Alpine Level I Certification Guide

This is a guideline for ski instructors, ski school director/trainers, and PSIA-NRM clinicians to educate, guide and give an understanding of what to expect during the PSIA-NRM Level I process. 

The Process

The Level I certification process has been organized so that there can be some practice time between the education the instructors receive and the time they are evaluated to determine if they have reached the standards for Level I certification. To become Level I certified an instructor must:

• Be a current member of PSIA-NRM.

•  Attend a ski school hiring clinic or early season training

•  Complete and pass the Level I multiple choice test with a passing score of 75%

•  Attend a Level I evaluated clinic and demonstrate proficiency at or above the Level I national standards

•  Be employed at a ski school or volunteer with a recognized instruction program, and teach at a minimum of 10 hours. The ski school does not need to be a member of PSIA-NRM.

 

Evaluated Clinic

The evaluated clinic is a two day clinic in which participants will be taught and coached on the material outlined by the national exam standard for Level I. They will be evaluated on their teaching, skiing, professional knowledge and personal mastery of the material that they are being coached on throughout the two day clinic. This is an interactive clinic that requires participation in discussions on and off the hill. Candidates should be prepared to lead a group through some basic ski instruction scenarios provided by the clinician.

It is not expected that Level I candidates will have in-depth knowledge and experience in each of the areas of competence listed in the national standards. It is expected, however, that candidates will be able to demonstrate basic competence and knowledge in all of these areas.

Outline of the Evaluated Clinic

Based on the location of the clinic, snow conditions and weather, as well as the experience and technical knowledge of the group, the order in which things are covered will vary. The following information provides an outline of everything that will be covered in the two day clinic, and gives you an idea of what you will see over the course of two days.

What to Expect During the Evaluated Clinic

•  Registration - provide contact info, sign liability release, meet clinician and other attendees

•  Discussion of Level I national exam standards

•  Review PSIA-NRM Level I tasks - with discussion and clarification of why they are used

•  An overview of all manuals, the ATS and the skiing model

•  Written test (multiple choice)

•  Skiing activities including demos, tasks and free skiing on green and groomed blue terrain.

•  Teaching scenarios relevant to instruction of students in the beginner/novice zone.

SKIING

Skiing activities should be performed as if the candidate were leading a student down a slope and enjoying the terrain. Clinician will work with instructors to blend balancing, rotary, edging and pressure movements to demonstrate appropriate skill blending through the demos and tasks. Skiing will be evaluated on green and blue groomed terrain.

Level I Skiing Tasks: (complete task list 2009 version)

• Wedge change-ups
• Foot steered turns
• Sideslip with a stop
• Wedge christy garlands
• Stepping out of a straight run

Demos:

• Wedge turns
• Wedge christy turns
• Open parallel turns
• Dynamic parallel turns

TEACHING

Assessing and then understanding a student's profile is critical to the success of guests, particularly at the beginning level. As such, the options for developing a teaching plan for beginning skiers is quite broad and is dependent upon appropriate selection of activities (Stepping Stones) that will lead to the development of a skilled blend of movements. In real life, you must prepare for any student and be ready to offer coaching and solutions specific to the guest's profile, skills and background.

At the evaluated clinic, you will be asked to explore different learning styles and methods of teaching to each learning style. One example of a teaching segment you may be asked to perform is teaching to transfer, for example teaching a basket ball shot and how that can help at a wedge turn level. Other examples are blind teaching, deaf teaching and team teaching. You will only have to teach skills or tasks in the Beginner/Novice zone. In front of the group, you must demonstrate awareness of a basic teaching progression (i.e. introduce an activity, develop that activity, offer feedback, and summarize).

Throughout the 2 day clinic the clinician will give examples of teaching segments and help develop your movement analysis skills. Examples of questions you will be exploring are:

• What skill movements are necessary to do a gliding wedge?
• Is there one skill movement that we can begin with to work towards performing the goal?
• What is a task that would help develop that skill movement?
• How can we build on that task?

PROFFESSIONAL KNOWLEDGE

• Identify how your lesson activities relate to the development of the four fundamental skills (in a very basic sense).
• Demonstrate an awareness of good safety practices relative to all lesson activities and to your own personal skiing within the group.
• Describe how to change lesson activities in consideration of student age, the weather, or snow conditions.
• State the basic options, solutions, and benefits that modern ski designs provide.

Organizing a clinic

In-House Clinics

If a Snowsports School has an authorized division clinician or examiner on your staff, your school may hold a clinic for your staff at your mountain (contact Jim Anderson for a list of qualified examiners). There is no fee to attend this event. Standard membership fees apply for those that choose to become members of PSIA-NRM.

Divisional clinics

If a Snowsports School does NOT have a qualified clinician on staff, an NRM division clinic can be scheduled and staffed. Contact the alpine chairperson to book your event. The fee for this event is $90 per person, with a minimum of five participants Scholarships may be available from the PSIA-NRM Education Foundation or MSAA to help offset the cost of this event. Standard membership fees apply for those that choose to become members of PSIA-NRM.

Membership

In order to obtain Level I certified status the instructor must become a member of PSIA.

Annual dues $90. Dues cycle July 1- June 30.

Upon successful completion of the evaluated clinic attendees will have the option of paying to become a L1 certified member. Upon doing so, the new member will be awarded a L1 pin and certificate.

A completed membership application with payment will be sent to the division office where the new membership will be set up in the database. If an attendee completes a Level 1 clinic prior to February 15 and pays for membership the activation date of the membership will be February 15. Membership will be good through June 30 of the following year.

All attendees of Level 1 clinics after February 15 who pay for membership will have membership activated when the event is processed. Usually within two to three weeks of the event. Membership will be good through June 30 of the following year.

Any attendee completing a L1 clinic prior to February 15 and wants membership benefits prior to the February 15 activation can do so, but membership will only be good through June 30 of that year. Membership dues renewal will be required for the following year.

Continued membership and maintenance of certification level is based upon payment of dues annually. The annual renewal date for all membership is June 30.

If an instructor passes the Level I clinic but is not affiliated with a ski school, they have a one-year grace period in which to join a ski school and fulfill the 10-hour teaching requirement. At that time they may contact the NRM division office, join PSIA-NRM (if they are not already a member) and become a Level I certified instructor at this time a certificate and pin will be mailed to the member.

Resources needed prior to the clinic

• PSIA Level I exam standards
• PSIA-NRM Level I task descriptions (2009 version)
• Core Concepts Manual
• Alpine Technical Manual
• Alpine Children's Manual or Entry-Level Guide for Children's Instructor