If you spend any amount of time teaching skiing, especially at Liberty, you will certainly hear people talking about traveling to PSIA exams. PSIA certification is a process that validates all of the hard work we put in learning how to be better skiers and teachers. It is impossible to get to the point of being able to take an exam without the help and support of many people: ski school staff, trainers, friends, family, and others. You might think once a candidate is signed up for the exam and ready to leave that the support ends. That’s where you’d be wrong. Yes, it’s possible to go to an exam on your own. But it’s a lot more fun and much less stressful if you have an exam chaperone or two.
At Liberty we’re usually lucky enough to have a Level 1 event at our own ski area so you don’t have to worry about a chaperone in your first season or two. But once you progress to be an aspiring Level 2 or 3, traveling to an exam becomes a necessity. (We have hosted a Level 2 teaching exam in the past, but you can’t count on this!) An exam chaperone travels to the exam with you and is your first line of support throughout the testing period. It starts with the accommodation plans: you have someone to split lodging costs with, which is always a good thing. You also have someone who helps you figure out where to stay, where to eat, and what to do in the evenings. It’s just one less thing to worry about in the weeks leading up to the exam.
Your chaperone will also ride with you to and from the exam (if they are coming from your home mountain. If not, they will call you while you’re both on the way). They will either distract your mind from thinking about the crazy snow conditions that might await your skiing exam, or drill you on last-minute teaching tidbits on the way up. This might be especially helpful for studying those nitty-gritty details on the written exam. Or maybe your chaperone has the best music on their iPod for those games of name that tune to pass those long hours to Vermont quickly. Hey, maybe they’ll even just shop for tie-dye t-shirts with you in a random little town in New York. But having fun company makes that long car ride much more appealing.
Once you get to the mountain where you’re taking an exam, the work has just begun for a chaperone. Ideally candidates plan the trip so arrival is a day or two before the exam. This gives you all a chance to ski the mountain and become familiar with the conditions and terrain. Ideally a chaperone will have some knowledge of the mountain and trails that are likely to be utilized during an exam. (This is where networking comes in handy!) But regardless of previous experience or knowledge, go skiing together the days before the exam. Have fun, explore, get lost going to Bear Mountain 3 runs in a row.
Sometimes a bad thing will happen, like an equipment failure. This is where the exam chaperone’s job gets tough yet ever more crucial. The exam chaperone must stay calm, help look for options (e.g. talking to locals about shops that might sell/demo the broken equipment), and do everything possible to remedy the situation. The candidate may be quite unhappy at the time, and the chaperone will have to listen without escalating the emotions that are already at a highly stressed level. Keep in mind that this kind of situation may mean that the chaperone’s skiing day is interrupted as well. Now if it’s raining and miserable, there is no sacrifice involved, but remember that if it’s a powder day and a candidate breaks a binding, the chaperone must be involved with the search for replacement equipment. (Yes, that means the chaperone will break the “No friends on a powder day rule.” See, it’s good to have a chaperone.) Hopefully a trip to the rental shop for a quick repair or a local ski shop to pick up a demo pair of skis (that are of course the same skis the candidate broke) will remedy the situation.
So now we’re finally up to the exam itself. The chaperone will wake up at the same time as the candidate, ensure you don’t oversleep, laugh at you when you are puking out of nervousness, and get you out the door and over to the lodge. Your chaperone might even do more if suggested by your ski school director. (Ask me about my successful attempt at Level 2 part 1 and what my chaperone had to do with me—get your mind out of the gutter, not that!) If you have a good chaperone, they will stay with you until your group goes out on snow, wishing you good luck as you head to the lift. Now the chaperone is free to ski until the end of the first session. You cannot be mad at the chaperone if she ends up near your group watching the exam and listening to commentary (it might be her ski partner’s idea). You also cannot be mad if your chaperone gets to ski in the trees and untracked powder while you’re stuck standing in groups waiting your turn to impress the examiner on the same four trails you’ve skied all day. These times are when the chaperone gets some ‘payback’ for the sacrifices made during the trip.
Your chaperone will meet you in the lodge at lunch time, and will also meet you in the lodge at the end of the day. This does curtail into the chaperone’s ski time a bit, but after the exam candidates need to tell the tale of how the segments went, and someone needs to be there to listen. Hence you have another value of the chaperone. Dinner time the night before the exam and in the middle of the exam will likely be a low key event. Some good friends and a little kick back time is important. Your chaperone will make sure you’re not out partying until 3AM. Or will at least make sure you get out of bed if you choose to do that against the advice of your chaperone.
After the exam is done, the chaperone will be there when the results are posted, to cheer with you or console you. Remember this is a validation process, and you either attain a new standard or maintain your current one. Whatever the outcome, remember to thank your chaperone and promise to repay the favor they just gave you. Your chaperone will also be in charge of helping to get the news out. Of course you’ll be calling your family and friends, and maybe even a trainer or two at Liberty. The chaperone will help speed this process along and call people like Kling who is always anxiously awaiting calls following exam results.
I have had the pleasure of chaperoning several exams, and let me tell you it’s a total blast, even more so when there is more than one chaperone. The Diva and D2 are good at chaperoning together. Yes there is some more stress than you might have on a regular ski trip; yes, there might be a more rigid schedule than a regular ski trip; and yes, the chaperone is definitely a background person. But, you get to spend more time with your friends, you get to meet a new crew of people from other mountains (the other candidates in your friend’s group), and you see the exam process close-up. The night following a successful exam usually is a great night out, where all of the celebration makes the sacrifices worth it. And really, how is supporting your friends a sacrifice? I think everyone should have a chaperone at their exams, and everyone should also act as a chaperone as well. It makes the whole process more fun for everybody.
