Well as of sunday december 9th, 2007 i am an official Tussey Mountain Ski Instructor! I am really excited to take this up and i just hope i can manage racing, instructing, and schoolwork throughout the beginning of next semester.

Congrats!! The instructing and the racing should be cake to keep up with....Now that pesky school work??? It may be a little harder....

Nice to hear the great news, langleyskier! Sounds like a busy schedule.

Best wishes,
Woody

Damb!..I thought you got a job as the head Meteoroligist at wttg(don't know the call letters) tv State College

thanks! i am very excited about this and think its a great way to improve my skiing and learn a valuable lifelong skill! anyone else on this forum instruct or have any experience doing so?

<--------Started in '92 in College. Still doing it today at 7S. Will we be seeing you down here for your Level I exam in March?

I know theRusty has been an instructor for a long while. I keep meaning to take a lesson with him, but never get up that way. And KWillG6 used to teach at Snowshoe...

Ah, yes... the days of 8 AM line-up , never-evers , teaching (ahem) people with girth to get up if they fall, kid's school , frostbite , good tips , no tips , and then there was my favorite...the 4:30 line up. Actually, instructing has its benefits and as I have discovered, once an instructor, always an instructor. Only the methodology has changed to accomodate skiing technology and their educational board's opinion of the "correct" termonology for teaching. If you choose to go through the PSIA certification levels, good luck. It takes patience, skill, and time, but if you get the full cert, it is worthwhile.

I'm in the process of deciding if the going for the gold pin is worth it. It means lots of jing in travel expenses to go to NE, 2 weeks off work and lots of window time in the car. For what? A $1 raise? I train to ski and teach at that level, but not sure the actual pin is worth the investment for me. Still...it calls to me.

My big gripe with PSIA-E is the fact that we have to go so far for LIII when every other division has close options. If LIII can be tested in Ohio, why can't it be done at 7S, BK, The Shoe and Holiday Valley?

If you get your gold pin you can teach me :-)

Your gripe with PSIA-E would be a whole other topic and thread. It all equates to numbers. You'll find level I and II certs commonplace in the mid-atlantic, but level III is a whole other animal. As you said, it takes $$ and time. The gold is a much better payday outside of the mid atlantic since its value is recognized in larger ski schools and out west. Here, most folks with the Gold are hired as your ski school technical advisors, ski school directors, etc... A level II is just as valuable here in the mid atlantic for the type of upper level lessons that are taught. But, I'd highly recommend going for it if you have plans on going west someday. Just my opinion and observation.

Well, then it's CLEARLY worth the expense, lmao.

Going West is something we are trying to do. We lived in Denver for 5 years and really want to get back to CO (although not Denver) in the next 2-3 years. This Summer we'll start getting with headhunters and exploring options. That's one of the two biggest reasons I'm still tempted to go for it. The other reason is just to know I can.

I am going to try to go for Level one this year and possibly II by the time i graduate. I know it will take a lot of work but i think it would be worth it. I am not sure where the testing will be for the cert but tussey said they will try to bring an examiner to the mountain if we have enough applicants for L1.. if not i think another option is roundtop. Question for you who instruct... how hard is L2 to obtain? From what i have heard L1 should be fairly easy as long as i practice my demos.

L1 is a gimme, I don't care what anyone says. It's nearly impossible to fail since on day 2 they will coach you if need be. Most mtns can get the 10 person minimum together to have L1 in house.

L2 requires work. The skiing exam was cake, the teaching you will need to do some studying/preparing for. Your skiing may already be up to par for L2 and only need some tweaking here and there to give the examiners exactly what they want to see in certain tasks. The teaching takes experience IMO. You can not take L2 skiing until your second season in PSIA and the teaching portion until your third year, so you have time to prepare and gain the needed experience for L2.

ya dude,
I have instructed for several years and have also been a coach for Deep Creek Winter Sports Team. Its a great way to get a seasons pass and get to know all the reps. Knowing the reps is a key way to cheap/free gear and also helps when trying to score free lift tickets from other areas. congrats! some ski to live others live to ski

Very Cool!! If I ever get there I will schedule a lesson. I could always use another lesson or two, 20, 30...

Welcome to the party Langley!

Thanks for the mention Clay.

TaylorMatt, PSIA certification is rarely worth it on a cost benefit basis unless you're working full time. If you're teaching part time as a hobby and you can afford it, certification offers a road map to better skiing and better teaching. That long drive to those Northern resorts is well worth it, after you've passed.

Level 1 has a 90-95% pass rate. You need to study and practice but it's a join the club event for most new instructors who have had decent training at their home mountain.

Level 2 runs about a 40-50% pass rate. It's easy to pass because everything is all spelled out, but the high fail rate is due to people believing they've earned the pin without working hard to get it. I got my level 2 in my second year when the skiing and teaching portions were combined in one test. I worked very hard to get it and just barely made it.