2005

OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE AUSTRALIAN PROFESSIONAL SNOWSPORT INSTRUCTORS INC. A98X

SPRING 2005

IN THIS ISSUE

All 2005 Results & Reports from all Mountains

Successful candidates on the Telemark crossover course at Mt Buller

E WE S W S O F FOIF FCI CEE N N

The season started off with a very successful trainers’ co-ordination at Mt Buller.At the AGM we saw a few new faces join us on the Board of Management, with Warren Feakes as the new Nordic Technical Director. I would like to thank the previous Nordic Technical Director, Bruce Wharrie.

Bruce was a great support to me over the last fours years, and it was great to have him on the Board.

Season 2005 proved to be another busy season in the APSI office, with the introduction of the interim membership for new members and the changes to the Alpine Children’s Certificate Exam.

Congratulations to all candidates who participated in the APSI courses and exams in season 2005.

Your 2006 membership renewal is enclosed with this edition of

Again, I would like to thank Tony and the Board of Management for their continued support.

SnowPro. Remember to pay your renewal prior to 31st March to take advantage of the early bird fee.

The three year membership is again available. Please note, if you pay your membership online, you still need to send in your membership card for the final updating of your record in the database.

As usual, there are a lot of people that I need to thank:Andrew Rae, Jason Clauscen,Tony Keeble and Warren Feakes.These guys do a fantastic job and their assistance each season is extremely valuable.

Remember, SnowPro is for you – the member. If you have any articles or photos you would like to add, please email them through.

The deadline for the next edition of SnowPro is April 03rd 2006.

I will be in the office over summer, with the exception of a couple of weeks for some holidays.Andrew and I will be busy preparing for season 2006.

If you need to contact me, please call 02 6056 0611 or email claire@apsi.net.au.

Have fun, and I’ll see you in 2006.

Claire

VISIT THE APSI ONLINE

For all the latest news, membership benefits and to purchase APSI merchandise go to www.apsi.net.au

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Spring 2005

Hi All, The heavy rain on opening weekend was probably an omen for things to come – yes, a wet season.

Season 2005 could be likened to a game of good old fashioned Aussie Rules – four quarters with flashes of brilliance, but in the end just a hard slog to see the time out. Just as the rain arrived, yet again, and conditions really grim, we’d get a dump and away we’d go again. It started to become the morning meeting catch cry: “Welcome to the start of a season”. One could see the look of bewilderment on the faces of the first year internationals as they wondered what they had got themselves into.And not to mention the winds...

To our new members a very warm welcome, and we hope your career in snowsport instructing is a long and prosperous one. Some may not be aware, but APSI is a yearround concern, with two full-time employees, so whilst one may think we shut the doors and go surfing, the wheels keep turning. It is a time for review and updating of programs and procedures, and for Claire to take a well-earned break and relax a little.

Last summer saw Andrew Rae take up his full-time position.We are very fortunate to have someone of the calibre of Andrew to fill this position.All who have spent time with Andrew will agree his passion and commitment is infectious.

Andrew commenced his full-time role with the huge task of writing the new manual, which was unveiled at trainers’ coordination.After a full season’s work out, we agree that it is the best manual yet.Andrew will now work with Jason “more honey” Clauscen on the new Snow Board manual which will be launched at next year’s trainers’ coordination.

Andrew is already in talks with the other TD’s on how best to bring all

PRESIDENT’S REPORT

To n y Smythe disciplines into the manual and sharing the generic concepts of snowsport instruction.

At the June board meeting, it was unanimously agreed to invite Graeme Morris onto the board as the Adaptive (Disabled) TD.We see this as further step forward in unifying all disciplines under the one umbrella.

Following on from this, we had a very rewarding meeting with Ron Finneran, from Disabled Wintersport Australia, where it has been agreed that APSI will now fully develop and implement training and accreditation for adaptive snowsport. DWA will have input into the content and will monitor proceedings, and are very excited about having a uniform approach to Adaptive accreditation.

Other changes this year included the implementation of a dedicated Children’s Certificate, mid year.The new format saw in-house training take place with a one-day informal continuing assessment. Despite some minor hiccups, it was widely accepted as a successful change.

