PSIA / AASI - Eastern Division

PSIA-E course conductors will do their best to deliver events as described. The demographics and diversity of the group may require the conductor to alter delivery to some extent in an effort to provide participants with the most educational benefit. Please check the current schedule of events for availability as not all courses are scheduled every season.

Alpine Resort Trainers (ART)

Eligibility: Open to Level III members (and Level II members resort trainers with Directors approval).
The idea of the ART workshop is that it will be different each year and follow the current DCL training plan.  Examiners / Trainers will be Team Coaches or Eastern Team Members and group size is limited to maximum of 8 participants.  This is not just a personal ski improvement clinic; it is part “train the trainer” course and part personal skill improvement. Additional valuable information can be found here.

Certification Exams
Complete eligibility and prerequisite requirements are listed for each level in previous sections in the Alpine Exam Guide. A description of the exam process and all formats are listed as well.

Development Series Skiing
Eligibility: Open to Registered and Certified Level I members only.
Development Series Skiing focuses on developing personal skiing skills. It will help participants develop strong fundamental skills and versatility, and will help them understand and use proper tactics for varying conditions and terrain. This course will count as a prerequisite for the Level II Exam.

Dev / DCL Team Prep
Eligibility: Open to any Level III member.
Dev / DCL Team Prep events are optional clinics that will assist members who seek to develop beyond Level III. It is not necessary to be registered for the DEV Team Exam or the DCL Exam in order to attend these events. The primary focus of the clinic will be on high level skiing performance and the ability to see, understand, and describe the skiing movements of other participants. Clinic/teaching skills will be integrated into the primary event activities.

Level II Practice Exam, Skiing – Part 1
Eligibility: Open to Certified Level I members and Trainers.
The chosen course will be conducted as a series of mock exam situations. You will be skiing (Part 1) in exam conditions while being evaluated by your trainer/examiner. The trainer/examiner can then review with you your performance and your skiing skills. A plan for exam strategies and training activities will be developed for you. This 2-day course is an excellent way to prepare for the exam especially if you are uncomfortable in exam situations. This course will count as a prerequisite for the Level II Exam.

Level II Part 1 Practice Exam with Video
Eligibility: Open to Certified Level I members and Trainers.
Level II Part 1 Practice Exam is conducted as a series of mock exam situations. You will be skiing in exam conditions (Level II Part 1 Skiing) while being evaluated by your trainer/examiner. Included is professional video taping of your skiing during the session. The trainer/examiner can then review with you your performance and your skiing skills both on the mountain and during video review sessions. A plan for exam strategies and training activities will be developed for you. This 2-day course is an excellent way to prepare for the exam especially if you are uncomfortable in exam situations. The video tape will be available to you after the clinic. This course will count as a prerequisite for the Level II Exam.

Feature Events

• 15 Below Events
• AASI Riders Weekend & Alpine/Downhill Mini Academy
• Alpine Race Week
• Alpine Resort Trainers (ART) Workshop
• Children's Academy
• Master's Academy & Snow Pro Jam
• National Academy
• National Adaptive Academy
• Snow Sports Management Seminar
• Spring Academy & Spring Rally
• Women's Seminar

In Search of Corduroy
Eligibility:  Open to all current members.  Participants will ski all available groomed terrain with particular attention to developing the skills and techniques preferred with the modern ski designs.

Level II Teaching Seminar

Eligibility: Open to all current Level I certified instructors. 
Level II Teaching Seminar is designed to help instructors become more adept at creating learning activities based on the needs of the student. This course will count as a prerequisite for the Level II exam and will focus on familiarizing the participant with the Level II, Part 2 module format.  Skiing improvement is not the focus of this event.  Each instructor will be able to select and effectively present an appropriate focus for a given situation, and to verbalize why the focus is applicable.  You have the opportunity to teach in exam conditions while being evaluated by your trainer/examiner. This course will count as a prerequisite for the Level II Exam.

Level III Exam Clinics
Eligibility: Open to Level II instructors who plan to take either part of a Level III exam.
Level III Exam Clinics are optional clinics that cover material relative to either Parts 1 or Part 2 of the Level III exam.

• Part One is a Skiing Development Workshop. The workshop will focus on refinement and mastery of skills and tactics needed for high level skiing situations and accurate performance of demos and tasks. Bump skiing will be included in Part One, but will not comprise a major part of the workshop. Movement analysis skills will be practiced and coached during skiing improvement activities.
• Part Two is a Teaching Development Workshop. Primary workshop content will include skill development for coaching upper level skiing, movement analysis, prescriptive exercises, teaching methods and learning preferences. It will also focus on the creative use and mastery of practices outlined in the PSIA Core Concepts Manual.

Level III Exam Clinic for the Part 1 Skiing with Video
Eligibility: Open to Certified Level II members and Trainers.
The Level III Exam Clinic with video is an optional clinic that covers material relative to the Part 1, skiing evaluation of the Level III exam.
This is a Skiing Development Workshop. The workshop will focus on refinement and mastery of skills and tactics needed for high level skiing situations and accurate performance of demos and tasks. Included is professional video taping of your skiing during the session. The trainer/examiner can then review with you your performance and your skiing skills both on the mountain and during video review sessions. Bump skiing will be included but will not comprise a major part of the workshop. The video tape will be available after the clinic.

