Miscellaneous

AZB_Misc1994

INsrRU Vol. 15 No.3 The Official Publication of PSIA-Intermountain WINTER TWO 1994 Photo provided courtesy of .Powdershots All smiles after 3 days of reunion and enhancing our children's teaching skills, 1994 National Children's Symposium participants, Children's Committee members and JETs members gather on Snowbird's Chickadee slope. National Children's Symposium Success at Snowbird By GEORGE MOSHER, TARGHEE Sunny weather and fine snow conditions greeted over fifty instructors from across the country at the National Children's Symposium held January 31 - February 2 at Snowbird. The resort was an excellent setting with a spacious meeting area, fine foods and challenging skiing for those who dared. Free ski passes were an extra bonus from our gmcious hosts. This year's theme was Creating Chal­lenges for children. Day one focused on Personal Teaching Challenges. Alexandra Smith-Boucher offered insight to the value of our Cognitive, Affective, Physi­cal (CAP) model for teaching children. Mtemoon on snow centered around ad­dressing the challenges f6r children at various levels of development. Dan Freigang, a sports psychologist with the University of Utah, then pre­sented an after ski talk on motivation. For those who stayed late, a roundtable dis­cussion was held covering over a dozen topics of interest ranging from wage in­equities, video taping lessons to toilet talk. Day two brought more skiing and on­snow thinking. Our tasks for the day in­cluded doing something we had never done before and converting age-old nurs­ery rhymes to modem (kid) language. Each clinic group had to present their new and old rhyme to the symposium. The winning group did a "mp rhyme." Beside creating new ideas for teaching, we were discovering appropriate challenges in teaching and how these fit into the CAP model. Tim Ross, U. S. Ski Team alpine coaches education director, reviewed the current developments and direction of the team. Tim's presentation included the new USSCA training tape and a request that we watch for young (6-12 years) ski­ers with exceptional talent and encoumge their involvement with the team. Our third day started early with an open discussion on the proper steps to take if there is suspicion of child abuse in kids ski school. This was coordinated by Deb Rosenberd, clinic psychologist with Key­stone Resort, Colorado. John Alderson did an audio/video present.1tion on under­standing a teen's point of view through the CAP model. today's skiing was geared toward creativity, teaching teenagers or an all-mountain experience. We wmpped up early with the mandatory bubble-gum race and group photo session. This was Marty Harrison's last event as Children's Committee chairperson. Jim Heldt has accepted this position; we are all looking forward to his leadership. Special thanks to Alison Clayton, Bill Batt, Christine Katzenberger, Alexandra, Marie Russell-Shaw and Mariam Soder­gren, members of the Junior Education Team, who offered an exceptional leam­ing experience. _ Communication Message By STEW MARSH,PSIA-I COMMUNICATIONS V. P. Well, it seems like the pendulum is swinging again. What causes this sudden sense of unclarity and lack of trust in the rank and file. I have been sensing this uneasiness since the end of last year. Is it a lack of trust or dissatisfaction in the elected board members? Is it because of the poor snow year the Intennountain region is experi" encing? Or, is it a lack of communication. There it is again, that word that undeniably raises its weary head when things don't seem to go right. Your elected board has responded to. the concerns of this division. Concerns brought forth by the various committees appointed to help serve as a voice in matters that affect each and every member. Currently, two issues have been brought before the board that reflect some changes in how board members are elected and tenns of office. These are important and relevant issues that will be addressed and voted on at the next board meeting. Having the opportunity to go back and read minutes and old newsletters (some­thing any member can do) I have found that the issues we are dealing with today are very similar to those of the past. These issues cont.1in. a lot of history about the direction of PSI A, support of the industry, what we should be doing with certification and education, divisional and nationally: to issues of pay, benefits, to marketing a better product so that more people take lessons. Your current board and other boards prior to this one have addressed questions like these for many y~ars. Many have been acted upon and have made tremendous impacts on skiing and ski teaching in this division and throughout the nation. History is vital to. the survival and existence of any association. Your board has acted very responsibly over many years and truly with the interest of the entire membership in mind. President Cmig Pearson sensed this uneasiness taking place in the membership last year and invited Bill Hetrick, current President of PSIA, to visit a special board meeting in January. (See article in this EDGE.) He asked Bill to speak and answer questions of the members after the board meeting. This event was publicized well in advance through the EDGE, letters to individual ski schools ~Uld to the SIRC reps. Area opemtors from around the division were also invited. When Bill stood to speak there were no area opemtors present and less than thirty members, including the board members. What an interesting sight! Bill spoke to the group with openness and frankness about National and its present role and future responsibilities and directions. I personally was shocked to see such disinterest from a division that seems so hell bent on wanting answers. This was an opportunity we don't have often. I felt as though Bill responded to the questions very favorably. He explained that there were problems within National and was working very hard in producing a newsletter that would be received by the members at least four times per year in addition to The Professional Skier. It wa'> a valuable meeting, not only for the people who attended but also for our division. Bill respects what we are doing here with regard to education and certification, which continues to give our division a lot of credibility. As I am writing this message, many feet of snow have fallen. I hope this is an indicator of what the rest of the year will be like. It should put many smiles on all our faces and create an attitude in all of us that we belong to a great profession, that is fun to be associated with and that offers us a multitude of ways to become better teachers and skiers. Casting your votes in the upcoming elections is important. Please take the time to read about each candidate and vote! Also upcoming is the Spring Clinic at Snowbird. With all the new snow and more to come it should provide for a great and fun time there. The committee is already planning some great surprises. It is always a great value and lots of fun. I hope to see many of you there. 2 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Open Wide and Say , Aahhh,' Fat Boys are Here to Stay By CAROLINE JALBERT, ALF ENGEN SKI SCHOOL My first experience with the new style of super-wide powder skis was a true te"~l'<\.­tion. My student and I both felt a little awkward skiing down the hill from the Deep Powder House with shiny black Rossignol Axioms on our feet. We weren't at all sure what to expect. As we pushed off into our first powder run, we focused on maintaining an open stance and athletic, active body move­ments, just as though we had actually been on a groomed trail. In an attempt to relax, we keyed in on our breathing: inhaling as we released our ski tips down the hill and exhaling as we continued to guide our skis through the arcs. We found that we had to be patient and resist the urge to force the turns. The rewards were well worth the initial concentration. After a few runs of experimentation, Katherine and I realized how much fun we were having. She turned to me guiltily and said, "It's so easy. It seems like playing." For the first time, she could honestly say that she felt stable in deep, thick powder snow, as well as cut-up crud. We both felt that the additional width of the "fat boy" skis gave us the stability we needed to trust the movements of our bodies. That very welcome feeling of trust translated into positive self talk that went something like this: "I will make these turns, grace­fully and effortlessly. This stuff doesn't scare me. Where's the next patch of pow­der'?" Every run turned into a Cadillac ride when we pressured the fronts of the skis, rolled off the old edges and used our legs to tum right and left. The visual image of dream skis being gliders (see Ernie's po­etic description in this issue of the EDGE) helped us have a fabulous day of skiing fresh snow. So, if you haven't already experienced the rewards of skiing on these overgrown tongue depressors, get out there and see what it's all about. Happy flying. • Spring Clinic at Fun~ Sun and Snow! April IS, 16, 17 3 days including Saturday banquet at Snowbird: $100 2 days including banquet: $75 Spouse banquet ticket: $25 Spouse lesson: $25 Lodging Special: call 1-800-453-3000 for special rates. Identify yourself as a PSIA-I Spring Clinic Participant. Let the Spring Begin! See application at the back of this EDGE. ·Clinic Topic Clarification Women's Specialty Nancy Oaks has helped run very successful clinics for women all over the country. Come ski with a great role model, grab a few pointers and have a great time. A 1·hour seminar will take place on Saturday at 4:30 for those interested in starting or improving women·s programs at their areas. Children's Specialty - TIY On a New C.A.P. Rnd out about the C.A.P. What is the C.A.P.? Is it the same for children and adults? Adapt what you teach to each. Development affects leaming and performance. There are different developmental stages a child goes through as he/she grows. You may be able to identify if a child has passed or not passed through a particular stage and make your teaching more effective. Sometimes you can identify a stage an adult has not passed through completely. Understanding how a child thinks, what he or she feels and needs, and how children move and grow is essential to instructors or coaches. Using the CM> model can be an effective tool for understanding children or adults.Come to the Spring Clinic and put on a new CM>. Seniors Take a look at key points important for successful lessons with seniors, the population that will spend the most money on ski school in the future. This clinic will focus on teaching seniors and will take a look at how to broaden their experience level. It will be taught by seniors with years of experience and is recommended for instructors of all ages, not just the old dudes. Spouse Lesson Here's your chance. A lesson at half the. normal price and with one of the best teachers in the Division. Don·t miss it! Clinic Topics Friday Skiing Improvement: 6 credit hrs Moderate and Aggressive Advanced Educator: 6 credit hrs Mountain Experience: No credit Ski Snowbird with a guide Saturday 'Women's Specialty: 6 credit hrs With National D-Team Member Nancy Oaks Umited to 16 people Skiing Improvement: 6 credit hrs Moderate and Aggressive Variable Conditions, Introduction: 6 credit hrs Variable Conditions, Advanced: 6 credit hrs Be prepared to hike, bring avalanche beacon and shovel ~enlors: 6 credit hrs Ski with experience, Junior Bounous, Dean Roberts, Gene Palmer, and aging DECLs Snowboard, beginning: 6 credit hrs Snowboard, advanced: 6 credit hrs ·Children's Specialty: 6 credit hrs ·Spouse Lesson with DECL: no credit Sunday Race Clinic: 6 credit hrs Umited to 20 people Fat Boy Variable Conditions (wide-body skis): 6 credit hrs Not for the faint of heart! Be prepared to ski hard. 'Women's Specialty: 6 credit hrs. With National D-Team Member Nancy Oaks Umited to 16 people Skiing Improvement: 6 credit hrs Aggressive and Moderate Variable Conditions, Introduction: 6 credit hrs Variable Conditions, Advanced: 6 credit hrs Be prepared to hike, bring avalanche beacon and shovel Nordic Downhill, beginning: 6 cre'dlt hrs Nordic Downhill, advanced: 6 credit hrs Vote! Evel)'one should have received their Board of Director bal­lots. Take a moment right now to vote. Nominees are: Jo Garuccio, Stew Marsh, Kim May hew, George Mosher, Mike Thurgood, Greg Underwood and David Y ovanovich. Participate in your division and vote for tbe Board. INSTRUCTORS EDGE 3 Pitch Roll Yaw Dream Skis Fly High in the Fluff By ERNIE ERSPALMER, ALF ENGEN SKI SCHOOL Two gliders in flight... Two gliders playing as if the air was snow and the snow was air. Two gliders diving together in complete unison, rolling together through the clouds of powder; wing tips close, as if one, yet separate. Two gliders tuming together, one lead­ing while the other follows, taking. turns. Who will lead through the fluff? Two gliders always in touch, never get­ting in each others' way. Diving, rolling and turning together; in sync ... fluid har­mony in motion! "Three axis of control" is the basis for pilots today: Pitch, Roll and Yaw (see illustrations(. If you imagine putting two glider planes (or dream skis) on your feet, you may experience what the "Blue An­gels" have felt for years: formation flying through the fluff. • Bike Away Those Mid-Season Blues and Prepare for the Off-Season By ED CHAUNER, SNOWBIRD Don't get stressed by low snow and warm weather, get that mountain bike out and pedal your blues away. Most roads in the valley have been snow free and snowmo­bile trails are packed just right for riding. Get out there and sweat. As for the off-season, mountain biking is one of the best forms of exercise to keep (or get) fit for skiing. The muscles you use while climbing will make you a much stronger skier. More importantly, the fi­nesse and body english you use while descending will give you the same feel that you get while skiing down a moun­tain. "My wife was petrified of skiing because of having to tum the skis down the fall line," said Al Kreider Snowbird instructor. "Then she started to mountain bike and lost her fear of going downhill. Her skiing has improved 1000 percent." The Cannondale Cup Fat Tire Series (The Utah series) races offer 21 classes of racing and are open to everyone. If you really want to prepare for next ski season, startmcing.-Ed is a PSIA·I DECL and competitive mountain bike racer. 