The Journey for Level 3, part 1 (Author’s note: this blog has been a living article over the course of the season...please be kind regarding tense and time as these ‘plans’ have changed to ‘achievements’ as the season has progressed.) I came across a photo today on Facebook. 3 years ago (1/23/15) I received my shiny, silver, alpine, Level 2 pin at Whitetail Resort in Pennsylvania from PSIA. It was a fantastic day recognizing all I had learned and experienced the previous 5 years of teaching and skiing. It was also the capstone to a lot of time and energy I (and all the others who helped me in my journey) had devoted to this particular goal. I look at my face in that picture and I know what went into the shining smile. After seeing it today I knew I had to write about this next experience as well. When I got my level 2, my first courses of action were taking my first level 3 prep clinic (where I felt completely out of my comfort zone because I was mov...
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By Diva and Diva2 (Debbie and Kerry) Movement analysis is a process, and not something we can cover in one blog post. In fact, it’s not something you can learn from reading or watching videos either. Both of those should be part of your learning—you need to understand the fundamental movements and what they look like before you can start to identify them on snow. But to get you started on what you should be looking for, here are some questions to ask when you are looking at a skier: What are the skis doing? Do the skis leave a round arc in the snow? Is the pivot point under foot, at tip, or at tail of ski? Do the skis stay same distance apart? Do the skis grip snow or slip across snow? (Carved or skidded?) Are the skis on snow or off? (Catching air?) Do the skis move simultaneously or sequentially? Where is the snow spray coming from, front of ski, boot, or back of ski? Where in the turn do you see snow sprayed Are the edges engag...
UPDATE: October, 2015: This has been updated with new links, programs, and information. Please let us know if you have other references, we promise to update again before 2020! - Kerry (Diva2) Last year when I was preparing for my L3 Part 1 Skiing exam, the Dev Team Diva turned me on to these great task descriptions developed by Bob Barnes for the PSIA Rocky Mountain Division (the Pocket Summaries listed under "Skiing" below). (Kerry's edit: Those pocket summaries are not on the PSIA-RM site anymore. But I think what you're looking for is in the Skiing IDP linked below.) In my search for them online, I discovered lots of other valuable ski teaching resources tucked away on various PSIA divisional Web sites. So I printed them out, organized them into categories, and stuck them in a binder. The binder became an invaluable resource in discussions with my good friend and ski coach as I helped him to prepare for his Dev Team tryout and he coached me to success in my ski...
In all my training clinics I hear at in our teaching system the movements in beginning and advance sking are more of less the same. So what separates wedge, wedge chrisite, basic parallel and dynamic parallel skiers? How can the same movements create vastly different outcomes? Picture a hot skier. “The edges are released and re-engaged in one smooth movement,” according to the Visual Cues to Effective Skiing cards. There’s no bracing, dead spot, quirky stuff or corrective movements. Now picture a wedge turner. Do they change edges? No. Why not? You can’t change edges without flattening or releasing the edge. Once the ski is flat you can steer it to a match. The earlier you flatten the ski earlier you match until the skis become flat at the transition between turns. Then you’re skiing parallel all the time. The timing makes all the different between a wedge christe and parallel turn. Duration - Length of time you do something Intensity - Power or ...
Understanding the technical fundamentals and vocabulary of skiing will help you get the most out of your training. Most of the answers to these questions can be found in this blog. What are the four basic skills? (Every ski instructor should be able to answer this) Define the following turns and the blending of skills necessary to achieve them: Wedge Wedge Christie Basic Parallel Dynamic Parallel What are the characteristics of good skiing required to meet or exceed the PSIA level II standard? What is the difference between tipping and twisting skis? In what order does this work?
A quick heads up those aspiring to PSIA Level II or III in the Eastern Division - the exam format has changed so that the first requirement is to pass the written professional knowledge exam. Previously, this was the multiple choice test taken during the Teaching phase of the exam. Last year, PSIA-E administered the written exam after the skiing portion. Now, it's first up and administered online . I recently " got to " take the exam myself. Here are some points I've been reminding our exam candidates at the home mountain: You must pass the exam BEFORE registering for the skiing exam. Remember, event deadlines are 3 weeks before an exam, so that means you need to be looking a month or more in advance to get the online portion done. You can register for it without a director's signature, but you have to mail or fax the form to the office. As in the past, the best sources for the material are the Exam Guide , Alpine Technical Manual, the Co...