Thanks to all who took part and have contributed feedback. It is pleasing to see changes being made, not for the sake of change but to meet the continuing evolving nature of our business and the expectations of our customers.Thank you to the Snowsport School managers who supported the change and also provided constructive feedback.

Congratulations go out to Telemark TD and VP,Tony Keeble, and his wife on the arrival of their second child, a baby girl.All are doing well.After Tony had a year off to take up a teaching position in the far north, it was great to see him back and working in raising the profile of Telemark this year.The development of a Level 1 cross-over course was hugely popular, and it was interesting to see instructors from both Snowboard and Alpine flip-flopping around in their spare time.An exam was held at Buller late in the season and it was pleasing to hear the feedback from the candidates. Congratulations go out to all those who passed, and to Graham Hammond and Dan Monahan on conducting a fine exam.With my new rebuilt knee getting stronger, this is one course I hope to do next year.

Next year you are going to hear a lot about INTERSKI, which will be held in Korea in January 2007.

For our new members, this is a four-yearly conference of all skiing nations, some 32 in all, where teaching concepts, skills and ideas are demonstrated and exchanged.

It is considered an honor to be selected for the team, which means one represents their country in a world forum at the highest level.

A lot of preparation has already gone into attending in 2007, with alpine training already heavily underway.

The Snowboard team has one place to fill, with Nordic and Telemark also being close to finalised.We are also excited about the prospects of having a high profile Olympic adaptive skier on the team as well (more on that in the next issue).

Partial funding has been allocated from the yearly budget but there is still along way to go, and sponsorship and fundraising is still an ongoing task.

Continued on page 4 Spring 2005

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President’s report continued from page 3

This year, Brad Spalding, Snow Sport School Manager of Thredbo, took it upon himself to organise a major fundraiser in the form of a Pro AM race and auction night. Overall, the event was a resounding success for a first year event. Many, many thanks to Thredbo for putting on this event, which they have already scheduled into their calendar for next year. Brad has indicated that this will be an annual event with funds being directly used for all future Interski teams.The proposal (and challenge) is to now hold a similar event in Victoria, with talks underway regarding holding something in conjunction with a Buller Race Club event. I would hope that all team members from all disciplines will be available to attend next year’s Thredbo event.

One idea that is on the table at the moment, and I know some of you have shown some interest, is to put together a “Supporters Tour”. Interski organisers have forwarded onto us costings on the land content, and we are waiting to see what “Korean Airlines” can offer for supporters.

What a year it was at Hotham in 2005. We had new owners in MFS, new uniforms from Karbon, every type of weather you could imagine and an almost new management team at the Snowsports Centre.

And, believe it or not, it was a great season with a very seamless transition of ownership and management.Whilst the snow was generally pretty good, the instructors should be congratulated for their dedication to our profession in such variable conditions.

Chris Simm performed admirably in his new position as TD/supervisor, and with his great team of trainers kept up a fairly high pass rate for 4

Spring 2005

If anyone is interested, please contact either Andrew, Claire or myself for information. Expressions of interest would be appreciated

by March 2006.

Our last board meeting was held in Canberra in early October, to coincide with the Ski Industry Association trade show.We found this to be a successful move, as it put us in the same place as all the ski industry representatives (importers and wholesalers) at the same time.

Our goal was to establish contacts with suppliers, and as such there was a lot of interest shown in suppliers putting their products on our web site as pro deals. So hopefully next season look out for an expanded range of products in the shop.

We also looked at some additional merchandise items for members next season.

Whilst on the website, we will be doing a lot of work on it over summer so that it can be used to its full potential. If there is ANYONE out there who has the expertise in website design and maintenance, it would be great to hear from you.

Please contact either Claire or myself (maloha@bigpond.com).

HOTHAM HAPPENINGS

Nigel Mills Hotham candidates. Even the new CC went smoothly with a 100 per cent pass rate, and great feedback from the candidates as to the new format. We hope that all those who visited Hotham for their exams had a great time and enjoyed their stay with us.