4 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Cannondale Cup Fat Tire Series Schedule April 2,3 9,10 Moab Rocks, Moab, UT 16, 17 23,24, 4th Bordertown Challenge, Wendover, NV 30,1 May 7,8 14,15 Golden Spike, Ogden, UT 21,22 28,29 6th Excellent Adventure, Idaho City, 10 June 4, 5 Butch Cassidy Blowout, Price, UT 11, 12 18,19 Bingham Bear Hollow Bash, Utah Winter Sports Park, Park City, UT 25,26 Park city Pedal Fest (tour) July 2,3 The Mountain bout, Snowbird, UT 9,10 16,17 Canyon Fest, solitude, UT 23,24 Tour Flaming Gorge (tour) 30,31 Snow King Classic, Jackson, WY August 6, 7 Corporate Games (non CCFT) 13, 14 Oinotrax, Flaming Gorge 20,21 27,28 Rustler Run, Alta, UT September 3,4 lava Rama, Lava Hot Springs, 10 10, 11 17, 18 World Championships, Vail, CO (non CCFT) Classes Men Junior 13-15, Junior 16-18 B,S,E Senior 19-34 B,S,E Vet 35-44 B,S,E Master 45+ B,S, E Pro Women Junior 13-18 Senior 19-34 B,S,E VeVMaster 35 + Pro 12 and Men & Women combined under Beginner Thoughts By LAURIE SINDEL, ALF ENGEN SKI SCHOOL When was the last time you were a begin­ner? Was it roller-blading? How about that first time on a mountain bike? Have you been ice skating lately? Or how about jumping nordic-style at the Winter Sports Park at Bear Hollow? The latter was on the schedule, but I was only going because I had to take the youth club jumping (I'm taking lessons because my husband wants me to learn how to ski. "). I never expected to get hooked my­self (''I'd rather be shopping ... "). After pulling into the parking lot ("There is NO WAY I'm ever going on that big hill!"), I gradually managed to lug all my gear up the incline to the base area ("Don't they make lifts for this?"). The director, JeffVolmrich, promptly informed me that I wouldn't be needing my poles ("How does he expect me to keep my balance?") and that I should unbuckle the tops of my boots ("But I will fallout ofthem!"). After a brief but detailed bit of instruction ("How humbling ... this is an important les­son and I have to pay attention! Could someone please ask him to slow down and repeat that last part?"), I was told to place my skis hip-width apart (" ... but everyone else has their feet close together") and ski over the jumps in the "ski-play area" ("Why can't I skip this part? I don't need to pmctice with only one ski on ... Do these in­structors really know what they are doing'?"). After multiple practice jumps ("You want me to do the same thing again? But I did it just like you said last time! "), I graduated to the outrun of the jump hills ("Can I ride the lift yet?"). By now I was extremely comfortable with my skis mere inches off the snow ("When can I learn how to tum?"), but after skiing the out-run of the 38 meter jump hill, I wasn't so sure I wanted my ski surface-to-snow distance measured in feet ("OK, I'm ready for the harder slope ... do they make hills where you only have to be able to turn left?"). I'm getting bored with the out-run ("I can turn around all the flags now ... "), and the moment of truth has arrived ("This part looks tougher than the beginner area! "). Here I go down the in-run ("Where are my hands supposed to be?..I can't remember how far apart my feet Education Comer By JO GAR{]CCIO, PSIA INTERMOUNTAIN EDUCATION CHA:lRPBRSON So you Want To Be a DECL! With the number of inquiries rising about DECL prepamtion and a hiring clinic, I feel compelled to discuss the situation. First of all, let me reiterate something that has been said before. DECL status is NOT another level of certification. In fact, if we ever do institute a Level IV certification. the major difference between being a Level IV and a DECL will be that one guy/gal has some divisional responsibilities as a clinic leader and examiner and the other does not. Furthermore, DECL status is not necessarily a ticket to ski school administration and product sponsorship, especially if you do not also have any management or sales experience. In addition, you will probably give the division at least 18-24 hours of your time per season in unpaid training. Still want to be a DECL? Read on! DECL's are generally well rounded individuals who possess exceptional commu­nication talent in addition to excellent skiing skills and a solid technical under­standing of the sport. They are probably over achievers and most have spent a lot of time and money on their ski education. In addition, 99% of them have probably never attended a DECL training clinic. However, they have participated in many ski improvement clinics, advanced educator sessions, lectures, academies, coach's certifications, and even gone so far as to fly to New Zealand for the summer. Most of them are also involved as trainers at their home ski areas, and they did not begin by coaching Level III candidates. Rather, they started with the rookies - the kids and retired guys with very little experience. Many probably spent at least two years training Entry Level instructors at home before moving on to the more advanced skiers. In fact, some of our veteran DECLs can remember doing nothing but Registered and Associate stuff for three years. When they were finally assigned a Certified ski clinic, they stayed up all night planning for the day (a few may have stayed up all night drinking and dancing but...). What I am trying to clarify is that becoming a DECL is not some magical secret that can only be acquired at a DECL prep session. To be hired as a divisional clinician, you need a broad based education. Ask your ski school director if you can become an Entry Level trainer by attending the Train the Trainer clinic. Then attend a ski improvement clinic for some feedback and coaching about your skiing (you won't get much personal help at a Train the Trainers clinic - it's designed to help you conduct an Entry Level clinic). Sign up for advanced educator and see what other experienced instructors are teaching and how. Attend a Level II mechanics session and observe the clinic leader in action. As you all know, there was no hiring clinic this year. We just did not know what our needs would be for 1993·94. We will probably have a hiring session sometime during the 1994-95 season. We don't actually need more bodies, but certainly don't want pass by a top notch individual who would be a great trainer. However, nothing is etched in stone and remember, I said "probably" not "absolutely"! For now, happy training to all! should be ... How come I'm going so fast?".Can't I just snowplow?..What did the instructor just say to do?") and sud­denly I'm in the air ("It's working .. .I'm actually skiing!) and now I've landed ("Hey, what a rush ... ! survived! ... That wasn't so hard ... My knees are still knock­ing, but everyone get out of my way be­cause I'm doing that again! "). If it's time for you to be a beginner again, try nordic-style jumping at the Utah Winter Sports Park at Bear Hollow. Whether this is the fIrst time your skis have ever left the ground or you are constantly airborne, you'll learn something new. Call Jeff Volmrich at 645-7660 for more information ('This is WAY more fun than shopping!'). - Laurie is a DECL and born-again jumper. INSTRUCTORS EDGE 5 Hetrick Meeting Attracts Handful PSIA President Bill Hetrick arrived at the Hampton Inn in Sandy, Utah, January i6 to brief PSIA-I's membership on the workings of National and field member concerns. It was a great idea, but only a handful of people showed up and a third of those were leftovers from the PSIA-I Board meeting held an hour earlier. The two dozen or so people who at­tended the geneml membership meeting heard a down-to-earth Hetrick explain the need for PSIA to get in touch with its membership and work harder to become a proactive organization within the ski in­dustry. The biggest news Hetrick had to offer was the establishment by PSIA and the National Ski Areas Association of a joint action committee to improve ski teaching. According to Hetrick, the committee will consist mainly of members of PSIA's ex­ecutive committee and "influential" peo­ple within NSAA. Ski Business, February 1994, reported that the NSAA repre­sentatives would be: Gordon Briner, gen­eml manager, Breckenridge, Colorado; Les Otten, president, Sunday River, Maine; Phil Peterson, director of market­ing, Wild Mountain, Minnesota; Robin Smith, president, Swain Ski Center, New York; John Wagnon, board member, Heavenly Ski Resort, California; and two individuals to be named. PSIA repre­sentatives were named as: Hetrick; Bruce McCurtain, executive vice president; Ruth McClelland, vice president, commu­nications; Mark Anderson, vice president, opemtions; Randy Short, immediate past president; and two individuals to be named. The committee's first meeting is scheduled for May 22. Hetrick also tackled concerns by some members that PSIA does not do enough for the average instructor. At the same time, the PSIA president took the oppor­tunity to address issues raised in Ski Teaching Network, a rogue newsletter which premiered in January and focused its content on attacks on PSIA . When asked about PSIA's role in deal­ings with ski area management, Hetrick said that PSIA is an "advocate for profes­sional ski instructors, not a labor union." He indicated that PSIA, ski instructors and area management must work together to 6 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Bill Hetrick combine instruction, families and even bad weather and make it fun for the skiing customer. Hetrick said that many instruc­tors don't see themselves as sales people. That view will have to change if ski in­struction is to prosper in the future. Concerning Ski Teaching Network. Het­rick said that he was "taking advantage" of the controversy the newsletter created to push his plan for PSIA's own national newsletter. Hetrick explained his plans to begin publishing a newsletter for the ex­press purpose of getting basic information out to the divisions. He said that the Pro­fessional Skier's format does not permit the dispersal of general information and said the membership needs to get the facts concerning PSIA's financial report, stra­tegic plan, organizational structure and how national decisions are actually made by the divisions. Hetrick also said that although he didn't want to appear defensive, Ski Teaching Network contained "half truths and un­truths." According to Hetrick, the news­letter is published by a Certified Level III PSIA Centml member and one other per­son who is not a member of PSI A. Hetrick said he plans to visit each of PSIA's nine divisions this season and probe the membership for input. Those PSIA-I members attending the PSIA-I meeting were met by a PSIA president who appeared genuinely concerned with instructor needs and willing to listen. Based on the number of people who took advantage of the chance to speak their mind, there aren't many concerns out there to voice. _ A Short Note on Certification By TOM WOOD, DEER V ALLEY A couple of years ago I went back east to Stowe, Vermont for aPSIA Eastern exam. There were 106 candidates. The full exam (Certified Level III assessment) was con­ducted very similarly to the exams of the past few years here. Three-day exam and a dif~rent examiner each day, testing ski­ing, teaching and technical all in one day. The first day out the chief of the exam came out with me to make sure I was scoring on the same level as their examin­ers. In scoring the Center Line figures, I was a little hesitant to gmde what I saw until I asked the chief how the candidates had been trained, We discussed it and came to the same conclusions. He showed me his scores which reflected the high standard he expected. In the free ski runs the standard remained very high. The teaching and technical scores were very similar to what we see her. The next two and one half days I was on my own surviving the ice and finally lik­ing it. Watching and listening and scoring from this information. At the end of the exam, the chief and my fellow examiners got together and checked their scores with mine; we were all very close. About 50 percent of the candidates passed. Our new testing format this year in this division is going to provide a better vehi­cle for us to judge the proficiency of our candidates. Having seen the high standard required by PSIA-E for skiing skills and knowing that we have been a little relaxed in our standard, I hope we will see a rise in the standard of our skiing skills expec­ta~ M. _ Member Brian Head Mayor Steven M. Griffin, a Certified member of PSIA Intermountain, was voted Brian Head mayor November 2. Griffin ended H. C. Deutschlander's 16 years as Brian Head mayor. According to the Cedar City Spectrum, the vote was 39 to 30. Griffin manages the Club Edge and Res­taumnt. According to the Spectrum, Grif­fin pledged to promote recreation and lo­cal activities. _ } 1 -.--,... -•-•-~ ~' -•-•- .,. ~•• •~• --•-.•.... .l. -J., • I • ., .• ,. I • •• •• 1_ I' •. •. , .• .... ..,..,. _... •••• 1I __I .• •, ..-...-.., ., -• . •.....•... -• -I 11, -• Editor's note: I. William Berry, an out­spoken critic of PSIA, died February 5. Berry's articles for Ski and other indus­try magazines attracted the attention of ski instructors for their blunt condem­nation of PSIA and suggestions for the organization's reform. Although many disagreed with Berry's viewpoints, his writings spawned a dialog within PSIA that may ultimately make the organiza­tion stronger. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends. The following Viewpoint was written by Allen Tilen­sor prior to Mr. Berry's death. By ALLENTITENSOR An open letter to William Berry from Allen Titensor. Re: Your article in Ski Teaching Network and Insiders Ski Indus­try Letter "Readers offer a solution to the PSIA problem." I guess I qualify as one of the real villains you are so quick to broad brush in your condemnations of PSI A and its "regional fiefdoms." I'm currently the Administrative V.P. of PSIA's Inter­mountain Division, and have served 8 years on it's Board of Directors . I've made ski instruction my primary occupation for over 25 years ( which is why I don't own a home or an automobile). Ski instruction, while not financially rewarding, is one of the most satisfying jobs around. The people I've associated with in PSIA leadership positions have been among the most honorable and honest I've ever met. In your article you said, "PSIA is a sys­tem of regional fiefdoms which, like their historic predecessors, are concerned pri­marily with filling the king's coffers, sec­ondarily with bestowing favors capri­ciously, and thirdly with making member­ship as unpleasant to achieve as humanly possible. " NOT SO. The past and present Board members are concerned primarily with keeping members dues as low as possible while maintaining educational standards. Secondly, making damned sure favors are NOT capriciously bestowed, and thirdly, making sure membership is as pleasant to achieve as possible. Your accusations are unfounded, unre­searched and untrue. You don't know me or my associates in PSIA Intermountain. Ask your associate Peter Keelty how I conduct myself as a PSIA officer and Ski School Director. I've known Peter for sev­eral years and have worked closely with him on some innovative teaching pro­grams and philosophies. Though opinion­ated, Peter's articles are well researched and honest. He's been on the front lines, teaching lessons and taking exams. Pe­ter's agenda is the same as PSIA's, mak­ing sure the public gets a good lesson. 