On this episode, podcast host George Thomas (LIII Alpine) catches up with Pete Allison, Associate Professor at Penn State University. Pete has been working with PSIA-AASI for nearly a decade and is working to prove the value and worth of a PSIA-AASI certification. The (Learning Connection Model) LCM is PSIA-AASI's main educational tool. It identifies the student as the center of three pillars of great instruction. People, Teaching and Technical Skills. George and Pete chat about how to make the technicalities in teaching on snow more fun and engaging. This discussion dives into some of the intricacies of being good at teaching and people skills, but not being as good at delivering technical ideas in a fun way. Pete goes on to talk about how giving students 1-2 things to work on at a time is more efficient than calling everything out at once. “Drip feed” your students and make them aware that what they’re doing will feel different and new and reassure them that this is a good thing. Tune in to hear more or head to thesnowpros.org.

On this episode, podcast host George Thomas (LIII Alpine) catches up with Angelo Ross who’s the Education Development Manager for PSIA-AASI. In this episode, George and Angelo talk about being honest about what’s going on in your life. This is a great episode on finding ways to start identifying and producing solutions to tough teaching situations you may face. Angelo talks about how important it is to dive into and immerse yourself in snowsports culture. What do you think about this topic? Tune in to hear more or head to thesnowpros.org.

On this episode, podcast host George Thomas (LIII Alpine) catches up with Ben Potts – a PSIA National Alpine Team member. On this episode, George and Ben talk about what life’s like in New Zealand. Ben and George chatted back on pod 712 while Ben was teaching at the Woodward camp at Copper Mountain in Colorado. After New Zealand, Ben may stop in South America before heading back to the States for a few weeks break ahead of the PSIA-AASI National Team Training in early November in Colorado. So, needless to say he’s been busy this summer (winter?). Ben is in New Zealand for Rookies Academy which offers camps and instructor training in New Zealand, Italy, Japan, USA, Canada and China - bringing together passionate skiers from around the world. Ben walks us through a week in the life of an instructor in New Zealand and talks about his highlight of the year so far. Tune in to hear more or head to thesnowpros.org.

On this episode, podcast host George Thomas (LIII Alpine) catches up with Angelo Ross who’s the Education Development Manager for PSIA-AASI. On this episode, George and Angelo talk about purposeful warmups. A purposeful warmup is an exercise that you are very mindful about. It can be a physical warmup or a mental warmup. Angelo gives several examples of what this looks like and how to apply it to whichever student you are teaching. There are plenty of purposeful warmups that you can do that work for you personally and will provide benefit to you and the student. What do you think about this topic? 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. This episode is part 2 of where you’ll learn about the PSU certificate program that is offered through the PSU Global Campus. Today, George and Pete discuss the making of the PSU mascot and motto, syllabus week and how to better engage students at the beginning of a lesson. They chat about teaching in general and connecting with your students no matter the topic. Tune in to hear more or head to thesnowpros.org.

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.