First Chair: Psia-aasi Podcast

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas interviews PSIA-AASI member Gordo Garlock. Gordo is on a 41-year streak where he has skied at least 1 day per month! As a former high school track and ski coach, Gordo had access to Mt. Hood year-round which made skiing possible every month of the year. Gordo mentions that climate change has recently made it very hard to keep this streak going since the Palmer snowfield doesn't hold snow as long as it used to. Even in years when no snow was available locally, Gordo traveled internationally to keep this streak going. Even after bouts with surgery and cancer, Gordo was able to continue skiing with the help of his community of friends and family. Gordo and George talk about education and how to be a better instructor.

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Makayla Meixner on why being nutrient-conscious during recovery is important. Keeping up with your calorie intake and eating three meals a day plus a snack help your body recover quicker. Makayla is a health nutritionist and has been a guest on the First Chair pod before. Makayla details how to correctly

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Julie Gacnik who is the Brand Creator. Pure Mountain Fun is the newest Official Supplier for PSIA-AASI. Started by two 10-year-olds in 2020 after a day of flubbing with ski equipment, Pure Mountain Fun offers an easy way to transport your skis or snowboards for kids of any size. This has proven to help families navigate the parking lot shuffle and allows for a hands-free experience when handling gear. This backpack-esque product is durably made and there are options for skis and snowboards. The product works great for transporting skis and boards through the parking lot, to the lifts, or to high alpine hike-to terrain. Shop Pure Mountain fun now by logging into your member profile and checking out your pro offers! https://members.thesnowpros.org/products/pro-offers

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Ryan Latham and Kevin Jordan from the Aspen Snowmass Snowsports Schools. Kevin and Ryan will be hosting the Inclusive Snowsports Group Facilitation webinar. Scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, 2023, from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. MT, this clinic will focus on creating functional knowledge of how to assess a student with a diagnosed or undiagnosed disability using the CAP (Cognitive, Affective, Physical) model and provide tools and strategies to help this student integrate into a group lesson. Register here: https://thesnowpros.org/2023/08/30/register-now-inclusive-snowsport-group-facilitation-webinar/

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with the folks from Mt. Hood Meadows ski school in Oregon. George chats with Tyler Barnes, Jennifer Lockwood and Katie Foyt. Tyler is the snowsports school director. Jennifer and Katie are alpine trainers at Mt. Hood Meadows. The team from Mt. Hood Meadows talks about how they are working to build community and how they're working to get more people on the slopes. Additionally, they talk about the energy they bring into new hire training and how that sets the standard for the entire experience. End-of-day group runs and daily recaps keep the team going and motivated.

PSIA-AASI First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with Katie White. Katie is the Scholarship Director for Women of Winter and the Ski School Director in Portillo, Chile. Katie is currently living in Portillo during the southern hemisphere winter. Katie spends most of her year on snow and helping to grow Women of Winter. Hear from Katie on what's happening in her life and what's to come this next winter in the northern hemisphere. Find out more about Women of Winter: https://www.womenofwinter.net/ https://thesnowpros.org/

PSIA-AASI First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with Peggy Hiller, the CEO of PSIA-AASI. Earlier in 2023, PSIA-AASI sent out a member survey that included questions about how happy members are with their membership and asked several questions based on the individual's experience. It was shown that many members are happy with the organization but our net promoter school was a bit lower than previous years. Peggy discusses what that means and how PSIA-AASI is planning for the future.

First Chair Podcast Host George Thomas catches up with Dr. Leslie Desrosiers. Learn how to elevate your fitness routine with sport-specific preventative exercises that take performance and longevity to new heights. Find out how simple it can be to add game-changing neuromuscular control strategies to your workout and keep your knees stronger and healthier. Hear more about how keeping your ACL strong in the off-season will help you avoid injury while you're on the snow next season. Learn more: bit.ly/3Pd3ZJm

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast catches up with Kyle Wilson, the Snow School Director at Nordic Mountain in Wisconsin. Nordic Mountain was the recipient of the Small Snowsports School Scholarship for the 2022/23 season. Kyle talks about the culture of Nordic Mountain and the impact receiving the Small Snowsports School Scholarship provided. Kyle mentions how the operations of Nordic Mountain are in place to promote learning and teaching snowsports. Kyle goes on to talk about how Nordic Mountain is an important factor in training new snowsports instructors. Hear more on how the scholarship helped Nordic Mountain train students to PSIA-AASI Level I instructors. Learn more about PSIA-AASI scholarship opportunities: https://thesnowpros.org/education/scholarships/ #snowpros

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI National Team member Kevin Jordan. Kevin is on the PSIA-AASI Alpine Team but during the summer, Keving is a mountain bike extraordinaire. Listen in to hear from Kevin on the benefits of mountain biking during the summer. Learn about the 6 basic skills needed for mountain biking and how they relate to the fundamentals of skiing and riding.

