OCR Text |
Show CERTIFIED SKI TEACHER I. S.I. A. FROM THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERMOUNTAIN SKI INSTRUCTOR ASSOCIATION ANDY SHEARER ROBERT B. SMITH JOHN SOHRIEIDE TOM LOW 1970 --------------------",-,- ,-- PREFACE The Technical Committee of the ISIA has prepared this paper to try to clarify some of the technical aspects of skiing, and to try to examine in depth the basic principles of the American Ski Technique. The basic principles of the American Ski Technique were presented in 1963 by the PSIA and have remained in their original form to date. They are presently being revised, as the PSIA recognizes that skiing has changed a lot since 1963 and that where people have applied these principles rigorously to todays skiing, it has lead to some conflict and misunderstanding. We do not anticipate that this paper can be read quickly and that immediate and in-depth understanding will result, we anticipate that people will have to study this paper rather than read it to understand its content. However, people who have a genuine interest in these aspects of skiing, regardless of their academic background, should be able to understand this material. These,conclusions are based upon the results of circulating rough draft copies of this paper to instructors with nontechnical backgrounds and then questioning them about their conclusions. Technical rigor has been sacrificed where it was felt that clarity could be improved. To those of you with technical backgrounds who can take us to task for the lack of rigor, I offer no apologies since you should be capable of understanding the ideas in either form. I wish to acknowledge the assistance received from Max Lundberg, Sid Jenson, and Marilyn Shearer who, though not members of this committee, provided valuable assistance in the preparation of the paper. A. T. Shearer Chairman, ISIA Technical Committee INTRODUCTICN This paper is intended as a discussion of the Basic Principles of the American Ski Technique. Definitions were deliberately avoided in favor of a discussion of basic concepts. Due to the fact that the Basic Principles of the American Technique are undergoing revision, some assumptions had to be made as to the intent and the emphasis intended by the Technical Committee of the PSIA. There is no intent to preempt the PSIA in writing the paper, and a detailed comparison of the present and the planned revision of the Basic Principles will reveal the self evident fact that no new physical laws have been created. Newton has preempted all of us in this respect. Rather, a broadening of scope has occurred which should do nothing more than restructure our thinking. Since the emphasis in this paper is on basic concepts, the reader should find that he will have little problem in using the present Or the revised principles of the American Ski Technique. This discussion, as you will find, is written more towards the upper levels of ski teaching. This is done for several reasons. First. if the instructor understands these principles as they apply to the more advanced maneuvers, they are relatively easy to apply to the lower level maneuvers. The reverse is not necessarily true. Second, as the skiing ability of the public has been improving, the instructor must also advance in his ability to teach upper level classes or we will lose contact with a significant portion of the skiing public, and "ski school" will come to be thought of as a place for the beginning skier. This report will not cover all cases or all possibilities of what a skier can do with his skis; but it does try to cite example situations to illustrate a concept. The example should not be treated as covering the total range of possibility. For example, an illustration may be presented where a skier sets his edges and weights his ski with a down motion. The skier can also set his edges and weight the skis with an up motion or an extension of his legs. Just because the illustration is of a skier setting his edges with a down motion, it should not be concluded that this is the only or preferred method. The more important relationship which is being presented is in what the ski does when weight and edge are increased, and trying to list all possible methods of accomplishing this is beyond the scope of this paper. Also in scope, the Technical Committee does not feel that it is advisable, or within its jurisdiction, to advocate preferred methods or technique. The ultimate responsibility to advocate to instructors a preferred method lies with the instructors' employer, the ski school director. This committee is basically concerned with concepts. In the broadest sense, a ski really has no preference as to the nationality of the skier that stands on it. If a skier does something to the ski, it will respond in a certain way. These cause and effect relationships are largely an area of fact. It is in the methods used to produce these reactions where divergence develops, and where we as instructors should concentrate our attention. - 2 - It is the hope of this committee that through promoting a better understanding of basic concepts, ski instructors will find that their differences of opinion are less significant than they seem, and that ski teaching can actually be simplified through taking a more basic approach to problems. 1. Axial Motion Axial motion describes the motion of the skier's body about a vertical axis. The skier's body will twist about a vertical axis for one of two basic reasons: (a) To produce a turning force, or (b) To react for balance to some externally applied turning force. These are described as follows: a. To Produce a Turning Force - For the skier to directly produce a turning force requires some degree of muscular effort. Following are two methods the skier can use to initiate the turning of the skis: Counter Rotation. Counter rotation involves twisting one part of the body against the inertia of the other, while the friction between the skis and snow is sufficiently reduced to allow the skis to turn. The less advanced skier may use a deliberate and conscious effort to accomplish this. In the more advance stages of skiing, no conscious effort may be felt on the part of the skier to turn the skis at the start of the turn. Counter rotation may involve nothing more than an unwinding of the skier's body from a prestressed position. For example, if at the end of the previous turn the skier's upper body is facing downhill, a twisting force is actually being applied to the skis which is trying to turn them downhill as well. The fact that the skis are still edged and weighted prevents them from turning. As soon as the edges are released, and the skis sufficiently unweighted, the skis will be turned as the body unwinds to eliminate the stresses imposed by the earlier positioning. The significant difference here is not in how the skis started turning but in the decision which the skier has made. In the first example, where the skier consciously turns the skis, he has essentially elected to sense when the edge is released and the skis are unweighted so that he will know when to turn them. In the latter example, the skier has elected to be in such a position at the start of the turn that whenever the edges are released and the skis sufficiently unweighted, they will begin to turn automatically. In the latter example, the skier will have a much better chance of smoothly initiating the turn and will be less apt to overturn the skis. As previously stated, this latter example is more applicable to advanced skiing as less displacement of the skis is generally required at the start of the turn and the skier is now trying to develop a method of initiating the turn which will lend itself to better edge control. -3- Rotation. Rotation is very different in principle. It involves getting the upper body in motion, in the direction of the intended turn and then using this turning motion of the upper body to produce turning of the lower body. Edging of the skis must be maintained as the upper body is set into motion. When it is desired to turn the skis, the stomach and leg muscles must be tightened to transmit the turning energy to the skis, and the edges released to allow the skis to turn. Rotation is similar to a driver revving up his engine while in neutral and then shifting quickly into gear to transmit the energy to the wheels of the car. b. To React for Balance to an External Turning Force - In section (a), the situation was covered where the skier's body twists about a vertical axis as he directly exerts a turning force on the skis. It was shown that he could accomplish this through the use of either rotation or counter rotation. Next is the case where the skier does not directly turn the skis by any twisting motion; rather he causes the skis to be turned by external forces, which are a result of the ski and snow contact. His body now turns about a vertical axis, not to produce the turning force, but to react for balance to an externally applied turning force. For instance, consider a skier making a "christie" turn. As soon as he begins to edge his skis and they begin to bite into the snow, a force is developed which turns the skier. As he turns, the skier's lower body is also Obviously turned and the skier will find that he has been subjected to an unbalancing force. In order to retain his balance, the skier's upper body will turn in the opposite direction, Or the skier will use a counter motion of the upper body as required, to remain balanced. Rotation or counter rotation can be used during the unweighted portion of a parallel turn. Counter rotation is more commonly used as it has the advantages of being quicker, and allows a quieter upper body which promotes better balance. The counter motion will occur during the weighted portion of the turn as the skier uses edging, weight, and ski design to exert the actual turning forces. It should be noted that during the unweighted portion of the turn when the skier would use rotation or counter rotation to turn his skis, that only the skis are turned---the skier does not actually change direction until the skis are reweigh ted and edged. It should also be noted that the turning force produced with rotation or counter rotation originates from within the skier's own body by his muscles acting upon his skeletal system. With counter motion, the turning force originated external to the skier's body and the skier reacts for balance to this external force. Axial motion would not have been covered in this much detail were it not for the extent of the confusion which exists over these terms. In actual practice, very few parallel skiers, at even the - 4 - intermediate parallel level, are going to be conscious of how they started the skis turning. The edge change will begin to occur too quickly for the skier to consistently percept how he used his muscles to displace the skis. Dwelling upon whether they should use rotation or counter rotation to start the turn is just not pragmatic and will probably hinder more than help them. If they are having trouble, at this level, starting the turn, it is more than likely due to a problem of balance, positioning, or edge control rather than a problem of not understanding how to displace the skis. 2. Weight Transfer The most familiar form of weight transfer is from one ski to the other. This, unfortunately, is where the thinking of many people stops and as a result, they are not able to grasp the total effect of a weight transfer in its ability to cause a skier to turn. First, let us examine some of the different ways a skier can transfer his weight which effect turning of the skis: - Weight transfer from one ski to the other. - Weight transfer from one area of the ski to another area of the ski. - Weight transfer from one side to the other by angulation. a. Weight Transfer from One Ski to the Other - This involves nothing more than allowing first one ski and then the other to support the majority of the skier's weight. b. Weight transfer from one Area of the Ski to Another Area of the Ski - The skier can directly exert weight on the ski at one point only and this is where his feet are attached. He can, however, through leaning forward or backward, change the area under the ski which supports the majority of his weight. This action, when combined with edging, will have a significant effect upon the tendency of the ski to turn. As the skier edges the ski and moves his weight forward, he will increase the bite of the front of the skis on the snow and decrease the bite of the tail of the skis on the snow. This action encourages the ski to turn. The problem facing the skier, however, is not always how to make the ski turn more; on hard snow, the problem is often how to make the ski turn less and hold more. If the skier transfers more of his weight towards the rear of the ski, the tendency for the tail of the ski to bite is increased and the tendency for the ski to turn is reduced. c. Weight Transfer from Side to Side - This type of weight transfer is associated with a change of angulation and will always occur when the skier switches his angulation. Consider, that in order for the skier to change direction, the skis must - 5 - bite on the snow. Two things must occur for the skis to bite on the snow. The skis must be weighted and edged. The skier can vary how much he edges the ski, how much he weights the ski, and the direction this weight acts on the ski. The skier can put more weight on the ski by either extending his legs rapidly or dropping rapidly. He can change the direction this increased weight will push on the ski by changing his angulation since this weight will act in a line down his lower leg. Therefore, if the skier wants to turn to the left he must, in some way, cause the snow to push him to the left. He accomplishes this through angulating to edge his skis and direct his weight to the right. When the skier wants to turn to the right, he must reverse these conditions by changing his angulation, which changes his edges, and now directs his weight on the skis to the left. The quicker a skier wants to turn, the harder he must make his skis bite on the snow and, therefore, the greater the edging and weighting which is required. A change of direction is, therefore, not only associated with an edge change but also a weight change which is from side to side and is for the purpose 'of making the edges bite. Also, for example, if the skier were to lean forward, move his knees to the inside of the turn, and then rapidly sink, weighting his skis (at the end of the down motion) a very powerful turning force would occur as a result of the tips being held more firmly on the snow while the skier's feet pushed the center portion of the ski towards the side. If the skier were to move his knees to the other side of the skis and repeat the process, the skis would be turned in the opposite direction due to the transfer of direction of the skier's weight on the skis and the bite of the edges on the snow. This latter example is more applicable to "off trail" skiing where snow must be displaced to allow the skis to turn. 3. Unweighting There are many ways in which the skis can become unweighted. The purpose of unweighting the skis is to facilitate the initiation of the turn. Unweighting is sometimes a rather contradictory principle in that it is something we try to achieve at lower speeds while at higher speeds we may act to minimize or even preclude its occurrence. Excessive unweighting should be avoided as it may lead to a loss of balance particularly on steep terrain, or in difficult snow conditions. Also, during the time the skis are unweighted the skier can