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RANT: Ski Instructors

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Phantom
Posts: 908 - Karma: 180

Everyone hates on patrollers for everything, but what about the instructors? I can't even begin to count the number of times I've been stopped  by the ski patrol, and have their lecture start with "that ski instructor up there told me" not "I saw you". I haven't taken a beneficial lesson in forever from them, all they do is bitch me and my friends out. WTF? go back to teaching your gaper students and don't worry about me.

Feb 24 2008 10:20PM
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-PowAir-
Posts: 646 - Karma: 30
fuck off jackass.
Nov 9 2008 7:48PM
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4frnt_4_life
Posts: 183 - Karma: 10
most people that get yelled at, at my mountain are ripping down the bunny hill trying to be cool
Nov 9 2008 8:44PM
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Chaz
Posts: 45 - Karma: 10
Nov 9 2008 10:31PM
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Twinjibber77
Posts: 6239 - Karma: 2,354

I'm a ski instructor.

Every lesson i teach i make sure i talk with kids about park while we're on the lift. Ask kids to try it out but make sure i lecture 'em on proper park etiquette. On ething that really busts my balls is little gapers in tha park cuttin' people off and doing thousands of lil' toolish deeds. my goal is to cut down on that and it ended by over 3/4's last season. And the kids that do get outta line i can talk with because i always work in tha park. Also it is also no exaggeration to say that i hate 90% of the patrollers at our resort. why you ask?

because they simply suck at their job, not like their gettin' paid, but if my life is in tha balance their are a lot of people i would rather have workin; on my body. cause some of 'em downright suck and act like they are god on snow and can do whatever they want and thats not my style nor should it be anyone elses.

Nov 10 2008 9:26AM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
Holy shit. Keystone has been FULL of them. Sure I was goin' a little fast, but don't be a tool. The guy was trying to start a fight with me. In the end though, I win. Basically, if you are a control freak then your calling is ski patrol.
Nov 10 2008 10:22AM
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Twinjibber77
Posts: 6239 - Karma: 2,354

Hell yeah.

and tha thing that pisses me off tha most is their feeling that they own tha mountain. If i give you respect by not cutting you off, you are more than required to give me respect by not cutting me off. It's not even like they have an injury to tend to, they just like bein dicks.

Nov 10 2008 11:33AM
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-PowAir-
Posts: 646 - Karma: 30
I dare you to start shit with me at work.
Nov 10 2008 3:02PM
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Smuffy
Posts: 4686 - Karma: 3,408
um... not really. ski patrol is there for first aid only. it just so happens that they have the ability to take passes. that isnt their job. it just happens that a lot of them are dicks, but that isnt their job.

there are people whos job it is to yell at little kids with their bar up, and thats security or safety patrol.
Nov 10 2008 3:23PM
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pbcrazy9898
Posts: 274 - Karma: 21
Im ski instructor...when me or the other ski instructors at my mountain see somebody doing something wrong we would prolly go do the same thing.
Nov 10 2008 3:33PM
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Fischer-Addicted
Posts: 1064 - Karma: 30
not all instructors are dicks. yeah theres a select few instructors at every mountain that are asses. but most of us instructors are chill. but if your fucking around and potentially putting someone at risk we'd be crazy not to stop you and tell you to chill out. bottom line is if you dont wanna get a lecture from an instructor or patroler then dont do anything thats gonna make us lecture you in the first place
Nov 1 2009 12:39PM
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flexpattern
Posts: 1090 - Karma: 45
american instructors maybe one issue - but FRENCH instructors are on a whole new level of shitness

1) they don't actually teach their kids how to ski
2) they think they own the mountain
3)they think they can speak english better than i can speak french and they can't.

in alpe d'heuz last season i had an instructor lecturing on me why i was being really unfair by having to split my skis up on the bubble lifts (and therefore taking up "too much room") as you have to put your skis in slots on the outside of the lift - my skis were taking up two slots cos they're fat. so she was practically screaming at me and my bro the whole lift up, scaring her kids shitless. she told us how much she disliked americans (im British!) in broken english, so i told her in french calmly to calm down, and that snowboarders were the worst culprits as they take up even more room!

And to top it all off she skied really shit.


