• Women skiers, this is the place for you -- an online community without the male-orientation you'll find in conventional ski magazines and internet ski forums. At TheSkiDiva.com, you can connect with other women to talk about skiing in a way that you can relate to, about things that you find of interest. Be sure to join our community to participate (women only, please!). Registration is fast and simple. Just be sure to add [email protected] to your address book so your registration activation emails won't be routed as spam. And please give careful consideration to your user name -- it will not be changed once your registration is confirmed.

Becoming an Instructor

At the encouragement of @climbingbetty I have decided to get the ball rolling on this. I was going to wait until next season but I really want to see that light in others in the enjoyment of skiing so I think I am ready now. I am not a black diamond skier or even looking to get my certifications at this point but think this is a good way to get the ball rolling and see if I actually will enjoy doing this.

I submitted my application to my home mountain in Western, Mass and just had a lovely conversation with one of the directors of the Ski School. He told me of 2 upcoming job fairs which basically double as orientation that need to attend one of them to make sure I really want to do it. I should bring my ID so I can fill out my I9 form and stuff at the orientation. Then he told me of 2 weekends consisting of a saturday/sunday in November for off snow training and I need to attend one of them. Then the first weekend in December is the start of on snow training. I just need to have my own skis, black pants (damn so much for my new super cool red pants) and they provide me with a jacket.

DH was concerned we wouldn't be able to ski other places because I'd be committed to this mountain every weekend. They basically give me a blank calendar and I just need to commit 20 days to them which is probably what I do there anyway so this gives me plenty of time for trips to Vermont and other places we ski.

I am a very competent high-intermediate skier and ski every trail on my mountain so I feel very qualified to teach kids, never evers and relative newbies. Especially since they teach me how to teach so it will be good for me too. I remember Climbingbetty said she grew personally as a skier after being an instructor so I am excited for continued growth. I also think that since I'll be spending much of my time teaching on the bunny hill that when I get to ski the rest of the mountain I'll be like a sports car that wants to let her rip so I will be more of an aggressive skier.

Now the question is which pair of skis do I use as my "teaching skis". My Magnums, Yumis, Kenjas or Elysians. I know I need something versatile but will be on the bunny hill so thinking the Yumi's. Kenjas and Elysians are versatile also but I'll be on the bunny hill mostly so didn't know if those would be overkill?

I didn't think I'd be this excited but I'm jumping for joy over here.
 
Last edited:

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Welcome to the instructor world!! Second to teaching women, is teaching newbies. They can progress so far in a short amount of time. That said, be prepared for an exhausting day. Walking and climbing, no lifts for a while etc.

As for skis. The first that is going to happen is some kid will slide right over your pretty skis......so, if one of those pairs is old, use them. If not pick up a pair of used twin tips or at least an upturned tail. You'll be skiing backwards, more than forward. And short!
 
Thank you :smile:. I am very excited. I figured I'd be spending my time on the bunny hill. Figured DH can bomb the mountain while I teach and we can meet up when I am not teaching. He's not going to be very happy with me this winter as I have more motivation than ever to make first chair now so I can ski a bit before lesson time.

Thanks for the tip about the skis. None of mine are old and all are in great shape so guess I'll be shopping for a pair of used skis. Didn't think about the skiing backwards part so twin tips make perfect sense. I am not sure I've ever skied backwards so hopefully they'll cover that part when they teach us how to teach lol. My ski quiver ranges from 161-168cm. Any brand recommendations or just twin tips and it doesn't matter? How short are we talking so I know what to look for?
 

Skier31

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I teach on my skis that I regularly ski. When I ski before line up or get released from line up, the last thing I want to do is go back to the locker room to change out skis. I may have time for a couple of runs in between line up and I want my regular skis. I would teach on skis that you like and are familiar with skiing on. You will be doing demos for others and the more comfortable you are on your skis, the better your demos will be. I rarely have people sliding over my skis and besides, skis are meant to be used. I also think it is important with adults to have skis of similar width and length that they do so they can more easily follow your turns. No need to have a 90 plus ski on the beginner hill. I use a Kastle LX82 for teaching. It is a versatile ski that works well for whatever level I teach.
 
Last edited:
Thanks. I know a beat up pair of twin tips would be ideal. However, I don't want to have to buy another pair of skis just for this. I kinda prefer to use one of my own pairs of skis so I can go off and ski before lineup or if I get released from lineup without having to switch skis.

My 87 and 95mm skis would likely be overkill on the beginner hill. I think my Yumi's at 161cm should do fine. They aren't twin tips but the tail isn't flat either and is rounded so I think going backwards will be fine. They are also relatively narrow underfoot at 83mm so I think they'll give me the maneuverability I need. Plus maybe the kids will like the pretty pink. I was wondering what place the Yumi's would have in my quiver as they are sorta an extra ski so maybe I have found their place. :thumbsup:
 

eclaire

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Surfsnowgirl, are you going to instruct at Wachusett? I was thinking about taking the ski instructor training class there this year. Did they talk to you about the class at all when you spoke with them? I'm not sure that I actually want to instruct this year, but I thought the class might be a good place to start to think about whether it's something I would enjoy doing. If you've heard anything about the class I'd love to hear it!
 