At Liberty we’re usually lucky enough to have a Level 1 event at our own ski area so you don’t have to worry about a chaperone in your first season or two. But once you progress to be an aspiring Level 2 or 3, traveling to an exam becomes a necessity. (We have hosted a Level 2 teaching exam in the past, but you can’t count on this!) An exam chaperone travels to the exam with you and is your first line of support throughout the testing period. It starts with the accommodation plans: you have someone to split lodging costs with, which is always a good thing. You also have someone who helps you figure out where to stay, where to eat, and what to do in the evenings. It’s just one less thing to worry about in the weeks leading up to the exam.
Your chaperone will also ride with you to and from the exam (if they are coming from your home mountain. If not, they will call you while you’re both on the way). They will either distract your mind from thinking about the crazy snow conditions that might await your skiing exam, or drill you on last-minute teaching tidbits on the way up. This might be especially helpful for studying those nitty-gritty details on the written exam. Or maybe your chaperone has the best music on their iPod for those games of name that tune to pass those long hours to Vermont quickly. Hey, maybe they’ll even just shop for tie-dye t-shirts with you in a random little town in New York. But having fun company makes that long car ride much more appealing.
Once you get to the mountain where you’re taking an exam, the work has just begun for a chaperone. Ideally candidates plan the trip so arrival is a day or two before the exam. This gives you all a chance to ski the mountain and become familiar with the conditions and terrain. Ideally a chaperone will have some knowledge of the mountain and trails that are likely to be utilized during an exam. (This is where networking comes in handy!) But regardless of previous experience or knowledge, go skiing together the days before the exam. Have fun, explore, get lost going to Bear Mountain 3 runs in a row.
Sometimes a bad thing will happen, like an equipment failure. This is where the exam chaperone’s job gets tough yet ever more crucial. The exam chaperone must stay calm, help look for options (e.g. talking to locals about shops that might sell/demo the broken equipment), and do everything possible to remedy the situation. The candidate may be quite unhappy at the time, and the chaperone will have to listen without escalating the emotions that are already at a highly stressed level. Keep in mind that this kind of situation may mean that the chaperone’s skiing day is interrupted as well. Now if it’s raining and miserable, there is no sacrifice involved, but remember that if it’s a powder day and a candidate breaks a binding, the chaperone must be involved with the search for replacement equipment. (Yes, that means the chaperone will break the “No friends on a powder day rule.” See, it’s good to have a chaperone.) Hopefully a trip to the rental shop for a quick repair or a local ski shop to pick up a demo pair of skis (that are of course the same skis the candidate broke) will remedy the situation.
So now we’re finally up to the exam itself. The chaperone will wake up at the same time as the candidate, ensure you don’t oversleep, laugh at you when you are puking out of nervousness, and get you out the door and over to the lodge. Your chaperone might even do more if suggested by your ski school director. (Ask me about my successful attempt at Level 2 part 1 and what my chaperone had to do with me—get your mind out of the gutter, not that!) If you have a good chaperone, they will stay with you until your group goes out on snow, wishing you good luck as you head to the lift. Now the chaperone is free to ski until the end of the first session. You cannot be mad at the chaperone if she ends up near your group watching the exam and listening to commentary (it might be her ski partner’s idea). You also cannot be mad if your chaperone gets to ski in the trees and untracked powder while you’re stuck standing in groups waiting your turn to impress the examiner on the same four trails you’ve skied all day. These times are when the chaperone gets some ‘payback’ for the sacrifices made during the trip.
Your chaperone will meet you in the lodge at lunch time, and will also meet you in the lodge at the end of the day. This does curtail into the chaperone’s ski time a bit, but after the exam candidates need to tell the tale of how the segments went, and someone needs to be there to listen. Hence you have another value of the chaperone. Dinner time the night before the exam and in the middle of the exam will likely be a low key event. Some good friends and a little kick back time is important. Your chaperone will make sure you’re not out partying until 3AM. Or will at least make sure you get out of bed if you choose to do that against the advice of your chaperone.
After the exam is done, the chaperone will be there when the results are posted, to cheer with you or console you. Remember this is a validation process, and you either attain a new standard or maintain your current one. Whatever the outcome, remember to thank your chaperone and promise to repay the favor they just gave you. Your chaperone will also be in charge of helping to get the news out. Of course you’ll be calling your family and friends, and maybe even a trainer or two at Liberty. The chaperone will help speed this process along and call people like Kling who is always anxiously awaiting calls following exam results.
I have had the pleasure of chaperoning several exams, and let me tell you it’s a total blast, even more so when there is more than one chaperone. The Diva and D2 are good at chaperoning together. Yes there is some more stress than you might have on a regular ski trip; yes, there might be a more rigid schedule than a regular ski trip; and yes, the chaperone is definitely a background person. But, you get to spend more time with your friends, you get to meet a new crew of people from other mountains (the other candidates in your friend’s group), and you see the exam process close-up. The night following a successful exam usually is a great night out, where all of the celebration makes the sacrifices worth it. And really, how is supporting your friends a sacrifice? I think everyone should have a chaperone at their exams, and everyone should also act as a chaperone as well. It makes the whole process more fun for everybody.
D2 and the Diva have chaperoned me at exams and their is no one better.
ReplyDeleteExcept my mom
ReplyDeleteAnd then there is "Joey". We met him at Hunter while getting ready to take L2P1. It was 2003 or 4. Joey wore stretch pants. He had no chaperone. He had great teaching advice, but the delivery was substandard. He knew Katrina would have no trouble with the exam - not knowing she was already an L3. What he told women to do to their "turns". Joey is probably 60 and still a L1.
ReplyDeleteI remember Joey
ReplyDelete