exercise no control over his speed or his direction. For these reasons the skier must learn to control the amount of unweighting he uses. None of the following forms of unweighting can be used indiscriminately: - 6 - a. Up Unweighting - The skier's total weight On the snow is reduced by a quick up motion of the skier's body. The unweighting occurs near the end of the up motion. Weighting of the skis actually occurs at the beginning of the up motion. b. Down Unweighting - The skier's total weight on the snow is reduced by a quick down motion of the skier's body. When the support for the skier's upper body is removed at a rate faster than the upper body can fall, then a net reduction of the skier's weight on the snow occurs. Unweighting occurs at the beginning of the down motion and is generally of shorter duration than that produced by up unweighting. Weighting of the skis occurs near the end of the down motion. c. Rebound Unweighting - This type of unweighting generally occurs as a result of an edge setting motion. The harder the skier sets his edges, the more he distorts the ski and the more the ski assists the unweighting as it attempts to recover its original shape. The skier can vary how much assistance he gets as a result of the rebound, by how hard he sets his edges. He can also vary the direction of the rebound to some extent. The ski will rebound in a direction approximately opposite to the direction it was pushed to accomplish the edge set. That is, if the skier pushes the ski straight down, the rebound will be straight up. The more the skier pushes the skis down the hill to set the edges, the greater will be the tendency of the skis to rebound up the hill. The rebound can, therefore, result in a lateral displacement of the skis in the direction of the new turn, as well as an unweighting. It is important, if a rebound is to occur however, for the skier to relax the muscles in his legs following the edge set. Otherwise, the rebound which would occur would be dampened out. d. Terrain Unweighting - This is, again, a more obvious form of unweighting in that as the terrain falls away from the skier, as on the far side of a mogul, the skier's weight on the snow decreases. The amount of unweighting, or its length of time, is dependent upon the skier's speed and the rapidity at which the terrain falls away. If the skier hits a bump rather than a drop off, additional unweighting will occur as a result of the skier's upward trajectory over the bump. At higher speeds, another factor comes into play which tends to affect the period of unweighting. As a skier crosses a hill, his angle of descent is shallow. As the skier starts his turn down the hill, the angle of descent gets greater. The more speed the skier carries into the turn, the more the terrain will appear to fall away from him as he initiates his turn. Therefore, as the skier turns on a hill which may be smooth and have a constant angle of descent, the angle of descent of the skier will constantly be changing as he turns back and forth acrOss the hill. - 7 - e. Unweighting by Positioning - For lack of a better term, this form of unweighting will be termed an "unweighting by positioning." It is a subtle form of unweighting and one where the skier's total weight on the snow remains the same. As previously explained in the section on weight transfer, a skier can vary the portion of his weight supported by any section of the ski by leaning forward or leaning backward. If for example, the skier leans forward at the initiation of the turn, the front of the ski is caused to support more of the skier's weight and the tail less. This reduction of pressure under the tail of the ski facilitates its turning and is all the unweighting which may be required in some cases. The tail of the ski certainly has no preference for how pressure is removed from it during the initiation of the turn and could not tell whether the skier used up unweighting, down unweighting, or just leaned forward. This form of unweighting is more applicable in longer radius turns, and at higher speeds, it may be the preferred method if the skier wants to retain a greater degree of ski/snow contact. 4. Edge Control A lack of good edge control is one parameter which often separates the intermediate from the advanced skier. For the ski to bite into the snow, it must be edged and weighted; one is not sufficient without the other. A skier can, however, decrease the bite of the ski by unweighting the ski, by flattening the ski, or by a combination of both. Often the intermediate skier chooses to unweight the ski excessively since then the edge is effectively released, whether the ski has been flattened or not. The more advanced skier will be able to adequately reduce the friction under the ski with far less of an unweighting motion by the proper timing of the edge release and gains an advantage of more stability through the quieter body movements. The tendency which a ski will have to slip on the snow or to hold is controlled by the extent to which it is edged. Therefore, the skier is also faced with a dilemma of how much edging is sufficient. Too little edging results in excessive skidding of the ski while too much edging results in a loss of stability for the skier. The more a ski is edged the less the amount of surface area for the skier to stand on and the greater the difficulty he may have with balance. The safest decision then is to achieve sufficient edging, to prevent unwanted slipping, and no more. The arc of a turn can be controlled by the degree which the ski is edged, coupled with the position of the skier (forward to back) on the ski. The more a ski is edged the quicker it tends to turn. This is primarily a result of the design of the ski. The skier can further influence the arc of the turn by leaning forward or back as he edges the ski. The more a skier leans forward as he edges the ski, the quicker the ski will turn. As the skier leans back and edges the ski, the tendency for the - 8 - ski to turn is decreased due to the tail of the ski biting harder on the snow. As an example then of how a skier could put this to use in a parallel turn, he may lean forward as he changes his edges to encourage the ski to start turning and then move his weight back and edge, as required, to control the arc of the turn. This example is particularly applicable where the skier wants to minimize the skidding of the skis in the turn. The last point which will be covered under this section is when the skier can change edges in a parallel turn. This depends primarily on the speed at which the skier is traveling and the extent to which the skis have been turned across the hill. The faster a skier is traveling and the less he turns the ski out of the fall line, the more rapidly he can change edges. However, the slower the skier travels and the more he has turned the skis out of the fall line the greater the angle through which he must turn the skis before he can change edges. This explains why, when the skier is traveling slowly he may need more unweighting since he needs more time to turn the skis through this larger angle. The skier, therefore, must be taught to feel when he can change edges and to realize that the edge change cannot be an arbitrary maneuver. 5. Natural Positioning The skier should stand on his skis in the position which will require the minimum amount of muscular effort. It is only in this position that the skier can be well balanced and powerful. If the skier is in such a position that 90% of his available muscular power is being used to hold himself upright, he only has 10% available for turning his skis. From such an unnatural position a skier can never be powerful or react quickly and instinctively for balance. In the nominal skiing position the skier should feel his weight supported along his entire foot. The skier may have slightly more of his weight on the ball of his foot than the heel but he should definitely feel some weight on his heels. From this nominal position the skier can move his weight forward to encourage the skier to turn, or backward to encourage the ski to hold, with quick but subtle motions. This position describes a dynamic positioning of the body. It must be such that it can react to all terrain conditions as the skier has to be able to go forward and backwards in order to react to "holes" and "bumps" in the snow. 6. Leverage Leverage is another relatively straight forward principle. To illustrate this principle consider two skiers, one tall and one short, who both desire to have the same amount of pressure on the front of the ski. The shorter skier must lean forward more than the taller skier to accomplish this since his center of gravity is closer to the skis. Similarly, at the completion of a parallel - 9 - "christie," the taller skier must angulate more since his center of gravity is higher, and centrifugal force would have more of a tendency to throw him to the outside of the turn than the shorter skier. Consider also that the top of the boots are essentially a lever which the skier can use to push the front of the ski or the rear of the ski into more forceful contact with the snow. This is particularly true with locked hinge boots. 7. Total Motion Total motion does not require that the skier remain in constant motion. Bal~nce is sufficiently difficult on skis as to rule out any unnecessary or excessive motions. What total motion does require is that once a motion is started, it should be carried through to a natural completion. In tennis, golf, baseball, etc., the athlete is always taught to "follow through." Total motion might be considered as the "follow through" in skiing. Total motion is probably more noticeable when it is not present than when it is present. When it is present, the skier appears to have a smooth and natural ride Over variations in terrain and one motion flows freely into the next. This is the way skiing should look. When total motion is not present, the skier's appearance is jerky and abrupt. 8. Summary An effort has been made to try to achieve a better understanding of some of the basic principles involved in skiing. Very little has been said concerning applying these principles to specific turns. This will have to be provided by your ski school director. The hope is, that through understanding some of the underlying concepts in skiing better, the instructor will be less dependent upon a special phrase or special word and can deal more effectively with the basic skier problem. It should be obvious if you have gotten to this point that the skier has a number of choices in ,hOW to unweight and turn his skis. Any time a person has an alternative, he is faced with the problem of making a decision. The snow plow turn skier just does not face as many variations in snow conditions, speed and terrain as the more advanced skier, and therefore, isn't faced with the problem of alternatives and decisions that the advanced skier is faced with. The more decisions a person is required to make the more knowledge and training he requires. The emphasis in working with more advanced skiers must begin to shift from just teaching a skier to perform a maneuver, to developing an understanding of the maneuver as well. There is one last idea which should be presented as this p~per h~s dealt almost solely with mechanical or dynamic principles. A student just won't ski well regardless of his understanding of the mechanical aspects of skiing if he is not motivated. This - 10 - means that if we scare, intimidate, confuse, or in any way rob students of their enthusiasm, we cannot expect them to be able to use effectively any mechanical knowledge we may pass on to them. If we are to be effective in producing results, we must teach more than a maneuver; we must also motivate the students by giving them confidence that they can do what we are asking, and by showing them that it is fun. RACE ORGANIZATION PACKET This packet is prepared with information and inserts to assist and organize all departments, along with information sheets passed to all ski customers in order for them to be aware of a scheduled race or race practice event. Park City l-lest's approach to the "Companibility of Racing and the Skiing Public", is centered around informing the public as to the exact tiree and location of each event, the purpose, along with the mention of necessary safety factors that the skiing public should follow. Outlines regarding specific responsibilities are distributed and discussed with all departments at Park City '~est, prior a race event. Snow Cat drivers, ski patrol members, cafeteria personnel, parking lot attendents and lift operators are all included in the briefing sessions to insure scheduled starts and smooth operation of the entire event. ,<Ii th the compat i bit i ty of the employees and staff members at Park City Hest, each and every member extends the time necessary, resulting in an organized team effort and few problems in operation. RACE ORGANIZATION HEEKDAY TRAINING Race organization weekday training sheets reflect the runs, equipment and personnel needed for outlined training sessions. Ski patrol, lift operators, cafeteria and snow cat personnel are all directed copies of the training sheets so all departments will be aware of the scheduled event. This sheet also reflects our policy so that the racer or coach is aware of our expectations. RACE ORGft~IZATION WEEKDAY TRAINING DATE --------------------- RUN OPEN FOR TRAINING __________________ _ FACILITIES REQUESTED: POLES TINER TRAINING HOURS: TO AREA POL I CY FOR RACERS 1. High speed skiing other than in training area will not be tolerated. 2. Be polite to other skiers. 3. If you are able to assist a skier in trouble, do so. 4. No lounging or laying on furniture in lodge. Remember: THE PUBLIC PAYS OUR ~iAY. 5. Ride all uphill conveyences like gentlemen. 6. Hang parkas and helmets on hooks provided in lodge to save space. 7. Side slip and clean up hill after training. 8. Return poles to origination. 9. Passes must be worn. 10. The Ski Patrol are the people to call on in the event you are in trouble, they are great guys, OBEY AND HELP THEM. 11. In the event you are caught by the Ski Patrol and your ticket revoked, your skiing privileges will be terminated at Park City ~iest • 12. Above all, be courteous to the public and all area personnel. COURSE USHERS During several race events in the 1969 _ 70 ski season at Park City ~iest, we have utilized professional Course Ushers, consisting primarily of ski patrol and ski school personnel. The purpose of the course ushers is.:to extend an immediate welcome to the recreational skiers wishing to observe race or practice events, explaining the various aspects of the race, and when a group of 15 - 20 spectators had gathered and wished to observe from another vantage area, the course usher would lead the entire group through pre-determined safety areas so as not to interfere with the running of the racers, and to exclude the possibility of a spectator skiing onto the course and possibly being injured. Course ushers were placed at the top of the chairlift serving the race area, to inform any skiers that except for observing, the run would be closed to recreational skiing until after the race was over. If the skiers wished to observe, they could ski to the safety areas at the start, where they would be greeted by another usher which would group and escort them down the course explaining racing and the various aspects along the way. Course ushers were also utilized for crowd control at areas of congestion along the Downhill and GS courses. Spectators must be continually moved back or into safety areas as their enthusiasm for the sport entices them to be as close to the racer as possible when he speeds by. 