Ice Ninja

Certified Ski Diva
My teaching skis are twin tip fischers from '05... I got them new in '08 and they've served me well ever since 73 underfoot and nice and soft. And forget backwards skiing, if you're working with the little guys you might be doing even more walking! :laughter:

Anyway, I think the Yumis will be fine. The girls will like the pink, and you'll have to keep telling the boys that pink isn't just for girls. :goodluck:
 
Surfsnowgirl, are you going to instruct at Wachusett? I was thinking about taking the ski instructor training class there this year. Did they talk to you about the class at all when you spoke with them? I'm not sure that I actually want to instruct this year, but I thought the class might be a good place to start to think about whether it's something I would enjoy doing. If you've heard anything about the class I'd love to hear it!

No, I am looking to instruct at Butternut in the Berkshires in Great Barrington. I do like Wachusset, skied there for the first time on the last day of the season this past April, had a blast.
 
My teaching skis are twin tip fischers from '05... I got them new in '08 and they've served me well ever since 73 underfoot and nice and soft. And forget backwards skiing, if you're working with the little guys you might be doing even more walking! :laughter:

Anyway, I think the Yumis will be fine. The girls will like the pink, and you'll have to keep telling the boys that pink isn't just for girls. :goodluck:

Thanks and yes good point, walking might be happening depending on the age of my students lol. Maybe I'll pick up a pair of twin tips in the future but glad to hear the Yumis will be fine for now. I do think I prefer to just have my skis with me so if I don't have a lesson I can just go off and ski without having to swap out.
 

climbingbetty

Angel Diva
I taught last year on my regular skis, because I only had one pair at the time. I cried a little on the inside every time a newbie skied over them. At the end of the season, I picked up a pair of demo skis that I will teach on this year so as to make my regular skis last a little longer. So personally, I recommend teaching in the pair you care about the least! I know some instructors who will also use a pair of shorter ski for teaching as they can maneuver them a bit more easily. But really, you'll be doing a lot of demoing of basic skills. Wedges, wedge Christie, stem Christie, etc. so you don't need to be teaching in your super high end or most aggressive ski.

ETA: I have a pink ski helmet. The girls I taught loved it! It also made it much easier for my students to find me on the mountain- I told them- just look for the pink helmet! :tongue:
 
Last edited:

marzNC

Angel Diva
I have a pink ski helmet. The girls I taught loved it! It also made it much easier for my students to find me on the mountain- I told them- just look for the pink helmet!
Having something special to look for seems to be a good idea when teaching kids. The most unique approach is what I saw on the helmet of an older instructor who teaches kids at a small ski area in the northeast, as well as adaptive. Those are "horns" on top of his helmet, which attach by velcro. He's a tall man so must be really easy to spot even in a crowd.

Sunapee 2014 - 1.jpg

When I met up with him for a few runs at Sunapee last year, at one point he asked me an unusual question. He wanted to know if I could see his eyes behind his goggles that he was trying out. The reason he cared is that for some kids on the autism spectrum that do adaptive skiing, they need to be able to see the instructor's eyes to feel comfortable.
 

NZfarmgirl

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Don't go buying any new skis, yumis will be fine. I spend a lot of time in a backwards wedge without twin tips. I don't have time to swap skis if I get a chance at a quick run.
Be prepared for being very tired, and missing out on skiing the mountain. It was ok for me because I did the whole season, not just weekends so I got quite a bit of free ski time, and I could ski my days off, but I'd be frustrated if I was only skiing weekends and working a lot of them. During busy times I felt trapped on the learners slope for days on end with maybe 1 run on a chair lift if I was lucky. That can be a big deal if you are wanting to work on your own skiing so be mentally prepared to ski a lot less.
Demos are very important especially for visual learners and they are much harder to do well than it seems, so work hard on those and take notes during the training.
Learning to walk/run fast up the hill with skis on in a V is handy as you can do another demo without going on a carpet. ( it's great for core strength too) Also you will likely have to get back up to someone who can't get up or is stuck and scared. That's when skiing backwards is useful as you can coax them to turn or simply slide by skiing backwards right in front of them, leading them down.
Your system is very different to ours as we can't teach without already being qualified so I don't know what the process is for training but I recommend reading the instructor manual to begin to understand the lingo, the movements of skiing as your own association sees them, and the early lesson progressions that you would be teaching.
 

Fluffy Kitty

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hey, @surfsnowgirl , congratulations on moving forward with this! I've been gradually working on my schedule and my family's expectations so I can do it in a couple of years or so. Looking forward to reading about your experience.
 
Hey, @surfsnowgirl , congratulations on moving forward with this! I've been gradually working on my schedule and my family's expectations so I can do it in a couple of years or so. Looking forward to reading about your experience.