I would also like to thank the team at the Kids Snowzone: Amanda Brown (welcome back),

To all of the following a very big thank you: Our Board members for the effort you have put in during the year; our mountain representatives take on some huge jobs over winter ensuring membership, course exam and merchandise information is getting out to our members, as well as ensuring clinicians and examiners are looked after; to the Technical Directors for the passion and commitment shown; also the tech committees who help shape the future of instructing; the trainers and examiners for effort contributed, sometimes under trying circumstances; and last but not least Claire and Andrew.

We really are fortunate to have these two as employees.

I hope you all enjoy your rest and relaxation before starting your next adventure. My break was very short and I am now back at sunny Mt Buller with a very busy summer building ahead.This year’s surf trip has been postponed, unfortunately, with an extra long one planned for Indo after next winter.

Hope to see you all back next year.

Regards, Tony Smythe

Paul Newcommen and Meryn Morgan for their professionalism and commitment to the program. Thanks also to Mike Diver for his dedication to Hotham over the past 17 seasons.

For those of you who do not know (there would not be many), we would also like to congratulate Alischa and Jeremy Handley on the birth of their first child Mia Jane, and Bianca Murray on her marriage in the USA. I hope everyone has a safe, enjoyable and prosperous winter/summer, and I look forward to seeing everyone back at Hotham in 2006.

What a wet season. Snow, rain and wind.Ah, the wind – hope you still have your roof on! And we had our second child at home this winter during a ripper of a storm, the same night Falls Creek received a direct lighting hit that took out many electrical appliances.We had a little girl called Arana.Arana and her big sister Acacia have already been spotted skiing it up at Falls Creek.

This season probably set an alltime record for the number of candidates participating in telemark courses and exams.We had 39 candidates do courses and 19 candidates sit exams. Of course, this season saw the introduction of the telemark Level 1 cross-over course, and this helped bolster our numbers.

TELEMARK NEWS

To n y Ke e bl e These courses were offered at all resorts. Mt Buller and Falls Creek ran telemark cross-over courses this year.

I’d like to thank the ski schools and their respective directors from both areas who freed up the telemark trainers so they could run in-house training for the candidates.Thanks to Danny M. at Buller, Pete S. and Roberto I. at Falls Creek for running the courses. Hopefully next season we will see more ski schools and instructors completing the cross-over course. If you are an instructor and

would like to do a cross-over course in 2006, make sure you let your APSI Mountain Rep know, and then they will take it from there. Doing a cross-over course is a great way of achieving your second discipline for your ISIA stamp.

At the start of the season we had two Level 1 courses running, one at Falls Creek and the other at Perisher Blue. Many thanks to the Mountain Reps and Ski School directors at both resorts – your continual support is warmly received.And Peter Sheridan, if you are reading this, you owe me a dozen for waking you up that morning!!! Um let me see, a couple of free passes to kids ski school for my kids in 2006 ought to do it (kidding).

Below are some photos taken at the Falls Creek Level 1 exam.

As well as the courses and exams, the telemark trainers have been trying to make a telemark instructional DVD. It is halfway completed at this stage. So watch this space (if we could only get Steve away from his love interest in Jindy).

If you were on a course this year or on previous years, or have a question regarding the telemark courses, then please don’t hesitate to contact me via the APSI web page.

The telemark Level 1 candidates at Falls Creek, early July 2005.

Enjoy the summer or northern winter. For me it is time for the shorts, burping Arana and planting trees on our new block.

As Graham says – Ski you later, Tony Keeble

Tony presenting Jarrod Paine with his Level 1 certificate. Jarrod topped the class at the Level 1 telemark at Falls Creek, early July 2005.

Alpine Level 3 Candidates on course @ Mt Hotham Spring 2005

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Well, I hope everyone had a good season! For us, at least, it was a season of variable snow conditions, with great riding in September and other times where we were down to just snowmaking areas.The amazing thing was that, despite the considerably poorer snow conditions, the Snow Sport School total teaching hours did not vary from last year and everyone stayed busy.

This year we had a strong crew, made up of internationals and locals.

M T B AW B AW REPORT

James Ko r n w e i b e l

Congratulations to all the guys who work hard on their training and those who went to exams.