'The people I've associated with in PSIA leadership positions have been among the most honorable and honest I've ever met' PSIA's role in the "good lesson" is to educate and certify instructors. The role of marketing belongs to the Ski Areas. You want to pick on someone - pick on them. Every Board member of every PSIA di­vision serves voluntarily and without pay. They are elected by the membership in the most grassroots democratic process possi­ble. Any certified member in good stand­ing can run and each certified member has one vote. PSIA is it's membership. It's not always efficient, but it reflects the desires of the members who take the time to SERVE and to VOTE. AS for you guys at STN, you've got a couple of good ideas, but they get lost behind your anti-PSIA rhetoric What's with the attitude? Not enough vertical there in Michigan? Too much time in front of the computer? Get out with some beginner classes. See how excited they are to make that first turn. Go get certified in another ski discipline. Remind yourself what that front line in­structor goes through. It's pretty reward­ing. If you really want to help, contribute to the regional and national newsletters .. Get the ski areas to pay their instructors what they are worth, and let us keep our $8.95 for some brews and salsa after a hard day of skiing. - Allen Titensor ~ .. -----~--- .. ~ ~ ., •• ' •••••••..•..•... .l. -J., • I • • r • ,. I • •• •• 1_ I' •. ..... • ,., _ ••• I_I • • .......... 1_ • ., .-..-.-., .,.-........... .-- I 1,1 -• By COLIN PERRY I n order to "behave as a mature, respon­sible adult" in the United States of America, I am obliged to heed the words of our founding fathers that "eter­nal vigilance is the price of liberty". Therefore, I am compelled to respond to Tom Reinertson's letter in your last issue. 1. "Comrades, we can best defuse a chal­lenge to the Cause by diverting the atten­tion of the Masses to an unrelated, but more emotional issue" - Lenin. The chal­lenge we face is excellence in instruction, the distracting emotional issue is drug use. If our performance is the concern, then we must continually evaluate and re­evaluate our performance in our respec­tive roles. A great many factors may affect our performance on any given day, and being currently under the influence of many drugs, both legal and illegal, is only one of those factors. What individuals choose to do on their own time in their own homes is clearly not one of those factors. 2. Thomas Jefferson is reputed to have observed that "tyranny is but the fanatical pursuit of the common good." I believe Jefferson would place the current drug testing craze into that category. Is it merely.a coincidence that this "Jar wars" all began while the White House was oc­cupied by a darling of the religious right? The whole process stinks of a druggie witch hunt, to c1e.'U1se society of the mor­ally impure. Reminds me of Senator McCarthy's witch hunt for commies sev­eral decades past. Will psychological tests for morality and political correctness be next? These tests have nothing at all in common with the examinations we take for our certification, which test only our knowledge and ability, not our moral or political correctness. 3. AMENDMENT IV: "The right of The People to be secure in their persons. houses, papers, and effects, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation ... " This was written into the INSTRUCTORS EDGE 7 Bill of Rights of our constitution 203 years ago. Where is the probable cause in this Jar wars testing? The fact that we seek employment? If trashing one of our Bill of Rights is not a civil liberty concern, than what is? 4. Reinertson's assertion that only hard­core druggies object to such attacks on our Bill of Rights is but a crude attempt to diminish the credibility of his opponents. As he would put it "Such pomposity is shallow, deplorable, and an insult to our intelligence." Hogwash! Senator McCarthy likewise called all those who op­posed him commie sympathizers. I have personally been arrested and had my driving license suspended for six months for refus­ing to submit to a random breath test for drunk drivers. I did so in spite of the fact that I had no alcohol in the previous 24 hours, merely to protect the rights that hundreds of thousands of my American ancestors had fought and died for. - Colin Perry ....... --"---~~.,~ ~ ---~ .. - .' •• l •• ' •••••• U.l • • I' • _ I •• _ •• •••. • . ., . - .,., -- ..... . - •• 1. ••••••.•• .... ~ .......... . , ~--- , ,-. "".-.... . - By RODGER RENSTROM I t's refreshing to see a little controversy liven the pages of the EDGE, but it's time to cut through the rhetoric and take a serious look at the drug testing issue brought into the limelight by area resorts. If you're not up on the debate, gmb a copy of the Fall '93 EDGE and review Cheryl Fox's Viewpoint, look at the Winter One '93 issue and read what Tom Reinertson has to say, then read Colin Perry's View­point in this issue. Be forewarned, the next few paragmphs are going to be a bit more sympathetic toward Fox, Perry and their friend, Thomas Jefferson. Why is mandatory drug testing in the work place an issue at all? Some argue that what people do on their own time is none of the "company's" business. Well, that may be true, but it's probably not a strong argument against drug testing. The use of certain drugs is illegal in this society. If people want to use illegal drugs they should fight to legalize those drugs; whether an employer tests or not is irrele­vant to their cause. The real danger of 8 INSTRUCTORS EDGE mandatory drug testing involves a much more precious freedom than any per­ceived by some pot-head wanting to exer­cise his imagined right to get stoned on his own time. That freedom is found in this country's Bill of Rights and it's called the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. The Bill of Rights was conceived to en­sure that the civil liberties of the people of the United States would be protected from the Federal government once constitu­tional control was established. After the American Revolution, the former colo­nies were faced with a weak central gov­ernment. It was obvious that the fabric of our new nation was in danger of falling apart and the Constitutional Convention was convened to find a way to hold it together. But the antics of the King were fresh in the minds of the people and there was fear that a strong federal government would sacrifice freedoms won at great cost during the war for independence. The "Antifedemlists," as they were called, worried about unrestmined power in the hands of government and demanded a Bill of Rights for the people. They didn't want Big Brother knocking down their door in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Popular pressure from the people (that's you and me), convinced the "Fedemlists" that a bilI of rights was necessary. Ifit had not been for the promise of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution would not have been adopted and this nation, as we know it, would not exist today. So, where does that leave us with the issue of drug testing? The first ten amendments to the Consti­tution make up this nation's Bill of Rights; although, it took passage of the Fourteenth amendment in 1866, and a civil war, to guarantee the protection of the Bill of Rights to all Americans, regardless of their home state. The Fourth Amendment reads: "The right of the people to be se­cure in their persons. houses. papers. and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. shall not be violated. and no warrants shall issue bllt upon probable cause. supported by oath or affirmation. and particularly describing the place to be searched. and the persons or things to be seized." A Supreme Court justice once described the Fourth as "the most com pre­hensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized man." Random mandatory drug testing is a violiltion of the principles founded in the Fourth Amendment. The courts have been, and remain, strongly divided as to whether or not the violation of a person's Fourth Amend­ment rights due to drug testing are out­weighed by the benefits to society and the employer. Most courts agree that drug testing infringes on the principles of the Fourth, but the courts have also used "bal­ancing tests" to determine that the erosion of personal liberties is less important to the citizens of this country than are the benefits to the employer. The clauses of the Fourth Amendment that are crucial to the drug-testing issue are "unreasonable searches" and "probable cause." Yes, Virginia, drug tests are "searches." Even the people who support drug testing agree with that, and the technologies in­volved in drug testing will haunt us for years to come. For instance, the bio­chemical characteristics of drug tests are already reflected in tests that will eventu­ally be able to determine if you are geneti­cally predisposed to a medical problem that would cause an insurance company to deny you health coverage or an em­ployer to deny you a job. And no, employers rarely demonstrate "probable cause" of suspected drug abuse when they randomly select a 50 year-old grandmother with an impeccable 20-year work history to pee in ajar in the name of work place profits and safety. So how can drug testing be defended? Those that would defend drug testing fall back on the issue of "reasonableness." The thought process goes like this: If the search (the drug test) is not unreasonable, than probable cause is not required. Therefore, if it can be determined that the benefits to the employer outweigh the in­fringement on the rights of the individual, the search is reasonable. That, basically, is what constitutes a "balancing test." Pretty slick, huh? The issue of balancing tests related to drug testing is complex in itself. What are the consequences if a drug impaired em­ployee fails to properly do his or her job? Does the nuclear power plant blow up? Does the plane cmsh? Are the sheets not changed on the bed? Does the employer make less profit? Consequences are often used to measure an employee's expecta­tions of privacy. For inst.'lJ1ce, it could be argued that because of the nature of the job, an airline pilot has a lower expecta­tion of privacy than a housekeeper. Bal­ancing tests are too broad to cover here in depth, but one thing is clear; balancing tests result in the loss of personal liberties, " so the benefits gained by compromising those liberties had better be huge. The ripple effects caused by justifying the loss of one liberty, no matter how seemingly small, have the potential to lead to the erosion of even greater freedoms most of us take for granted. Liberty and freedom are the values this country fought the British over, fought its Civil War over, and what we were all taught in grade school was worth promoting throughout the world. I fervently believe that random drug testing is a violation of the Fourth Amendment and a very dangerous precedent to establish; the rights and welfare of the future citizens of this nation are at risk. But, just for a moment, let's say that we should employ a "balancing test" based on the "reasonableness" of drug-testing searches in the work place. To be "reasonable," and therefore defen­sible, drug testing should take place only after the employer has demonstrated that less intrusive means of ensuring perform­ance and worker safety have been imple­mented, and have failed. I would argue that, in most cases, those less intrusive means have not been used. Have the fol­lowing steps been taken by the manage­ment at your drug-testing resort?: • Thorough training of all levels of man­agement, specifically front-line super­visors, in the areas of performance counseling, discipline, and how to monitor those employee behaviors that drug-testing seeks to eliminate - absen­teeism, accidents, and misconduct. • A performance appraisal process, based on well-established standards of Jjer­formance, that specifically spells out employee responsibilities and provides an objective measure of performance, and training of management in how to design and implement such standards. The implementation of such a process would detect employees who fail to meet employer expectations whether poor performance was caused by drugs, lack of skill or chronic lack of sleep. • Accountability of those managers who's employees have been involved in drug-related incidents that have threat­ened the safety or profitability of the work place. If such abuse is common­place, why haven't local supervisors seen the problem and addressed it? • The establishment of an Employee As­sistance Program to help employees deal with personal problems that affect the work place. The bottom line is quite simple. The premise for drug-testing assumes that drug abuse affects employee perform­ance. Regardless of the cause, unaccept­able levels of employee performance are identifiable by trained managers. If poor performance is identifiable, then manage­ment has a right and obligation to require an employee to improve performance or to dismiss the employee. Thus, the prob­lems drug testing advocates seek to elimi­nate can be controlled through good man­agement. If good management can elimi­nate, or at least reduce, the problems of 'The implementation of a random drug testing program is ... an admission by management of an inability to manage' work place drug abuse, is random drug testing really a "reasonable" search of in­dividuals who have