Woo Hoo - Passed my Level 4 last night

[Bing]

Hi All -

Last night of lessons last night and report card time ... gulp ! Well, colour me happy, passed my level four and few thinks off my level 5.

On top of it all I completely recovered from the mess I was last week and skied strong and aggressively and parallel on the steeps. I"m so pleased.

NOW .... only a couple more ski weekends here and then I have to hope that I remember it all for next year <G> !!!

 

[Native Vail Gal]

Fabulous! Congrats!!!

 

[Gina23]

Congrats ... pardon my newbieness, but what is a level 4?

 

[Jilly]

Wahoo (step-pin?) 4. Ontario diva need a GTG!!

 

[MaineSkiLady]

Congrats ... pardon my newbieness, but what is a level 4?

Non-newbie asks the same. Apparently in the US, we don't have the same kind of teaching system, although the Level stuff is somewhat defined. Sounds interesting. Anyone Canadian care to elucidate?

 

[Jilly]

Through the CSIA, snow schools can offer a program where participants get STEP pins. S=skier, T=technical, E=evlauation, P=program. There are 9 levels. Its similar to the levels somone posted awhile back. The pins are coloured - green, blue, black. Gee, just like trail markings. So its similar to swim programs. It helps show progress to the student and instructors. I know at our school, parents get upset when kiddy doesn't progress to the next pin. But if you are only going to ski, 2 hours, on a Saturday for 5 weeks, progress doesn't happen.

 

[Bing]

Hmm ... well my level 4 calls me intermediate - the goal (as taken from the website): To ski more of the mountain while developing edging skills and lateral balance. Turns start with a wedge and finish with the skis parallel.

I'm trying to remember the tick marks ... um ... well, let's see:

1. ski green and blue runs with confidence;
2. pole plant properly (though that was part of level 5 I did o.k. on)
3. Consistantly parallel at end of turn.
4. hockey stops linked together
5. side slipping

That's all I remember.

I know for level 5 I have to be able to be parallel at end of it and start of fall line. Also have to do 180s and 360s on the ground. That part is freaking me out <G>

 

[Marigee]

You go girl! It won't be long until you're cruising the blacks with ease!

 

[TsuKata]

That's really cool. Congrats!

I wonder if those kind of level instructions/tests are available around my area. I really enjoy being evaluated/graded...it's a sickness. I'll have to do some research.

 

[lucine]

Way to Go!

I want to take some tests too!
If it is a sickness, I'm afraid I have it as well.
I like the finite- goal setting part of it.

 

[ski diva]

Way to go! Congrats!

 

[num]

Congrats, Bing!

Sometimes I wish we had criteria and testing that gave us set levels. In taking lessons, I've asked my instructor at the end of the lesson what level I am, to know what to say when signing up at an unfamiliar ski school. Different instructors tell me different things, and they also seem to have different expectations for your own judgment of your abilities. Example- after being told by several instructors that I'm a level 6 skier, I signed up for a lesson at a new place, requested a level 3 certified instructor, and said I was new to skiing but my last instructor said I was a level 6 skier. During the lesson, it showed that my instructor expect a higher level skier who'd want to be on different terrain. He actually asked me (in a nice, conversational tone of voice) why I thought I needed a level 3 certified instructor. When I explained that it's not because I think I'm skiing at a high level and need an expert skier as an instructor, but that it's that I want a seasoned, dedicated instructor and when picking an instructor sight unseen, I feel that it's more likely to find the kind of instructor I'm looking for if they put in the time and effort to get that far in their certification, he seemed surprised, and said he'd never thought of it that way before.

Though by the ski school definitions I was a level 6 skier, I think he was expecting me to be a higher level skier than I am. I think he was relying on the stereotype that as a woman I would under rate myself. While I think that as an instructor, he should've been able to adapt better to me not being the level he thought I was, and not let me feel like it was a shadow over the lesson, it would be nice if a testing system was an option to keep misunderstandings like that from happening.

 

[skiwishes]

PSIA used to define 9 levels of skiing. The American system has gone to a color coded designation, now. Describing the kind of trail you ski makes more sense to the public (although it is important to remember that there are no specifications for trail designation. They are comparative values: Green= Easiest , Blue=More Difficult, Black = Most Difficult and Double Black = we-really-mean-it-this-time Difficult.) These are comparisons of the mountain you are skiing, not any other mountain. At large resorts they might be comparisons of the trails in one area.

My point is that a blue is not a blue is not a blue, depending upon where you are skiing. One mountain's black could be another's blue, or even hard green. As you become familiar with a resort you find there are gradations of each color.

There are appropriate moves on the various terrain. A skier should be able to perform at a certain level before advancing to harder slopes, and that is the reason for the Levels.

It used to be that specific skills were taught at particular levels, but good instruction now is far more individualized, even if the skier is participating in a group lesson. Each person brings a set of skills and needs to a lesson, and it is no longer deemed appropriate to teach a prescribed lesson plan. Rather, we try to assess goals and abiities and teach the next step in a hierarchy. The kind of trails on which a skier is comfortable is critical to an enjoyable experience.

 

[Bravosarah]

YAY!

 

[skiwishes]

Num,

I am astounded at the reaction of the instructor! I am an Alpine Level II certified, Master Teacher certified instructor. I am impressed at your reasoning in asking for a Level III instructor. Very few guests understand what is involved in our training and dedication.

You don't need to have any particular ability to be taught by a Level III. You are not the one auditioning for a job: he is! He should not have planned any trail or lesson until he had met you, found your goals, and assessed your skiing.

Level III PSIA Instructors are capable of teaching all levels of skier, from absolute beginner, never had a ski on, to the highest civilian levels of performance. The only difference between a Level II and Level III instructor is that III's are qualified to teach double-black trails and double-black bumps. Level II's are qualified to teach everything up to that point; Level I's are qualified to teach green skiers and early intermediates.

Depending upon the ski area, there may not be strict adherence to these qualifications. (PSIA-East has instituted the Master Teacher program to acknowledge highly trained instructors who may or may not meet the stringent skiing requirements for Level III.)

Good instructors at every level will not make their client feel inadequate.

 

[Severine]

Congratulations, Bing!!!!!!!!!