PSIA AASI West

Get ready for the ultimate Nordic Fall Fest at Kirkwood Mountain Resort! 🍁 Join us on December 13 for a day filled with exciting clinics for both Cross-Country and Telemark athletes. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, there's something for everyone! 🎿

Don't wait, register by December 5 before spots fill up!
https://psia-w.org/home/events/?cal-month=-11&cal-year=2024&event=12588 -calendar

Over the past two seasons, we've made significant strides in growing our capacity to provide a premier member experience by utilizing regional resources more creatively. Through data tracking and analysis, we have developed a comprehensive event calendar of now over 300 events 📅 🤯 with a focus on supporting members at every stage of their journey. From seasoned trainers to new members, there's a learning opportunity for everyone. By offering events that are specifically designed to help members reach their professional potential, we are creating a more inclusive and supportive community.

Whether you're a seasoned trainer looking to refine your clinic delivery, a parent of young kids, or a first-time member who hasn't been hired yet, there's a learning opportunity just for you.

Join us as we continue to evolve and grow, ensuring that all members have access to the resources they need to succeed.

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Congratulations on taking the step towards leadership! 🎉 This clinic is tailored specifically for you to enhance your leadership skills and empower you to drive high performance within your team. Through interactive virtual sessions, you will gain practical tools to effectively engage with your staff and manage them at any level. You will also learn valuable communication strategies that can be applied in various aspects of your leadership role. By developing sustainable habits, you will be equipped to thrive throughout the winter season and beyond.

Dates: Tuesday, November 19 + December 3 2024 + January 28, 2025
$230.00
CEUs: 6
https://psia-w.org/home/events/?cal-month=-11&cal-year=2024&disciplines=5&event=14377 -calendar

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The Fall Rally was a success! It was a pleasure to see everyone and a huge thank you to our amazing presenters for getting us pumped up for the upcoming season 🙌 Andrew from the Central Sierra Snow Lab, Jonathan, former Alpine National Team member and Aspen Mountain VP, and Wendy from the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education truly inspired us all. We hope you left feeling motivated and excited for what's to come. Winter is just around the corner, so get ready for some epic adventures on the slopes! 🏂⛷️
Keep up with our social media channels for updates, tips, and more fun content to keep you stoked all season long. Let's make this winter one to remember!
— Mélanie, your Western Region photographer & social media manager who's not pictured because well, I didn't manage to do a selfie while I was presenting, ha!.
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FALL RALLY is right around the corner! Who's in? Did you register already?
This season, we’ve rebranded Professional Development Day as the all-new Fall Rally.
Join us at the Olympic Valley Convention Center for a host of speakers and presenters designed to fire us up for the winter season. This year's presenters include Alpine National Team member and Aspen Mountain VP, Johnathan Ballou, guest speakers from the American Institute of Avalanche Research and Education, the Central Sierra Snow Lab, and an interactive session on using photography and videography to support training and development with our very own Mélanie Saucier

https://psia-w.org/home/events/?cal-month=-9&cal-year=2024&event=12586 -calendar

OWNERSHIP LINKAGE COMMITTEE UPDATES

The Western Regions new Ownership Linkage Committee (OLC) is hard at work laying out their priorities for the 24/25 Season. As a reminder, the purpose of the OLC is to enable the board to create a strong and consistent two-way channel to listen to the membership and generate actions that further amplify member-value. The committee, representing members and schools from across the region, has identified nine distinct groups to focus on this season. They have developed clear goals and values for each group and will be present at existing events (like trainings and forums) to provide updates, seek feedback, and listen to the needs of the members. For more information on this year’s goals and values, please check out the post on our website.

As a reminder, the OLC would love to hear from you!
🔗 Link in Bio
Please email them at [email protected]

Can you believe we’re so close to sliding on snow? Us either. 😅 But we’re ready for a great season and hope you are too.

📅 Our Event Calendar is updated with national and regional events for the 2024-25 season. Be sure to check it out and start planning for the winter ahead. Grab spots now - space is limited at some events! If you need even more reason to attend, check out the benefits of traveling to other regions.

🔗 Links in Bio

Convention / Education Foundation Wrap Up

The Education Foundation had a successful and wonderful time at Convention 2024 in Mammoth to wrap up the season. We had record participation for the Legends Clinics and a prosperous drawing during the Saturday night festivities.

As has been the case the last few years, Glen Plake was the emcee of the drawing entertaining the crowd with his classic and funny stories and a bit of sage advice on teaching as well. Two teams of fundraising pros of Kathy Copeland & Katherine Landau, Kristen Martin Del Campo & Heather, did an incredible job selling raffle tickets, garnering our largest amount of donations for this event in the last eight years!