demonstrated no drop in performance and therefore no probable cause for believing they are under the influence of drugs in the work place? Not! The implementation of a random drug testing program is tantamount to an ad­mission by management of an inability to manage effectively. Now, since the ski industry is riddled with part-time instructors doubling as at­torneys in their real lives who are bound to get on my case, let's acknowledge that there is a perceived difference on the part of the legal system between the violation of a person's rights within the public sec­tor and violations in the private sector arising from enforcement of employer policies. Courts have held that the private sector employer is not necessarily bound by the same legal constraints as the gov­ernment. However, courts have also held that certain private sector employer be­havior which violates public policy or in­fringes upon an employee's right to pri­vacy is illegal, and the Bill of Rights helps define public policy. There is no logical rea~on why the protections afforded the citizens of this country under the Bill of Rights cannot, or should not, be applied to both the public and private work place. For instance, in 1985 the Maryland Court of Appeals wrote, "we can conceive of no clearer mandate of public policy than the rights spelled out in the United States Constitution." In addition, after the Rea­gan administration's Commission on Or­ganized Crime recommended in 1986 that all U.S. companies regularly test employ­ees for drug use, the political interests of the government and the motives of the private sector became so entwined that it is arguable that the private sector now functions as an agent of the state in the area of random drug testing. The issue of how the Constitution pro­tects violations of personal liberties in the private sector is controversial at best, but one thing is clear: laws are written and passed by elected officials and interpreted by appointed judges. Unfortunately, a growing number of state legislatures are enacting statutes justifying drug testing in the work place at the expense of safe­guarding individual liberties. Contempo­rary lawmakers are breaking with the big dreams and promises of the designers of the B ill of Rights in favor of big business. The courts are seeing fit to uphold such legislation rather than taking the brave and noble stance offinding it unconstitutional. Utah is one such state that has a statute on the books permitting work place drug test­ing. Rather than protect the future free­doms of the people, the Utah Supreme Court has seen fit to support that statute. The controlling factor is whether or not the "people" demand that their lawmakers require the public and private sectors to adhere to the principles founded in the Bill of Rights. Therein lies the saddest aspect of drug testing. Our society - we the people - is permitting our elected offi­cials, who appoint the judges, to chip away at ~eplaceable personal freedoms. The erosion of freedom is aided by the fluctuations of contemporary societal val­ues. If society deems it "reasonable" to expect that the secrets of one's own body are not sacrosanct, whether in the public or private work place, then the lawmakers and courts will oblige and help the people erode the very fabric of our nation. We owe it to our children, to the future citizens of this nation, and to ourselves to defend the liberties our country was founded to protect. Cheryl, you and Thomas were right, "The price of liberty is eternal vigi­lance." And what's more, those who would sacrifice those liberties for profit, for political motives, out of ignorance, or in the name of convenience, should be ashamed. - Rodger Renstrom INSTRUCTORS EDGE 9 PSIA Intermountain Division AlpineINordic/Snowboard Event Registration Pre-registration is required for all clinics and assessments, there will be NO registration at events. DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: 14 days prior to event (unless otherwise noted). I am registering for: D Clinic D Assessment Type of Event: o Alpine D Snowboard D Nordic Name: ------=Fi~B-t--------------------------------- Address: ____ -::-__ --: ____________ --::::-::-____________________ -::-______________ -=------, ___ _ Street or Box Certification Status: DEL D C1 Your Ski School: ________________________________________________ _ Pick Topic From Schedule: Date(s) of Event: ----------------------------- ------------- Spring Clinic Only: See Page 3 of Winter Two EDGE for information Friday Topic: Cost: Saturday Topic: _________________________ _ $100 for 3 days incl. Saturday Banquet at Snowbird. $75 for 2 days incl. Saturday Banquet Sunday Topic: ____ . ______________ _ $25 for spouse banquet ticket $25 for spouse ski lesson. Indicate Group Preference for Clinics (if applicable): D Moderate D Aggressive Event Location: --------------------------------------------------------------- Event Cost: $25 per one-day clinic (6 hours) $40 for Certified Level I Assessment and Workbook ($25 Assessment and $15 Workbook) $45 for Certified Level II and III Mech/Skiing Assessment $45 for Certified Level II and III Mech/Teaching Assessment (These prices do not apply to the Spring Clinic) Total Amount: _____ _ (For all events) Applicant's Signature: ~~I='thC;:::~I=.!':8~:': :ndards. ______________________ _ Assessment Registration Requires Director's Signature: REFUND POLICY: Notice given before deadline, full refund; notice given after deadline but before event, 50% refund; no notice gven to office prior to event, NO REFUND. D Please check here if this is a new address and you wish it recorded in the office. Mail to: Nancy Perkins, Secretary, PSIA-I Division Office, 2655 Pamela Drive, Salt Lake City, Ut 84121 10 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Study Habits Imagine walking into a college classroom to take the final exam of the semester never having read the text book for the class. What are the odds of passing? If you do pass, what are the odds of reall y under­standing the course material? College students attend years of courses, read volumes of text books and take reams of tests in order to earn a degree. All too often, prospective ski instructors believe they can show up at an assessment and walk away as "professionals" without ever having read even the most basic sources of ski teaching information. One of the major aims of the revamped PSIA-I Education and Certification Mas­ter Plan was to clearly identify the stand­ards of performance and areas of knowl­edge required for each certification level. Those standards, or outcomes, have been published in the Education and Certifica­tion Outcome Outline, a supplement to the Master Plan. Every ski school has re­ceived a copy of the outcomes and out­comes for specific certification levels are handed out at PSIA-I assessment clinics. The outcome outlines for Certified II and III also contain study references for each outcome. The Certified Level I Workbook specifically indicates sources for workbook questions. Unfortunately, candi¢ltes con­tinue to turn in Level I workbooks and arrive at Level II and III assessments without ever having read so much as ATS II.These peo­ple are not prepared and often perform very poorly in the a<;sessment process. The future of professional ski instruction demands that standards of certification be kept high; it is unfair to the membership and the skiing public to certify ski instruc­tors. who haven't even taken the time to read a few pages of valuable information. The certification outcomes list informa­tion sources for candidates, but the most common sources include: ATS II, A TSH (handbook), the PSIA-I Education and Certification Master Plan, and portions of A TSC - Child Centered Skiing. If candidates don't own copies of these publications - and what professional in their field doesn't have a library of perti­nent reference material - then most of these items can be borrowed, or purchased It's Classified PHOTO COPIER FOR SALE Mita 142RX photo copier enlarges, reduces and has a 10 bin sort. PSIA·I has replaced its photo copier. You can purchase this office· strength machine in good condition for $400 or best offer. Contact Nancy Perkins, PSIA-I, 2855 Pamela Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84121. 801·942·2066. SKI SNOWBIRD, ALTA, BRIGHTON, SOLITUDE min· utes away. Beautiful house at mouth of canyon with rooms available nightly or weekly. Very low rates to PSIA instruc· tors. Hot tub and all amenities. Call 801·944-5122 EARN $50 FOR REFERRALS when your lead results in a rental for Skiers Accommodations of Utah. We offer 2,3,4 and 5bedroom Townhouses at the mouths of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Contact Tom and Nancy Kronthaler for information (801) 5617030. by small groups of instructors. The old axiom "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink," might sum up the response to the published certi­fication outcomes. The expectations for cer­tification have been published, the rest is up to you. As an example, the ATS Teaching and Skiing Model graphic is provided here. Can you correctly fill in the missing labels and do you understand their relationship? Move Into that Turn! By TOM WOOD, DEER V ALLEY Movement into and through the turn can be a hard concept to teach. Try this: When starting a tum, think about moving the outside thigh up and in the direction of the tum, then continue thinking of the thigh moving foreward with the ski. Try both thighs. Try inside thigh. Experiment! I think you'll find this will help many students and maybe yourself. Be careful you don't rotate the thigh! • Potato Farmer Breaks Leg at Fries House Idaho potato farmer and Gmnd Targhee Ski School Director Gene Palmer broke his leg recently while buying breakfast at McDonalds. Palmer claims he was enter­ing McDonalds to purchase an Egg McMuffin when he slipped on a patch of ice and snapped his fibula as easily as if he'd been biting into a crispy French fry. A speedy recovery to Gene. He claims he'll ski in April. Idaho boys are tough!. PSIA INTERMOUNTAIN DIVISION Officers: President, Craig "Roper" Pearson; Administrative V. P., Allen Titen­sor; Certification Chairperson, Dave McConuick; Commwlications V.P., Stew Marsh; Education Chairperson, Jo Garuccio; Secretary: Nancy Perkins; Cur· rent Board Members: 1991-94, Sally Elliot, Craig "Roper" Pearson, Stew Marsh, Gene Palmer; 1993-94, Jo Garuccio; 1992-95, Emie Anderson, Bob Bames, ShaJUlOn Kipp. 1993-96, Rex Ames, Dave Peck, Dori Pratt, Allen Titensor; Instructor Representative Committee Members: Alta: Lisa Robin­son, 801 742-2016, John Musser, 801 942-014'4; Brian Head: Mark Wilder 801 586-9603, Shawna Caine, 801677-2045; Brighton: Rick Smith 801484-3533, Dave Strang 801466-1344; Deer Valley: Steve Weinstein, 801645-8077, Kim Mayhew, 801654-4241; Jackson Hole: Nathan Emerson 307733·7969, Terry Smith 307 733-3715; Park City: Phil Gratz, 801486-8279, Rick DUlUlebacke, 801 571-4123; Pebble Creek: Scott Rockwood 208 232-7998, DOJUla Erickson, 208232-7613; Powder Mountain: Barbara Berry and Rick Berry, 801 782- 5238; Snowbasln: Mike McConvill, 801 876-3110; Lesli Prullone 801 621- 4527; Snowbird: Carlie Siemel, SOl 944-4520, Nona Weatherbee, 801 278- 2140; Solitude: A. J. Workman, 801 943-0321, Daily Oliver SOl 521-6835; Sundance: Scott NaIT, 801221-0905; Chairperson: Lynn Suksdorf, 801485- 8423 (hm) 801461-3234 (wk and message). The Instructors EDGE, the official publication of the Professional Ski Instruc­tors of America IntemlOuntain Division, is published five times a 'jut at a non-member subscription rate of $15, subscriptions available through the Divi­sion Office. Division Office: 2855 Pameta Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84121, [phone]. Editorial and Advertising Office: 4664 Clearview Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 [phone], Rodger Renstrom, Editor. Next Deadline: Mar. 24 for Apr. 10 and May 20 for Summer INSTRUCTORS EDGE 11 PSIA-I Education and Certification Alpine Nordic MARCH MARCH WMar1 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 Brian Head 8:30 am /' Mar 7-8 Track Assess White Pine Ctr 8:00 am • Mar2 OPEN - Cln requests before Jan 15 - southern region only /' Mar 7-8 Track Assess Jackson XC 8:00 am /' Mar3 Level 1 Assess Park City 8:30 am /' Mar 19-20 Telernark Assess Snowbird 8:00 am /' Mar3 Skiing Assess 2. 3 Park City 8:30 am /' Mar 19-20 Telernark Assess Jackson 8:00 am /' Mar3 Teach Assess 2. 3 Park City 8:30 am /' Mar 26-27 Moonlight Overnight Backcountry Assess TBA /' Mar3 Ski Assess 2. 3 Snowbasin 8:30 am © Mar4 Advanced Bumps/Powder Snowbird 8:30 am APRIL © Mar4 Ski Improvement Snowbird 8:30 am WMar7 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 Sundance 8:30 am © Apr 15-17 Spring Clinic Snowbird 8:30 am WMar9 Assess Cln Ski 2.3 Beaver 8:30 am © Mar9 Advanced Educator Beaver 8:30 am © Mar 10 Skiing Improvement Pebble Creek 8:30 am Snowboard WMar 10 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 Pebble Creek 8:30 am ©© MMaarr 1133 ASdkivinagn cImedp rEodvuemcaetonrt PPaarrkk CCiittyy 88::3300 aamm MARCH /' Mar25 Level 1 Assess ParkWest 8:30 am © Mar4 Advanced Bumps/Powder Snowbird 8:30 am /' Mar 25 Ski Assess 2.3 Brighton 8:30 am Mar7 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 ParkWest 8:30 am ./ Mar25 Teach Assess Powder Mtn 8:30 am /' Mar 25 Ski Assess 2. 3 Brighton 8:30 am /' Mar 25 Teach Assess ParkWest 8:30 am /' Mar 26 Teach Assess 2. 3 ParkWest 8:30 am • Mar 26 OPEN - requests before Feb 1 - any area APRIL APRIL © Apr 15-17 Spring Clinic Snowbird 8:30 am WApr5 (tentative date) - Assess Cln Snowbird 8:30 am /' Apr 8 Skiing Assess 2. 3 Solitude 8:30 am /' Apr 8 Teach Assess 2. 3 Solitude 8:30 am Event Key © Apr 15. D Meetings and lectures 16.17 Spring Cln Snowbird 8:30 am ~ DECL and trainer events Onvitation only) /' Apr 19 Skiing Assess 2. 3 Snowbird 8:30 am W Assessment clinics /' Apr 19 Teach Assess 2. 3 Snowbird 8:30 am /' Assessments and Entry Level clinics © Non-assessment related clinics • Non-specified events See the Fall issue of the EDGE for complete Alpine clinic descriptions. The Instructors EDGE A publication of PSIA-I 2855 Pamela Drive SaltLake City. Utah 84121 Opinions presented in the EDGE are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Professional Ski Instructors of America Intermountain Division. 