Learn more: thesnowpros.org.

On this special episode, we sit down with National Team member Kevin Jordan, National Team Alumna Brenna Kelleher, and Alex Jackson from CARV. Alex talks about what CARV does and how it can help you get better on snow. Brenna discusses how CARV is your "accountability partner" when your physical snowsports instructor can't be there. Kevin discusses why he uses CARV and what they're doing in Portillo. Listen in to learn how CARV can help you ski and improve how you teach. PSIA-AASI members can get great discounts on CARV products by using their pro offers. Learn more by heading to thesnowpros.org.

Listen to this podcast to hear how setting attainable goals and managing those goals can help propel you further into a professional snowsports career. You'll also hear how this applies to other areas of your life. Angelo Ross, the Education and Development Manager for PSIA-AASI chats with podcast host George Thomas about the importance of setting attainable goals. Check out Episode 714 to hear from Angelo on why experimentation and exploration when giving lessons is important. Then, head to Episode 710 and hear about The Expert Trap and how to avoid trapping your students in one. For more, head to thesnowpros.org.

In this episode, podcast host George Thomas catches up with the Education and Development Manager Angelo Ross at PSIA-AASI. Put faces to the names and find our podcasts on YouTube! George and Angel chat about Experimentation and Exploration in on-snow lessons. In a previous episode, George and Angelo talk about playfulness in lessons. This is the second part of episode 706. Angelo talks about the differences and comparisons between exploration and experimentation. Angelo dives into details about how this applies to lessons of all lessons and he relates instruction to science. Giving a snowsports lesson is like experimenting. Angelo talks about ways to use experimentation and exploration in lessons and how not to overwhelm students. Head to thesnowpros.org.

In this episode, George Thomas switches sides and is the guest this week. George has a plethora of education in snowsports and in health and body sciences. Currently, George is working on a Nicotine Sensation program at the hospital where he works and one of the topics is tiny habits and how a small changes in your routine can help make bigger tasks more attainable. He goes on to say that the communication styles he learned from PSIA-AASI helped him create this program. Learn more about Tiny Habits and the story behind the series and hear some real-life examples of how this works. Stay tuned for more on Tiny Habits and insights from instructors across the PSIA-AASI community.

George Thomas catches up with a few instructors (Rob Berlin, Aleah Martinez, and Ben Potts) from Woodward-Copper. Woodward hosts on-snow summer camps by saving snow from the previous season and placing it in a particular location on the mountain. Kids get bussed up to the pile of snow and lap the close-to 900-foot magic carpet. The instructors and kids lap that carpet for the entire day. Aliyah talks about how she googled "where can you ski in the summertime" and that's what led her to find Woodward-Copper. Ben teaches snowboarding at Woodward and talks about how he enjoys the variety of kids that come and what interests they bring. The four talk about some challenges and successes that come from teaching kids at a summer camp and what makes this a rewarding and super fun experience. Learn more about snowsports instruction by heading to thesnowpros.org.

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with multi-term National Team member Chris Rogers. Chris is on the snowboard team and spends most of his year on snow. George and Chris chat about what the offseason looks like for a snowsports instructor or at least what his and his friend's experiences are. Burnout is real and having ways to combat fatigue is important to making yourself the best instructor you can be. Listen in for real-life experiences on how to prepare your mind and body in the offseason for another winter ahead. Chris mentions stand-up paddle boarding, wake surfing, and wake foiling are great activities to do to maintain some of those stability muscles used in the winter. What are you doing to stay prepared for winter?

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Angelo Ross again. Angelo is the Education Development Manager at PSIA-AASI and is a wealth of knowledge on many topics. George and Thomas talk about the "Expert Trap" and how it impacts lessons and how you can be more aware that you're doing it. The Expert Trap is when students get or feel trapped by their expert instructors as they share all the knowledge they know. As explained, instructors sometimes feel they should give all the information at once rather than in more bite-sized pieces. George and Angelo discuss some examples of this, some reasons why this happens, and some practical ways to avoid being too overwhelming as a teacher. As it often does, it comes down to student-centered teaching and adapting to the needs of the learner. The tools to learn this and apply it can all be found in PSIA-AASI education materials. Head to shop.thesnowpros.org to find the right tools for your lessons.

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Ben Potts. Ben has made the National Team for another term and reflects on what this experience was like compared to other selections. George and Ben talk about what the planning looked like leading up to the 2024-28 team selection and what's ahead as this next term begins. Ben is working at Woodward Copper in Colorado on snow with summer camps and students. Later this summer he'll be heading to New Zealand to focus on instructor training before he comes back to the states for next winter!

Ever thought about going for a certification in another discipline? Listen in on this episode with First Chair host George Thomas and PSIA-AASI Education Development Manager, Angelo Ross, about why you might consider this approach. "I've quit thinking of everything I do as separate disciplines ... I have reframed them all into trying to figure out how my body works. When I started taking that approach to skateboarding, telemarking ... that was the thing that tied all these disciplines together in my mind."

Meet Stacy Garcia, a college student who went from never skiing to taking her first lesson to becoming a certified PSIA-AASI Level 1 Alpine instructor in just 14 months. Listen in on her conversation with First Chair host George Thomas as she tells the story of her rapid rise after falling completely in love with skiing as an adult.

Join First Chair Host George Thomas and Angelo Ross, PSIA-AASI's education development manager and a former high school teacher for a deep dive into that what, how, and why of play and experiential learning. Play is a key component of PSIA-AASI's teaching skills fundamentals and not exclusive to children's lessons. If you've ever been stuck in your teaching style, want to grow your skills and adaptability, or are looking to better connect with a wider variety of students, give this episode a listen for education, inspiration, and examples!

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas introduces us to Brian Donovan, a second-term PSIA-AASI National Team snowboard member based in Vermont. Brian is driven by possibilities and opportunities, and is inspired by the immense talent of the Team. His preparation was all about connecting the work done on-snow with members to the educational foundations that back up our materials.

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with National Team member Kevin Jordan. Kevin was just re-selected as a member of the Alpine Team this past April in Big Sky, MT. George and Thomas chat about the nerves re-trying out for the National Team brings and what brought on the most anxiety in the process. Kevin tried out for the team three times before he was eventually selected in 2021. He talks about how this experience has given him a bit more insight into the process and what to expect. With that, Kevin mentions that there are always still unknowns in every selection. George questions Kevin and what was the hardest and the most rewarding task he had to do during selection week. George and Kevin chat about future plans and Interski 2027 in Vail, CO. Learn more about snowsports education and the National Team by heading to thesnowpros.org.

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with National Team member Chris Rogers. Chris was just selected for his third term on the PSIA-AASI National Snowboard Team. Hear why Chris decided to re-tryout for the team and what his entire career on the team has looked like. George talks to Chris about some of the exciting things coming up and how that played a role in Chris's decision to go for a third team. They also talk about some of the more difficult tasks that stood out during the selection process. To learn more about the National Team and the entire process, visit thesnowpros.org.