Special thanks to Education Foundation Board members Steve Lehr, Chris Coseglia and Julie Brown, as well as, Parry Kring, Marisa Cooper and Lynnea Anderson for all their work before and during Convention making it so successful!

(Visit your inbox for the complete email)

2023-24 was a great season !

📢 PSIA-AASI regions put on more than 3,000 grassroots certification, training, and community-building events.

📢 The national office hosted 129 online educational opportunities, produced a free educational podcast every week, and awarded 93 scholarships.

📢 More than 6,000 new people accessed our free online course for beginner instructors.

📢 We continue to ensure that our preeminent standards are relevant and continually improve through our network of hundreds of teaching and training experts.

📢 PSIA-AASI secured the next Interski. The international event will be hosted in Vail, Colorado, in 2027 and will elevate the profile of snowsports instructors nationwide.

📢 4,891 members successfully passed a certification exam during the 2023-24 season. Congratulations!

📢 Remember that education and certification through PSIA-AASI are about so much more than teaching turns. Professional development helps you level up in the snowsports world, and skills gained through PSIA-AASI translate far beyond the mountain.

🌟 We hope you are proud of your achievements, and thank you again for being part of our community!

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⛷️ Dan Ray at Spring Convention

BEFORE YOU SWIPE or look passed the first image, READ THIS:
—
Close your eyes and picture yourself attending a clinic with advanced skiers. It's a small group. Just after a couple minutes you know you're with a strong group and you're going to have a good time with these smart and confident skiers.
Open your eyes. Swipe/look at the second picture. Were these 3 skiers looking like these women?
—
We only got to spend a couple hours with Fran, Monica and Julie, but enough to know that for most of us, the answer to the question above was "no".
This post was inspired by a TED talk: Fran is the one who pointed us to search for it. "How to Outsmart Your Own Unconscious Bias?"
Listen to Valerie Alexander, author, speaker and CEO, "explains how the human brain instinctively reacts when encountering the unexpected, like saber-toothed tigers or female tech execs, and proposes that if we have the courage to examine our own behavior when faced with the unfamiliar"
- Search the net for "Valerie Alexander | TEDxPasadena"

Did we think winter was done with us? Think again. With a few more inches of fresh snow in Tahoe, we know some of you are skinning uphill and will enjoy this season until the last snowflake!
Hare are some pictures from our amazing Anna during one of our Convention Clinics at Mammoth Mountain last April!

This weekend! PSIA-AASI Western Region, a proud partner of the Sierra Classic. Come support, play golf and win fun prizes.

Signup at [email protected]

As we approach the end of this season, we wish to express our sincere appreciation for the dedicated efforts and enthusiasm demonstrated by our examiners, instructors, trainers and staff, in facilitating access to, and sharing your passion of snowsports for individuals of all walks of life, backgrounds and ages.
It's because of you our members, the initial point of contact for newcomers to the sport, we can foster a sense of belonging and support from the outset. We aim to ensure that everyone feels empowered to participate and thrive in this world that we love so much!
Cheers to you all!
👏🏻💪🏻🙏🏻
ps: fret not, we have more spring convention pictures to share ;)

More memories of our Spring Convention at Mammoth!
Saturday Clinic 'Find your line in the steeps' with Bryan Schilling, or, "finding the steepest line", which means jumping from the chutes as would say Luka :)

Group: Dan, Ingrid, Yingying, Hao, Holly, Eric, Bryan, Luka, Rui

Thank you Yingying & Luka for submitting the images !

CONGRATS TO YOU ALL!
Level 1 Snowboard + SKI at Sky Tavern 4/6 & 4/7

to an Examiner Training day at Palisades Tahoe with visiting staff from Central and Rocky Mountain!

Pic #1: Julie Matises and Jenn Metz.
Pic #2: Mamood Sabahi and Dan Ray.
Pic #3: Tour of the mountain with visiting examiners: Aron (we forgot your last name Aron so rry!), Mark Kimmerle, Mike Donelon, Justin Soine, and Peter Hoppock.

What's the saying by Warren Miller? "If you don't do it this year, you'll be one year older when you do."

AASI National Team members Tony Macri and Chris Rogers are hosting AASI Level 2,3, or FS1 training camps in New Zealand this summer, and the details just dropped.

https://camp3snowboarding.com/events/aasi-level-two-training-camp-120824

If you have the time and the finances, this would be a rad summer vacation to jump start your 2024-2025 winters and possibly come back with a new Level 2,3, or FS1 certification.

Contact Tony Macri for questions! .macri.127