Happy New Year 2019!

Happy new year skiers & riders!  It's been far too long since I last posted; my new year's resolution: write more content!  I won't make any excuses, but the at the end of last season I was far too busy actually skiing to have any time to write about it!

It's January 1, 2019, and the busy holiday period is all but over.  I have the luxury of a day off today, which isn't such a bad thing as it's liquid snowing outside and I'm trying to get over a cold.  The end of last season was a real high for me.  I was awarded a Logan Scholarship to attend the PSIA National Academy 2018 at Big Sky, MT.  I've not skied out west for a few years so to do some big mountain skiing was amazing.

Mid-season check-in

This season is flying by, I don't want it to end!  I haven't had time to write much fresh content; I've been taking an EMT class, and spent all of my free time training for the PSIA-E Development Team tryout.  This team is the first step on the path to becoming an examiner in the Eastern Division.  It currently sits at about 50 athletes, and the fresh intake of 19 coaches were chosen with youth, athleticism, and coach-ability in mind.  I am so humbled to say I was selected for the team, and thankful to everyone who has helped me along the way!  I sit a 4 year term, in which I will understudy clinics and certification events, before trying out for the Examiner Training Squad (ETS).

Getting out of the wedge and into parallel (via a wedge christie)

A few weeks ago I wrote about how I teach a wedge turn, the primary fundamental input I focus on, and some reasons why a student might struggle.  You can read that post here.  Following on from that, how do we make wedge turners into parallel skiers?  There's a little step in-between called a wedge christie.  This is when the inside ski of a wedge turn spontaneously matches the outside ski and is parallel.  The key word here is spontaneous.  It is not forced by the skier and can happen at any point during the turn.  It will only happen if the skier is making effective and efficient movements that allow the skis to perform on the snow.

How I Passed My Level 2 Teaching Exam

Level 2 can be a tough one.  There's a big gap between the skills and knowledge needed to pass Level 1 and the jump to Level 2.  This approach might not work for everyone, but it served me well.  You may also have to teach tactics vs technique, so have some drills up your sleeve that will change how your students think about skiing down the hill.