Nov 1 2009 2:33PM
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sk00t3r
Posts: 88 - Karma: 10
Im gonna have to side with OP. all the instructors at my mountain are stuck up assholes.
Nov 1 2009 4:09PM
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_CC_
Posts: 3890 - Karma: 747
we arent that bad. i work some really chill people and some huge thundercunts. just like any other job
Nov 1 2009 4:12PM
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al_britskiier
Posts: 419 - Karma: 23
Yeah man i hear ya.  I was in deux alpes last season.  Got a couple of ESF'ers having a go for not much reason at all, and it was pretty advisable to avoid the park at 4 everyday, as they insisted on bringing queues of gapers in.   They think they have such a massive reputation for being amazing, but theres a few of em who are fucking terrible!  But in general, i dont mind instructors at all =)
Nov 1 2009 4:55PM
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nickyp
Posts: 5673 - Karma: 215
I hate it when they bring a train of little kids into the park, and they collectively snake every feature aha.
Nov 1 2009 5:03PM
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Twinjibber77
Posts: 6239 - Karma: 2,354
That's why resorts need Park Clinics, it's so nice when you take a bunch of old as dirt instructors into the park and explain everything to them. They become more understanding and don't act like cocksmokes.
Nov 1 2009 7:40PM
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nca777
Posts: 752 - Karma: 21
I havent been stopped by patrol in years. If you're getting stopped, you're probably skiing out of control or like a homo park kid.
Nov 1 2009 7:41PM
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jibbnsteezy
Posts: 183 - Karma: 8
Ski Instructor or Ski Patrolers at my resort are really nice and chilled.

I feel sorry.
Nov 1 2009 8:07PM
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minibus4
Posts: 517 - Karma: 13
Where I work at we (ski instructors) dont usually teach the kids anything and everyone is super chill and d.g.a.f what anyone does.
Mar 25 2010 3:05AM
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ohpatti
Posts: 745 - Karma: 25
At my mountain there's rarely a lesson in the park so instructors are straight for me it's mostly the liftees that are jockin
Mar 25 2010 2:25PM
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 903
what sucks at my hill is the "snowboard school"  they have these bright green jackets, and roll through the park like they own the place. 
and not one of them is good.  no exaggeration. 
Mar 25 2010 2:38PM
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I_Am_Mod
Posts: 13214 - Karma: 3,753
If you get called out by a ski-instructor; think about this.

they are personally responsible for the well-being of their clients; if they are cruising the mountain with a group of 6y olds, just imagine what responsibility comes with that; i don't think that you can even imagine.....

so if you charge close by a skiing group; no matter how you look at it, you are endangering them; there could always be a hidden ice patch or whatever and you could fuck their shit up and the instructor would most likely take partial blame for the accident because it happened with his clients....


don't judge too soon, my friend, most instructors are actually very chill people, and enjoy the sport alot !


(but as allways there are exceptions....))
Mar 25 2010 2:40PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
I have taught for many moons.  Kind of agree with OP.  Lately it seems like the quality of instructor, at least at Vail, has gotten really bad.  The economy sucks, so a bunch of my friends who used to teach but had real jobs in Denver are now teaching more.  They are weekend warriors and they ski better than most of the full-time staff.  It's sad but true. 

Last weekend I was coming down at the end of the day with my kids who are 6 and 8.  We had lost track of time and it was after 3.  That's a bad time to be bringing kids down because of how crowded it gets in the late afternoon.  This older female instructor, not skiing with a class, yelled at me for skiing my kids down.  I wanted to hip check her into the woods.  My kids were making better turns than she was.  It would have been awesome just to have a chance to say: "Really, I've been instructing for 25 years; how about you? Those were some really nice wedge christy turns you were doing there.  Damn, you're good!"
Mar 25 2010 2:45PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
PSIA Cert 1?

Do it.
Mar 25 2010 3:11PM
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w8_4it
Posts: 65 - Karma: 11

three6steeze I agree with you completely that the ski patrol gets a lot of shit for really no reason.  At 26 years old I'm sure I make up the older demographic of Newschoolers, and with that said, “when I was a kid” ski patrollers got a lot of hate because they were one of the main factors in keeping Freestyle Skiing from progressing.  In the early 90’s terrain parks and park rats didn’t exist, we were Mogul Skiers.  Back then we hated on Patrollers because you couldn’t build so much as a 3 inc h lip atop a natural mound on the hill without ski patrol busting it up and pulling your pass.  These days Patrollers ski through the parks to enjoy the scenery just like any other gaper.  It use to be forbidden to build jumps on the hill and Ski Patrol enforced it, now the ski resorts promote big air by building jumps bigger than anyone who’s skied for at least 20 years could imagine.  Ski Patrol is now solely responsible for scraping up bodies off of jump landings, and for that they should be thanked, not despised. 