Masters Series Skiing
Eligibility: Open to Certified Level II or Certified Level III members only
Master Series Skiing is a personal skiing improvement workshop. It focuses on refinement of fundamental skills and skill blending, and on developing some higher-level skills and a broader range of versatility. Participants will experience challenging situations and tasks and will work on skills and tactics to manage those challenges.

Master Teacher Certification Events*
Eligibility: Open to all Level I, Level II or Level III certified members.
*All Master Teacher Certifcation events are listed under the Education page, and can be reviewed through this link.

Mogul Series
Eligibility: Open to all Level I, Level II or Level III certified members. Any level member may choose any of the three bump courses, based on ability and goals rather than membership level.  Registered members may attend the Introduction to Bumps or Specialty Bumps events only.

Understand that the course conductors and host area are not able to control the weather and its affect on quality of the moguls on any given day.  A bumps event is a very terrain specific event and our hosts do their best to provide us with the best possible conditions, but sometimes Mother Nature just doesn’t cooperate.  In such a case, the course conductors will help participants develop skills and tactics outside the bumps and in whatever appropriate terrain is available.

Introduction to Bumps - This course will help the participant develop the basic skills and tactics necessary to link turns in bumps on blue terrain.  The Intro to Bumps course assumes no previous experience skiing moguls, however part of the experience of the course will be skiing in the bumps.  The ability to make a proficient short turn will significantly benefit the participant’s experience in this clinic.
Intermediate Bumps - This course will focus on refining basic skills and tactics and developing additional skills necessary to hold a line and short turn rhythm at moderate speed on blue terrain. Participants should be comfortable in blue terrain bumps.
Advanced Bumps - This course will focus on developing and refining essential skills and tactics necessary to ski bumps on black terrain. It will help participants who already ski black terrain bumps to handle more difficult lines, more speed, and more challenging conditions.

Off Piste
Eligibility:  Open to all current members.  Participants will explore the mountain and seek out ungroomed terrain while skiing within the boundaries of the ski resort.  Safety and endurance are strictly adhered to in these clinics.  Both technique and tactics will be taught and explored during this course. Take home some valuable tips and suggestions to make your off piste experience more enjoyable. This course can be taken many times as the excitement of off piste skiing is that conditions are seldom exactly the same very often.  Helmets are recommended.

Park & Pipe
Eligibility - Open to all PSIA-E members.
This course offers an introduction to the skills required to enjoy the terrain parks and half pipe (or quarter pipe) at the chosen ski area. Basic skills will be taught and basic maneuvers will be attempted and performed. This course will also cover basic teaching skills for instructing students in the park & pipe. A careful and considerable emphasis will be placed on safety awareness, park and pipe etiquette and class handling skills. Helmets are recommended.

Park Skills

Eligibility: Open to all PSIA-E members. This course offers an introduction to the skills required to enjoy the terrain parks and half pipe (when available) at the chosen ski area. Basic skills will be taught and basic maneuvers will be attempted and performed. This course will also cover basic teaching skills for instructing students in the park & pipe. Participants will be riding park features according to the experience and ability level of the group. If there is more than one group, groups will be divided according to experience level. Helmets are recommended.

PSIA-E Level I Validation for Race Coaches
Eligibility: Open to all current members and non-members who are active race coaches. Non-members must provide their snowsports school or race director’s signature.
The Level I Validation is an entry level course most suited for race coaches with 1 – 5 years of coaching experience. The course is conducted primarily on snow and will cover modern skiing skills, teaching concepts and professional knowledge. The “skills concept” which is the basis for the American Teaching System will be used to present modern skiing and coaching. There will be no gates or gate tactics used or discussed during this course. However, all parts of this course will be continually related to the development of the junior racer and modern ski technique.

Race Series
Eligibility: Open to all current members and non-members who are active snowsports instructors.  Non-members must provide their snowsports school director’s signature.
Race Series is designed for everyone, even those who have never had experience in gates. Participants will be grouped with members whose skill, pace and goals are similar.  Race events will focus on developing participants’ skiing skills toward greater precision and accuracy. Correct biomechanics and fundamental skills will be stressed.  Focus on Slalom and Giant Slalom with an emphasis on developing technical skills and racing tactics. Additional valuable information can be found here.

Reinstatement Event

Eligibility: If you have been previously certified and wish to resume your certification and membership you must call the office for your specific requirements. This 3-day event will cover personal skiing skills, contemporary teaching techniques, professional knowledge and movement analysis. If you have been out of skiing and/or teaching for a while it is suggested that you check with your local or associated ski school for information on contemporary equipment and training guides. Additional valuable information can be found here.

Senior Tour (Senior Only events)
Eligibility:  The Senior Tour is recommended for members age 55 or older
NOTE: While the pacing of activities and use of terrain will be tailored for the senior skier, participants should expect a challenging and well-rounded educational event.