'H th a large group of spectators observing from a hazardous turn on a Downhill course, serious injury may result from a racer catching an edge and suddenly losing his balance and c~ashing into a group of spectators. ~ie feel that with the utilization of course ushers, the public was impressed and left with a feeling that we are concerned with their impressions and enjoyment of Park City '-lest. PROFESSIONAL GATEKEEPER PROGRAM For the 1970 North American Junior Alpine Championships recently hosted at Park City 'vest, professional. gatekeepers were utilized the entire week of race events. Twenty-three gatekeepers from the co-hosting ski club were enrolled at the beginning of the ski season, in ski patrol first aid, lift evacuation, toboggan handling and avalenche control classes. They also were taken through the many aspects of ski school classes, which prepared them for any aspect ~r incident they migh~ encounter during the race event. Each gatekeeper was a working machine, aware of all the aspects of racing, rules and regulations of FIS & USSA, and maintained their own necessary equipment right at their position. Several gatekeepers maintained radios which completely tied in the start and finish areas, along with the blind spots. All gatek~epers were fully aware of the race schedule, and were at the ski area by 7:30 AM, and in place on the race course by 8:30 AM each morning. T~ chief gatekeeper maintained one radio ~hich tied intd the main line of communications along the race course, and his specific dut~· was to travel up and down the course to insure that any immediate problems and incidents could be quickly resolved. 'ole feel wi th the prcfessional gatekeeper program, and the foreplanning involved with this race event, even the first day Qf races was handlod smoothly and very professionally. CUSTOMER INFORNATION SHEET If it had not been for the public, and the public corporation, that which Park City Hest is, the area today would still be a tree covered mountain, visited occasionally by a deer hunter or hiker. However, this is not the situation with Park City l~est, having two lodges now constructed, four double chair lifts and 30 miles of ski runs. The public, a theme which is of paramount importance to a ski industry, as holds true wi th the premi se of " The Publi c pays our '-lay". ~Hth the Board of Directors, the many individuals which are stockholders and limited partners associated with Park City Hest, there are many people which have their own ideas and concepts on racing, on the various methods of administration of races and the general atmosphere that should be expressed to each and every ski customer, one of hospitality and warmth, which we attempt to stress. The SKi public has unlimited views; outlooks often not enjoyable when a customer visits any area and finds one or several of his favorite runs closed due to race events or practice. To eliminate this situation, Park City Hest schedules race practice at 7:30 AM each weekend morning to accommodate race teams for their practice sessions. Special assignments are given to ski patrol members for attendance during these early morning sessions to be on hand in the event of any injcry. Lift operators are scheduled early to provide chairlift transportation serving the race areas. Cafeteria personnel are on hand to prepare early morning breakfasts for coaches and area employees. To continue our efforts to inform the public of scheduled race or practice sessions, information sheets were prepared and passed to all persons purchasing ski passes, along with copies to all employees and staff members. Often, recreational skiers would arrive early at the area and observe the morning race practice~ and finish the day feeling a part of what is taking pI ace at Park Ci ty '-lest. SKI PATROL ASSIGNMENTS AU ski patrol· members receive written assignment sheets for any race or practice event reflecting specific duties and responsibi. lities for patrolmen who will be covering the event. Information sheets must be prepared on specific areas of assignments, equipment that wilt be required, back up personnel, and specific check items to possibly assign additional patrolmen to existing hazardous areas or locations. Assignment sheets must be prepared for Doctors outlining detailed areas of assignments for those involved with race attendance. Doctors must be aware of procedures necessary in the event of a serious injury requiring ambulance or helicopter transportation. A special roster must be maintained on all visiting patrolmen so adequate hill coverage can be maintained and our patrol is constantly aware of the number of patrolmen on the hill. Ski patrol personnel are also utilized for crowd control measures, or course ushers. Spectators often crowd too close to the race course and leave the protection of the safety areas. During the crowd control efforts, ski patrol personnel attempt to tactfully move the spectators back into the outlined safety areas, explaining the purpose and the reason for their actions. COACHES INFORMATION SHEET In order for us to relay our policies to the Competitors themselves, the way of exposure should be directed through the Coaches, and hopefully, the Coaches will stress the importance of our policy to the Competitors. The Coaches must first be fully aware and cognizant of all aspects of our ex· pectations in order for them to express themselves adequately, and have the expectations implanted in the minds of their team members. They must express to their team members, that Park City '~est wi 11 enforce the outlined poli cies to the letter. The Coaches Information Sheet was primarily designed as a short form with a signature bloc, outlining several of our most important expectations for Coaches and racers alike. The form must be short and concise in order for the Coaches to read and remember the concepts, and relate them to their team members. COACHES INFORMATION SHEET SIGNATURE REQUIRED a. No competitor will be allowed up the lift without safety straps after training. b. There will be ABSOLUTELY no skiing above recr.ational speed after specified training times. c. Specific training times will be posted on the Official Nastar Bulletin Board located in the main Day Lodge. After specified training times, the runs will be open to recreation skiing, and courses will be cleared except for dye markers. d. Papers separating skis are to be placed in trash receptacles or in parka pockets and not to be left on the ski hill. e. All competitors must be advised to maintain their equipment in the Lookout House and the main Day Lodge cafeteria in an orderly manner. f. All competitors must conduct themselves in an adult manner while in lift lines, riding the chairlifts, on the mountain or in the lodge area. Profane language is grounds for immediate remov~l from race or practice sessions. The general conduct and attitude of all competitors will be closely observed here at Park City '~est. Violation of any policy may result in a short racing career at our area. In the event any competitor is in violation of any policy, they wiU be required to attend a Safety Committee hearing, under the direction of Dick Frost, USSA Safety Advisor, the violation discussed and follow up report to be directed to the Division Office for necessary action. If the Violation is of serious nature, immediate disqualification may result. THE PUBLIC IS THE ONLY VEHICLE BY lmICH '-IE ARE HERE. ANY INCIDENT REGARDING THE PUBLIC IS NOT WORTH YOUR CONTINUATION HERE AT PARK CITY WEST. REMEMBER, THE PUBLIC PAYS OUR '~AY. SIGNATURE OF REPRES~'"TING COACH: RECONMENDATIONS ON UPGRADING OF COACHES Several items which coaches may improve the overall position that they maintain and present to their team members increased concern regarding the overall coaches system and general improvements of the recreational skier/racer, and area management/racer compatibility. a. All coaches must become more fully aware of ski area management policies. Few coaches concern themselves with meeting ski area managers, ski school and ski patrol directors to discuss general accepted aspects of individual area policies. Coaches too often arrive the day of the race or practice event and cannot afford the time to discuss problem areas with the individuals involved. Any policies discussed with coaches on the morning of the event seldom reaches anyone except the coach, as the competitors are too stirred up to concern themselves with trivial items, such as area policies. Coaches should attempt to schedule evening meetings prior a race season at a particular area, request a representative from the area to attend, along with the competitors, and devote the entire meeting period to discussing area expectations and general policies. Ski area management has only the coaches to express their concerns and expectations to. Coaches must then assume the responsibility of informing their team members, and taking necessary steps to insure area policies are followed by each and every member. b. Disagreements by coaches and area ski patrol members should be discussed in a ciosed door seSSion, rather than what so often takes place, a heated discussion on the ski hill or in the lift line. Coaches must keep in mind, area ski patrol has the function of also removing hazards from the ski hill, and if particular racers continue to present a hazard to recreational skiers &njoyment of the sport, or to their safety, then they must be removed. c. Coaches should make necessary arrangements for special prices or accommodations for a race or practice event, a minimum of 8 - 10 days prior. Special price structures must be arranged, and information distributed all departments in order to expedite their arrival process. This should not be a requirement process, it should be in line of general courtesy by the representing coach. d. Coaches should remain 'o1ith their team members at all times during practice sessions. In the event coaches are unable to stay, a responsible individual should remain to insure all competitors follow the area's outlined procedures. In conclusion, you as a coach mcst remember the public, the only vehicle by which your program exits, and extend more concern and effort to assist the ski area at which your team participates. Dick Frost Safety and Public Relations Dir. Park City Hest 1 ~r-W-r I - C:r;d.l. , :;.., r:r;dI.l. , ..!(<J.:) ~(J .)s0:: I 'Tit1; 2 ,.~... j~rll .SO lr~ll '"";il:-::t1il Private rd LeS3CU Cl .'"..".;.i.l Cl c0 ~(J.) .~ ~, (J.) rd ~ ~ ~ "0 p. ~ (J.) p.~ 0 ............... ~ & Total ::r:: Date _____________________ _ ~....:I Ul Oe-o ~~ ----------------1---41------------ ---- ----- ------------- ACHHORNl!;R, Heinz A-L-T-E-N-B-E-R~G-E-R-, -R-ud-i- ----r--r--I-----I---I----I----------I--+--~---------- --------'-------------1---1---------------1---1---1---1-------- BAUR, Karl B-A-D-E~N-D-U-C-K-, -N-il-s -------r--r---r----I----------I---I---~--I---------- ------~-------------I----~---~--f------------I----I---r----------- BATZNER, Eugen BECHTOLD, Karl ___________-_-_-_-_-_I_-_-_-+_-_-_-_~_-_-_-_--_-_-_ BERRY-=--~o_b_ __________ I---I---I---- --------- _______ _B_E_Z_N_O_S_K_A.:., _K_a_r_l ________ 1 __ --------------- 1---1------ , _____ 1 ______________________________ _ BLACK--=.,_B_o_b_ ________________ I----I---- 1 __ ------------------------- BROWN, Bob ! _B_R_O_W_N-=-, _K_e_n ____________ I-----I~~~-[====------------==----= BROWNING Spencer I C_L_U_E_ R_. :., _D_o_r_a_n ___________ I--------_____ J1 ____-______-_-_- ---------- I ______________ _ -~-~-~-v:---F-~--=--' R-J-~--~k-J-a-Ck------------I---II---I,------1---:-----,---1---1------------ ~-R-:-~-~R-:-~-{.:.....~-~y-:-~-on-h-a-rd-----II--=----_'I-~---~+~--_--~--=-I~.-. -~----I~ =t_ . ~ ~ ~I= l~~~=~~ ;;~~~~~:~ ---------=~------I __ ~=~ =F-E_-!"!-.!?--'-_,-H-e-_l_-m-u-t-------------"--'~_=_-_-_-I~-_-_-_-I-~~- ___ 1 __ 1 __ ------_1 _________ _ ~~~~~I~~~t_y ________ I,I-------,-------=-,-=-==- -_--=_ -I_= ===-=--=--I~-_-~-----1----_-== GUDMUNDSON, John --1----------1- =~~::~Ck '~=~==I===-I=li---------- HELMING, Willi - :----1 1 --- 1 ---- -----1---'-------1--------------- f~i~~E~ wrute~~~i=·--~I~~~~-I-=~ -~- =-1- -l=-=-~-~- B~E!f!:F.sel ------~====~ 1--- -- -,==__ _ ~:-~= JONAS, Bob - ----------------\----------------- JOHNSON, Jimmie ------------------------1---------- 1 ---------1-------- KLIMMER, Franz! I I--I----------~ ~~~=: ::::: I I I --1-: - .... ---- --~ KEFER, Gunter KERSCHER, Martin t_f_~-~-}-'-:-~-:-~-:-~-:-e-:-nl-e-d=~_=!I-_-_=~I-~=~-=-=~-I-I'.-_~-I:---_-_-I,-~~=I~Ff~_~~~~~ 1-----1 ----. ~i--------'--J---EI------~~------------- ======~:=l·l=t ·i=~~=-='===I-:F== ----~=----~~=~~=I=~ .------- ----------------------------------------_. I ..... ~ ~- Q~ r- ~- -~--§I~~ J-=i ~ l-g~1 rd ~-I-~---~~;;a~e ------------- 1-1 'V "':> UlUl' ~":d: S ~; ·en...!.; ..o... ·s., Les30n Date___________ :r:ar: Q ,..;.. i'>> ..1.-.0. <I> 'p!. '..r....v ' "Oi...J.. 'I U....l. O'.... E-< p:..:, ll Ttl "J 0.. H U'l · 0 E-<' ~ E-< 0 a ----------------------- --------- -----------_.- ---- MARANA, Bogie -----'--=--------+---r---I----I----I-----I----I-----I----I----1--------- MATHA USER, Bill -------'---------------1---1---1---1--- ---------------1------- McKNOWN, John -------I---f---f----I---I--- --------------1------- MILLER, Bob ------"---------------I---I----f-----~---I---- --------r---I------------------- MONK, Clark :~~~~~~:R, Adi ==!-----1--------1---------------------=== :~:~;;~::t:er , I==-r-J=-I=i-==t' =~~-==~ NOBL,_~~~~inand ___ I~i=-===-~i==,=-=I=--==~====~=~=~-~~~ ~;~~ar~l~ i i ==[ ~f~ri~B:~~~~~ Rudi -I---I-----i--------I PRf--AE~~B~E~R:,~T:o:nf~li. ~-t- ---------=1-:=- =' J-=--=I'I· ~~~~~~;~~e~~=_ __ I=~_=II_l~--T-i---I--I------i ------------ ----- ~6t~ED~~~:~~~------------------i---------1 SARCHETT, Robe_r_t __ _ ~~~~~io~~i -----------I---i----+----I----I---------------1----------- ~~lt~{~~{ conrad __ ~_=--_~-=-i--=~=--=r~l- =- __ ~ =-=~-=:= ___ i--=~_ ~~~~:~~~ib~;?'--- ------- ----1..---1-- I----~-----I·r--i --- -: --------- --- !::~~on---I---II- T-::-_ _=-- -I ·-.E-=--I!~---T~~-==--.•. : ~~~~I~=-==-=i =1=-==1=1- I =!- - ~I--+:-----=- WURZ~~B-EI_NER_'_.Baimund ____ I - I I ---1--,-- --- !--------- --- ZIMMERMAN, Kenny . I------,---I--,---------,--!------i----:-------------- - ------:----------'-----1----~--,------T-----I---~~:~~:~~=+--=~-=:~-~-=~~-- I I I ----r--II ----- I ---+---:-... ---- ___ I _______ I~L-J--=i=-~=I=~-=I~~----~~~=~~--- ERLER, Julie ! I I -I---I---I----!---I-----i----i---- ----------- ~:j:~E:~;ett~----=--~~~I-~ t-=[T ~F~'-~:~~T~--;--:~~--- MILLER Janet i ,I 'I I I i I - -;-------- . ------ , " I I' I -------------------------=---i~J_ ==r~ T T;3=~r-l=:~[~~l~-~= -~- I 1--==~-=f=~---:==~I==t=..:I-- - . ---. .. PROFESSIONALSKI INSTRUCTORS OF AMERICA, Inc. 1961 - The Revolutionaries, 197. - The Establishment After World War II, skiing had a long way to go to "get back on it's feet". During the war years, o111y the Eastern division (USEASA) maintained a certification program for ski instructors. However, the years 1946 and 1947 saw the certification plans activated in three more divisions. 