Mar 25 2010 3:48PM
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C.Wood
Posts: 2524 - Karma: 180
Like everyone has said, not every instructor is a dick. I'm an instructor and  when i have a group of 5 year olds on a hill i want them to be safe since im responsible for them. so if someone cuts off my group or something ill talk to them because im not going to go to the ski patrol when that is completely not required. most instructors are really chill, there are some that are extremists that would do what you are explaining. and instructing is sweet, its good on a resume because it shows you can handle responsibility of like 6 kids and its a good way to ski for free and meet new people. plus my boss is sick and very laid back which is really sweet since we can get away with a fair amount which also makes it a fun job.
Mar 25 2010 4:10PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
My boss is badass. I smoke him out, and play FIFA with him all the time.
Mar 25 2010 5:27PM
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C.Wood
Posts: 2524 - Karma: 180
yeah my boss is like that too. we had an instructors party and he(boss's brother which is also the boss(head snowboarder)) smoked up with us and they do like awards for the instructors, well she bought legit cigars as prizes then smoked the cigar with everyone,
Mar 25 2010 5:38PM
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SKIU4EA
Posts: 2387 - Karma: 2,072

the only thing that i can't fucking stand is when patrol or an instructor comes up to me and says,   "You shouldn't be skiing backwards, go to the park for that."  I hate it so much you have no idea.  I can understand slow zones i guess, but  snowboarders ride with a blindspot, well so do skiers when they ride switch.

Mar 25 2010 6:44PM
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_CC_
Posts: 3890 - Karma: 747
i smoked my first bowl with my boss my first year of instructing, good times.

this year my supervisors start nerf gun fights after hours. i love my job.
Mar 25 2010 7:01PM
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Hakkalugi
Posts: 145 - Karma: 10
watch out boys, tough guy here. I hope you feel good about your self trying to be tough behind a keyboard and computer screen...

SP and instructors are mostly ok. Some are super dicks, and deserve a slap but shake it off.
Mar 25 2010 7:22PM
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.cam.
Posts: 1852 - Karma: 48
i agree with the original statement. i had a friend up to ski( he had never skied before) so we are on the easiest trail and he is doing very well, like turning and stuff not in a snowplow, and this old ladie ski instructor comes over and yells at my other friend who is up every weekend and was an instructor last season that i need to put my friend in a lesson. he i sdoing about 3 times better then the 20 yearolds she was teaching.
Mar 25 2010 7:29PM
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iJib
Posts: 317 - Karma: 90
haha i love the hate and dislike the whole old instructors hating on us younger ones who shred park,


But i teach any kids that can comfortably ski the steeps the park, but even before we head in there we stand and learn the stuff that keeps you safe,

RESPECT GETS RESPECT

so quit bitching, the more kids who know about how to stay safe in the park and keep others safe the better.
Mar 25 2010 7:37PM
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Scrambles
Posts: 2270 - Karma: 63
I had a ski instructer ask me why there were tips on the back of my skis last week
Mar 25 2010 8:19PM
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sack
Posts: 4881 - Karma: 147
haha csia.
and i have been instructing for a season now. next year i want to go for my level 2 and park cert. =)
sadly enough one of my kids got mowed over by some snowboarder (ironically in a slow zone).
soo ya ... you do need to take it easy on the greens especially when it's crowded.
Mar 26 2010 1:33AM
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Chompo.
Posts: 4952 - Karma: 88
Most instructors aren't bad. But i agree that some are major dicks
Mar 26 2010 9:55AM
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galenism
Posts: 30 - Karma: 10
haha i love how this was made about how bad ski instructors are, and pretty much everyone disagrees. whoever made this get shit on. anyways all the best skiers at my mountain are instructors and theyre mad chill. the only people i have trouble with are the park crew guys who have no idea how to make any good features, but think theyre hot shit. but i think thats prolly just at my mountain haha.
Mar 26 2010 2:05PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
Professional Ski Instructors of America.

Do you have your Level 1? Good luck for Level 2. It's hard.

