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First Chair catches up with Hannah Abuzaineh, who serves as The North Face’s Senior Manager, Social Impact and The Explore Fund. Learn about PSIA-AASI’s Official Supplier’s global commitment to work towards increasing outdoor access for all. Since 2010, The Explore Fund has created access and driven equity in the outdoors by funding hundreds of nonprofit organizations around two themes: Enabling Exploration and Loving Wild Places. Learn how you can play a part in helping to bringing the mountains to the city: https://www.thenorthface.com/about-us/outdoor-exploration/about-the-explore-fund.html

First Chair reports live from PSIA-AASI Rocky Mountain’s Member School Management meeting held earlier this week at Loveland Ski Area located near the town of Georgetown, Colorado. Listen in to get an educational update from Joe Quarantillo’s slopeside children’s clinic.

First Chair catches up with PSIA Telemark Team member, Grant Bishop, and AASI Snowboard Team member, Brennan Metzler, about uphill travel tips on skis and a splitboard. If you’re thinking about adding an uphill component to your season this winter, take a listen for some things you need to know . Also, REI Co-op teamed up with PSIA-AASI and Grant and Brennan to create videos and content on this very topic. Watch videos at: http://tiny.cc/uphill

First Chair catches up with Francesca Pavillard-Cain and Bruce Edgerly from Backcountry Access. Francesca chats about how you can make beginners feel like a pro and she talks about her freeriding and backcountry experience and how she applies those skills to her teaching at The Yellowstone Club.

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI members Jeff Brier and Jonathan Hershberger about what really happens after you receive your certification. Learn why, as a certified instructor, you serve as a role model for others on your instructor team. Certification helps you advance your circle of knowledge and helps you become more become more aware of all that you don’t know. Also, as you advance in your certification level, you’re uniquely positioned to help and support not just advanced lessons, but beginner lessons as well. Learn more about PSIA-AASI’s certification process: https://www.thesnowpros.org/certification/

PSIA-AASI National Team members Matt Boyd, Geoff Krill, and Eric Rolls chat about how you can teach cross-discipline lessons this season with your family or your private lessons. Learn how you can create a great experience by enhancing your people skills and collecting information from your group about what they’d like to get out of the lesson before you begin your lesson. This podcast helps you get the tips you need so you can help everyone have a great experience in a multi-discipline lesson.

PSIA Alpine Team member Ann Schorling chats about a new “How to Ski Powder” e-learning course she created with pro skier Wendy Fisher and SKI magazine. She shares how the course will take you through the tactics and techniques you’ll need to master soft snow, including drills you can do on groomers to improve your turning, balance, speed management and overall confidence. Also, PSIA-AASI members receive member-specific pricing on this course. Learn more: http://tiny.cc/nd71tz

First Chair catches up with PSIA Adaptive Coach, Geoff Krill, about what it may look like to provide adaptive lessons during this 2020-21 ski and ride season. Geoff chats about some of the variables to consider for your students, you, and your team this season. To help your school prepare for reopening this season, view PSIA-AASI COVID-19 resources: https://www.thesnowpros.org/education/covid-19-updates/

First Chair catches up with PSIA Alpine Team member, Eric Lipton, about what ski and snowboard instructors might expect this season when resorts and ski and ride schools reopen. To help your school prepare for reopening this season, view PSIA-AASI COVID-19 resources: https://www.thesnowpros.org/education/covid-19-updates/

First Chair catches up with David Gagnon, the executive director of the Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association (PMBIA), who has entered a new partnership with PSIA-AASI. David chats about a new PMBIA Level 1 course dedicated specifically to PSIA-AASI members. This course – open to PSIA-AASI members only – will be held at Virginia’s Bryce Resort on Friday, Oct. 30 through Sunday, Nov. 1. It is limited to 6 participants, each of whom can earn 12 CEUs. Learn more: https://pmbia.org/courses/private-level-1-bryce-resort-oct-30-nov-1-2020/

First Chair catches up with extreme skiing pioneer, Dan Egan. Dan starred in 12 Warren Miller movies, including the “cornice break” segment in “Extreme Winter” that became the most viewed ski segment of all-time. Dan also chats about instruction and how his lessons from early on helped him today on how he builds a great client connection with his students by always delivering on his promise “we’re going to have a great day.”