1947 was the year that a national standard was first proposed and the National Ski Association Certification Committee was formed. In 1949, the chairman, Cortland T. Hill, requested that each division organize to establish a certification program with the goal of a national standard. In most cases, as the instructors organized, they formed associations independent from the amateur ski associations. In June of 1952, the National Certification Committee met in Estes Park, Colorado. We felt that a national affiliation might evolve. The following year, the "National Council of Ski Instruct ors was proposed, as well as a national certification pin. Lacking in funds, we could not fulfill the plan. In the years that followed, certification plans at the level of a national standard were succeeding in most divisions. Almost 2 I: yearly at the annual meetings of the Certification Committee, the proposal of being recognized as an illdcp<:lldcllt ()q~alll:l.itLlolI of ski instructors rather than the committee structure which did prevail was presented to the National Ski As sociation, with no success. At Whitefish, Montana in 1961, in a daring move considered by some to be premature, the Profes siona1 Ski Instructors of Ameri-ca was formed by Bill Lash, who was to become the driving force in the organization and serve as president for eight years, Paul War, international technician, Jimmy Johnston, tenacious leader of the Central division, Max Dercum the quiet stalwart from Colorado, Doug Pfeiffer, the Avante Garde, Curt Chase, Easterner gone West, who was to become Director of the largest ski school complex in the world, and Don Rhinehart, top professional instructor. The number of Certified and Associate instructors had grown from 350 in 1952 to 1350 in 1961. The drive for professionalism and apart.nes s from the amateur as sociations had accomplished the forming of the national professional association. Fully certified instructors frorn all the divisions wel'C' invited and eligible to join. The NSA approved the organization and left the responsibility for the national certification program to the PSIA. The organization moved on under the Presidency of Bill Lash, at that time also President of the Interm~tlli1tain Ski In~tructors As sociation. Having achieved the goal of a national association, aims were directed toward a unified national technique to best serve the skiing public. Lash and the Technical Committee set to work on what would become" The American Ski Technique". A basic technique was sorely needed in the United States. Kruckenhauser's" The Austrian Ski Teaching System", published in 1955, as well as II The French National Ski School System", were poorly translated, literally a 11(1 figuratively. MallY lIUll- 3 experts were presenting themselves as authorities on technique. Some ski schools and instructors wanted to do it "their way". The result was confusion. Probably a dozen "techniques" could be found ina dozen ski schools. Divisional certification programs, while trying to establish a standard, were faced with a myri ad of "techniques" on which to examine instructors. One of the PSIA members (#38), Toni Rhinehart, recalls the certification program of the late fifties: "At the exam at Snoqualmie Pass in 1956, there was not much of a problem. The Forest Service ordered us to be examined and that was that. It was a two day affair. On Saturday the examiners instructed us on what would be expected on the following day. Most of us were not apprehensive because we didn't know what we were doing --------------- -- 4 1:1 anyway. Ignnranc{' waf! hURR. Thofll' of lIA who "rlel h('(,11 1:C'rlchil1p' for sometime made it through the exam at the "Standard"level. It must have been because we had good balance - there certainly wasn It a lot more one could say for the group. But then, at that point everyone in the area was still teaching the Arlberg system, a system we had skied all of our skiing lives. Then the bomb hit. "Austrian. 11 A few of the tmany ski school directors in the area began teaching somC'thing cnllNl til<' Officinl Austrian Ski Technique. Naturally it was crystal clear to us Arlbergers that this would never work! Stem the uphill ski? Reverse shoulder? Heel thrust? Comma position? Never work! Still, a few of us would get together on the hill at luwh time and try the funny new system. Once in a while something would click. One muggy Snoqualmie Pass day, my ski school director told us that next season we would be teaching the "Austrian" technique. This produced much skiing on rainy lunch hours without the ski school parka (incognito). In 1958, several of us decided to tl'Y for full certified. We went to Mt. Baker Washington for one of those wild weekends we all remem-ber. This was a two day exalnination. This tim.e we knew what we 5 ~ h,' didn't know. That waH t11(~ Hpool<y parLe What wO!"1"ictl you at the exam is if you can keep the examiner from knowing how little you know. Don't talk too much. Don't ask questions. Stand like a pro. Wear pro clothes. Tight gloves. Expensive skis. At social hour drop names like "SIGI", ''ALF'' and "Stein", but very casually. At that time the confusion in technique was uncanny, in retrospect. We were either skiing Arlberg or Modified Austrian. (Modified Austrian is what you skied if you didn't know anything about Austrian). Those poor examiners. The candidate could name the technique on which he chose to be certified. At least six "techniques" were named - most of them "modified". We lined up at the top of the chair on Panoranla Dome in four inches of slush in the burning Baker sunshine. One or two got sick and went down. There is a certain dread of failure, perhaps indiginous to the American. You figure, "I can ski better than he can" (the exam-iner). It wouldn't help if you could. It is a helpless feeling .••• like being in court because your dog was at large. Sonwhow, thro\lgh nll of that mess some of us passed for full. Now, there is a defined performance that an instructor must be able to execute. It is almost like the figures in ice skating. Then if you wish, go teach anything you like. But once the precise con-trol of the American Ski Technique is felt by the instructor, and the ease with which the maneuvers may be executed, there is no turning back. II The IIOfficial American Ski Technique was presented in 1962, and the manual published two years later. The American technique is not a product of nationalism or of racing which is the case in the European countries. The goal of each divisional certification program from the beginning was to protect the skiing public. No one was seeking any laurels. The interest was in seeing that the ski school student received the most sound basic, safe instruc-tion we could pos sibly produce. Systems were analyzed and sifted to determine the ingredients of the basic technique. Through meetings on the snow each year, eventuailly the American Ski Technque evolved. For the skier, the Arnerican Technique established natural body position, total motion, and a simple logical progres sion of exer-cises and maneuvers. For the inquisitive skier or instructor, ski mechanics was explained. Bio-mechanics was applied to skiing, eliminating confusion about just what function a given part of the 7 anatomy has in skiing. Sections on the History of Skiing, Avalanche and Racing were included. For the certification programs the book presented "finished forms" on which instructors could be exan1ined. (Finished forms, or demonstration forms are a technically perfect demonstration of the basic maneuvers) Methods of teaching and class handling were presented as distinct from technique and finished forms. The book I1ld with gn~at success with L\V() printings in 19(>4, a second edition in 1 (l6b, and three more printings by 1969. Thirty thousand copies were sold. In 1970 a Third Editi:.ll1, revised and enlarged, will be published by Cowles Book Co., Inc., New York City. The Third :E:dition is designed to be as interesting to the general public as it is to the instructor. The "Advanceu Skiing" rnaneuvers are logically explo red. Previously, the tenn "Advanced Skiing" has been a haz.y terminology. Many of the skiing public believe that these arc "new turns" and only [UI' the hot-shot 01' the ,'aCl'l'. By careful analytic study this myth is dissolved. The text p1'o-gresses logically {roIl] tlH' short flwinl', t'lll'llfl illi:o t:I11' fUrl1Ul of skiing made possible by(l) the skiers established ability (2) in-novations in equiplnent (3) correct descriptions of the rnovernent and forces. I\1any intilTlate that the "Advanced Skiing" forms are 8 1958, in a report by Bill Lash, short swing was the "Acl\'ancccl Technique" and few skiers had the ability to ski tllat form. Now, it is a comn-lOn ski school turn at the 'I F" level, and skied very proficiently by many. In 1962, PSJA technician, Paul Valar, wrote a paper on the' changing techniques after attending the French Ski School Dernonstration at the 1neeting of the International Ski Instructors Association. In this paper now eight years old, the !'new" Jet turn is clearly defined. Even as long ago as 1 ()()2, Cha des Donnet said, ",Ne do not intend to Cr(),ltc~ a JlC\V t(~lllllj(l'IC, l)uL \vul1ld Ji)(I: t() C()ll~,i(kl' certain closely related actions during a turn that we now call "jet-virage"~1 The Official Arneri can Ski Technique uses this approach to IIAdvanced Skiing", It is simply an area beyond for1ner ski school forms and racing, and yet it can be applied to both. In the 50's, whlIe the Arnerican ski instructors were seeking pro-fessionalism and unity, the Centl'al European ski sch()()lH rllct at the First International Ski School Congress at Zurs to attenlpt to agree on a unified technique. Throughout the following Congresses, Davos, 1953; Val D'Isere, 1955; Storlien, Sweden, 1957, and Zak-apO) lf', .If)!)'), ;\ 1'1'111;11'I';IIJ)v :Iilllii.ll'.ily ,Ii 11.lli(,".!i Itllill' (ill 1.(·l·lllliqll(· seemed to be ev01 ving at the 5 ki school level. • 9 Otto Steiner was the first American to ;1I:tcnd ;) Congress - at StorliC:/1 in 1957. Paul Valar, later to becom.e one of the founders and a principle contributor to the Official American Ski Technique, attended the Congress at Zal,apone in 195) on behalf of the United States. In lC)()Z, for tlw first tinH', an Amcrican t(';tm \Va:; sent to the COI1- gress at Monte Banclone, Italy. Tean1 rnernbers were: Paul Valar, Bruse Fenn, Kerr Sparks, Sigi Engl, Sepp Froehlich and Buzz Fiorini. The Europeans were happy to sec the United States join at the intc~rnation;:ll ]('vel. In 1()65 the Congrr~ss was h7'ld at Bac\gastciJ1. The PSIA, 110W grown up, fielded a tean1 under the direction of coach Willy SchaefHer. Team~ members were };rich Windisch, Phil JUlles, Glen Young, Toby von Euw and Barry Bryant. The American Techique was demonstrated. Again in a move that startled some, PSIA bid for the Congress - the Eighth Intcrsl,i - and was accepted. The Eighth Intcrski at Aspen Colorado husted and organi:r.cd by IJSIA, turned out to be the greatest Interski of all. Seventeen nations were brought together to view and express techniques and ideas. A thousand of the world's best ski instructors \vatched the show. The United Curt Chase was tlH! coach, assisted by Cal Cantrell. Paul Val:tr was the technical advis or. The tearn, all PSlJ\ ll1crnbe rs, dernonst rated • 10 basic teclmique fina.V:forms •••• tht~ basis of most American sid schools. Son1e critics expected the tearn to pun 801110 nev.' trick out of the hat rather than the basic demonstration. But gim.micks don't last and are often deceiving to the skiing public. Tricks do not replace basic teaching methodology. PSIA will again send a team to the Congress - the Ninth Interski _ to be held in Ga rrni s c 11, C;c r 111 any , in J anua ry 1 ()7 10 Thc team, unde l' the direction of Rene' Farwig, will present advanced skiing as it logically progresses from class "F" skiing. The Ninth Interski will surely be as cxcjtin~ anc! cClIcat-jollal as tlll' P,(st Cungres5es. ------ ~---~ -~------- The original concept of the Interski Congress was to find any agreement upon a unified ski teclmique. It now has become a meallS of international discussions and comparisons of ski techniques and teaching methods. Interski is not a competitive event or meet. It consists of demonstration teams from various countries and includes lectures, discussions and displays. Anothe r interesting inte rnational aspect of the PSLA is that of the French National Ski School and the Austrian Ski School inviting a limited nunlber of PSI A members each )'(';1 r to attend t-hc·i '" schools (7-10 day COllJ'SCS). Tbis is a vel'y (!nricllillg opportunity for the P$IA rnembers who can attend. The evolution has gone 111 a fc\v years fron1 organi6.ing at a di.vi.sional .. 11 level to the national level and now to the international unification level. PSIA will continue as a professional association, working at the national and international level to help assure that the service of the Professiollal to the Skiing Plthlic .h; ;)[: the hi!l.l)('~;\ POflflih\(' level - technically and ethically. PSIA is the product of the evolution as are the other national ski instructor organizations. The evolution continues, and PSIA will not only go along for the ride, but perhaps stec:r a little one c10.y. Through all of the stages of skiing the prince interest of the PSIA is the safety and protection of the skiing publico Safety in skiing is a product of judgclllcnt, and lur that thl' public (';\1\ I'dy "\lOll lilt' PROFESSIONAL SKI INSTRUCTOR OF J\~lERICJ\, CERTI FlED SKI TEACHER I. S.I. A. FROM THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE OF THE INTERMOUNTAIN SKI INSTRUCTOR ASSOCIATION ANDY SHEARER ROBERT B. SMITH JOHN SOHRWEIDE TOM LQ' 1970 intermediate parallel level, are going to be conscious of how they started the skis turninu. The edge change will begin to occur too quickly for the skier to consistently percept how 1'10 used his muscles to displace the skis. Dwellin~~upon whether they should use rotation or counter rotation to _tart the turn is just not pragmatic and will probably hinder mOre than help them. If they are having trouble, at this leveli!, starting the turn, it is more than likely due to a problem of balance, positioning, or edge control rather than ~ problem of not understanding how to displace the skis. 2. Weight Transfer The most familiar form of weight transfer is from one ski to the other. This, unfortunately, is where the thinking of many people stops and as a result, they are not able to grasp the total effect of a weight transfer in its ability to cause a skier to turn. First, let us examine some of the different ways a skier can transfer his weight which effect turning of the skis: - Weight transfer from one ski to the other. - Weight transfer from one area of the ski to another area of the ski. - Weight transfer from one side to the other by angulation. a. Weight Transfer from One Ski to the Other - This involves nothing more than allowing first one ~ki and then the other to support the majority of the skier's weight. b. Weight transfer from one Area of the Ski to Another Area of the Ski - The skier can directly exert weight on the ski at one point only and this is where his feet are attached. He can, however, through leaning forward or backward, change the area under the sk~ which supports the majority of his weight. This action, when combined with edging, will have a significant effect upon the tendency of the ski to turn. As the skier edges the ski and moves his weight {orw~rdf he will increase the bite of the front of the skis on the snow and decrease the bite of the tail of the skis on the snow. This action encourages the ski to turn. The problem facing the skier, however, is not always how to make the ski turn more; on hard snow, the problem is often how to make the ski turn less and hold more. If the skier transfers more of his weight towards the rear of the ski, the tendency for the tail of the ski to bite is increased and the tendency for the ski to turn is reduced. c. Weight Transfer from Side to Side - This type of