PSIA-AASI National Academy
This is the capstone of the year! At the end of the season, PSIA-AASI hosts a National Academy. This one was held at Big Sky, Montana.
When I was 14 years-old, we were supposed to go to Big Sky on a family ski vacation. We were going with a group and we did not have enough people to get the group lodging discount. So the tour operator asked us if we wanted to go to Switzerland instead. We said, “duh, yes!” So Big Sky has always been a mythical place for me.
Alright, Academy time. This was my first time as a group leader at National Academy. I’ll be honest. I was nervous. What would the participants want to do? What should we do? What is everyone’s outcome that they are working towards or training for? I lucked out with my group that 5 were from Big Sky. In other words, I would have to work hard at getting lost. I also skied one day early to try to get my bearings. I got a little bit of a handle on where things go. However, as far as trail names go, I learned as the week went on.
Here is what I did with my group. I tried to set up a theme for the week. On the first day, we had some new snow and Big Sky was having a low snow year. I went with how I think about transitions - from one apex to another. In other words, you are either focusing on getting out of a turn or getting into it. You need both to create a turn. I was also trying to get a feel for the group and watch them ski. I wanted to give them an opportunity to get their “ski legs” back and enjoy some fresh snow.
In the afternoon on Day 1, we worked on some Schlopy drills. I have had the unique privilege of working with ski coach and mentor Dane Spencer who was Erik Schlopy’s roommate for years on the U.S. Ski Team. The Schlopy, sometimes called the Heisman, drill is more of a fore/aft drill versus an angulation/inclination drill. By choosing a drill that would help participants move forward in steeper terrain and was challenging, we were headed towards an outcome. I also videoed all of the group on day 1. I tried to do it without them noticing (many follow cam shots).
The next day we had a half day with our group and afternoon electives. Our group worked on fore/aft relationships using an external cue. The weather was not very good and low visibility so we opted to focus on our technique and experiment with different situations.
On Wednesday, I helped out with the CARV elective and showed people how to use the app, how to use their scores to improve their skiing, and also how to try to get the highest Ski:IQ score possible. CARV had set up a test course on the Hangman’s blue run. It was fun to try to compete on that one slope. This was also the slope that we had been using for the National Team synchro practice.
On Friday, we had 11 inches of new snow and we took advantage of it. Most of the group opted to do the Big Couloir which is a classic Big Sky descent. I wanted to do it, too. I tried on Wednesday afternoon to do a scouting run, but I was too late. The snow in the Big was awesome and it is steep. It reminded me of some lines in Europe and Las Lenas, Argentina. It was so cool.
Our group skied and incorporated what they had been working on. I shot some more video so they could see the difference. It was a great group. I learned a lot like when to give more direct feedback and when to hold off. Holding off is sometimes the hardest part!
I did the best I could and gave 110% of myself to participants. It is human nature to ask, “well, how did I do?” One of the participants, Bethany, summed it up in an Instagram post days after the Academy. “A huge week of firsts for me: First time in Montana. First time skiing Big Sky. First time wearing a beacon. First time attending National Academy…What a great, rewarding time spent with amazing people. Thank you to the PSIA-E Ed Staff Scholarship fund for helping make this week possible. Thank you Kevin Jordan for not just being an inspirational course conductor but also noticeably improving my skiing technique…”
National Academy is special. When I was an attendee, I felt like my skiing improved day after day. As a group leader, I felt like my teaching and my pacing improved each day. In other words, I became more confident in myself each day. What a wonderful week. If you have never attended a National Academy, please consider it. As our dear friend Warren Miller would say, “If you don’t do it this year, you will be one year older when you do.”