A strong inside half is the concept that leaves many instructors scratching their heads or arguing with each other. I’m doing homework on how to coach a strong inside half. I’m ready to start trying to coach it but not quite ready to post my thoughts. So here are some thoughts of others that are worth considering. For a topic you hear discussed often it doesn't warrant much space in our technical manual. A countered stance is a form of anticipation and a way to create a relationship between the upper and lower body that helps block rotary momentum. A countered stance is typically used when the inside (uphill) half of the body leads the outside (downhill) half through the turn; this allows for effective stacking of the bones and muscles to deal with forces. We call this a “strong inside half” because the strength and functional tension of the inside half of the body facilitates steering the legs. If you were to relax the inside half of your body, the upper and lower parts would...
A common trait of intermediate skiers is whole body rotation - also known as doing too much work . The skier may turn the whole body as a unit, so that the torso is always square to the skis. Or, they might generate rotation with upper body force - so that the shoulders turn more than the feet. There are lots of ski instructor drills to develop more effective movements - some of these drills focus on stabilizing the upper body - hold a tray, hold the poles flat, etc. I often find that its more successful to help skiers learn to steer with rotary movements of the feet and legs independent of the upper body - once these skills are developed, upper body stability can be enhanced afterward. When we want to help develop independent leg steering, don't be afraid to go back to the basics - many of the exercises I use are similar to those in most beginner progressions . Then, build the progression or lesson around what the student is capable of and their succ...
Intermountain My thanks to the folks at the Intermountain division for these resources. Also, thanks for a killer steeps clinic at Jackson Hole last year. Professional Knowledge and Glossary This is 55 pages of good stuff from teaching concepts to a technical glossary. Level I Workbook This workbook and study guide helps provide a framework for your level I prep and quizzes to check progress. Rocky Mountain Teaching the Aging Population Managing Splits & the Family Private “How” to Communicate with Success Women are Different Alpine Instructor Training Course Another workbook for new instructors and aspiring level 1s Level 3 Exam Teaching Tips 3-6 Year Old Educator’s Endorsement Workbook Theory of Multiple Intelligences Sensory and Motor Development Kids Accreditation Workbook Central Level 1 Study Guide A bit dated, but still some good information Level 2 Study Guide A bit dated, but still some good information Level 3 Study Guide A bit d...
After a fantastic day of on snow coaching yesterday with Jeb Boyd of the PSIA National Team and Arc2Arc , he recommended what appears to be a pretty awesome update of Ron LeMaster's original book The Skier's Edge. By the way, if you ever get a chance to ski with Jeb whether at a PSIA event or through his coaching company - Arc2Arc, go for it. Perusing it on the ride home, the 2009 copyrighted Ultimate Skiing (still by Ron LeMaster) is one of the best modern technical skiing resources I've seen. Great pictures, examples of drills and how to use them, technical discussions, even profiles of US Ski Team athletes. Since I just got my hands on a copy yesterday, I'm still working my way through it but already I've read clear discussions of the apparent but oft-confused centrifugal force (not a vector force!), alignment and center of mass differences between sexes, unweighting moves, analysis of the skill blends under different conditions, assessing forward lean i...
You may have heard instructors talk about the pivot point of the ski. So here's a little rundown how to look for the pivot point and how it's location impacts skiing. Ideally the pivot point is directly is in the center of the ski. When the pivot point is in the center, the tips follow the tails and both tip and tail move the same amount. It requires good balance and active leg steering to accomplish this. It’s very common for the pivot point to be in front of the binding. In this case the tails don’t follow the tips and the tails are displaced. This can be caused by a number of things: back stance, pushing the tails, rushing turns. Less common is a pivot point behind the binding. Here, the tips displace more than the tails.
Functional body alignment (strong inside half) refers to the ability to maintain the entire inside half of the body (foot, knee, hip, arm, hand and shoulder) in an appropriate alignment for the desired outcome. The amount of lead in the ski tips should match the alignment of the body and is influenced by the pitch of the slope. • Hip and arm moves together (imagine a cable between wrist and hip) • Both skis tip simultaneously and create the same angles • Short leg/long leg • Maintain ski/snow contact As the turn develops, the focus should be to keep the inside half of the body raised and ahead of the outside half. • Leveling of the shoulder and hips • Inside half of body moves as a package • Both skis track at the start of the turn The relationship of the upper and lower body is a key factor in creating the alignment that allows maximum strength of the outside leg. This will help produce a turn that can be quick and accurate to develop to the apex and a powerful stance thro...
Appropriate pole usage can help us secure/maintain the present turn or initiate the next turn. • The package (hand, shoulder, hip and knee) moves together • Hands are in the right place because of movements of the shoulders not hands • As the hips move, the pole moves. Arm movements are timed with extension • The pole moves straight into the new turn, not around the body Proper pole usage requires discipline and accuracy of arm movements and pole swing. It is the upper body and core that positions the arms and the arms that can take the upper body out of position. A rotary type pole swing holds on to the old turn. A more linear swing helps to accurately direct movements into the new turn.