weight transfer is associated with a change of angulation and will always occur when the skier switches his angulation. Consider, that in order for the skier to change direction, the skis must INTRODUCTIOO This paper is intended as a discussion of the R~~ic Principle. of the American Ski Technique. Definitions were deliberately avoided in favor of a discussion of basic concepts. Due to the fact that the Basic Principles of the American Technique are undergoing revision, some assumptions had to be made as to the intent and the emphasis intended by the Technical Committee of the PSIA. There is no intent to preempt the PSIA in writing the paper, and a detailed comparison of the present and the planned revision of the Basic Principles will reveal the self evident fact that no new physical laws have been created. Newton has preempted all of us in this respect. Rather, a broadening of scope has occurred which should do nothing more th3n restructure our thinking. Since the emphasis in this paper is on basic concepts, the reader should find that he will have little prOblem in using the present or the revised principles of the American Ski Technique. This discussion, as you will find, is written more towards the upper levels of ski teaching. This is done for several reasons. First, if the instructor understands these principles as they apply to the more advanced maneuvers, they are relatively easy to apply to the lower level maneuvers. The reverse is not necessarily true. Second, as the skiing ability of the public has been improving, the instructor must also advance in his ability to teach upper level classes or we will lose contact with a significant portion of the skiing public, and "ski school" will come to be thought of as a place for the beginning skier. This report will not cover all cases or all possibilities of what a skier cando with his skis; but it does try to cite example situations to illustrate a concept. The example should not be treated as covering the total range of possibility. For example, an illustration may be presented where a skier sets his edges and weights his ski with a down motion. The skier can also set his edges and weight the skis with an up motion or an extension of his legs. Just because the illustration is of a skier setting his edges with a down motion, it should not be concluded that this is the only or preferred method. The more important relationship which is being presented is in what the ski does when weight and edge are increased, and trying to list all possible methods of accomplishing this :is beyond the scope of this p:lper. Also in scope, the Technical Committee does not feel that it is ~dvis~ble, or within its jurisdiction, to advocate preferred methods or technique. The ultimate responsibility to advocate to instructors a preferred method lies with the instructors' employer, the ski school director. This committee is basically concerned with concepts. In the broadest sense, a ski really has no preference as to the nationality of the skier that stands on it. If a skier does something to the ski, it will respond in a certain way. These cause and effect relationships are largely an area of fact. It is in the methods used to produce these reactions where divergence develops, and where we as instructors should concentrate our attention. - 2 - It is the hope of this committee that through promoting a better understanding of basic concepts, ski instructors will find that their differences of opinioll rue less signific/\nt th:\l1 they ICUtll\ I nnd tili' t ski teaching can actually be simplified through taking a more basic approach to problems. 1. Axial Motion Axial motion describes the motion of the skier's body about a vertical axis. The skier's body will twist about a vertical axis for one of two basic reasons: (a) To produce a turning force, or (b) To react for balance to some externally applied turning force. These are described as follows: a. To Produce a Turning Force - For .the skier to directly produce a turning force requires some degree of muscular effort. Following are two methods the skier can use to initiate the turning of the skis: Counter Rotation. Counter rotation involves twisting one part of the body against the inertia of the other, while the friction between the skis and snow is sufficiently reduced to allow the skis to turn. The less advanced skier may use a deliberate and conscious effort to accomplish this. In the more advance stages of skiing, no conscious effort may be felt on the part of the skier to turn the skis at the start of the turn. Counter rotation may involve nothing more than an unwinding of the skier's body from a prestressed position. For example, if at the end of the previous turn the skier's upper body is facing downhill, a twisting force is actually being applied to the skis which is trying to turn them downhill as well. The fact that the skis are still edged and weighted prevents them from turning. As soon as the edges are released, and the skis sufficiently unweighted, the skis will be turned as the body unwinds to eliminate the stresses imposed by the earlier positioning. The significant difference here is not in how the skis started turning but in the decision which the skier has made. In the first example, where the skier consciously turns the skis, he has essentially elected to sense when the edge is released and the skis are unweighted so that he will know when to turn them. In the latter example, the skier has elected to be in such a position at the start of the turn that whenever the edges are released and the skis sufficiently unweighted, they will begin to turn automatically. In the latter example, the skier will have a much better chance of smoothly initiating the turn and will be less apt to overturn the skis. As previously stated, this latter example is more applicable to advanced skiing as less displacement of the skis is generally required at the start of the turn and the skier is now trying to develop a method of initiating the turn which will lend itself to better edge control. -3- Rotation. Rotation is very different in principle. It involves getting the upper body in motion, in the direction of the intended turn and then using this turnin9 motion of the upper body to produce turning of the 10we~ body. Edging of the skis must be maintained as the upper body is set into motion. When it is desired to turn the skis; the stomach and leg muscles must be tightened to transmit thd turning energy to the skis, and the edges released to allow the skis to turn. Rot~tion is similar to a driver revving up his engine while in neutral and then shifting quickly into gear to transmit the energy to the wheels of the car. b. To React for Balance to an External Turnin~ Force - In Section (a), the situation was covered where the skier's body twists about a vertical axis as he directly exerts a turning force on the skis. It was shown that he could accomplish this through the use of either rotation or counter rotation'Next is the case where the skier does not directly turn the skis by any twisting motion; rather he causes the skis to be turned by external forces, which are a result of the ski and snow contact. His body now turns about a vertical axis, not to produce the turning force, but to react for balance to an externally applied turning force. For instance, consider a skier making a "christie" turn. As soon as he begins to edge his skis and they begin to bite into the snow, a force is developed which turns the skier. As he turns, the skier's lower body is also obviously turned and the skier will find that he has been SUbjected to an unbalancing force. In order to retain his balance. the skier's upper body will turn in the opposite direction, or the skier will use a counter motion of the upper body as required, to remain balanced. Rotation or counter rotation can be used during the unweighted portion of a parallel turn. Counter rotation is more commonly used as it has the advantages of being quicker, and allows a quieter upper body.which promotes better balance. The counter motion will occur during the weighted portion of the turn as the skier uses edging, weight, and ski design to exert the actual turning forces. It should be noted that during the unweighted portion of the turn when the skier would use rotation or counter rotation to turn his skis, th~t only the skis are turned---the skier does not actually change direction until the skis are reweighted and edged. It should also be noted that the turning force produced with rotation or counter rotation originates from within the skier's own body by his muscles acting upon his skeletal system. With counter motion, the turning force originated external to the skier's body and the skier reacts for balance to this external force. Axial motion would not have been covered in this much detail were it not for the extent of the confusion which exists over these terms. In actual practice, very few parallel skiers, at even the PREFACE The Technical Committee of the ISIA has prepared this paper to try to clarify some of the technical aspects of skiing, and to try to examine in depth the basic principles of the American Ski Technique. The basic principles of the American Ski Technique were presented in 1963 by the PSIA and have remained in their original form to date. They are presently being revised? as the PSIA recognizes that skiing has changed a lot since 1963 and that where people have applied these principles rigorously to todays skiing, it has lead to some conflict and misunderstanding. We do not anticipate that this paper can be read quickly and that immediate and in-depth understanding will result, we anticipate that people will have to study this paper rather than read it to understand its content. However, people who have a genuine interest in these aspects of skiing, regardless of their academic background, should be able to understand this material. These conclusions are based upon the results of circulating rough draft copies of this paper to instructors with~nontechnical backgrounds and then questioning them about their conclusions. Technical rigor has could be improved. can take us to task since you should be form. been sacrificed where it was felt that clarity To those of you with technical backgrounds who for the lack of rigor, I offer no apologies capable of understanding the ideas in either I wish to acknowledge the assistance received from Max Lundberg, Sid Jenson, and Marilyn Shearer who, though not members of this committee, provided valuable assistance in the preparation of the paper. A. T. Shearer Chairman, ISLA Technical Committee -- 5 - bite on the snow. Two things must occur for the skis to bite on the snow. The skis must be weighteu al1d edyecl. Thm Akior can vary how much he edges the ski, how much he weights the ski, and the direction this weight acts on lhe ski. The skier calJ. put more weight on the ski by either extfnding his legs rapidly or dropping rapidly. He can changelhe direction this increased weight will push on the ski b;~ changing his angulation since this weight will act in a tine down his lower leg. Therefore, if the skier wants to turn to the left he must, in some way, cause the snow to push him to the left. He Accomplishes this through angul~ting to edge his skis and direct his weight to the right. When the skier wants to turn to the right, he must reverse these conditions by changing his angulation, which chnnues his edges, and now directs nis weight on the skis to the left. The quicker a skier wants to turn, the harder he must make his skis bite on the snow and, therefore, the greater the edging and weighting_which is required. A change of direction is, therefore, not only associated with an edge change but also a weight change which is from side to side and is for the purpose of making the edges bite. Also, for example, if the skier were to lean forward, move his knees to the inside of the turn, and then rapidly sink, weighting his skis (at the end of the down motion) a very powerful turning force would occur as a result of the tips being held more firmly on the snow while the skier's feet pushed the center portion of the ski towards the side. If the skier were to move his knees to the other side of the skis and repeat the process, the skis would be turned in the opposite direction due to the transfer of direction of the skier's weight on the skis and the bite of the edges on the snow. This latter example is more applicable to "off trail" skiing where snow must be displaced to allow the skis to turn. 3. Unweighting There are many ways in which the skis can become 1Illweivhteu. 'fha purpose of unweightin~ the skis is to facilitate the initiation of the turn. Unweighting is sometimes a rather contrf\dictC'lf}' principle in that it is something we try to achieve at lower speeds while at higher speeds we may act to minimize or even preclude its occurrence. Excessive unweighting should be avoided as it may lead to a loss of balance particularly on steep terrain, or in difficult snow conditions. Also, during the time the skis are unweighted the skier can exercise no control over his speed or his direction. For these reasons the skier must learn to control the amount of unweighting he uses. None of the following forms of unweighting can b~ used indiscriminately: a. Up Unweighting - The skier's total weight on the snow is reduced by a quick up ~otionof the skier's body. The unweighting occurs near the end of the up mo\ion. Weighting of the skis actually occurs at th~ beginning·q, the up motion. b. Down Unweighting - The skier's total weight on the snow is reduced by a quick down motion of the skier's body. When the support for the skier's upper body is removed at a rate faster than the upper body can fall, then a net reduction of the skier's weight on the snow occurs. Unweighting occurs at the beginning of the down motion and is generally of shorter duration than that produced by up unwei<jhting. Weighting of the skis occurs near the end of the down motion. c. Rebound Unweighting - This type of unweighting generally occurs as a result of an edge setting motion. The harder the skier sets his edges, the more he distorts the ski and the more the ski assists the unweighting as it attempts to recover its original shape. The skier can vary how much assistance he gets as a result of the rebound, by how hard he sets his edges. He can also vary the direction of the rebound to some extent. The ski will rebound in a direction approximately opposite to the direction it was pushed to accomplish the edge set. That is, if the skier pushes the ski straight down, the rebound will be straight up. The more the skier pushes the skis down the hill to set the edges, the greater will be the tendency of the skis to rebound up the hill. The rebound can, therefore, result in a lateral displacement of the skis in the direction of the new turn, as well as an unweighting .. It is important, if a rebound is to occur however, for the skier to relax the muscles in his legs following the edge set. Otherwise, the rebound which would occur would be dampened out. d. Terrain Unweighting - This is, again, rt more obvious form of unweighting in that as the terrain falls ~Wrty from the skier, as on the far side of a mogul, the skier's weight on the snow decreases. The amount of unweightil1<;J, 01' its length of time, is dependent upon the skier's speed and the rapidity at which the terrain falls aWay. If the skier hits a bump rather than a drop off, additional unweighting will occur as a result of the skier's upward trajectory over the bump. At higher speeds, another factor comes into play which tends to affect the period of unweighting. As a skier crosses a hill, his angle of descent is shallow. As the skier starts his turn down the hill, the angle of descent gets greater. The more speed the skier carries into the turn, the more the terrain will ~ppear to fall away from him as he initiates his turn. Therefore, as the skier turns on a hill which may be smooth ~nd have a constant angle of descent, the an<jle of descent of the skier will constantly be changing as he turns back and forth across the hill. e. Unweighting by Positioning - For lack of a better term, this form of unweighting wi 11 be termed an IIunwei9h,ting by posi tioning." It is a subt Ie form of unweighting anai ;,one where the skier's total weight on the snow remains the':;i~ame. As previously explained in the section on weight tr~nsfer, a skier can vary the portion of his weight supported ~y any section of the ski by leaning forward or leaning backWard. If for example, the skier leans forward at the :i.nitiation of the turn, the front of the ski is caused to support more of the skier's weight and the ta{l les~. This reduction of pressure under the tail of the ski facilitates its turning and is all the unwei~hting which may be required in some cases. The tail of the ski certainly has no preference for how pressure is removed from it during the initiation of the turn and could not tell whether the skier used up unweighting, down unweighting, or just leaned forward. This form of unweighting is more applicable in longer radius turns, and at higher speeds, it may be the preferred method if the skier wants to retain a greater degree of ski/snow contact. 