• Seniors Only Workshop Clinic – are educational events that provide participants with up-to-date, comprehensive information about ATS, ski instruction, and the ski industry. The course offers personal skiing improvement, teaching progressions and methodology, movement analysis, mechanics, equipment knowledge, and other information that is relevant to participant goals.  Pacing and terrain selection will be determined by the group’s ability and goals.
• Senior Bumps – focuses on the development of skills and tactics to link turns in blue and easy black bumps.  The pace and intensity will accommodate “older legs.”  Please note: the number of participants signed up will determine the ability to split into groups of varying ability.
• Senior Seminar - Not quite ready for that “relaxed” pace?  Still want to get out there and rip it up – then the Senior Seminar is for you!  These two day events are by no means boring and will keep you moving both physically and mentally. Designed for the “young at heart,” age 55 and older. The Senior Seminar will help you stretch to your full potential on the mountain and also allow for some challenging ideas and theories during some indoor roundtable discussions. We may be getting older but that only means we are getting better!

Stance & Alignment
Eligibility: Open to Certified Level I, II, III members only. This course will explore the affects of proper and improper alignment due to equipment styles and modifications to that equipment. Proper boot fitting including canting, heel and toe lifting, shims and more will be explored. Experts in the field will help you experience what is beneficial to good skiing and what is not. This course provides a great way to fully appreciate and understand how important properly adjusted equipment is to effective skiing.

Sunday Double Workshop
Eligibility:  Open to Level I, Level II and Level III members. This two day event covers the same material as the Workshop Clinic BUT will be held on two consecutive Sundays.  Participants MUST attend both days to receive educational credit, no exceptions.

Synchro Skiing
Eligibility: Open to current Registered, Level I, Level II and Level III and non-members who are actively teaching.
This event will focus on helping skiers develop both the skills and tactics for skiing moderately steep terrain in synch with a partner. Participants can either come with a partner or can join one at the clinic. An informal competition will be held as part of the clinic. Terrain choices will include groomed runs, varied terrain and powder snow if available.

Teaching Seniors
Eligibility: Open to Registered, Level I, Level II, Level III and non-members actively teaching.
This event focuses on information for instructors of all ages who teach senior skiers and riders. Course content addresses the physiological and psychological needs of senior skiers/riders and how an instructor might best tailor a lesson to promote the most success for the seniors in the group.

Trees and Steeps
Eligibility: Open to all current members. Participants must possess strong skiing skills as well as a good level of fitness. All participants should feel comfortable skiing ungroomed and varying snow conditions.  The focus will be on developing and enhancing skills for skiing steep terrain and trees. Participants will be skiing on steep terrain and in trees according to the experience and ability level of the group. If there is more than one group, groups will be divided according to experience level. Helmets are recommended

• Intro To Trees and Steeps - will focus on developing the skills for skiing steep terrain and trees. Participants will be skiing on steep terrain and in any available easy trees. Participants must feel comfortable skiing ungroomed and varying snow conditions.
• Intermediate Trees and Steeps - will focus on helping skiers develop a tactical plan for skiing steep, ungroomed terrain in varying conditions. Moderate to difficult tree skiing will be explored according to the conditions and the ability of the group.
• Advanced Trees and Steeps - will focus on helping skiers develop a tactical plan for skiing steep, ungroomed terrain in varying conditions. This event is NOT a skill development workshop. Terrain choices will include the steepest and most difficult slopes available. Helmets are recommended.
• Trees and Steeps - will include all of the above depending on the groups ability and goals.

U30
Eligibility:  Open to all Level I, Level II and Level III Alpine, Snowboard, Tele and Adaptive members under the age of 31.  Exploring the mountain with your peers is the focus of this course. Skill improvement, tactical choices for given situations and understanding the how and why of contemporary sliding is what you can expect. You may ride as a pack on skinny boards and wide boards, one plank or two. And you may split up into groups of riders and skiers. The group and the instructor will decide this at the event. In any case, “it’s all downhill and it’s all sliding.” Of course you get your 2 year PSIA/AASI continuing education credit too.

Women Only Bumps
Eligibility:  Open to Registered, Level I, Level II and Level III female members. Course content will be determined by the group’s goals and objectives as well as ability.  Group may begin with basic skills and tactics and progress from there.  Participants are expected to ski on mogul terrain.  The ability to make proficient short turn will significantly benefit the participant’s experience. This is ideal for female members who want to be free to explore their skiing boundaries without the distraction of competitive men and will allow them to develop their skills in a supportive environment

Women Only Workshop Clinic
Eligibility: Open to current Level I, Level II and Level III female members.
Will provide participants with up-to-date, comprehensive information about ATS, ski instruction and the ski industry. Course content will be determined by the groups goals and objectives. This is ideal for female members who want to be free to explore their skiing boundaries without the distraction of competitive men and will allow them to develop their skills in a supportive environment.

Workshop Clinics
Eligibility: Open to all levels of current members.
Workshop Clinics are educational events that provide participants with up-to-date, comprehensive information about ATS, ski instruction, and the ski industry. The course offers personal skiing improvement, teaching progressions and methodology, movement analysis, mechanics, equipment knowledge, and other information that is relevant to participant goals.