Last Day Session!

Hello friends! Hope all is well and nobody is whizzing on the wheels of progress. Yeah, I'm not exactly sure either. Anyway, we had a great final day on the mountain. We may end up going again next weekend. Today's session was awesome though. Free refills all day long and once again our home mountain was all but barren. A ghostland shrouded in white fog and anywhere from 4 to 6 inches of powder in most spots. There were so many fresh tracks to be had and tree skiing was untouched in a lot of the areas. We had a great day and even if we end up staying home next week, it was still a fitting send off to the season.

Also, I picked up a new tee-shirt and I just wanted to share it, cause it's dope! This was the first R rated movie I ever saw by myself in theaters. I was 10 and my sis and her friend told me they would see it with me, then bailed and saw something else. Anyway, I saw it and loved it! The punks were awesome and Tarman scared the shit out of me. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen, and launched me into a zombie movie immersion which hasn't really slowed to this day. I own the movie on blu-ray and watch it once or twice a year. I'll never forget the first time I laid my eyeballs on tarman...probably (IMHO) thee coolest zombie to ever grace the silver screen.

Level Up!

I passed the on-the-snow portion of the level one PSIA! This happened yesterday from 8 to 3 and it was tougher than expected. The weather dumped about 9 inches in just under 24 hours. This made a lot of the drills tougher as the runs couln't be groomed until the snowfall subsided some. Sideslips were more like sideslops, but the challenge was accepted and all five of us passed the exam. I tested alongside 4 other candidates and were each responsible for leading the group in a drill with detailed explanation of the technique used to derive the most use of the drill, which fundamental the drill was being used to focus on, and finally, demo the drill. We were then pulled aside from our examiner and asked to privately critique each other as we performed the drill. A bit nerve racking but we did get a bunch of 'free skiing' in as well. The rest of the group all worked for the mountain, and I the only outsider. It's a good thing I'm used to moving around so much, cause it barely phased me. It was weird however, afterwords. Kind of a post portem decompression. My lady was of course very happy for me, and proud to see that I had accomplished something I had been wanting for about two years. This is for you pops, and to Kat as well, who pushed me to sign up for the on the snow exam the same day of my written pass. I'm already pushing towards a level two certification, but I think for now I'm gunna go and freeski for a few days to decompress from the stress of testing. I also think with my free time regained from studying I can get back into the studio. As usual, thanks for reading. We are supposed to head back to Idaho tomorrow for some fresh tracks. Our home mountain received over 12" in twenty four hours, so yeah, we wanna get some o' that. Take care, and stay positive.

Phase II

Okay, I passed the written! It felt pretty good to have come out of it with a passsing score considering I've been studying consistently for the past couple of years. That is only the first exam. Now, I wait until March 15th. On that day I will drive up to one of the many ski resorts in the area and ski for the day with an examiner who will asess my abilities as well as the ability to asess students movements and to clearly communicate lesson plans/drills to students. I must admit I was really nervous about the written. Of course now that it is over I am now nervous about the on-the-snow portion of the exam. I have been studying almost every chance I get, on and or off the mountain. Becoming a teacher is kinda scary especially one in such a skilled area. There is much room for how you teach snowsports, but the fundamentals must be solidified before one can move to the next phase.

Kat and I are up at our local mountain this week to get some much needed rest and to study. Tomorrow we'll be up on the slopes going over drills and honing my own fundamental skill set. Skiing was the last activity I ever participated in with my father about three days before we lost him back in 92'. My pops was a great skiier and tried to transfer what he knew to me. He and I skiied a lot together in my youth. I miss him terribly even though it's been about 25 years. You never get OVER it...you just get USED to it. I like to think he knows what is happening with my certification and is helping me along the way giving me the support that is lacking in my family. This of course has made me a stronger individual and I hope it comes out in my ability to instruct snowsports. Anyway, that's phase I of this journey, with one more uphill climb to attain my level I certification. Well, this was really just a quick update into my PSIA journey. I hope y'all are doing well and appreciate you taking the time to check out my blog.