4. Edge Control A lack of good edge control is one parameter which often separates the irttermediate from the advanced skier. For the ski to bite ' into the snow, it must be edged and weighted; one is not sufficient without the other. A skier can, however, decrease the bite of the ski by unweighting the ski, by flattening the ski, or by a combination of both. Often the intermediate skier chooses to unweight the ski excessively since then the edge is effectively released, whether the ski has been flattened or not. The more advanced skier will be able to adequately reduce the friction under the ski with far less of an unweigh.ting motion by the proper timing of the edge release and gains an' advantage of more stability through the quieter body movements. The tendency which a ski will have to slip on the snow or to hold is controlled by the extent to which it is edged. Therefore, the skier is also faced with a dilemma of how much edging is sufficient. Too little edging results in excessive skidding of the ski while too much edging result~ in a loss of stability for the skier. The more a ski is edged the less the amount of surface area for the skier to stand on and the greater the difficulty he may have with balance. The safest decision then is to achieve sufficient edging, to prevent unwanted slipping, and no more. The arc of a turn can be controlled by the degree which the ski is edged, coupled with the position of the skier (forward to back) on the ski. The more a ski is edged the quicker it tends to turn. This is primarily a result of the design of the ski. The skier can further influence the arc of the turn by leaning forward or back as he edges the ski. The more a skier leans forward as he edges the ski, the quicker the ski will turn. As the skier leans back and edges the ski, the tendency for the "christie," the taller skier must angulate more since his center of gravity is higher, and centrifugal force would have mOre of a tend~cy to throw him to the outside of the tu~ ~han the shorter skier . Consider also that the top of th;1t'oots are essentially a lever which the skier can use to pu~' the front of the ski or the rear of the ski into mOre force(~l contact with the snow. This is particularly true with locked h~nge boots. 7. Total Motion Total motion does not require that the skier remain in constnnt motion. Balimce is sufficiently difficult on skis a s to rule out any unnecessary or excessive motions. What total motion does require is that once a motioQ is started, it should be carried through to a natural completion. In 'tennis, golf, baseball, etc., the athlete is always taught to "follow through." Total motion might be considered as the "follow through" in skiing. Total motion is probably more noticeable when it is not present than when it is present. When it is present, the skier appears to have a smooth and natural ride over variations in terrain and one motion flows freely into the next. This is ~he way skiing should look. When total motion is not present, the skier's appearance is jerky and abrupt. 8. summar)! An effort has been made to try to achieve a better understanding of some of the basic principles involved in skiing. Very little has been said concerning applying these principles to specific turns. This will have to be provided by your ski school director. The hope is, that through understanding some of the underlying concepts in skiing better, the instructor will be less dependent upon a special phrase or special word and can deal more effectively with the basic skier problem. It should be obvious if you have gotten to this point that the skier has a number of choices in how to unweight and turn his skis. Any time a person has an alternative, he is faced with the problem of making a decision. The isnow plOW turn skier just does not face as many variations in snow conditions, speed and terrain as the more advanced skier, and therefore, isn't faced with the problem of alternatives ·and decisions that the advanced skier is faced with. The more decisions a person is required to make the more knowledge and training he requires. The emphasis in working with more advanced skiers must begin to shift from just teaching a skier to perform a maneuver, to developing an understanding of the maneuver a.s well. There is one last idea which should be presented as this paper has dealt almost solely with mech~nical or dynamic principles. A student just won't ski well regardless of his understanding of the mechanical aspects of skiing if he is not motivated. This - 8 - ski to turn is decreased due to the tail of ~he ski biting h~r~4.: on the snow. A s an example then of how rt skler could put thl.s t'tI use in a parallel turn, he may lean forward as he changes his edge~ to encourage the ski to start turning and then move his weight, back and edge, as required, to control ;pe ,arc of the turn. This e¥ample is particularly applicable where ~). skier wants to minimi2e the skidding of the skis in the turn. The last point which will be covered under this~section 1s when the skier can change edges in a parallel turn. This depends primarily on the speed at which the skier is traveling and the extent to which the skis have been turned across the hill. The faster a skier is traveling and the less he turns the ski out of the fall line, the more rapidly he can change edges. However, the slower the skier travels and the more he has turned the skis out of the fall line the greater the angle through which he must turn the skis before he can change edges. This explains why. when the skier is traveling slowly he may need more unweighting since he needs more time to turn the skis through this larger angle. The skier, therefore, must be taught to feel when he can change edges and to realize that the edge change cannot be an arbitrary maneuver. 5. Natural Positioning The skier should stand on his ski~ in tho position which will require the minimum amount of muscular effort. It i!! only i.n this position that the skier can be well balanced and powerful. If the skier is in such a position that 90% of his available muscular power is being used to hold himself upright, he only has 10% available for turning his skis. From such an unnatural position a skier can never be powerful or react quickly and instinctively for balance. In the nominal skiing position the skier should feel his weight supported along his entire foot. The skier may have slightly more of his weight on the ball of his foot than the heel but he should definitely feel some weight on his heels. From this nominal position the skier can move his weight forward to encourage the skier to turn, or backward to encourage the ski to hold, with quick but subtle motions. This position describes a dynamic positioning of the body. It must be such that it can react to all terrain conditions as the skier has to be able to go forward and backwards in order to react to "holes" and "bumps" in the snow. 6. Leverage Leverage is another relatively straight forward principle. To illustrate this principle consider two skiers, one tall and one short, who both desire to have the same amount of pressure on the front of the ski. The shorter skier must lean forward more than the taller skier to accomplish this since his center of gravity is closer to the skis. Similarly, at the completion of a parallel - 10 - means that if we scare, intimidate, confuse, Or i~ any way rob students of their enthusiasm, we cannot expect them to be ab11l, to use effectively any mechanical knOWle~ge we may pass o~ to them. If we are to be effective in p ,4~eing results,~ we must teach more than a maneuver ~ we """i a Iso motivate~the students by giving them confidence t't they can do what we are asking, and by showing them th, it is fun. C E R T I F I CAT ION EXAMINATION POLICY - INTERMOUNTAIN SKI INSTRUCTORS ASSOCIATION Plan for the Certification of" Ski Teachers by the Intermountain Ski Instructors Association. The following proposals are for the purpose of placing this system for certification of ski instructors into operation. They cover the problems of supervision and operation of Certification-Examination process. I DUTIES OF THE ISlA CERTIFICATION COMMITTEE The duties of the ISlA Certification Committee shall be as follows: A. Put this system into operation, maintain it, and supervise its operation. B. Perform such other duties as may be hereinafter referred to, or outlined in, the By-Laws of the ISlA. I I EXAMINATION ADMINISTRATION A. Exami ners: The examiners shall be appointed by the Certification Committee, ISlA, as stated in Section 5 of the By-Laws. The Committee shall follow a program of qualifying, selecting, and training of competent examiners by appointing individuals who are above average in technical and mechanical knowledge of skiing and ski teaching. The committee shall use discretion in choosing examiners who have been fully certified for at least 5 years, are mature, and are not narrowly inclined concerning personalities or the merits of anyone ski school or system of ski teaching. The term shall be for one examination. The committee shall evaluate the results of the examination with reference to the performance of the joint examining board and each individual examiner. The results will be retained by the committee and used for future reference for the selection of examiners. Names of the examiners for each examination shall not be disclosed until the day of the examination unless otherwise directed by the committee. B. Compensation of Examiners: The examiners shall receive compensation for the expenses for each day spent as an examiner. Each examiner shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for incidental expenses directly related to the operation of the examination. The Chief Examiner, in cooperation with the President and Treasurer, may at their discretion compensate examiners and other individuals for their expenses upon receipt of said expenses. C. Examining Board: The examining board shall consist of at least three members. The Chairman of the Certification Committee shall be acting Chief Examiner for the Certification Examination. In the absence of the Chief Examiner, the Certification Committee Chairman shall appoint one committee member to be in charge of the examination. Each examiner shall keep his own score of grades on all candidates examined. The examiner will be responsible to keep all scores in strict confidence. The examiners' findings shall be final. III PRELIMINARIES OF THE EXAMINATION A. Time and place: The ISlA will conduct an examination for ski instructors, at any reasonable date when: 1. A number of eight (8) candidates per day have made application accompanied by the examination fee. 2. The applications were submitted to the Certification Committee Chairman 2 at least fourteen (14) days prior to the requested date for examination. On receipt of the application and fee, the Certification Committee Chairman will confirm the date of examination to each individual candidate. Areas where there are less than the required number of candidates, the candidate should send an application and fee to the Certification Committee Chairman, and he will notify them of the next examination. Date, place, and all applications shall be subject to approval of the Certification Chairman. The Certification Committee Chairman in cooperation with the President of ISlA may arrange an examination at any date or place. B. Announcements: It will be the responsibility of the Certification Committee to publish and mail to the general membershi p the plan for certifi ca ti on and to make avail ab 1 e the names and addresses of the Secretary, Certification Chairman, Certification Committee, and Area Certification Representatives. It shall be the duty of the Examining Board to announce through the press and to mail directly to each candidate, the results of the examination immediately. C. Qualifications of Candidates: A candidate must meet the following qualifications of the ISlA before he or she be allowed to take the exam: 1. Candidates for examination for Associate Ski Instructor shall be at least eighteen (18) years of age. Candidates for Certified Ski Instructor shall be twenty-one (21) years of age. 2. All candidates shall have sufficient knowledge of the English language and have a high standard of personal ethics and character. 3. All non-member candidates shall be "registered" with ISlA. 4. All non-member candidates must hold an advanced first aid card. 5. All non-member candidates must complete a written report. All candidates shall be subject to approval by the Board of Directors. D. Registration: A non-member can make application for certification after he has completed registration. The fee for registration is $10.00. The term of registration will be until the following June 30 or on obtaining certification status. Forms for registration are available through ISlA Executive Secretary, Area Certification Representative, or Ski School Director. E. Exam Application: The candidate for examination shall fill out an application approved by his Ski School Director or Chief Examiner. All non-member candidates must hold and be prepared to present to the examining board an advanced first aid card. The candidate shall also consent to the cancellation of his certification by the Board of Directors at its discretion. The a 1ication to ether with the fee for examination and written re ort must be mailed to t e Certification Committee Chalrman not less t an ourteen 4 days prior to the examination. In the case an application is rejected because of failure to meet the requirements, the Chairman shall promptly notify the candidate. 3 Written Report: This report shall be equivalent to at least ten (10) pages typewritten in length, and the subjects to be covered are: 1. Party management, route finding, principles of map and compass, and ski mountaineering. 2. Avalanche hazards and recognizing them and avalanche rescue techniques. 3. Equipment and clothing. 