One of the highlights down here at Mt Baw Baw this season was the Pond Skimming Championships.

It was held on a perfect 20 degree day in late August, and the 15-metre pond, DJ, BBQ and huge turnout made for a great event.The aim of the game was to make it across the pond without getting wet, with extra prizes for tricks across the water.

Heaps of prizes were up for grabs with thanks to the sponsors, without which the event wouldn’t have been possible.

The summer here is gearing up to be big one, with a range of events planned throughout. One of the events is a Mountain Boarding Competition, with a date TBA, which will be held down tube park with shaped burns and jumps. So if you are not heading OS, and are getting the itch to get back on the board, come down and go for a ride.As I will be having the first summer in a while, I can see myself out on the mountain boards quite a bit – trying to scratch the itch!

Have a great summer/ winter and see you next year.

James Kornweibel

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Spring 2005

“How do experienced instructors combine or link the tools provided to them in the new APSI alpine teaching manual to create an exceptional guest experience?”

W

e obtain many things on the pathway to becoming an experienced instructor: little sections of knowledge which, when applied to the correct part of someone’s lesson, can hopefully result in a great learning experience. Our new manual has expanded sections on biomechanics, adaptive teaching, professionalism, teaching and technical concepts, just to name a few. However, does X number of years experience in teaching skiing guarantee we are delivering an exceptional guest experience every time? Wading through the body of knowledge in our certification studies, we soon come to realise there is a way of practically linking these pieces of information together to help us deliver the best possible experience every time.

The chapters of our manual present to us the concepts needed to obtain the certification that will hopefully lift us above the poverty line. At the end of it all, the pieces of the “APSI puzzle” can seem random and useless - unless we step back and look at the way the puzzle makes that ultimate picture.

The adage “old terrain, new skill” is applied to the way we teach our guests something new based on something they already know. The new manual allows us to progress through the certification pathway in much the same way. From previous employment or life experiences we have our knowledge of how we deal with people. At Level 1 we build on this with the study of customer service, by discovering who our customers are and what they want. We link this with

professionalism by learning about requirements on our appearance, punctuality, how we communicate and how to stay motivated to continually improve on ourselves.

Next, we apply to this the teaching concepts of skiing: How our guests learn, and how to adapt our teaching style to accommodate different learners. Joined onto this is The Nine Lesson Essentials, the structure for which we introduce ourselves, identify the students’ motivation, and methodically present The Progression. Partnered with the Movement Analysis System and the Technical Concepts of skiing, we discover where the cause of the skiing problem lies and the most effective way to resolve it.

These ingredients of an instructor’s initial training could provide the corner pieces for the “APSI puzzle”.

These things are not a routine we learn to run past every student we teach. All the pieces separately seem like a puzzle, but in retrospect they make the sketch of the picture, which represents the ultimate guest experience.

But how do these pieces link together? Just like a jigsaw puzzle, we embark on a building exercise where we can expand our knowledge in infinite dimensions by stepping back, looking at the overall picture, and realising how each new piece of information flows from something we already know. All of a sudden the hole in the middle of the puzzle gets smaller and smaller.

skiing skills becomes more intense and complete as we add onto our initial learning. Teaching children adapts itself from the teaching of adults. Once we see how the picture fits together we can use these tools more comprehensively to teach our guests. We become a more complete and efficient package with a more effective set of systems with which to teach skiing.

How does this translate to our guest? They want to be kept safe, have fun, and learn something relevant in an efficient manner, to the point where they can feel a difference in their skiing. An experienced instructor will interpret and communicate the concepts in the manual by blending their universal knowledge and not just their skiing skills, becoming better equipped to deliver the experiences that our guests will travel for.

The completion of the portrait may be never-ending. Branching out to other disciplines, taking on Level Three, or specialising in other aspects of the industry are your options during your stay in the world of ski instructing. When we can join knowledge from our previous studies with further learning, we will directly increase our personal potential to keep our guests laughing and learning.

