I'm a few weeks into cross season and playing in the mud means that playing in the snow isn't too far away. I'm signed up for a five day event in early December to kick start my season. Going to a PSIA event takes a lot of time and money, so how you do make sure you get the most of it when you can't control the weather? In my experience it's all about picking the right group and instructor. I reached out folks at my mountain and will offer my own in this post.
Why are you there?
"What your goals are for the week. are you looking to generally expand your knowledge and improve your skills? are you looking for skill-specific or exam-prep training? are you looking for a fun ski vacation with lots of socializing and a little bit of ski coaching on the side? once you identify what you hope to take away from your event, then you can begin to think about what kind of group you want to ski with"
Share your goals with others as you mill around and start collecting people then find a compatible clinician. Or you can find the clinician first then gather the group. If you are shy, see if a friend from your mountain can help. If I'm around, I'm always happy to use my network to place people in the right group.
Terrain and pace
The most common compliants I hear in the bar apre ski are around terrain and pace. Most good trainers will ask the group a lot of questions about terrain and pace as groups form. Ask around to find others who are looking for the same thing. Some folks will over or underestimate what they do, so be crafty and use your instructor observational power and assessment skills.
A trainer is no different from the rest of us, they only want to take the group on terrain that is appropriate for the group. I find that bumps are a great way to divide groups of skiers. If you want to ski harder terrain, look for a group that likes bumps. If you want to be on blue groomers, the group will be less than enthusiastic about skiing bumps.
Pace is the other great divide. Some want to go all day, top to bottom and others will need breaks for coaching or to save energy. If you can't abide much talking, you may want to try hanging with a group that goes top to bottom and hang on for as long as you can. If you are at an event out West, be mindful that us East coasters don't do as much vert in the same strech as West coast instructors (This advice from my technical director saved me my first time out West).
As for me, I want to ski everything that is open (except for maybe something like Courbet's) but I don't learn if I'm ripping. So I look for a group that goes all day but takes time for coaching and drills.
Finding an instructor with the right style
"Ask another clinician if they where in your situation who would they select, and why. Then once you have a short list of 2 or 3 clinicians probe deeper into their styles of teaching to see if it is a fit, and also make sure they fit your objective."
"Go to the bar the night before the event and hob nob with the clinicians/examiners. while there, ask around to see who is working your event and what their focus might be. pick the examiner and group that best align with your personal goals for the event. "
I like both of these ideas, but if you can't get to the clinician in person you can always collect intel from your fellow instructors. Dig to learn what they teach, how they manage the group and their teaching style. As instructors, we teach best to people who share our learning style so keep that in mind as you weigh the information you've collected. Diva's are a great source of info.
Find your own way
When I was getting ready for a teaching exam I signed up for the event but didn't think the division's program was going to work for me. So I sent a couple of emails to my connections and arranged to follow one of the best instructors in the country around and get the inside scoop on how she does things.
Why are you there?
"What your goals are for the week. are you looking to generally expand your knowledge and improve your skills? are you looking for skill-specific or exam-prep training? are you looking for a fun ski vacation with lots of socializing and a little bit of ski coaching on the side? once you identify what you hope to take away from your event, then you can begin to think about what kind of group you want to ski with"
Share your goals with others as you mill around and start collecting people then find a compatible clinician. Or you can find the clinician first then gather the group. If you are shy, see if a friend from your mountain can help. If I'm around, I'm always happy to use my network to place people in the right group.
Terrain and pace
The most common compliants I hear in the bar apre ski are around terrain and pace. Most good trainers will ask the group a lot of questions about terrain and pace as groups form. Ask around to find others who are looking for the same thing. Some folks will over or underestimate what they do, so be crafty and use your instructor observational power and assessment skills.
A trainer is no different from the rest of us, they only want to take the group on terrain that is appropriate for the group. I find that bumps are a great way to divide groups of skiers. If you want to ski harder terrain, look for a group that likes bumps. If you want to be on blue groomers, the group will be less than enthusiastic about skiing bumps.
Pace is the other great divide. Some want to go all day, top to bottom and others will need breaks for coaching or to save energy. If you can't abide much talking, you may want to try hanging with a group that goes top to bottom and hang on for as long as you can. If you are at an event out West, be mindful that us East coasters don't do as much vert in the same strech as West coast instructors (This advice from my technical director saved me my first time out West).
As for me, I want to ski everything that is open (except for maybe something like Courbet's) but I don't learn if I'm ripping. So I look for a group that goes all day but takes time for coaching and drills.
Finding an instructor with the right style
"Ask another clinician if they where in your situation who would they select, and why. Then once you have a short list of 2 or 3 clinicians probe deeper into their styles of teaching to see if it is a fit, and also make sure they fit your objective."
"Go to the bar the night before the event and hob nob with the clinicians/examiners. while there, ask around to see who is working your event and what their focus might be. pick the examiner and group that best align with your personal goals for the event. "
I like both of these ideas, but if you can't get to the clinician in person you can always collect intel from your fellow instructors. Dig to learn what they teach, how they manage the group and their teaching style. As instructors, we teach best to people who share our learning style so keep that in mind as you weigh the information you've collected. Diva's are a great source of info.
Find your own way
When I was getting ready for a teaching exam I signed up for the event but didn't think the division's program was going to work for me. So I sent a couple of emails to my connections and arranged to follow one of the best instructors in the country around and get the inside scoop on how she does things.
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