Great post here. I wish I had been able to go to the Fall convention. Unfortunately I’m not able to participate in the CSIA events like I used to. Dang shift work.
I used to get embarrassed when I would mention to people that I am a ski instructor. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s because growing up, the instructors all seemed like snobs to me. Like, “if you don’t do it my way, you’re not doing it right.” It took a while for me to break that way of thinking. I believe it was on my CSIA level III prep course, while skiing with Rob Buttler, I mentioned that when I became an instructor, I stopped having fun. He told me, “if you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.” From that point on, while I was still obsessed with creating the perfect turns, my teaching method changed.
John Gilles was a huge asset to me in my skiing technique, but I credit myself in taking what he taught me, and making it so it was fun for me. I’d like to think that when I teach a group or an individual, I’m able to show them that it’s all about fun.
The author of this post really has the right ski instructor mentality if you ask me. The hunger to create the perfect turn, but the passion to make it fun!
Mountains to Mats 