repcool 2 #1 March 13, 2008 I spend a few seasons recently as a Ski Instructor, certified no less. It did so much good for my skiing I ordered the material to become a Coach from USPA with the theory that it will do the same for my jumping. I can't help but see many parallels between the two. Movement analysis, personal motivations, cost, equipment, gravity, lessons vs practice, teaching ability vs knowledge, etc etc. I so often wish that a Skier couldn't get on a lift without being certified for the return trip downhill. I also wish skiers could have honest debate about incidents the way they are held here. I fear that the $ factor behind corporate resorts would not favor that. Any thoughts? Wish my luck on the coach rating! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tombuch 0 #2 March 13, 2008 Interesting questions. I have earned USPA ratings as an instructor in AFF, SL, IAD, and Tandem, and was one of the first Coach Course Directors. I’m also certified as a snowboard instructor (level 2) by AASI (PSIA). The benefits of teaching to personal participation can be equivalent in both sports. You may find you flying getting better once you start teaching, but not to the same degree as in the PSIA/AASI model. Unfortunately, USPA does not provide much advanced flight training, so instructors often stagnate (and sometimes even get worse) unless they make a real effort improve their own flight skills by adding team training or a different kind of skydiving. Therefore, I strongly suggest that you build your own improvement training program that includes teaching as well as non-teaching jumps. As for your “wish” that skiers couldn’t get on a lift without lessons, that may have once been true, an really old timer can probably shed some light on that. Certainly it was once true for snowboarding. I teach at Stratton, which is the home of the very first snowboard school, started in 1983 by Jake Burton to help issue “licenses” for riders. Those licenses were required to get on a lift with a board. That licensing program was abandoned several years later. Interestingly, just a few years ago Stratton began a new park pass program that requires a short video training session prior to use of any of our parks, followed by the issue of a special park access pass. When instituted it reduced injury rates by as much as 50% in our big park, and was subsequently rolled out to all the parks. It also makes the parks more fun because everybody in them knows about Smart Style. You are probably correct that discussion of injury issues will never get traction in the ski industry. The business interests want guests to feel like the sport is “safe,” and they work hard to keep the actual injury rate of roughly 1 reportable injury for every 400 skier days out of the public’s eye.Tom Buchanan Instructor Emeritus Comm Pilot MSEL,G Author: JUMP! Skydiving Made Fun and Easy Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
repcool 2 #3 March 14, 2008 That is some interesting perspective and history. My IRM just came so I have some reading to do! Pretty soon the ski season will be over here and it will be time to change gears again. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NickDG 23 #4 March 15, 2008 The main issue is nobody will ask who taught Sony Bono how to ski . . . NickD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rhys 0 #5 March 19, 2008 A ski instructor can be a great ski instructor and a crap skier. A skydiving instructor cannot be a crap skydiver and a great instructor. i was a snowboard insructor and an AFF jumpmaster. Snowboard instructing was boring and actually made me less of a snowboarder as I was not consistantly pushing myself. Aff instructing takes a great amount of skill and concentration."When the power of love overcomes the love of power, then the world will see peace." - 'Jimi' Hendrix Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
