Well, I’ve entered the world professional skiing. Actually, I’m only a candidate to become a professional ski instructor. I attended my first ski instructor class this past Sunday morning. It’s a brand new learning curve and as with any new learning encounter, I felt overwhelmed with all there is to know. As with any profession, ski instructors have their own jargon, acronyms, and aphorisms. For example “rotary” means twisting or torquing of the body or skis. What used to be called the “snowplow” is now called the “wedge.” Another term that will be used a lot is “movement analysis.” That’s assessing the student’s form. We have to learn acronyms like BREP, STUMP, and the ABC’s of Safety (ABCDEFG). I particularly liked the aphorisms like “Skiing is a simple sport done by simple minds.” When teaching we want to “be brief, be brilliant, and be gone.” Finally, and most importantly, “Everyone comes down in one piece. Everyone comes down with a smile on their face.”
The class was divided into the alpine skiers (i.e., me) and the snowboarders. Each class has its own set of instructors and learning material. The people in our class ranged in age from older teens to retired folks. There were a few people who were ski instructors at other areas in the past but now live in Ohio and want to get back into ski instruction. Some of the people have skied just about everywhere, others have not. From just talking with some of the students I can tell they are really good skiers. As I looked around the room I thought to myself, “these are probably among the best skiers Northeast Ohio has to offer.” We’ll see if I can keep up with them.
Basically the class today went over a lot of the company policies one typically finds with any new hire orientation. For example, the consummate sin a ski instructor can commit is to be seen at a bar wearing his or her instructor’s jacket. This is a family-oriented business and they told us more than once we are the ‘face’ of the business. Consequently we have to display an image of wholesomeness. We began going over the basic first class for novice skiers who have never been on skis. We made it through the first 15 minutes of the class, which is very simple and well defined.
If selected I would get paid but our teachers quickly pointed out you don’t get rich being a ski instructor. For example, what do you call a ski instructor who doesn’t have a working spouse? – homeless. One of our students was a ski instructor at Keystone in Colorado and the resort invited her back to teach again this year. However, she turned them down because she couldn’t afford to live at there on a ski instructor’s pay. As a new hire I’ll be earning a whopping $8.00 per hour! That goes up as I acquire rankings and certifications. Even then the highest ranked instructor (a level 3) earns only $15.00 per hour. It isn’t that Boston Mills is cheap, it’s the industry standard. At the big resorts, ski instructors scrape by on the tips they receive from their well-heeled clientele, not on their hourly pay Clearly, you don’t become a ski instructor for the money. Our instructors were quick to point out other perks though – free lift passes, half-priced ski equipment, free lift tickets for friends. Also, once you’re certified you can be a ski instructor anywhere. For example, when our local season effectively ends at the end of February, some of our ski instructors head out to Colorado where they teach during March and early April. If you’ve got a place to stay, what a great ski vacation (sort of).
I keep examining my own reasons for wanting to do this. Of course I have low-minded reasons of wanting to get the perks and to have an excuse to do a lot of skiing. However, I fear these reasons won’t sustain me when the realities of the job come home (time demands, whiny kids, irascible parents). I need a high-minded reason. I one I’ve come up with is that it is a way I can share something I love and in the process, perhaps change a kid’s life for the better a little bit. Our pastor wants the men of the church to become mentors and tutors to children who don’t have fathers. I’m not one to tutor a kid how to read, but I’d love to teach that kid how to ski. I recall the joy I felt teaching my own son to ski. While the ski school values teaching they also place a premium on the instructor-student relationship. The ski school emphasized over and over they want the students to have fun experience. It’s good for business. Novice skiers having fun keep skiing. Give them some skiing skills and they have even more fun. The ski instructor is like a farmer planting a field and the ski area later harvests the crop.
Finally, I learned that becoming a ski instructor is also all about improving one’s own skiing. It is the ultimate ski school itself for people committed to the sport and want to improve their own skills. In addition to the basic class there will be ongoing “clinics” I’ll be expected to attend that will cover a broad range of topics. Over time my own skiing will be videotaped and I will be subjected to a “movement analysis” to see where my skiing is off. It was a fascinating start. Becoming a ski instructor is the best way to improve one’s own skiing.
Although a bit overwhelming I’m came away feeling confident I’ll be able to make the grade. I’m anxious to see how well my fellow students can ski when we finally get out on the slopes. I’m sure it’ll be humbling. Our homework is to come up with something to teach the class. It could be anything – how to tie your shoes, how to eat apple pie, and so forth. I’ve decided to teach the class a balancing exercise I learned in rehab. I’ll let you know how it went next week.
Ski Bums 