First Chair will spotlight education leaders working to create new National Standards, education resources, and communication strategies that will benefit all members. In this first highlight, meet PSIA-AASI Northwest Technical Team Head Coach Rick Lyons.

First Chair catches up with The North Face’s Global VP of Mountain Sports, Scott Mellin, about The North Face’s new monthly podcast series with PSIA-AASI that will update listeners about new product innovations, their new Official Supplier partnership with PSIA-AASI that will provide members with the industry’s most innovative performance apparel and gear, and the surprising silver lining impact that COVID-19 has had on their company.

PSIA-AASI members, Aleks and Brian Smith (who are also parents), share their strategies for success for family group private lessons. Receive some ideas on how you can help parents become partners in the learning environment during your lesson. Helping to educate a family is an art and a science and Aleks and Brian give you some suggestions for skill development success for all.

First Chair catches up with SNO-GO colleagues, Rob Aseltine and Shaun Cattanach, about SNO-GO, which looks like a snow bike and is leading a new era of technology for winter sports. Rob and Shaun talk about how SNO-GO’s mechanics work and why it’s the perfect device for ripping groomers, parks, and pow. Take this free SNO-GO webinar on Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 5 – 6 p.m. MDT to get the scoop on how this fun alternative to skiing or riding is helping our industry reach newer and more experienced snowsports enthusiasts. Register for the free webinar: https://members.thesnowpros.org/events/search?eventId=353

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Nick Herrin about how the ski and snowboard industry is working together about reopening this winter. Nick also talks about how instructors can offer educational programming in a low-risk environment this season and “Navigating the 2020-21 Snowsports Season”, a new resource created with input from PSIA-AASI’s education leaders and snowsports managers. This document aims to amplify mindfulness for how instructors can engage with and teach our guests during the COVID-19 era by following local, state, and federal protocols and using PSIA-AASI’s Learning Connection model. Learn more: www.thesnowpros.org/education/covid-19-updates

Trauma has been identified as an epidemic in our society. Studies indicate that a significant portion of the population have experienced harmful or life-threatening events which have impacted their everyday functioning or well-being. Certified Trauma Professional Christine Cowart talks about the PSIA-AASI webinar that she’ll lead on this topic on Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2020 at 6 p.m. EDT. And why this webinar is an especially timely educational resource for ski and snowboard instructors teaching in the time of COVID-19. Register now and earn 1 CEU: https://members.thesnowpros.org/events/search?eventId=341

PSIA-AASI Eastern Division member, Brian Donovan, chats about how instructors can work to build their client base for ski and snowboard lessons this season. For example, it might seem counter intuitive to narrow your focus when you want to broaden your client base, but finding your instructor niche is often the key to expanding your clients!

In this 3-part podcast series, PSIA Alpine Team member, Brian Smith, chats about how to manage a family group lesson. Take a listen to get some ideas for this upcoming season for your group lessons. For example, learn what to do when your best-laid plans for managing your family group lesson plan goes awry. Listen to Part 1 of the series: http://tiny.cc/gmrrsz

First Chair catches up with Paul Howard, who serves as the President, Technical Director for the Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association (PMBIA). PSIA-AASI recently partnered with PMBIA to bring year-round educational opportunities to ski, snowboard, and mountain bike instructors. This partnership means ski and snowboard instructors can pursue education and training opportunities in the off-season so they can teach others to mountain bike, and mountain bike instructors can pursue education and training opportunities that will help them work as ski and snowboard instructors.