12 INSTRUCTORS EDGE 04--000B;;'>1- NOF~!'r'j BURTON 137& KINGSTON DRIVE OGDEN, UT 84403 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID SLC,UTAH PERMIT NO.4383 INSRU Vol. 15 No.3 The Official Publication of PSIA-Intermountain WINTER TWO 1994 Photo provided courtesy of .Powdershots All smiles after 3 days of reunion and enhancing our children's teaching skills, 1994 National Children's Symposium participants, Children's Committee members and JETs members gather on Snowbird's Chickadee slope. National Children's Symposium Success at Snowbird By GEORGE MOSHER, TARGHEE Sunny weather and fine snow conditions greeted over fifty instructors from across the country at the National Children's Symposium held January 31 - February 2 at Snowbird. The resort was an excellent setting with a spacious meeting area, fine foods and challenging skiing for those who dared. Free ski passes were an extra bonus from our gmcious hosts. This year's theme was Creating Chal­lenges for children. Day one focused on Personal Teaching Challenges. Alexandm Smith-Boucher offered insight to the value of our Cognitive, Affective, Physi­cal (CAP) model for teaching children. Mtemoon on snow centered around ad­dressing the challenges f6r children at various levels of development. Dan Freigang, a sports psychologist with the University of Utah, then pre­sented an after ski talk on motivation. For those who stayed late, a roundtable dis­cussion was held covering over a dozen topics of interest ranging from wage in­equities, video taping lessons to toilet talk. Day two brought more skiing and on­snow thinking. Our tasks for the day in­cluded doing something we had never done before and converting age-old nurs­ery rhymes to modem (kid) language. Each clinic group had to present their new and old rhyme to the symposium. The winning group did a "mp rhyme." Beside creating new ideas for teaching, we were discovering appropriate challenges in teaching and how these fit into the CAP model. Tim Ross, U. S. Ski Team alpine coaches education director, reviewed the current developments and direction of the team. Tim's presentation included the new USSCA training tape and a request that we watch for young (6-12 years) ski­ers with exceptional talent and encoumge their involvement with the team. Our third day started early with an open discussion on the proper steps to take if there is suspicion of child abuse in kids ski school. This was coordinated by Deb Rosenberd, clinic psychologist with Key­stone Resort, Colorado. John Alderson did an audio/video present.1tion on under­standing a teen's point of view through the CAP model. today's skiing was geared toward creativity, teaching teenagers or an all-mountain experience. We wmpped up early with the mandatory bubble-gum race and group photo session. This was Marty Harrison's last event as Children's Committee chairperson. Jim Heldt has accepted this position; we are all looking forward to his leadership. Special thanks to Alison Clayton, Bill Batt, Christine Katzenberger, Alexandra, Marie Russell-Shaw and Mariam Soder­gren, members of the Junior Education Team, who offered an exceptional learn­ing experience. _ Communication Message By STEW MARSH,PSIA-I COMMUNICATIONS V. P. Well, it seems like the pendulum is swinging again. What causes this sudden sense of unclarity and lack of trust in the rank and file. I have been sensing this uneasiness since the end of last year. Is it a lack of trust or dissatisfaction in the elected board members? Is it because of the poor snow year the Intennountain region is experi­encing? Or, is it a lack of communication. There it is again, that word that undeniably raises its weary head when things don't seem to go right. Your elected board has responded to the concerns of this division. Concerns brought forth by the various committees appointed to help serve as a voice in matters that affect each and every member. Currently, two issues have been brought before the board that reflect some changes in how board members are elected and tenns of office. These are important and relevant issues that will be addressed and voted on at the next board meeting. Having the opportunity to go back and read minutes and old newsletters (some­thing any member can do) I have found that the issues we are dealing with today are very similar to those of the past These issues cont.1in a lot of history about the direction of PSI A, support of the industry, what we should be doing with certification and education, divisional and nationally: to issues of pay, benefits, to marketing a better product so that more people take lessons. Your current board and other boards prior to this one have addressed questions like these for many y~'U's. Many have been acted upon and have made tremendous impacts on skiing and ski teaching in this division and throughout the nation. History is vital to the survival and existence of any association. Your board has acted very responsibly over many years and truly with the interest of the entire membership in mind. President Craig Pearson sensed this uneasiness taking place in the membership last year and invited Bill Hetrick, current President of PSIA, to visit a special board meeting in January. (See article in this EDGE.) He asked Bill to speak and answer questions of the members after the board meeting. This event was publicized well in advance through the EDGE, letters to individual ski schools ~Uld to the SIRC reps. Area operators from around the division were also invited. When Bill stood to speak there were no area operators present and less than thirty members, including the board members. What an interesting sight! Bill spoke to the group with openness and frankness about National and its present role and future responsibilities and directions. I personally was shocked to see such disinterest from a division that seems so hell bent on wanting answers. This was an opportunity we don't have often. I felt as though Bill responded to the questions very favorably. He explained that there were problems within National and was working very hard in producing a newsletter that would be received by the members at least four times per year in addition to The Professional Skier. It wa'> a valuable meeting, not only for the people who attended but also for our division. Bill respects what we are doing here with regard to education and certification, which continues to give our division a lot of credibility. As I am writing this message, many feet of snow have fallen. I hope this is an indic.'ltor of what the rest of the year will be like. It should put many smiles on all our faces and create an attitude in all of us that we belong to a great profession, that is fun to be associated with and that offers us a multitude of ways to become better teachers and skiers. Casting your votes in the upcoming elections is important. Please take the time to read about each candidate and vote! Also upcoming is the Spring Clinic at Snowbird. With all the new snow and more to come it should provide for a great and fun time there. The committee is already planning some great surprises. It is always a great value and lots of fun. I hope to see many of you there. 2 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Open Wide and Say , Aahhh,' Fat Boys are Here to Stay By CAROLINE JALBERT, ALF ENGEN SKI SCHOOL My first experience with the new style of super-wide powder skis was a true te"~l'<\.­tion. My student and I both felt a little awkward skiing down the hill from the Deep Powder House with shiny black Rossignol Axioms on our feet. We weren't at all sure what to expect. As we pushed off into our first powder run, we focused on maintaining an open stance and athletic, active body move­ments, just as though we had actually been on a groomed trail. In an attempt to relax, we keyed in on our breathing: inhaling as we released our ski tips down the hill and exhaling as we continued to guide our skis through the arcs. We found that we had to be patient and resist the urge to force the turns. The rewards were well worth the initial concentration. After a few runs of experimentation, Katherine and I realized how much fun we were having. She turned to me guiltily and said, "It's so easy. It seems like playing." For the first time, she could honestly say that she felt stable in deep, thick powder snow, as well as cut-up crud. We both felt that the additional width of the "fat boy" skis gave us the stability we needed to trust the movements of our bodies. That very welcome feeling of trust translated into positive self talk that went something like this: "I will make these turns, grace­fully and effortlessly. This stuff doesn't scare me. Where's the next patch of pow­der'?" Every run turned into a Cadillac ride when we pressured the fronts of the skis, rolled off the old edges and used our legs to turn right and left. The visual image of dream skis being gliders (see Ernie's po­etic description in this issue of the EDGE) helped us have a fabulous day of skiing fresh snow. So, if you haven't already experienced the rewards of skiing on these overgrown tongue depressors, get out there and see what it's all about. Happy flying. • Spring Clinic at Fun~ Sun and Snow! April IS, 16, 17 3 days including Saturday banquet at Snowbird: $100 2 days including banquet: $75 Spouse banquet ticket: $25 Spouse lesson: $25 Lodging Special: call 1-800-453-3000 for special rates. Identify yourself as a PSIA-I Spring Clinic Participant. Let the Spring Begin! See application at the back of this EDGE. ·Clinic Topic Clarification Women's Specialty Nancy Oaks has helped run very successful clinics for women all over the country. Come ski with a great role model, grab a few pointers and have a great time. A 1·hour seminar will take place on Saturday at 4:30 for those interested in starting or improving women·s programs at their areas. Children's Specialty - TIY On a New C.A.P. Rnd out about the C.A.P. What is the C.A.P.? Is it the same for children and adults? Adapt what you teach to each. Development affects leaming and performance. There are different developmental stages a child goes through as he/she grows. You may be able to identify if a child has passed or not passed through a particular stage and make your teaching more effective. Sometimes you can identify a stage an adult has not passed through completely. Understanding how a child thinks, what he or she feels and needs, and how children move and grow is essential to instructors or coaches. Using the CM> model can be an effective tool for understanding children or adults.Come to the Spring Clinic and put on a new CM>. Seniors Take a look at key points important for successful lessons with seniors, the population that will spend the most money on ski school in the future. This clinic will focus on teaching seniors and will take a look at how to broaden their experience level. It will be taught by seniors with years of experience and is recommended for instructors of all ages, not just the old dudes. Spouse Lesson Here's your chance. A lesson at half the. normal price and with one of the best teachers in the Division. Don·t miss it! Clinic Topics Friday Skiing Improvement: 6 credit hrs Moderate and Aggressive Advanced Educator: 6 credit hrs Mountain Experience: No credit Ski Snowbird with a guide Saturday 'Women's Specialty: 6 credit hrs With National D-Team Member Nancy Oaks Umited to 16 people Skiing Improvement: 6 credit hrs Moderate and Aggressive Variable Conditions, Introduction: 6 credit hrs Variable Conditions, Advanced: 6 credit hrs Be prepared to hike, bring avalanche beacon and shovel ~enlors: 6 credit hrs Ski with experience, Junior Bounous, Dean Roberts, Gene Palmer, and aging DECLs Snowboard, beginning: 6 credit hrs Snowboard, advanced: 6 credit hrs ·Children's Specialty: 6 credit hrs ·Spouse Lesson with DECL: no credit Sunday Race Clinic: 6 credit hrs Umited to 20 people Fat Boy Variable Conditions (wide-body skis): 6 credit hrs Not for the faint of heart! Be prepared to ski hard. 'Women's Specialty: 6 credit hrs. With National D-Team Member Nancy Oaks Umited to 16 people Skiing Improvement: 6 credit hrs Aggressive and Moderate Variable Conditions, Introduction: 6 credit hrs Variable Conditions, Advanced: 6 credit hrs Be prepared to hike, bring avalanche beacon and shovel Nordic Downhill, beginning: 6 cre'dlt hrs Nordic Downhill, advanced: 6 credit hrs Vote! Everyone should have received their Board of Director bal­lots. Take a moment right now to vote. Nominees are: Jo Garuccio, Stew Marsh, Kim May hew, George Mosher, Mike Thurgood, Greg Underwood and David Y ovanovich. Participate in your division and vote for tbe Board. INSTRUCTORS EDGE 3 Pitch Roll Yaw Dream Skis Fly High in the Fluff By ERNIE ERSPALMER, ALF ENGEN SKI SCHOOL Two gliders in flight... Two gliders playing as if the air was snow and the snow was air. Two gliders diving together in complete unison, rolling together through the clouds of powder; wing tips close, as if one, yet separate. Two gliders tuming together, one lead­ing while the other follows, taking. turns. Who will lead through the fluff? Two gliders always in touch, never get­ting in each others' way. Diving, rolling and turning together; in sync ... fluid har­mony in motion! "Three axis of control" is the basis for pilots today: Pitch, Roll and Yaw (see illustrations(. If you imagine putting two glider planes (or dream skis) on your feet, you may experience what the "Blue An­gels" have felt for years: formation flying through the fluff. • Bike Away Those Mid-Season Blues and Prepare for the Off-Season By ED CHAUNER, SNOWBIRD Don't get stressed by low snow and warm weather, get that mountain bike out and pedal your blues away. Most roads in the valley have been snow free and snowmo­bile trails are packed just right for riding. Get out there and sweat. As for the off-season, mountain biking is one of the best forms of exercise to keep (or get) fit for skiing. The muscles you use while climbing will make you a much stronger skier. More importantly, the fi­nesse and body english you use while descending will give you the same feel that you get while skiing down a moun­tain. "My wife was petrified of skiing because of having to tum the skis down the fall line," said Al Kreider Snowbird instructor. "Then she started to mountain bike and lost her fear of going downhill. Her skiing has improved 1000 percent." The Cannondale Cup Fat Tire Series (The Utah series) races offer 21 classes of racing and are open to everyone. If you really want to prepare for next ski season, s!.1ftmcing.