Demelza Clay

Advanced progressions flow from the understanding of beginner progressions. Knowledge of the

Spring 2005

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“How do experienced instructors combine or link the tools provided to them in the new APSI alpine teaching manual to create an exceptional guest experience?” efining your guest experience and the emotions you want to evoke is critical to building a great guest experience. Exceptional guest experiences do not just happen, they must be carefully designed and developed – and effectively supported, delivered and managed. You can break down the guest experience into controllable chunks and offer a method on how each of these elements can then subsequently be managed. The experience must be kept compelling, relevant, and unique; building knowledge with every interaction, so that future guest interactions are more personal and more valued. This then becomes tailored and relevant to the individual - both the lesson and service solutions offered, and the ways of delivering it.

manage an exceptional guest experience.

Skiing provides the rush of adrenaline as you carve turns, jump off a tabletop, glide down black bumps or launch out of the pipe.

The scenery is breathtaking, the air is clean, it feels good and time seems to pass seamlessly. Skiing allows you to express yourself, and provides an addictive quality – but above all, it allows a certain freedom to involve yourself in the moment and forget all your worries.

Skiing, therefore, inherently touches all your emotions.

A sound knowledge of the progression, and the delivery system for it, (the nine lesson essentials) can start you off in the right direction. Add to this a massive toolbox of drills, exercises and mini progressions to help achieve a skiing goal. But is this all? No.

D

As teachers, we need to facilitate our passion and drive for the sport to provide an inspiration, and then permit ourselves to share this with all who turn up to our lessons.

At this point I come back to the question of what is an exceptional guest experience? Luckily enough the APSI produced a new manual over summer. In it there are some great suggestions on how to carefully design and develop and effectively support, deliver and 8

Spring 2005

In the introduction of the new manual, Andrew Rae writes: “If the experience was positive and touched them in a way that reached all their emotions, that then makes the experience unforgettable.

Unforgettable experiences are the ones that make people wish to try something again and then want to make it a part of their lifestyle.”

This should be enough reason to strive to provide the guest with the best of you.

To create an experience where this is achieved is not easy and takes practice. Experienced instructors know they have a lot of tools at their disposal and are more skilled at the art of identifying the missing link and implementing it.

Some tools to use can be as simple as displaying good teaching traits, such as empathy, patience, humility, ability to motivate or understanding different teaching tactics. They can also become more complicated tools to embrace, for example by studying how people learn and phases they need to pass through to become aware of changes in their skiing skills. Sports psychology is also another important tool at your disposal.

At this stage, it is vital you add some sound customer service knowledge. This is one of the biggest areas to help you mould the experience to be truly exceptional.

Customer service is a science unto

itself, and a very big commitment on your behalf. Several keys areas must be addressed.

Finding out what your customer truly would like to achieve is an excellent start. For this to happen you must ask lots of questions in a short period and have the courage to actively listen to the answers. Ask yourself what you learnt from your guest today by just listening to them on a chair ride. How will you use that tomorrow? Some interesting things I have learnt from my guests this year include: • One metre is like a giant footstep. (3 year old child) • Perisher Blue is called Perisher Blue because when you take your goggles off every thing is blue!! (6 year old child) • Caltex produces the best petrol on the market at the moment.

(45 year old, engineer) • Katie Holmes is going to receive 5 million dollars when she marries Tom Cruise. (50 year old professional makeup artist) Are these facts going to change the world? No, but they were all important to my guests at the time I learnt these! At that magical point where the information was shared with me the guest truly had opened up enough for me to then learn more about them as a person and how they share, give and receive new information. Understanding what the guest is bringing to the experience is important. Learning to adapt to your guest’s world can help you to see the world as they do. All of these can help you the instructor to explain new concepts.

Most importantly it can give you an idea on how to present new concepts to your guest.

Continued on page 9

continued from page 8

Next on the customer service checklist is your attitude. Your attitude to life and work can also make or break your guest’s day.

As you wake up each day you can make a choice. Life will throw little challenges to you as you get ready to go to work, make your way to work and arrive at work and it does not stop there. The power to choose your attitude is in you. The power to smile like you mean it, is in you - choose it. Don’t lose track of the moment where you start to make an exceptional guest experience by having a positively infectious good attitude.