Thank you, I am very excited. I had a very nice chat with one of the instructors who will be showing me the ropes. He was at the ski swap so I sought him out and we had a nice chat. He thinks my being a paralegal will help me as an instructor as I am used to dealing with challenges and coming up with solutions so this will transition nicely into teaching. I need to have black ski pants for teaching (they give us the jacket) so I found a great deal on these burton snowboard/ski pants. Nice button top and pockets, etc. I'll still wear my red pants when not teaching but I am stoked I found these. I definitely keep you guys posted on my experiences.

20151012_105416_resized.jpg
 
Don't go buying any new skis, yumis will be fine. I spend a lot of time in a backwards wedge without twin tips. I don't have time to swap skis if I get a chance at a quick run.
Be prepared for being very tired, and missing out on skiing the mountain. It was ok for me because I did the whole season, not just weekends so I got quite a bit of free ski time, and I could ski my days off, but I'd be frustrated if I was only skiing weekends and working a lot of them. During busy times I felt trapped on the learners slope for days on end with maybe 1 run on a chair lift if I was lucky. That can be a big deal if you are wanting to work on your own skiing so be mentally prepared to ski a lot less.
Demos are very important especially for visual learners and they are much harder to do well than it seems, so work hard on those and take notes during the training.
Learning to walk/run fast up the hill with skis on in a V is handy as you can do another demo without going on a carpet. ( it's great for core strength too) Also you will likely have to get back up to someone who can't get up or is stuck and scared. That's when skiing backwards is useful as you can coax them to turn or simply slide by skiing backwards right in front of them, leading them down.
Your system is very different to ours as we can't teach without already being qualified so I don't know what the process is for training but I recommend reading the instructor manual to begin to understand the lingo, the movements of skiing as your own association sees them, and the early lesson progressions that you would be teaching.

Thanks for the tips. I am very glad to hear my Yumis will be fine for teaching. I didn't want to have to switch skis. I still might switch skis if the conditions off the bunny slope will be better for my Magnum's, Kenjas or Elysians but I am happy I don't have to go out and buy a pair of skis for lessons.

I am preparing myself to spend more time on the bunny slope and realize I may not get to ski as much time as I want but I am grateful my mountain only requires 20 days from us for teaching so I can fit that in and still easily have other days to ski on my own. There are a few queue times for lessons so it is possible I won't get a lesson every go round so I'll still likely get time to ski on my own even when I am working.

They teach us everything we need to know to teach students so I am prepared to ski without my poles, ski backwards and just work my butt off when I am teaching. I will take notes as much as I can and pay attention since this is new to me. I will work on those drills. We have one weekend of off snow training (saturday/sunday) and then on snow training starts the first weekend in December, not sure how long that runs.
 

Ice Ninja

Certified Ski Diva
One thing I forgot to mention - creative layering! For me, I really liked having thick layers on the bottom (long johns then pyjama pants then sweats with shells) and on top I had a base, fleece and insulated instructors jacket. This way I could dump heat on top when running up next to the magic carpet then zip up again if going painfully slow on the way back down without losing too much core heat because my legs were furnaces. I'm sure you'll figure out your own system in time, but I hope this can help you!
 
@Ice Ninja Thank you. I am indeed working on this. I have bought sone excellent layers lately so this is shaping up quite nicely
 

climbingbetty

Angel Diva
Layering made me think of another tip: work out your snacks in advance!!! Find stuff that you can stuff in jacket pocket to eat in a hurry, yet won't get so cold you break a tooth trying to eat it.

At my mountain, this wasn't really an issue when I was assigned to work kids's programs, because those day programs included lunch for the kids with a break at specific time depending on the program.

However, on days I had adult lessons or line-up, when I got a break to eat lunch varied depending on rotation/assignment. On a few rare occasions, I didn't get a lunch break till after 2 pm!!! One day I remember having a bar in my pocket was the difference between getting to go out with another lesson (get paid) or take my lunch break, but realistically, losing out on teaching anymore that day because I would miss the last line-up by the time I got back from my 'break.'

Also for me, I only really get cold when there's not enough fuel to feed the furnace so to speak (though why my body hasn't learned to dip into those nice, deep reserves energy stored on my backside is still a mystery...) If I even feel my toes starting to get cold, I have a little something to eat and I'm good to go. I remember a few times last season on a really cold day or two scarfing down a bar on the magic carpet- good times :thumbsup:

Anyway, I do a lot better with more higher protein in my diet, so I like to stuff an Epic bar in my inner chest pocket. They aren't jerky to begin with, so they don't get tooth-breaking hard in the cold, but just in case, they stay nice and chewable in there, they are only about 150 calories, so I'm not over-eating it and the Beef-Habenero-Cherry variety is the perfect amount of heat for a cold day :wink:
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
Yes, Climbing Betty has a point. I used to keep granola bars and the soft water bottle in my pockets. If I was on the bunny hill, then usually the liftee would let us stash some stuff if we brought him cookies!
 

Latest posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
26,237
Messages
497,681
Members
8,503
Latest member
MermaidKelly
Top