The American Teaching System is simply effective and versatile skiing that has core movements and skills that develop over time. Movements allow for different body shapes, terrain, equipment and conditions. The Principles of American Skiing include: 1. Having outcomes and images of contemporary skiing In your head you know want you wnat your skis to do and what you want to look like while skiing. The skiing image that PSIA aspires to be is efficient, functional, precise, clean, elegant, fresh, effective, accurate, exciting, contemporary, and incorporates full use of the equipment available. 2. Evolving the Skills Concept A skill is a specific movement sequence that accompanies a given task or group of tasks. The PSIA Skills Concept offers a versatile template of fundamental skiing movements and skills. If you understand the concepts of how balancing movements, rotary movements, edging movements, and pressure-control movements lead to proficient...
Going from wedge to parallel is a process that asks a lot of both student and teacher. As the skier develops skills, confidence and mileage they begin to match skis (make parallel) and the matching happens earlier and earlier until they ski parallel all the time. Our teaching system is based on the principal that everything from a wedge to a dynamic parallel turn uses the same movements. What separates them is in the execution. So we want to keep student on a developmental track by introducing only movements they use later on. What you are about to read is a gross simplification of this process. I wrote it so that instructors can begin to understand it. As always, balance is fundamental to all good things happening. If balance isn’t working, start there. Getting the first match Getting skis to match at the bottom of a turn is usually easy to achieve. Frequently all it takes is a little more pitch and speed. As the student builds mileage and improves rotary function th...
From Alpine Technical Manual PSIA, ©2002 Skiing has a simple formula (9) Stay in balance while moving Tip certain body parts to edge the skis Rotate the back, hips, legs, and/or feet to help turn the skis Control pressure along the skis to shape the turn and handle changes in terrain and snow conditions *Simple, my ass Blending skills enables the skier to link technique with tactical choices Here it is in a baseball metaphor Movements - Learning to swing the ball Ski performance - Hitting the ball Demands of Terrain or Task - Playing the game Skiing Skills Balancing Movements - Maintaining balance while in motion Edging Movements - Aiding in adjusting the edge angel of the skis in relation to the snow Rotary Movements - Turning and guiding the skis Pressure Control Movements - Managing and manipulating pressure variations between the skis and snow
There are lots of ways we use our skis on the snow. Here's how PSIA defines them and ways you can use them. Sliding Is when the skis move in the direction they are pointed, such as during a straight run or across the hill Uses: Not much, mostly for gliding from one place to another or getting beginners started. Slipping Is when the skis move sideways down a hill, relative to the skis. Can be diagonal slipping or sideslipping Uses: Getting out of a difficult spot, practicing releasing and engaging the edges, tidying up a race course, falling leaf Skidding Combination of sliding and slipping as the skis move through a turn- with the tails of the skis moving through a wider path than the sips Uses: navigating tricky terrain or conditions, bump skiing Carving When the tails follow the tips with no skidding or slipping Uses: Having fun
Turn shape All turns have a shape (C, S, J, Z) Different movements will create different shapes. If you shove the skis sideways to slow down, you create a Z turn If you continue turning your skis up the hill until you stop, you create a J turn If you actively steer the skis through the turn and cross the fall line, you create a C or S shaped turn The Fall Line Imagine the path a big red ball would take falling down the slope The path of least resistance, the place where the skis are pointed downhill This can be scary but is a great place to teach speed control through shaping Turn size Turns come in short, medium and long size. There is also the popular shmedium (no idea how to spell it) that falls in between short and medium. Turns are described by radius size. The radius is the distance between the center of the turn with any point on its edge. Phases of the turn 1. Initiation Phase • The mass of the body moves over the skis and to the inside of the new turn • T...
Steve is the divas' ski school director 1. Learning to bend their ankles in an effort to maintain a centered stance. 2. Changing the movement pattern from one of up to moving more directly into the new turn. 3. Making certain that the turning of the skis comes from the legs not the upper body. 4. Understanding the concept of getting your skis on edge earlier in the turn helps create better turn shape and use of the skis. 5. Speed is controlled by appropriate turn shape and not jamming on the edges. 6. Learning not to hang onto the old turn to long. 7. Learning the concept of absorbing pressure not creating it. 8. Beginning to get the skis out from under their body during a turn. (i.e. Long outside leg, short inside) 9. Learning to use the side cut of the ski effectively. (Not so much pivoting as in the past, a lot of tip and guide) 10. Learning to truly connect turns not end one then start the next.