4. Organization of the sport including: a. F.I.S. organization and rules b. LS. LA. c. U.S.S.A. and its divisions - classification of competitors d. P.S. LA. e. Distress signal As a basis for this report, the following references can be used: 1. Manual of Ski Mountaineering, Revised, David R. Brower, Editor, compiled under the auspices of the N.S.A., 2nd Edition, University of California Press. 2. Avalanche Handbook, U.S. Government Printing Office. 3. F.I.S. Rule Book 4. American Ski Technique, available through the Professional Ski Instructors of America. 5. Avalanche Enigma, Fraser, Colen, Rand McNalley, 1966. 6. Introduction to Mountaineering, Smith, George Alan. 7. Racing Rules for Alpine Events, National Ski Association, Alpine Rules Comm. 8. Intermountain Division,USSA, By-Laws, Competition Regulation, and Directory. F. Term of Certification: The term of certification shall be for one year after which time the candidate may apply for renewal without examination provided he has met the requirements outlined in the Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws of I.S.I.A. G. Fees: The fee for examination shall be thirty ($30.00) dollars. H. Insignia: A ski teacher's pin will be issued to the successful applicant of the examination. The pin shall remain the property of the Intermountain Ski Instructors Association. Additional pins may be obtained on deposit from the Secretary of the ISlA. On termination of certification, all pins shall be returned to the Secretary, ISlA. All interested agencies (U.S. Forest Service, U.S.S.A., and P.S.I.A.) shall be notified by the Secretary of the ISlA. IV EXAMINATION The examination will be based on the Basic Principles of the Official American Ski Technique, new revised edition 1970. The examination will consist of four parts. Parts 1, 2, and 3 of the examination will be conducted on the snow, and all parts will be completed in one appointed day. 4 Dart 1: Demonstration Phase - the candidate shall be prepared to demonstrate the -"-'fcllc'wing finished technical forms: 5traiqht running StrAi~llt snow plow Sne,wp low turns Stem turn''} F'OfW&rd Sideslip ,]r:';:;i Christy Std!1 Chr'lsties Parallel Christies Short SfYinc; fhe candidate may be asked ::0 demonstrate addi ~'ional maneuvers. P},r:t.f.: }'eacb_ing Pha',e - Tile canCiidate shall be able to demonstrate and explain ~19arly and correctly each movement of any of the maneuvers listed under Part ciuove. He shOUld be able to recognize any incorrectly executed maneuver and to discover, explain, and correct the fUndamental errors involved. The candidate will also be expected to show his ability to demonstrate and apply the proper corrective exercises. He shall be Jble to select proper terrain for teaching various maneuvers, considering gradient, snow, and weather conditions, safety, etc. The candidate shall demonstrate abilities to lead a class from one maneuver to the next in a l2.9,ic<0.. and continuous progression and according to various objectives by use of auxiliary maneuvers. Part 3: Free Skiing Phas~ - During a free skiing period, the candidate shall display his ability to execute with a high degree of precision, steadiness, and control, any of the maneuvers of his repertory of downhill skiing abilities, designated by the examining board. The examining board shall also deSignate the terrain, snow conditions, and the rate of speed. Part 4: Oral Phase - The candidate shall be prepared to complete a short series of --questTciI1STrlwriting concerning items pertinent to the sport of skiing and be prepared for an oral examination. The oral portion will be subject to the discretion of the examining board. Each examiner shall score each sub-section of the score card numerically - zero (0) through twenty (20). These scores shall be used as a guide for the final grade of Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. The qualifying score for Certified is sixteen (16) or above. Associate twelve (12) to fifteen (15), and Failed to Qualify below twelve (12). The examiner's average of Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 shall be his final grade. In no event shall a candidate receive a grade in Part 2, teaching phase, lower than his final grade. The average of the Board of Examiners' fina'J grades shall be the examination result. The candidate will receive by mail the results of his examination in Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 as well as the final examination result. Phil Jones 1970-71 Chief Examiner, I S I A Certification-Examination Policy SAMPLE SHEET OF EXAMINERS' SCORECARD: PROfESSIONAL SKI INSTRUCTORS Of AMERICA INC EXAMINER S SCORE CARD fOR CERTIFICATION HAMIN ... nON _ NATIONAL STANDARD MANEUVHS EXAMINER S NAME OR NUMBER PLACE & DATE OF COMMENTS ~EMON,I----------------------------------------------sn ... SHA.GMI RJNNING STRAIGHT SNOWPLOW SNOWPLOW T~RNS fORWARD SIDES,IP UP"'ll CHR ,tv .... DElN SLA,O", 5L/I..O'" FREE <., GOADE 2 liONS I' E\ \ \1 RF.~ll.T- (AND D ... TE 5 N.>..ME OR NUMBER DEMONSTRATION 2 SLALOM FREE SKI 3 TEACHING 4 ORAL 5 MANEUVER ASSIGNfO DEMONSTRATION EXPLANATION RECOGNllf ERRO~S ClASS HANDliNG MANEUVER GRAN MANEUVER ASS.GNED DEMONSTRATION RECOGNIZE ERRORS CiASS HANDLING CHOICE Of TERRAIN DEMONSTRATION fXPlAN"IION RECOGN'ZE ERRORS CORRECT fAULTS CLASS HANDLING CHOICE OF T,RRAIN MANEUVER GRADE 3 TfACHIN. G GRADE ORAL GRADE 4 5 TEACHING PHASE -- 15 6111 IIA ; n L'i ,\ 'h nn. A I Ut ~ 6~ o ' ~ :- .' " il l rlil ~ ! l'lJlDtlnLl , lla ' U14 z.o J.'hQ ~ 6$l- .} <'! ;) :iiJ' 11. t 't " ~ II rr. L lull' L ...-~· I t..J iJl .u I!.:!J lH I UU-j fI ,j/. -l2A::: ~ I ~ )l L ~~ I . K ~ J l~r ~::e O ~ ~ iU L. h:y..! 4; 1 ,r 1 II [ Jdll" r !l l. ~ ... . T t il} JU I .. : ,j {' -;' ''3-1 ... aI .1 U:4h HD ~ ·. 11 ttLTDUCh. op ~·, t QT . or l: .. . 1 rdMco< v.. I i! .I.'1 1 • I • jI ir IJ ' 1-t .R: u" " In! 1.1-= [or t .:tr - Brj, n Ii :1!1 oj) .. Stl .1 3 ~ l4 & ~ . -"b Illjl l.E,Y L x lin. 1,:1 fcl!:i. ~~ y Pi IiT' ~I I I.& .. h Phl"Wn f' ! - .h F:,u '- il L! H ' f' IIU ~ I::. n " " ul l'lt'ti '; :1 I I I. ~k ... c 1 l L' " IC'! Qij -;, y ~ ~L" l 'H II ! .. ', .H Lt n ~ ~ [ lJ ~ b :00 .1.~ ' 'I,: .r,,:: Re-·I;tf' 4lcu.' 2 :1 t I) ~ iI d.rt" ,.~ t'i 11 ft Ii- aI .·tI ..... ~ ~ r._,i l; d 110 ,f'JOD I, [d "h " I'" ~«' l .n-L~ n J . .5 M. I) ;j 1: 11 IJ.lj lUI: r... n t h'll. t :1 . 'J'f.I II P I b : .. Ibt 0 fi :' · I .. . (I n .;: : ;i lJ.- =- JiJ (.I T'! H..! ch::i: 1: s , 'J II • " a~J( LJ~ ~ u k .; r. " t ",. R,'IQ "h n(' ! b4 Y-~' ~~ ~ Hal! t',u L .. )' j. :l r fo: I; I :;Y ~ C ~ t 4r ~ Co l L,. . I:L fI I HI;;t btl IIr i t- ~ · 9 ~. !.2 E RIII ... r l i: . S .. , 1iI1,. r ~ ~ L,\ P : Tled., •• t - i:. ~ :' :'U1i" : . h ,' -4 !~ :r i tI r I · J.fIi Ilh r n '_ Ii PI nt' 'B!l '''' '' ;(1 0', J !j lo.'':&: . I:.. I iJ)' .. m J:lh .:'l ~ . r;L r.,. ry TI! 4 '..I 'I ~ h :i II)lL <1 II '..-,: ., t ~.:t I I ,.tll! a·;2ll-l lIho'l'1 (, ! )~-~;;'1i' L. n. - .:' ~ LI;v ·~62 I:H~t. ~~ d ~ 1:1 E.~ n. lIt . ij"4Q" ~'I II> nL" ~?Ioo - I I ~ B III P T 1 - ~" 0"",. 1.1 J",- ':'1 . ... ~ ... nl n~ !I}_ 02 P . IIU i ~lJ .. ~ "" ~ J "';' L"(t r .... J :.iI' ~1"'0 '. lju ( t: I G,,"d 11\ • l d,,'h :M.ull 914- · 2 1} :~ (:r:' .. L,6 .PiM Il r't:. .. m ~n I S t>~. 11.I~ 1i .. OK! , ,,Ii I.~~ UCJIl IY" ! 21 r ll .: ... •• J, ~ II .. I III';:" 2':.1 Hi '}l(1J t i 1'1 'Ii' h:w t" .1 ... 0:: S IL Lt .. {; I l~· .• u< ~ A" I i m"' i JJB .. 7i·9 ,:1 )" Aw .::'( .son P . O. 'r~ l " ~l j .k Cl . " 'J! . II aM16C1 I.'ht) n : ;:", · 2 LJ ri r ,. I). H ("~ ):1 ihi l"l ' &:I U ,~l l [4. ~ u Vl. .., ",: ', . lJ-:lOOS 'r._ (;1 ".1'1 E ~. "'~ ft · {I (1Ah ' lI L (I I'vC" I llQ I Mn'~1! ~32 11 I 1""':' 11. : n / - 6;9 I~ Lu r "' rl Ju.n~ 1Ji: HI ri Cl U.1 7 ~ 2 t;Jt p: t ) 5f) ~n=' I~ IL tC-a: Li I [ .. 1'1 tl4W L Pt.on.: }1 ) · 6 .l l~ J n P. (JOL l r.L, l'ton !l-j)K 3:i III II.,] u~ I L ~ a ho p IIIII.~: '~~- .WO ~ " h("~ t £.ill L ~ C" "- 4H . t lAth S t rt.t I d.lil", Foil., I d ' D 6}.\{1 L UM"c-: SH- O~ 11 (!.:z. ~ SCi;' L 11)1' 'c i'o:n ~I 'i t ] tlfil! J. ";I ~u " to I.;yu ;fit fi li.-Jn . : 7 B -1 t3 .Ju n1()T I\ u u w...; ... , 2QHl w. t. 'IIu n t. T 1" 71 ~ [,j :I t JJ.xt ~o· .~ f~ t'<I'a'I I' lIIlali . .8 ~61}1 Phil fOr J7 :!.' .. L:j ~ 4 ~ It 1.1 t il 1:1 t • lf tJb . CI I . ' Ulle: J~" - ~9 :.: Lunlt llii ~ Lh: " ~ t.ot:(!'["[t' -. t ,\ ~ L:£l [I (:r. '6I\·~. :m ~~ II! 1.1 t •• I.It.b $4111(1 91 };Lnl!, IIi I I D.1· r 'P'tl ~. !. (j~ 9t - J:;7 .~ i·1 "'" "I . ork.I .... "," 1:.!4) (Joe Ld 1'1 S t ccu l ".If u. c ~ l l • • Ut ." f1I.one, ;\~Sf,·B O J .. ; td fit .. [-.. Lfi. .fI :'JIlO ~n 'Ii II ~ !:>r; ,.,. . 1 L. k ell Y I II I,,", ~~ 10"1 l'1IonH ~ R .. 1n~ ~nr :l e I Le T·_rIl.LrI<on JU2 ~ '\lt l I. Dr ;"~ lill L I. I. !'.I L::", C. i II. r iU lIi :,11 .\ 1 01) l' h,,'M: ;' ~ - 1 ? I~ SoLt Ii; 1<.. ·~ l t 1. 1), . 1, ~~ 1 2 ! ~ h.<mu; VT-JOIt The Official American Ski Technique New & Revised Edition Ski S6'fvices 'P.O. Box 762 Salt Lake City, Utah 84110 Please ship ...... Copies of the 1970 new and revised edition, The Official American Ski Technique, by the Professional Ski Instructors of America, Inc., published by Cowles Book Co. Price ... $8.95 I.S.I.A. Members 20% off. Send $7.16 plus 30¢ handling. Total $7.46. (Utah residents add 34¢ sales tax. Total $7.80) Enclosed our check for $ ............................. . Name ..... ................................................................................ Title ............................................... . (PLEASE PRI NT) Company ................................................................................................................................ . Address .......................................................................................................................................... . City.................................................................. State ........................................ Zip ....................... . Skiing the American way is the achievement of the Professional Ski Instructors of America. These are the teaching pros who "made" American skiing by taking the aristocratic European sport and adapting it to the American skiing terrain from East to West. They have developed a technique of skiing particularly suited to American capabilities and have created special methods of teaching it to the American public en masse. The principles of this technique allow the beginning skier to have fun immediately, bring to the learning skier the early enjoyment of speed and motion, and prepare the advanced skier to ski all snow conditions and terrain variations. The Professional Ski Instructors of America is the official organized voice for certified professional ski instructors in this country and their member ski schools. Operating nationwide, it sets standards and acts to promote the growth and popularity of skiing in America. The PSIA symbol represents the official recommendation of the certified professional ski expert. :-ct en -=-= C"2 C) :e r- "en' PROFESSIONAL SKI INSTRUCTOR OF AMERICA ~.... . ~\~ BY-LAWS OF ROCKY M-O-UN-TA-IN -SK- I -IN-ST-RU-CT-OR-S -A-SSO-CIATION (Note; This March, 1970 printing of the By-Is.ws includes all amendments to date) The name of this organization shall be the "Rocky Mountain Ski Instructors Association", hereinafter referred to as RMSIA. Ie OBJECT The purpose for which this non-profit association is formed is for the advancement of the sport of skiing through an organization composed of certified ski instructors. To prov:",-~~ for the certification of ski instructors and for the establishment of standards ,( ski instruction. A further purpose is the operation of the association for the Ili',ltual and individual benefit of the membership. II. MEMBERSHIP 1. Eligibility. a) There shall be one class of membership known as certified ski instructor. Membership shall be restricted to ski instructors who have been certified by the Rr1SIA. b) kn instructor, when certified by the RMSIA and in good standing in the organization, shall be eligible to vote and to hold office. The good standing of a member shall be determined in accord with requirements as established and published by the Board of Directors. These requirements shall include maintenance of the instructor certification by attendance at least once every two (2) years at an annual clinic, or ~BIA Seminar & Annual Meeting, and payment of annual dues, but shall not be limited thereto. Such member in good standing shall be classed as an "active"member. c) kny member not fulfilling the requirements as published by the Board of Directors may, in the sole discretion of said Board, be declared a suspended member, and upon continued noncompliance for a period of six (6) months shall be expelled from the association. Reinstatement shall be upon such terms as are published by the Board of Directors. 2. Honorary Lifetime Membership. 1m Honorary Lifetime Membership may be awarded by the Board of Directors to such outstanding active member as in the opinion of the Board merits special recognition. This membership shall be limited to one such award annually and will be signified in the form of a gold plated certified instructor's pin. Upon presentation of such award, the requirements for maintenance of active membership shall be permanently waived. 3. Associate Certification. 1m instructor who has previously been certified as an "associate" instructor by the RMHA may remain as an associate instructor and shall be classed as an l1active member", provided such member is in good standing in the organization. The requirements of good standing shall be as stated in paragraph 1 of this article. Such associate member shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges accorded to all other active members. No "associate ski instructor" certification status shall be granted after the date of adoption of these By-Laws by the RMSIA Board of Directors. 4. Apprentice Instructors. Apprentice instructors may register with the association. Upon proper registration and payment of such fees as the Board of Directors of the RMSIA may require, they will be entitled to the receipt of association correspondence and publications and may attend such instructo~ clinics or meetings as may be held. The procedure for registration shall be established and published by the Board. 5. Inactive Membership. a) An active member may apply to the Board of Directors to be granted inactive membership. Upon approval by the Board, such inactive member shall pay full dues and shall continue to receive all association correspondence and publications. Such member may attend SUch clinics and meetings as are held, but shall not be eligible to vote in any as:' ,iation or district elections or meetings. Nor shall such member be eligible to ).·)ld office within the organization. After a period of 4 years of ir:.. active status, such member must be re-examined to again become an active member. Anytillle prior to the end of the 4 years, such member may again become active by attending an annual Clinic and advising the Board of Directors of his intent. b) An active member who has had at least five (5) years active membership in good standing and is at least 40 (forty) years old, may app~ to the Board of Directors to be granted an ~neritus membership. Upon approval by the Board, such Emeritus member may pay annual dues (as detelTuined by the Board of Directors) and continue to receive all association cor~espondence and publications, or he may pay annual dues in the amount of $5.00 and receive no association correspondence or publications. Such member may attend such clinics and meetings as are held, but shall not be eligible to vote in any association or district elections or meetings. Nor shall such member be eligible to hold office within the organization. If a member of this classification desires to again become an active member, he must present a letter of request to the Board of Directors for their approval and must meet any requirements which the Board may set forth. c) Any active member of RNSIA on temporary duty with the Armed Forces of the USA may apply to the Board of Directors for a waiver of membership dues and annual clinic attendance requirements for such temporary duty period. Such application shall be submitted by the member and approved annually by the Board of Directors. 