-Ed is a PSIA·I DECL and competitive mountain bike racer. 4 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Cannondale Cup Fat Tire Series Schedule April 2,3 9,10 Moab Rocks, Moab, UT 16, 17 23,24, 4th Bordertown Challenge, Wendover, NV 30,1 May 7,8 14,15 Golden Spike, Ogden, UT 21,22 28,29 6th Excellent Adventure, Idaho City, 10 June 4, 5 Butch Cassidy Blowout, Price, UT 11,12 18,19 Bingham Bear Hollow Bash, Utah Winter Sports Park, Park City, UT 25,26 Park city Pedal Fest (tour) July 2,3 The Mountain bout, Snowbird, UT 9,10 16,17 Canyon Fest, solitude, UT 23,24 Tour Flaming Gorge (tour) 30,31 Snow King Classic, Jackson, WY August 6, 7 Corporate Games (non CCFT) 13, 14 Oinotrax, Flaming Gorge 20,21 27,28 Rustler Run, Alta, UT September 3,4 lava Rama, Lava Hot Springs, 10 10, 11 17, 18 World Championships, Vail, CO (non CCFT) Classes Men Junior 13-15, Junior 16-18 B,S,E Senior 19-34 B,S,E Vet 35-44 B,S,E Master 45+ B,S,E Pro Women Junior 13-18 Senior 19-34 B,S,E VeVMaster 35 + Pro 12 and Men & Women combined under Beginner Thoughts By LAURIE SINDEL, ALF ENGEN SKI SCHOOL When was the last time you were a begin­ner? Was it roller-blading? How about that first time on a mountain bike? Have you been ice skating lately? Or how about jumping nordic-style at the Winter Sports Park at Bear Hollow? The latter was on the schedule, but I was only going because I had to take the youth club jumping (I'm taking lessons because my husband wants me to learn how to ski. "). I never expected to get hooked my­self (''I'd rather be shopping ... "). After pulling into the parking lot ("There is NO WAY I'm ever going on that big hill!"), I gradually managed to lug all my gear up the incline to the base area ("Don't they make lifts for this?"). The director, JeffVolmrich, promptly informed me that I wouldn't be needing my poles ("How does he expect me to keep my balance?") and that I should unbuckle the tops of my boots ("Butl will fallout ofthem!"). After a brief but detailed bit of instruction ("How humbling ... this is an important les­son and I have to pay attention! Could someone please ask him to slow down and repeat that last part?"), I was told to place my skis hip-width apart (" ... but everyone else has their feet close together") and ski over the jumps in the "ski-play area" ("Why can't I skip this part? I don't need to pmctice with only one ski on ... Do these in­structors really know what they are doing?"). After multiple practice jumps ("You want me to do the same thing again? But I did it just like you said last time!"), I graduated to the outrun of the jump hills ("Can I ride the lift yet?"). By now I was extremely comfortable with my skis mere inches off the snow ("When can I learn how to tum?"), but after skiing the out-run of the 38 meter jump hill, I wasn't so sure I wanted my ski surface-to-snow distance measured in feet ("OK, I'm ready for the harder slope ... do they make hills where you only have to be able to turn left?"). I'm getting bored with the out-run ("I can turn around all the flags now ... "), and the moment of truth has arrived ("This part looks tougher than the beginner area! "). Here I go down the in-run ("Where are my hands supposed to be? .. .! can't remember how far apart my feet Education Corner By JO GARUCCIO, PSIA INTERMOUNTAIN EDUCA nON CHAIR.PERSON So you Want To Be a DECL! With the number of inquiries rising about DECL prepamtion and a hiring clinic, I feel compelled to discuss the situation. First of all, let me reiterate something that has been said before. DECL status is NOT another level of certification. In fact, if we ever do institute a Level IV certification. the major difference between being a Level IV and a DECL will be that one guy/gal has some divisional responsibilities as a clinic leader and examiner and the other does not. Furthermore, DECL status is not necessarily a ticket to ski school administration and product sponsorship, especially if you do not also have any management or sales experience. In addition, you will probably give the division at least 18-24 hours of your time per season in unpaid training. Still want to be a DECL? Read on! DECL's are generally well rounded individuals who possess exceptional commu­nication talent in addition to excellent skiing skills and a solid technical under­standing of the sport. They are probably over achievers and most have spent a lot of time and money on their ski education. In addition, 99% of them have probably never attended a DECL training clinic. However, they have participated in many ski improvement clinics, advanced educator sessions, lectures, academies, coach's certifications, and even gone so far as to fly to New Zealand for the summer. Most of them are also involved as trainers at their home ski areas, and they did not begin by coaching Level III candidates. Rather, they started with the rookies - the kids and retired guys with very little experience. Many probably spent at least two years training Entry Level instructors at home before moving on to the more advanced skiers. In fact, some of our veteran DECLs can remember doing nothing but Registered and Associate stuff for three years. When they were finally assigned a Certified ski clinic, they stayed up all night planning for the day (a few may have stayed up all night drinking and dancing but...). What I am trying to clarify is that becoming a DECL is not some magical secret that can only be acquired at a DECL prep session. To be hired as a divisional clinician, you need a broad based education. Ask your ski school director if you can become an Entry Level trainer by attending the Train the Trainer clinic. Then attend a ski improvement clinic for some feedback and coaching about your skiing (you won't get much personal help at a Train the Trainers clinic - it's designed to help you conduct an Entry Level clinic). Sign up for advanced educator and see what other experienced instructors are teaching and how. Attend a Level II mechanics session and observe the clinic leader in action. As you all know, there was no hiring clinic this year. We just did not know what our needs would be for 1993·94. We will probably have a hiring session sometime during the 1994-95 season. We don't actually need more bodies, but certainly don't want pass by a top notch individual who would be a great trainer. However, nothing is etched in stone and remember, I said "probably" not "absolutely"! For now, happy training to all! should be ... How come I'm going so fast?..Can't I just snowplow?..What did the instructor just say to do?") and sud­denly I'm in the air ("It's working .. .!'m actually skiing!) and now I've landed ("Hey, what a rush ... ! survived! ... That wasn't so hard ... My knees are still knock­ing, but everyone get out of my way be­cause I'm doing that again! "). If it's time for you to be a beginner again, try nordic-style jumping at the Utah Winter Sports Park at Bear Hollow. Whether this is the fIrst time your skis have ever left the ground or you are constantly airborne, you'll learn something new. Call Jeff VoImrich at 645-7660 for more information ('This is WAY more fun than shopping!'). - Laurie is a DECL and born-again jumper. INSTRUCTORS EDGE 5 Hetrick Meeting Attracts Handful PSIA President Bill Hetrick arrived at the Hampton Inn in Sandy, Utah, January i6 to brief PSIA-I's membership on the workings of National and field member concerns. It was a great idea, but only a handful of people showed up and a third of those were leftovers from the PSIA-I Board meeting held an hour earlier. The two dozen or so people who at­tended the geneml membership meeting heard a down-to-earth Hetrick explain the need for PSIA to get in touch with its membership and work harder to become a proactive organization within the ski in­dustry. The biggest news Hetrick had to offer was the establishment by PSIA and the National Ski Areas Association of a joint action committee to improve ski teaching. According to Hetrick, the committee will consist mainly of members of PSIA's ex­ecutive committee and "influential" peo­ple within NSAA. Ski Business, February 1994, reported that the NSAA repre­sentatives would be: Gordon Briner, gen­eral manager, Breckenridge, Colomdo; Les Otten, president, Sunday River, Maine; Phil Peterson, director of market­ing, Wild Mountain, Minnesota; Robin Smith, president, Swain Ski Center, New York; John Wagnon, board member, Heavenly Ski Resort, California; and two individuals to be named. PSIA repre­sentatives were named as: Hetrick; Bruce McCurtain, executive vice president; Ruth McClelland, vice president, commu­nications; Mark Anderson, vice president, opemtions; Randy Short, immediate past president; and two individuals to be named. The committee's first meeting is scheduled for May 22. Hetrick also tackled concerns by some members that PSIA does not do enough for the average instructor. At the same time, the PSIA president took the oppor­tunity to address issues raised in Ski Teaching Network, a rogue newsletter which premiered in January and focused its content on attacks on PSIA . When asked about PSIA's role in deal­ings with ski area management, Hetrick said that PSIA is an "advocate for profes­sional ski instructors, not a labor union." He indicated thatPSIA, ski instructors and area management must work together to 6 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Bill Hetrick combine instruction, families and even bad weather and make it fun for the skiing customer. Hetrick said that many instruc­tors don't see themselves as sales people. That view will have to change if ski in­struction is to prosper in the future. Concerning Ski Teaching Network. Het­rick said that he was "taking advantage" of the controversy the newsletter created to push his plan for PSIA's own national newsletter. Hetrick explained his plans to begin publishing a newsletter for the ex­press purpose of getting basic information out to the divisions. He said that the Pro­fessional Skier's format does not permit the dispersal of general information and said the membership needs to get the facts concerning PSIA's financial report, stra­tegic plan, organizational structure and how national decisions are actually made by the divisions. Hetrick also said that although he didn't want to appear defensive, Ski Teaching Network contained "half truths and un­truths." According to Hetrick, the news­letter is published by a Certified Level III PSIA Centml member and one other per­son who is not a member of PSI A. Hetrick said he plans to visit each of PSIA's nine divisions this season and probe the membership for input. Those PSIA-I members attending the PSIA-I meeting were met by a PSIA president who appeared genuinely concerned with instructor needs and willing to listen. Based on the number of people who took advantage of the chance to speak their mind, there aren't many concerns out there to voice. _ A Short Note on Certification By TOM WOOD, DEER V ALLEY A couple of years ago I went back east to Stowe, Vermont for aPSIA Eastern exam. There were 106 candidates. The full exam (Certified Level III assessment) was con­ducted very similarly to the exams of the past few years here. Three-day exam and a dift:@rent examiner each day, testing ski­ing, teaching and technical all in one day. The first day out the chief of the exam came out with me to make sure I was scoring on the same level as their examin­ers. In scoring the Center Line figures, I was a little hesitant to gmde what I saw until I asked the chief how the candidates had been trained, We discussed it and came to the same conclusions. He showed me his scores which reflected the high standard he expected. In the free ski runs the standard remained very high. The teaching and technical scores were very similar to what we see her. The next two and one half days I was on my own surviving the ice and finally lik­ing it. Watching and listening and scoring from this information. At the end of the exam, the chief and my fellow examiners got together and checked their scores with mine; we were all very close. About 50 percent of the candidates passed. Our new testing format this year in this division is going to provide a better vehi­cle for us to judge the proficiency of our candidates. Having seen the high standard required by PSIA-E for skiing skills and knowing that we have been a little relaxed in our standard, I hope we will see a rise in the standard of our skiing skills expec­ta~ M. _ Member Brian Head Mayor Steven M. Griffin, a Certified member of PSIA Intermountain, was voted Brian Head mayor November 2. Griffin ended H. C. Deutschlander's 16 years as Brian Head mayor. According to the Cedar City Spectrum, the vote was 39 to 30. Griffin manages the Club Edge and Res­taumnt. According to the Spectrum, Grif­fin pledged to promote recreation and lo­cal activities. _ } 1 -.--,... -•-•-~ ~' -•-•- .,. ~•• •~• --•-.•.... .l. -J., • I • ., .• ,. I • •• •• 1_ I' •. •. , .• .... ..,..,. _... •••• 1I __I .• •, ..-...-.., ., -• . •.....•... -• -I 11, -• Editor's note: I. William Berry, an out­spoken critic of PSIA, died February 5. Berry's articles for Ski and other indus­try magazines attracted the attention of ski instructors for their blunt condem­nation of PSIA and suggestions for the organization's reform. Although many disagreed with Berry's viewpoints, his writings spawned a dialog within PSIA that may ultimately make the organiza­tion stronger. Our sympathies go out to his family and friends. The following Viewpoint was written by Allen Tilen­sor prior to Mr. Berry's death. By ALLENTITENSOR An open letter to William Berry from Allen Titensor. Re: Your article in Ski Teaching Network and Insiders Ski Indus­try Letter "Readers offer a solution to the PSIA problem." I guess I qualify as one of the real villains you are so quick to broad brush in your condemnations of PSI A and its "regional fiefdoms." I'm currently the Administrative V.P. of PSIA's Inter­mountain Division, and have served 8 years on it's Board of Directors . I've made ski instruction my primary occupation for over 25 years ( which is why I don't own a home or an automobile). Ski instruction, while not financially rewarding, is one of the most satisfying jobs around. The people I've associated with in PSIA leadership positions have been among the most honorable and honest I've ever met. In your article you said, "PSIA is a sys­tem of regional fiefdoms which, like their historic predecessors, are concerned pri­marily with filling the king's coffers, sec­ondarily with bestowing favors capri­ciously. and thirdly with making member­ship as unpleasant to achieve as humanly possible." NOT SO. The past and present Board members are concerned primarily with keeping members dues as low as possible while maintaining educational standards. Secondly, making damned sure favors are NOT capriciously bestowed, and thirdly, making sure membership is as pleasant to achieve as possible. Your accusations are unfounded, unre­searched and untrue. You don't know me or my associates in PSIA Intermountain. Ask your associate Peter Keelty how I conduct myself as a PSIA officer and Ski School Director. I've known Peter for sev­eral years and have worked closely with him on some innovative teaching pro­grams and philosophies. Though opinion­ated, Peter's articles are well researched and honest. He's been on the front lines, teaching lessons and taking exams. Pe­ter's agenda is the same as PSIA's, mak­ing sure the public gets a good lesson. 