I'll just get my Keystone park cert for the Incubator. No need to get it through PSIA quite yet.
Mar 26 2010 7:03PM
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Rosbif
Posts: 2543 - Karma: 930
Yeah, there has been a suprising amount of instructor love in this thread! I've been instructing year round for a while now, and the amount of really chill, cool people hugely outnumbers the douschey ones.
Mar 26 2010 7:50PM
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sack
Posts: 4881 - Karma: 147
ahh right, PSIA... I'm canadian though... =)
yeah i have my level one, I'm a bit nervous about the level 2 but I've been going to training sessions all season.
the american system sounds quite different from the csia. you guys can get park cert for a certain mountain?
Mar 27 2010 6:54PM
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Ryan*
Posts: 1827 - Karma: 1,195
I used to be a ski instructor...
Then I got fired...
Mar 27 2010 6:56PM
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Shpadoinkle
Posts: 10437 - Karma: 84
Oh, right on. Level 1 is super easy, but Level 2 is a lot harder. Here you have to take the 3-day exam, and two electives. The written test is not open-book, and it all costs about $500. Only $375 of that is refundable through Vail Resorts, but they only refund you if you come back the next season. I'm going to train hard next season, but take the test the following season. I also need to get some slalom skis.
Mar 27 2010 9:20PM
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i.ski.NC
Posts: 572 - Karma: 18
i get where your coming from but most instructors probably arent like this and only a few are.
Mar 27 2010 9:39PM
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DUKES
Posts: 5150 - Karma: 691
listen ski patrol is there to make sure that there aren't any problems on the mountain, such as immature assholes cuttin people off, people skiin way too fast in the SLOW zones, etc. just think of ski patrol as cops, if you ski reckless you get your pass taken away.

They are there to keep the PEACE,

if you ski with a sense of maturity, and ski within your limits on the appropriate side of the mountain there won't be a problem.

and if you argue with ski patrol you won't win
Mar 27 2010 11:37PM
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Scott0_robot0
Posts: 3291 - Karma: 212
im a instructor i think you just need to relax some imo maybe the instructor could have also but i dont know
Mar 27 2010 11:55PM
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rexalicious.
Posts: 551 - Karma: 57
well i'm a ski instructor. and i dont normally report people to ski patrol..if i'm teaching a lesson and some idiot comes and cuts off/almost kills my 5 year olds, im just gonna go over there and yell at him..unless theyre too far away. then whatever i just continue with my lesson
Mar 28 2010 12:49AM
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Smuffy
Posts: 4686 - Karma: 3,408
no sir, you are wrong. they are there to treat you if you hurt yourself. unfortunately, some of them are assholes who yell at kids.
Apr 15 2010 8:39PM
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.Natty.
Posts: 1030 - Karma: 84
most of the time ski instructors yell at you because youre being an assface and flying through or very close to their group of small children or beginners. Ive been on both ends of it before, a while ago i used to think nothing of cruising by or through one of those snakes behind an instructor. However, for the past two years ive worked part time as a ski instructor and you dont see the aftermath of flying by those little kids. The instructor has to go around helping all the kids up (some crying) just because some douchebag didnt care enough to take a wider turn and give them some space.

/rant

sparknotes: you fucking deserve it
Apr 15 2010 9:57PM
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DHogg
Posts: 3462 - Karma: 237
Ski School is usually the biggest department at a ski resort. When you have a big group you're gonna get some proportion of douches.

Also, as an instructor i can tell you the quickest way to fuck them off is ski stupidly/fast/blindly/out of control past a group they are teaching. If someone an instructor is teaching gets hurt or hit, they are the ones who get in trouble for it. I've had a friend lose his job because someone took out one of his kids. The ski area doesn't want a law suit and separates themselves as fast as possible from that instructor. Easiest way to do that is fire them.

90% of instructors are really cool and chilled out people.
Apr 16 2010 1:06AM
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Chaka
Posts: 424 - Karma: 79
Screw you... Try and deal with 5 little kids and getting them down the hill safely while they cry about being cold and having to actually stand up, and then have some little "badass" 13 year old parkrat comes screaming by you at mach 12 and almost take out the 6 year old little girl you are trying to teach . Then when you confront them about skiing in control around children they act like they are gods gift to earth and totally gangster and to cool to listen. Ski instructing is pretty damn frustrating job on its own and I get a little on edge when kids who cant ski better than my students, but are wearing XXL saga suits, ski with absolutely no respect around my students.
/Rant
Apr 16 2010 1:11PM
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