6. Reci~rocal Agreements. The Board of Directors may grant reciprocal membership to such qualified ski instructors from ski instructor organizations who, -7> in the discretion of the Board, meet th0 certification requirements of the RMSIAA-Such reciprocal membership, when granted, shall be that of an "RMSIA certified ski instructor" • No reciprocal membership shall be granted to an applicant from an organization which would not recognize the certification of a member of the RMSIA. Members of ski j.nstructor organizations desirous of joining the Rl'1SIA shall: a) Submit written verification of the applicant's current good standing in the organization to be considered reciprocal, and, " b) Submit a letter of recommendation from the Director of the Ski School with whom the applicant is or will be associated. Upon the affirmative vote of 2/3 of the Board of Directors, the payment of annual dues, and compliance with any additional requi:re~ents as may be imposed by the Board, the applicant shall be accepted for membership • ... 2 - 7. Non-Reciprocal Fully Certified Instruct~~. A fully certified ski 1nst.rllctor f'rom a non-reciprocal instructor organization may transfer membership to the ~SIA under the following conditions: a) The ski instructor shall have taught one season at a ski school under the RM3IA and present a letter of recommendation from the director of said ski school. b) The instructor shall present complete and valid proof of the previous full certification. c) The instructor shall qualify in a "special group" certification examination. The cost thereof shall be 1/2 of the cost charged for the regular certification examination. 8. Annual Meeting ~he annual meeting of the membership of this association shall be held in October or lbvember of each year at such hour and place as the Board of Directors may design".te and which will be stated in the written notice of such annual meeting. 9. Special N:eeting. Special meetings of the membership may be called at any time by resolution of the Board of Directors, or upon written request of ten (10) percent of the membership, to be held at such time and place as the Board of Directors or membership calling such meeting, may designate. ·lb. Notice and Ballots. Notice of meetings and ballots shall be prepared and mailed to the last kno~m address of each member at least thirty (30) days before any regular or special meeting of members. Such notice shall state the object or issues to be discussed. 11. Quorum. A quorum at any meeting of the membership, shall consist of a majority of the members of the association represented either in person or by mailed ballot. Active me~ers in good standing may vote either in person or by a mailed ballot at any annual or special meeting of members provided such ballot is presented for registration forty-eight (48) hours or more in advance of the time set for such annual or special meeting. All such voting shall be done on an individual basis and proxy or cumulative voting shall not be permitted. All such mailed ballots shall be signed by the member voting. Nothing in this section shall take precedence over the election balloting procedure in Article VI, Elections. 12. Order of Business The order of business at the annual meeting of the membership shall be as follows: a) Roll call b) Proof of notice of meeting c) Reading and disposal of any unapproved minutes d) Reports of officers and committees e) New business III. BOARD OF DlREGrORS 1. Membership. The direction and management of the association shall be vested in the Board of Directors who shall be active members. There shall be nire (9) to fifteen (15) members of the Board of Directors including the President and Executive Vice-President of the association. - 3 - 2. Representation and Election. A member of the Board shall be elected either in a district election or as a member at large. To be a candidato for ele~~,ion, the candidate must be, or have been, an active ski instru~tor iYl a ski area under the jurisdiction of the RMSIA, and. be an active member in good standing of the RIJ}sIA. a) District Hernbership: EA.ch district shall be entitled to three representatives on the Board of Directors. One such representative shall be elected each year. The district election shall be conducted in each district each year by the remaining senior representative or representatives. All such districts and elections shall be subject to Articles V and VI of the By-laws. b) Membership at large: There shall be three directors on the Board of Directors representing U:d membership at large. One such director shall be elected each year. Election to such membership shall be announced at the annual meeting. Applications for sc:;h position must be submitted to, and received by, the Executive Vice-President sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting. 3. Term. The term of office of those elected shall be for three years. A director may serve for more than one term. H~rever, such terms may not be consecutive. 4. Vacancy. In the event of a vacancy due to death, disability, resignation, or any other cause affecting such representative, a new representative may be appointed by the Board or a new election may be held in the district, such decision to be within the sole discretion of the Board of Directors. 5. Meetings. The Board shall meet at least four (4) times yearly. Special meetings shall be held whenever called by the President or requested by any five (5) directors. All meetings of the Board shall be open to the membership with the exception of those held under the provisions of Article IX, (8). Minutes of all open meetings shall be mailed to the membership as soon as feasible. 6. Quorum. A quorum at any meoting shall consist of a majority of the entire membership of the Board. No business shall be transacted unless such majority of its members are in attendance. The vote of a majority of those directors present shall constitute an act of the Board of Directors. A record of attendance shall be kept for all regular and special meetings of the Board and made a part of the minutes of such meeting. In the absence of the required quorum, the members in attendance may adjourn the meeting to a later date and absent Board members shall be immediately notified of such postponement. 7. Voting by Hail. The Board may be polled by the President or at the request of any Board member. A ballot m~y be prepared stating the nature of the business, which shall be limited to matters permitting a "yes" or "no" vote, and mailed to each member. Such ballot must be returned within ten days of mailing. The results of the poll shall be tabulated, listing each member's vote by name, and the Board members shall be informed of the result. A vote of the majority of the Board shall be necessary for the passing of any motion. If no protest is made by a Board member wthin ten days of the m~iling of the result, the action shall become final and made a part of the record. If a protest is made, the entire Board shall be advised immediately as to the nature of such protest and the matter shall be held in abeyance for a period pending a vote for reconside~ation. Should the Board vote not to reconsider the matter, the original action shall become final. - 4 - 8. Protests. The membership may protest any action by the Board by submitting a petition bearing the signatures of at least ten percent (10%) of all of the voting membership of the association to the Board within thirt.y (30) d&.ys Gofter such action is published. Such right to protest shall not affect in any manner the finality of any action by the Board. Upon presentation of such a pro~est, the Executive Vice-President shall prepare a secret ballot to be sent to all votL~g members of the It~IA with instructions to return the same within a period of ten days from the date on which such ballot was mailed. A majority vote of the ballots returned shall be necessary to reverse the action or ruling. meeting 9. Order of Business. The order of business at of the Board of Directors shall be as follows: any regular or special a) Roll Call b) c) d) e) Proof of noLice of meeting Reading and d:·'.sposal of any unapproved minutes, preceding meuL~ng. Reports of officers and corr~ittees New business~ .. ____ --.. -tl~~"crc~.-~~'~'~"~ IV. OFFICERS and minutes of 1. Officers. The officers of the association shall be as follows: a) President b) Executive Vice-President c) Communications Vice-President d) Certification Vice-President e) Technical Vice-President f) Executive Secretary The President and Executive Vice-President shall be elected annually by and from the membership of the Board of Directors. The Communications Vice President, Certification Vice President, and the Technical Vice President shall be appointed annually by the Board, either from its membership or from the association membership at large. An Executive Secretary may be appointed by the Board subject to such qualifications and compensation as the Board may determine. 2. Term. The term of office shall be for one year. However, the term of office of the Executive Secretary shall be two years. All officers may serve for more than one term except the President who ma not hold t for more than two consec 3. ~~alifications. All officers shall be active members in good standing in RM3IA. 4. Duties. The Board of Directors shall prescribe the duties of the officers which shall include, without being limited to, the following: a) President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Board and of the general membership. He shall be the official representative of RMSIA in its relations with other organization, corporations, associations, governmental units, and the public in general. He shall further perform all duties incident to his office or which are authorized or required of him by the Board of Directors. - 5 - b) F;xecutive Vice-President: The Executive Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in his absence. He shall supervise, coordinate and provide administrative assistance in all elections held under the ausp:l.c8s of the RHSIA. He shall further perform all duties incident to his office or 1"rhich are authorized or required of him by the Board of Directors ol" the Prosident. c) Communications Vice-President: The Communications Vi0e-president shall be responsible for the publication and issuance of such manuals, newsletters, films, training aids, and other communications as may be required and beneficial to the association. He shall further be responsible for the advertising, news releases and public relations, as well as such other duties as may be authorized or directed by the Board of Directors or the President. d) Certificatj.'·"n Vice-President: The Certification Vice-President shall be responsible for the impl~: '~"::ntation and supervision of the certification policies as established and publishe(J by the Board of Directors. In addition, he shall further perform such other dn:~'L$t) as may be authorized or directed by the Board of Directors or the President. e) Technical Vice-President: The Technical Vice-President shall be responsible for the duties of his office as determined by the Board of Directors. f) Executive Secretar,v: The Executive Secretary shall take and record minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and of the me~bership at an annual or special meeting of the association. He shall further publish all such minutes, as well as any other material directed to be published by the Board or the President. He shall maL~tain the office of the association and the financial books and records thereof. He shall implement the mechanical procedure required for the mailing and receipt of ballots. He shall attend certiftcation examinations and render such administrative help as may be needod. He shall act in a general administrative capacity in the association and perform such other and further duties as ~ay be sssigned or directed by the Board or the President. He shall further perform the normal duties of a corporate office of Secretary. \ t V. DISTRICTS 1. Area. For the purpose of electing directors and officers, the Board of Directors shall designate districts within the geographical area under the jurisdiction of the RMSIA. 2. Representatives. Each district shall be entitled to three representatives on the Board of Directors elected one per year for a term of three years. 3. Administration. The administration of a district shall be the responsibility of the district representatives on the RMSIA Board of D:i.rectors. The senior district representative shall serve as chairman of the district administrative body, or in his absence the next senior representative shall fill this capacity. Snch responsibility shall inclUde coordination with, and the implementation of such policies as are established by the Ri:1SIA. 4. Financing. The districts will be financed by the RMSIA. The district administration shall submit a budget request to the RMSIA as an item in the ~BIA budget. The districts will not assess dues, however, they can collect fees to cover the expenses associated with the operation of district clinic. - 6 - 5. Voting. All active members in good standing in the RMSIA shall be ellgible t.o vote in district elections or meetings. A member sha.ll be eligible to vote in the district of the Rl1SIA in which the ski school with whom he is associated is located. 6. Meetings. District meetings shall be held at least once each year, and notice of such district meeting shall be mailed to all members in the district to arrive at least 10 and not more than JO days before the date of the meeting. a) The district administrative body as outlined in V, J, shall preside at all district meetings, and in their absence the members may elect a chairman. b) Special District Meetings: The senior district representative may call a special meeting if h: ,::1.eems it necessary, Such representative or the Executive Vice-President o_t' \-13 RMSIA shall call a special meeting upon a signed petition of 20% of the memb3:"~ :~:~ the district. Notices of such meetings shall be made as for a regular meeting and shall state the subject matter to be brought before the special session. c) Nominations and Elections: See Article VI, Elections. VI. ELEcrroNS 1. Time. Elections shall be held llnnua:ny and balloting may be either in the form of a personal vote at a meeting O~ a signed mailed ballot. 2. Eligible Voters. Eligible voters shall be those active members in good standing in the ffi;!sIA. J. Candidacy for Membership at Largo on Board of Directors. a) Applications for such candidacy must be submitted to and received by the Executive Vice-president siA~y (60) d~ys prior to the election date. The district representative shall v&lidate such application by signature. No nominations shall be accepted from the floor of the annu~l meeting. The application shall contain a picture, a brief resume, and evidence of willingness to accept the office aspired to if elected. b) In the event that less than two (2) applications are submitted, the Board of Directors may nominate additional candidates. c |