First Chair catches up with Steve Binns, Hestra's Marketing Manager for North America, about the diversity of gloves that are offered. Hestra believes they "have a glove for every day" - including gardening gloves! Smart technically is available in gloves allowing for mobile phone use without taking the gloves off. Hear from Steve on how to pick the right size for you and how to easily get your hands in a pair of gloves quickly. PSIA-AASI members can access the Pro Offers page to get member-specific pricing on PSIA-AASI Official Supplier Hestra's glove options. Go to the pro offer page (https://members.thesnowpros.org/products/pro-offers) to shop with your member discount.

First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Peggy Hiller, who's been meeting with regional PSIA-AASI Board of Directors members this month to learn about their interests and discuss ways to find alignment. Peggy also shares why July is a great month to reset, recharge and reconnect to your educational and training goals for the next season. Peggy shares some of her favorite summer activities as well as some things to look forward to this fall.

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI National Team Coach, Jeb Boyd. Jeb chats about the importance of lifelong learning and how continuing reading is beneficial to yourself. Jeb also shares how PSIA-AASI is working to improve the member and guest experience using this ideal. Jeb mentions how Interski is keeping education in the snowsports industry strong. People skills are one of the pillars of PSIA-AASI's education methods. Follow: @thesnowpros #snowpros

First Chair catches up with PSIA Alpine Team member Jonathan Ballou about his participation on the PSIA-AASI National Team. Jonathan talks about his decision not to seek another term in 2024 and what his next plan is. Listen in to learn more about Jonathon's experience with the PSIA-AASI National Team.

First Chair catches up with Makayla Meixner, an AASI-certified Level I snowboard instructor, about nutrition. Makayla holds a master’s in nutrition and is a registered sports dietitian who works primarily with winter sports athletes. Listen in for tips on how to fuel yourself to sustain your energy AND perform your best. Eating well, and snacking throughout the day, will help you keep your energy levels high so you can perform and help your students excel. PSIA-AASI members: Access special members-only pricing from PSIA-AASI Official Supplier on PowerBar products on the Pro Offers page to get a great deal on bars: https://members.thesnowpros.org/products/pro-offers

First Chair meets Scott Valitchka, Nordic Mountain’s snow school trainer. Scott’s school received one of PSIA-AASI’s small school scholarships. He shared that the funds helped bring education to their team members who might never be able to invest in such education and training. Listen to the story of how Nordic Mountain’s seven new level I instructors will pay this investment forward by connecting with and teaching clients and guests in the coming ski seasons. Learn more about this scholarship opportunity: https://thesnowpros.org/education/scholarships/small-snowsports-school-scholarships/

First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Peggy Hiller, who's been meeting with regional PSIA-AASI Board of Directors members this month to learn about their interests and discuss ways to find alignment. Peggy also shares why June is a great month to reset your educational and training goals for the next season and how PSIA-AASI can help support you in your pursuit of those goals. Also, remember that June 30 is the deadline to renew your membership. Follow this link to renew today: members.thesnowpros.org/

Eliza Kuntz, Chair of PSIA-AASI Board of Directors, interviews George Thomas in this special First Chair podcast. George serves as the voice and host of this First Chair podcast. He’s also a PSIA-AASI member and begins his upcoming adventure ride with Race Across America (RAAM) on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. This event will challenge George, and all the ultra-cyclist participants, to test and push their physical and mental limits. RAAM kicks off in Oceanside, under one of the longest piers in California. Then it spans over 3,000 miles, climbs 175,000 feet, crosses 12 states, and finishes at City Dock in Annapolis, Maryland, the east coast sailing mecca. Tune in, learn more about George’s upcoming journey, and listen to him share his story. Learn more about RAAM at raceacrossamerica.org.

[*Sponsored Content Podcast] First Chair catches up with Daniel Demschar, CEO of Snofolio, a training management system that gives skiers an on-slope performance training portfolio. Daniel talks about his history as a ski racer and how he started working with Snofolio. Learn more about how this all-inclusive system helps snowsports schools and their instructors enhance customer service and lesson progressions. Snofolio partners directly with resorts and ski and ride schools to set up the system and digital report cards. Learn more about Snofolio: https://snofolio.com/ *Learn more about sponsoring a First Chair podcast: http://tiny.cc/3hn7vz

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Peggy Hiller about what’s been happening at your association. First up, renew your membership this month to maintain access to all your membership benefits. When you do, you can shop Pro Offers to snag deals on your spring and summer gear, keep access to education resources to pick up CEUs this summer, and more. Peggy also shares what’s been happening with the organization's education alignment, highlights from the PSIA-AASI member survey, and what she’s looking forward to this summer. Follow this link to renew your membership today: https://members.thesnowpros.org/