'The people I've associated with in PSIA leadership positions have been among the most honorable and honest I've ever met' PSIA's role in the "good lesson" is to educate and certify instructors. The role of marketing belongs to the Ski Areas. You want to pick on someone - pick on them. Every Board member of every PSIA di­vision serves voluntarily and without pay. They are elected by the membership in the most grassroots democratic process possi­ble. Any certified member in good stand­ing can run and each certified member has one vote. PSIA is it's membership. It's not always efficient, but it reflects the desires of the members who take the time to SERVE and to VOTE. AS for you guys at STN, you've got a couple of good ideas, but they get lost behind your anti-PSIA rhetoric What's with the attitude? Not enough vertical there in Michigan? Too much time in front of the computer? Get out with some beginner classes. See how excited they are to make that first turn. Go get certified in another ski discipline. Remind yourself what that front line in­structor goes through. It's pretty reward­ing. If you really want to help, contribute to the regional and national newsletters .. Get the ski areas to pay their instructors what they are worth, and let us keep our $8.95 for some brews and salsa after a hard day of skiing. - Allen Titensor ~ .. -----~--- .. ~ ~ ., •• ' •••••••..•..•... .l. -J., • I • • r • ,. I • •• •• 1_ I' •. ..... • ,., _ ••• I_I • • .......... 1_ • ., .-..-.-., .,.-........... .-- I 1,1 -• By COLIN PERRY I n order to "behave as a mature, respon­sible adult" in the United States of America, I am obliged to heed the words of our founding fathers that "eter­nal vigilance is the price of liberty". Therefore, I am compelled to respond to Tom Reinertson's letter in your last issue. 1. "Comrades, we can best defuse a chal­lenge to the Cause by diverting the atten­tion of the Masses to an unrelated, but more emotional issue" - Lenin. The chal­lenge we face is excellence in instruction, the distracting emotional issue is drug use. If our performance is the concern, then we must continually evaluate and re­evaluate our performance in our respec­tive roles. A great many factors may affect our performance on any given day, and being currently under the influence of many drugs, both legal and illegal, is only one of those factors. What individuals choose to do on their own time in their own homes is clearly not one of those factors. 2. Thomas Jefferson is reputed to have observed that "tyranny is but the fanatical pursuit of the common good." I believe Jefferson would place the current drug testing craze into that category. Is it merely.a coincidence that this "Jar wars" all began while the White House was oc­cupied by a darling of the religious right? The whole process stinks of a druggie witch hunt, to cle.'U1se society of the mor­ally impure. Reminds me of Senator McCarthy's witch hunt for commies sev­eral decades past. Will psychological tests for morality and political correctness be next? These tests have nothing at all in common with the examinations we take for our certification, which test only our knowledge and ability, not our moral or political correctness. 3. AMENDMENT IV: "The right of The People to be secure in their persons. houses, papers, and effects, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation ... " This was written into the INSTRUCTORS EDGE 7 Bill of Rights of our constitution 203 years ago. Where is the probable cause in this Jar wars testing? The fact that we seek employment? If trashing one of our Bill of Rights is not a civil liberty concern, than what is? 4. Reinertson's assertion that only hard­core druggies object to such attacks on our Bill of Rights is but a crude attempt to diminish the credibility of his opponents. As he would put it "Such pomposity is shallow, deplorable, and an insult to our intelligence." Hogwash! Senator McCarthy likewise called all those who op­posed him commie sympathizers. I have personally been arrested and had my driving license suspended for six months for refus­ing to submit to a random breath test for drunk drivers. I did so in spite of the fact that I had no alcohol in the previous 24 hours, merely to protect the rights that hundreds of thousands of my American ancestors had fought and died for. - Colin Perry ....... --"---~~.,~ ~ ---~ .. - .' •• l •• ' •••••• U.l • • I' • _ I •• _ •• •••. • . ., . - .,., -- ..... . - •• 1. ••••••.•• .... ~ .......... , ~--- , ,-. "".-.... . - By RODGER RENSTROM I t's refreshing to see a little controversy liven the pages of the EDGE, but it's time to cut through the rhetoric and take a serious look at the drug testing issue brought into the limelight by area resorts. If you're not up on the debate, gmb a copy of the Fall '93 EDGE and review Cheryl Fox's Viewpoint, look at the Winter One '93 issue and read what Tom Reinertson has to say, then read Colin Perry's View­point in this issue. Be forewarned, the next few paragmphs are going to be a bit more sympathetic toward Fox, Perry and their friend, Thomas Jefferson. Why is mandatory drug testing in the work place an issue at all? Some argue that what people do on their own time is none of the "company's" business. Well, that may be true, but it's probably not a strong argument against drug testing. The use of certain drugs is illegal in this society. If people want to use illegal drugs they should fight to legalize those drugs; whether an employer tests or not is irrele­vant to their cause. The real danger of 8 INSTRUCTORS EDGE mandatory drug testing involves a much more precious freedom than any per­ceived by some pot-head wanting to exer­cise his imagined right to get stoned on his own time. That freedom is found in this country's Bill of Rights and it's called the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. The Bill of Rights was conceived to en­sure that the civil liberties of the people of the United States would be protected from the Federal government once constitu­tional control was established. After the American Revolution, the former colo­nies were faced with a weak central gov­ernment. It was obvious that the fabric of our new nation was in danger of falling apart and the Constitutional Convention was convened to find a way to hold it together. But the antics of the King were fresh in the minds of the people and there was fear that a strong federal government would sacrifice freedoms won at great cost during the war for independence. The "Antifedemlists," as they were called, worried about unrestmined power in the hands of government and demanded a Bill of Rights for the people. They didn't want Big Brother knocking down their door in the middle of the night for no apparent reason. Popular pressure from the people (that's you and me), convinced the "Fedemlists" that a bill of rights was necessary. Ifit had not been for the promise of the Bill of Rights, the Constitution would not have been adopted and this nation, as we know it, would not exist today. So, where does that leave us with the issue of drug testing? The first ten amendments to the Consti­tution make up this nation's Bill of Rights; although, it took passage of the Fourteenth amendment in 1866, and a civil war, to guarantee the protection of the Bill of Rights to all Americans, regardless of their home state. The Fourth Amendment reads: "The right of the people to be se­cure in their persons. houses. papers. and effects against unreasonable searches and seizures. shall not be violated. and no warrants shall issue bllt upon probable cause. supported by oath or affirmation. and particularly describing the place to be searched. and the persons or things to be seized." A Supreme Court justice once described the Fourth as "the most com pre­hensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized man." Random mandatory drug testing is a violiltion of the principles founded in the Fourth Amendment. The courts have been, and remain, strongly divided as to whether or not the violation of a person's Fourth Amend­ment rights due to drug testing are out­weighed by the benefits to society and the employer. Most courts agree that drug testing infringes on the principles of the Fourth, but the courts have also used "bal­ancing tests" to determine that the erosion of personal liberties is less important to the citizens of this country than are the benefits to the employer. The clauses of the Fourth Amendment that are crucial to the drug-testing issue are "unreasonable searches" and "probable cause." Yes, Virginia, drug tests are "searches." Even the people who support drug testing agree with that, and the technologies in­volved in drug testing will haunt us for years to come. For instance, the bio­chemical characteristics of drug tests are already reflected in tests that will eventu­ally be able to determine if you are geneti­cally predisposed to a medical problem that would cause an insurance company to deny you health coverage or an em­ployer to deny you a job. And no, employers rarely demonstrate "probable cause" of suspected drug abuse when they randomly select a 50 year-old grandmother with an impeccable 20-year work history to pee in ajar in the name of work place profits and safety. So how can drug testing be defended? Those that would defend drug testing fall back on the issue of "reasonableness." The thought process goes like this: If the search (the drug test) is not unreasonable, than probable cause is not required. Therefore, if it can be determined that the benefits to the employer outweigh the in­fringement on the rights of the individual, the search is reasonable. That, basically, is what constitutes a "balancing test." Pretty slick, huh? The issue of balancing tests related to drug testing is complex in itself. What are the consequences if a drug impaired em­ployee fails to properly do his or her job? Does the nuclear power plant blow up? Does the plane cmsh? Are the sheets not changed on the bed? Does the employer make less profit? Consequences are often used to measure an employee's expecta­tions of privacy. For inst.lIlce, it could be argued that because of the nature of the job, an airline pilot has a lower expecta­tion of privacy than a housekeeper. Bal­ancing tests are too broad to cover here in depth, but one thing is clear; balancing tests result in the loss of personal liberties, " so the benefits gained by compromising those liberties had better be huge. The ripple effects caused by justifying the loss of one liberty, no matter how seemingly small, have the potential to lead to the erosion of even greater freedoms most of us take for granted. Liberty and freedom are the values this country fought the British over, fought its Civil War over, and what we were all taught in grade school was worth promoting throughout the world. I fervently believe that random drug testing is a violation of the Fourth Amendment and a very dangerous precedent to establish; the rights and welfare of the future citizens of this nation are at risk. But, just for a moment, let's say that we should employ a "balancing test" based on the "reasonableness" of drug-testing searches in the work place. To be "reasonable," and therefore defen­sible, drug testing should take place only after the employer has demonstrated that less intrusive means of ensuring perform­ance and worker safety have been imple­mented, and have failed. I would argue that, in most cases, those less intrusive means have not been used. Have the fol­lowing steps been taken by the manage­ment at your drug-testing resort?: • Thorough training of all levels of man­agement, specifically front-line super­visors, in the areas of performance counseling, discipline, and how to monitor those employee behaviors that drug-testing seeks to eliminate - absen­teeism, accidents, and misconduct. • A performance appraisal process, based on well-established standards of Jjer­formance, that specifically spells out employee responsibilities and provides an objective measure of performance, and training of management in how to design and implement such standards. The implementation of such a process would detect employees who fail to meet employer expectations whether poor performance was caused by drugs, lack of skill or chronic lack of sleep. • Accountability of those managers who's employees have been involved in drug-related incidents that have threat­ened the safety or profitability of the work place. If such abuse is common­place, why haven't local supervisors seen the problem and addressed it? • The establishment of an Employee As­sistance Program to help employees deal with personal problems that affect the work place. The bottom line is quite simple. The premise for drug-testing assumes that drug abuse affects employee perform­ance. Regardless of the cause, unaccept­able levels of employee performance are identifiable by trained managers. If poor performance is identifiable, then manage­ment has a right and obligation to require an employee to improve performance or to dismiss the employee. Thus, the prob­lems drug testing advocates seek to elimi­nate can be controlled through good man­agement. If good management can elimi­nate, or at least reduce, the problems of 'The implementation of a random drug testing program is ... an admission by management of an inability to manage' work place drug abuse, is random drug testing really a "reasonable" search of in­dividuals who have