Ski Instructor Tips

Are you working for a company? They should train you before they give you a class

Be nice to Patrol.

In a lot of cases training kids to stop using pizza is counterproductive and stupid. Nobody who skis well actually uses pizza to avoid obstacles or even stop. Moreover, trying to stop with pizza often requires fucked-up posture especially for bigger kids and adults. Train them to hold a steady pizza pose and then move to wedge turns as soon as they are ready; train them to avoid obstacles by turning instead of trying to stop and you make much safer and more confident beginners.

Aside from that, keep them stimulated with new terrain and let them have as much agency as is safe. Even with the kids that can't leave the learning area I let them pick if they want to lead the way the next run around, etc. it's good to offer them the opportunity to use their skills in an independent setting.

teach people to turn to slow down not to death wedge or edge catch hockey stop idk tho i only coach kids who alr know how to ski

Often times ya got 1hr with the student. Just getting to the top of the hill takes a good portion of that. Games are the last thing on your mind.
All day things take a big more creativity. Depending on age, skiing isnt really whats important. Having fun is what its about.

Just read you client and adapt your teaching styles when you see they are bored

Two words: Gummy. Bears.

train to battle with ski poles the trve medieval way

people tend to forget what poles are for and what skiing is about

defeat your opponent

cvltshittrain to battle with ski poles the trve medieval way

people tend to forget what poles are for and what skiing is about

defeat your opponent

Never forget our forefather McConkey comrade https://www.newschoolers.com/videos/watch/947052/--McConkey---Machete--

Force the kids to play slvsh

if they are better at parallel turns something that helped me is trust your inside leg

I literally just taught them what I thought they should know. Never read the handbook or anything lol. Sometimes we'll play follow the leader but that's not really a game, I don't do those either. It's chill. Someone mentioned not teaching to stop by doing pizza, and I agree. I try to get them to turn their wedges into stops pretty early.

as a beginner ski instructor, with no psia certs, you will get the worst lessons, least pay, and least amount of hours, which is great for an excuse to your parents to be at the mountain , shredding park laps all day...
the gas / travel will add up, and the paycheck will not.
if you do work hard and persevere through it with a night job, you can work your way up to better hourly, certifications, private lessons, personal clients. in the 1970-1990, aspen extreme was real, nowadays, vail resorts owns thier employees, and sucks them dry through the season.

Watch the aspen soutb park.
Do something like that
?????????
Profit

CoolChillGuy420Be nice to Patrol.

if a ski instructor asked you to ride up with one of their kids (like on a double), would you? asking cus at mrg that happens all the time, it's basically a given for just normal people to ride up with the kids. but at whaleback there's this one lady (ski patrol) who i asked to take up a kid, she said no because she didn't want the responsibility. like what?? you're responsible for people's lives and you can't handle a kid? fwiw she also yells, and i mean yells, at people who clip out of their bindings and don't put their skis on the rack. i get it but not justified. anyways just interesting to see the difference between two hills.

tldr only a douche wouldn't ride up with a kid lowk

SteezyYeeterif a ski instructor asked you to ride up with one of their kids (like on a double), would you? asking cus at mrg that happens all the time, it's basically a given for just normal people to ride up with the kids. but at whaleback there's this one lady (ski patrol) who i asked to take up a kid, she said no because she didn't want the responsibility. like what?? you're responsible for people's lives and you can't handle a kid? fwiw she also yells, and i mean yells, at people who clip out of their bindings and don't put their skis on the rack. i get it but not justified. anyways just interesting to see the difference between two hills.

tldr only a douche wouldn't ride up with a kid lowk

Guest service is 95% of the job honestly so without a doubt yes. Kids get super-stoked when a patroller stops to ask them how their day is and if they are having fun or if they were needing help, so whoever that lady is sounds like a total kook and whatever her deal is a non-issue. I spent most of my opening day shadowing my leads and also helping lil' rippers clip back into their skis and/or saying hello.

Theres like these cultural differences you'll learn to figure out after working enough seasons in the ski resort world. Like there's literal race events out-west between Patrol and Ski School crews so the rivalries are deep, but I've met nothing but the nicest instructors ever who love skiing and love teaching kids and I'm a former freeride coach so I dig it fully. I really just don't like the Hardo PSIA-vibe that comes with working at resorts out west or anywhere. Some of these guys think they are beyond the rules and duck ropes and think they are the absolute shit and talk-back which is an issue when you poach a ropeline is all im saying.

Just fucking respect the ropes and signs dude. We're not trying to fun-police but when you duck a rope into some early-season stashes that drop down into closed terrain with snowguns running and cats pushing snow, you have to be an absolute retard to think you're not getting shit for it.

CoolChillGuy420Guest service is 95% of the job honestly so without a doubt yes. Kids get super-stoked when a patroller stops to ask them how their day is and if they are having fun or if they were needing help, so whoever that lady is sounds like a total kook and whatever her deal is a non-issue. I spent most of my opening day shadowing my leads and also helping lil' rippers clip back into their skis and/or saying hello.

Theres like these cultural differences you'll learn to figure out after working enough seasons in the ski resort world. Like there's literal race events out-west between Patrol and Ski School crews so the rivalries are deep, but I've met nothing but the nicest instructors ever who love skiing and love teaching kids and I'm a former freeride coach so I dig it fully. I really just don't like the Hardo PSIA-vibe that comes with working at resorts out west or anywhere. Some of these guys think they are beyond the rules and duck ropes and think they are the absolute shit and talk-back which is an issue when you poach a ropeline is all im saying.

Just fucking respect the ropes and signs dude. We're not trying to fun-police but when you duck a rope into some early-season stashes that drop down into closed terrain with snowguns running and cats pushing snow, you have to be an absolute retard to think you're not getting shit for it.

yeah that sounds annoying. luckily where i ski i never need to poach, sugarbush and mrg are very good about opening trails. but i have b4 and if i were to get caught i certainly wouldn't argue with the patroller, im respectful and don't lie abt it or anything. i realize that i don't have the same leverage as those guys do but i can see how annoying that would be for you.

if you're in high school or university doing it part time it's a good way to get a free pass

otherwise, just dont, it's a shitty job that pays nothing