demonstrated no drop in performance and therefore no probable cause for believing they are under the influence of drugs in the work place? Not! The implementation of a random drug testing program is tantamount to an ad­mission by management of an inability to manage effectively. Now, since the ski industry is riddled with part-time instructors doubling as at­torneys in their real lives who are bound to get on my case, let's acknowledge that there is a perceived difference on the part of the legal system between the violation of a person's rights within the public sec­tor and violations in the private sector arising from enforcement of employer policies. Courts have held that the private sector employer is not necessarily bound by the same legal constraints as the gov­ernment. However, courts have also held that certain private sector employer be­havior which violates public policy or in­fringes upon an employee's right to pri­vacy is illegal, and the Bill of Rights helps define public policy. There is no logical rea~on why the protections afforded the citizens of this country under the Bill of Rights cannot, or should not, be applied to both the public and private work place. For instance, in 1985 the Maryland Court of Appeals wrote, "we can conceive of no clearer mandate of public policy than the rights spelled out in the United States Constitution." In addition, after the Rea­gan administration's Commission on Or­ganized Crime recommended in 1986 that all U.S. companies regularly test employ­ees for drug use, the political interests of the government and the motives of the private sector became so entwined that it is arguable that the private sector now functions as an agent of the state in the area of random drug testing. The issue of how the Constitution pro­tects violations of personal liberties in the private sector is controversial at best, but one thing is clear: laws are written and passed by elected officials and interpreted by appointed judges. Unfortunately, a growing number of state legislatures are enacting statutes justifying drug testing in the work place at the expense of safe­guarding individual liberties. Contempo­rary lawmakers are breaking with the big dreams and promises of the designers of the B ill of Rights in favor of big business. The courts are seeing fit to uphold such legislation rather than taking the brave and noble stance offinding it unconstitutional. Utah is one such state that has a statute on the books permitting work place drug test­ing. Rather than protect the future free­doms of the people, the Utah Supreme Court has seen fit to support that statute. The controlling factor is whether or not the "people" demand that their lawmakers require the public and private sectors to adhere to the principles founded in the Bill of Rights. Therein lies the saddest aspect of drug testing. Our society - we the people - is permitting our elected offi­cials, who appoint the judges, to chip away at irreplaceable personal freedoms. The ero'sion of freedom is aided by the fluctuations of contemporary societal val­ues. If society deems it "reasonable" to expect that the secrets of one's own body are not sacrosanct, whether in the public or private work place, then the lawmakers and courts will oblige and help the people erode the very fabric of our nation. We owe it to our children, to the future citizens of this nation, and to ourselves to defend the liberties our country was founded to protect. Cheryl, you and Thomas were right, "The price of liberty is eternal vigi­lance." And what's more, those who would sacrifice those liberties for profit, for political motives, out of ignorance, or in the name of convenience, should be ashamed. - Rodger Renstrom INSTRUCTORS EDGE 9 PSIA Intermountain Division AlpineINordic/Snowboard Event Registration Pre-registration is required for all clinics and assessments, there will be NO registration at events. DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: 14 days prior to event (unless otherwise noted). I am registering for: D Clinic D Assessment Type of Event: o Alpine D Snowboard D Nordic Name: ------------------------------------------- First Address: ______________________ --=-:-:-____________________________________________ _ Street or Box Certification Status: DEL D C1 Your Ski School: ----------------------------------------------------------------- Pick Topic From Schedule: Date(s) of Event: ------------------------------- --------------- Spring Clinic Only: See Page 3 of Winter Two EDGE for information Friday Topic: Cost: Saturday Topic: __________________________ _ $100 for 3 days incl. Saturday Banquet at Snowbird. $75 for 2 days incl. Saturday Banquet Sunday Topic: $25 for spouse banquet ticket ---- $25 for spouse ski lesson. Indicate Group Preference for Clinics (if applicable): D Moderate D Aggressive Event Location: ------------------------------------------------------------------ Event Cost: $25 per one-day clinic (6 hours) $40 for Certified Level I Assessment and Workbook ($25 Assessment and $15 Workbook) $45 for Certified Level II and III Mech/Skiing Assessment $45 for Certified Level II and III Mech/Teaching Assessment (These prices do not apply to the Spring Clinic) Total Amount: _______ _ (For all events) Applicant's Signature: ~~I='thC;:::~I=.!':8~:': :ndards. ________________________ _ Assessment Registration Requires Director's Signature: REFUND POLICY: Notice given before deadline, full refund; notice given after deadline but before event, 50% refund; no notice gven to office prior to event, NO REFUND. D Please check here if this is a new address and you wish it recorded in the office. Mail to: Nancy Perkins, Secretary, PSIA-I Division Office, 2655 Pamela Drive, Salt Lake City, Ut 84121 10 INSTRUCTORS EDGE Study Habits Imagine walking into a college classroom to take the final exam of the semester never having read the text book for the class. What are the odds of passing? If you do pass, what are the odds of reall y under­standing the course material? College students attend years of courses, read volumes of text books and take reams of tests in order to earn a degree. All too often, prospective ski instructors believe they can show up at an assessment and walk away as "professionals" without ever having read even the most basic sources of ski teaching information. One of the major aims of the revamped PSIA-I Education and Certification Mas­ter Plan was to clearly identify the stand­ards of performance and areas of knowl­edge required for each certification level. Those standards, or outcomes, have been published in the Education and Certifica­tion Outcome Outline, a supplement to the Master Plan. Every ski school has re­ceived a copy of the outcomes and out­comes for specific certification levels are handed out at PSIA-I assessment clinics. The outcome outlines for Certified II and III also contain study references for each outcome. The Certified Level I Workbook specifically indicates sources for workbook questions. Unfortunately, candi¢ltes con­tinue to turn in Level I workbooks and arrive at Level II and III assessments without ever having read so much as ATS II.These peo­ple are not prepared and often perform very poorly in the a<;sessment process. The future of professional ski instruction demands that standards of certification be kept high; it is unfair to the membership and the skiing public to certify ski instruc­tors. who haven't even taken the time to read a few pages of valuable information. The certification outcomes list informa­tion sources for candidates, but the most common sources include: ATS II, A TSH (handbook), the PSIA-I Education and Certification Master Plan, and portions of A TSC - Child Centered Skiing. If candidates don't own copies of these publications - and what professional in their field doesn't have a library of perti­nent reference material - then most of these items can be borrowed, or purchased It's Classified PHOTO COPIER FOR SALE Mita 142RX photo copier enlarges, reduces and has a 10 bin sort. PSIA·I has replaced its photo copier. You can purchase this office· strength machine in good condition for $400 or best offer. Contact Nancy Perkins, PSIA-I, 2855 Pamela Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84121. 801·942·2066. SKI SNOWBIRD, ALTA, BRIGHTON, SOLITUDE min· utes away. Beautiful house at mouth of canyon with rooms available nightly or weekly. Very low rates to PSIA instruc· tors. Hot tub and all amenities. Call 801·944-5122 EARN $50 FOR REFERRALS when your lead results in a rental for Skiers Accommodations of Utah. We offer 2,3,4 and 5bedroom Townhouses at the mouths of Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Contact Tom and Nancy Kronthaler for information (801) 5617030. by small groups of instructors. The old axiom "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink," might sum up the response to the published certi­fication outcomes. The expectations for cer­tification have been published, the rest is up to you. As an example, the ATS Teaching and Skiing Model graphic is provided here. Can you correctly fill in the missing labels and do you understand their relationship? Move Into that Turn! By TOM WOOD, DEER V ALLEY Movement into and through the turn can be a hard concept to teach. Try this: When starting a tum, think about moving the outside thigh up and in the direction of the tum, then continue thinking of the thigh moving foreward with the ski. Try both thighs. Try inside thigh. Experiment! I think you'll find this will help many students and maybe yourself. Be careful you don't rotate the thigh! • Potato Farmer Breaks Leg at Fries House Idaho potato farmer and Gmnd Targhee Ski School Director Gene Palmer broke his leg recently while buying breakfast at McDonalds. Palmer claims he was enter­ing McDonalds to purchase an Egg McMuffin when he slipped on a patch of ice and snapped his fibula as easily as if he'd been biting into a crispy French fry. A speedy recovery to Gene. He claims he'll ski in April. Idaho boys are tough!. PSIA INTERMOUNTAIN DIVISION Officers: President, Craig "Roper" Pearson; Administrative V. P., Allen Titen­sor; Certification Chairperson, Dave McConuick; Commwlications V.P., Stew Marsh; Education Chairperson, Jo Garuccio; Secretary: Nancy Perkins; Cur· rent Board Members: 1991-94, Sally Elliot, Craig "Roper" Pearson, Stew Marsh, Gene Palmer; 1993-94, Jo Garuccio; 1992-95, Emie Anderson, Bob Bames, ShaJUJOn Kipp. 1993-96, Rex Ames, Dave Peck, Dori Pratt, Allen Titensor; Instructor Representative Committee Members: Alta: Lisa Robin­son, 801 742-2016, John Musser, 801 942-014'4; Brian Head: Mark Wilder 801 586-9603, Shawna Caine, 801677-2045; Brighton: Rick Smith 801484-3533, Dave Strang 801466-1344; Deer Valley: Steve Weinstein, 801645-8077, Kim Mayhew, 801654-4241; Jackson Hole: Nathan Emerson 307733·7969, Terry Smith 307 733-3715; Park City: Phil Gratz, 801486-8279, Rick DWUlebacke, 801 571-4123; Pebble Creek: Scott Rockwood 208 232-7998, DOJUla Erickson, 208232-7613; Powder Mountain: Barbara Berry and Rick Berry, 801 782- 5238; Snowbasln: Mike McConvill, 801 876-3110; Lesli Prullone 801 621- 4527; Snowbird: Carlie Siemel, SOl 944-4520, Nona Weatherbee, 801 278- 2140; Solitude: A. J. Workman, 801 943-0321, Daily Oliver SOl 521-6835; Sundan('e: Scott NaIT, 801221-0905; Chairperson: Lynn Suksdorf, 801485- 8423 (hm) 801461-3234 (wk and message). The Instructors EDGE, the official publication of the Professional Ski Instruc­tors of America IntemlOWltain Division, is published five time'!. a 'jut at a non-member subscription rate of $15, subscriptions available through the Divi­sion Office. Division Office: 2855 Pamela Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84121, [phone]. Editorial and Advertising Office: 4664 Clearview Street, Salt Lake City, UT 84117 [phone], Rodger Renstrom, Editor. Next Deadline: Mar. 24 for Apr. 10 and May 20 for Summer INSTRUCTORS EDGE 11 PSIA-I Education and Certification Alpine Nordic MARCH MARCH WMar1 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 Brian Head 8:30 am /' Mar 7-8 Track Assess White Pine Ctr 8:00 am • Mar2 OPEN - Cln requests before Jan 15 - southern region only /' Mar 7-8 Track Assess Jackson XC 8:00 am /' Mar3 Level 1 Assess Park City 8:30 am /' Mar 19-20 Telernark Assess Snowbird 8:00 am /' Mar3 Skiing Assess 2. 3 Park City 8:30 am /' Mar 19-20 Telernark Assess Jackson 8:00 am /' Mar3 Teach Assess 2. 3 Park City 8:30 am /' Mar 26-27 Moonlight Overnight Backcountry Assess TBA /' Mar3 Ski Assess 2. 3 Snowbasin 8:30 am © Mar4 Advanced Bumps/Powder Snowbird 8:30 am APRIL © Mar4 Ski Improvement Snowbird 8:30 am WMar7 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 Sundance 8:30 am © Apr 15-17 Spring Clinic Snowbird 8:30 am WMar9 Assess Cln Ski 2.3 Beaver 8:30 am © Mar9 Advanced Educator Beaver 8:30 am © Mar 10 Skiing Improvement Pebble Creek 8:30 am Snowboard WMar 10 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 Pebble Creek 8:30 am ©© MMaarr 1133 ASdkivinagn cImedp rEodveumcaetonrt PPaarrkk CCiittyy 88::3300 aamm MARCH /' Mar25 Level 1 Assess ParkWest 8:30 am © Mar4 Advanced Bumps/Powder Snowbird 8:30 am /' Mar 25 Ski Assess 2.3 Brighton 8:30 am Mar7 Assess Cln Teach 2. 3 ParkWest 8:30 am ./ Mar25 Teach Assess Powder Mtn 8:30 am /' Mar 25 Ski Assess 2. 3 Brighton 8:30 am /' Mar 25 Teach Assess ParkWest 8:30 am /' Mar 26 Teach Assess 2. 3 ParkWest 8:30 am • Mar 26 OPEN - requests before Feb 1 - any area APRIL APRIL © Apr 15-17 Spring Clinic Snowbird 8:30 am WApr5 (tentative date) - Assess Cln Snowbird 8:30 am /' Apr 8 Skiing Assess 2. 3 Solitude 8:30 am /' Apr 8 Teach Assess 2. 3 Solitude 8:30 am Event Key © Apr 15. D Meetings and lectures 16.17 Spring Cln Snowbird 8:30 am ~ DECL and trainer events Onvitation only) /' Apr 19 Skiing Assess 2. 3 Snowbird 8:30 am W Assessment clinics /' Apr 19 Teach Assess 2. 3 Snowbird 8:30 am /' Assessments and Entry Level clinics © Non-assessment related clinics • Non-specified events See the Fall issue of the EDGE for complete Alpine clinic descriptions. The Instructors EDGE A publication of PSIA-I 2855 Pamela Drive SaltLake City. Utah 84121 Opinions presented in the EDGE are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or policies of the Professional Ski Instructors of America Intermountain Division. 12 INSTRUCTORS EDGE 04--000B;;'>1- NOH/'r'j BUHTON 137& KINGSTON DRIVE OGDEN, UT 84403 BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID SLC,UTAH PERMIT NO.4383