And if your attitude takes a downward dive, ask yourself if a bad attitude is worth it. Use this challenge: Rate your “positive attitude breakers” on a catastrophe scale. Work out what rates as a class 10 catastrophe and what rates as a class 1 catastrophe in your own life. When you next work on a rainy day, is it a class 10 or class 1? Then ask, is it really worth the effort of a bad attitude, or is it worth risking a good attitude? You can’t change the weather and you can’t change the fact you are working - but you can decide

In Thredbo this season, we had Nick Willy breaking the world record for non-stop skiing (eight days – I do not know about you guys, but I am ready to get out of my boots after six or so hours).We also had Paul Lorenz top the Level 3.Well done Paul, you not only went Level 1 to Level 3 in three consecutive years but you topped the Level 2 and the Level 3.

Staying on that note, I would like to congratulate all the candidates who passed their exams. If you were not so lucky on the day, don’t be deterred from the process. Keep going with it and remember, if you do your best, then that is all you can do. No one can ask more of you.

between being wet and miserable or wet and loving life. It comes down to a choice made by you.

A wise person once said, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down”. With this in mind a bit of humour can help create a more relaxed environment that is conducive to learning. So laugh, live and learn. Enjoy the spectacular day ahead. Laugh until you cry. Lose your inhibition, dance like a monkey up a tree. There is a moment of truth ahead and when it’s all said and done, are you still having fun? Are you giving a spoonful of sugar with the learning you’re providing?

Now what about the little guests, the children? The manual gives a guideline on how to provide an exceptional guest experience by implementing the learning A, B, Cs: Safety, Fun and Learning. Combine this with Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and a clear understanding of the child development chart and you’re laughing. All of this provides a starting point to plan the experience.

Finally, what if the next student who left your class thought the following: “What an amazing time and I learnt so much. The teacher and I took a challenge and so together we grew,

THREDBO REPORT

Jeremy Va l e n c o u r You all may remember Sean talking about the improved Friday flats area, in the autumn issue of SnowPro.The changes could only make our lives as instructors easier.

It certainly did that and more – it seemed as if the whole beginner area in Thredbo more than doubled. Our wombat world was a hit with the young and old who wanted to learn about the terrain park features and etiquette, but did not want or were

learnt to be aware of the differences between before and after. Together we practiced, experimented and refined a feeling. My teacher allowed me to laugh and relax; yet kept the intensity up so I did not waste a single second. I learnt to make tactical and technical decisions with faith and not fear, and believe in my newfound skills. I truly felt they cared about my progress and never let me think any less. I cannot wait to come back for my next alpine adventure.”

That sounds like an exceptional alpine experience.

Now, what are you waiting for?

Create the next exceptional alpine experience yourself.

Remember, when you’re creating this experience link the previously mentioned tools into the blend.

Be informed about what you are teaching, present it in a manner that can be learnt and understood by your guests. Display good customer service and communication skills, ask the right questions and above all make them feel important, by actively listening to what they tell you. Finally, let your good attitude permeate through their day.

Heidi Peirce

not able to go to the other terrain parks on the hill.Wombat world had the perfect sized boxes for the novice freestyler. It is never too early to teach someone how to act in terrain parks.

Well, one more winter under our belt, and many more to come.

I suppose a lot of you are going to head for the northern hemisphere winter, just like myself. So remember there are no friends on a powder day. If you are not having another winter in the northern hemisphere, then please visit the beach – if not for you then for me.

See you all next year, Jeremy Valencour Spring 2005

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Overall Season This season just couldn’t decide if it was going to be great or an absolute disaster... so it constantly headed towards one then the other.

In the end, it was at best mediocre.

We had as much rain as we did snow, yet on a few days the snow quality and cover was fantastic. However, consistent is not a word to describe season 05 at Mt Buller.

The season played havoc with numbers in ski school.A lot of regulars didn’t show the commitment they normally would have and it affected ski school numbers at times.

The Masters program I ran dropped from over 60 season members last year to below 30.

It also made it difficult at the start of the season for a lot of the parttime rookies, who had just done the hiring clinic, to get work – although this lack of worked helped them get training time later in the year.

Buller again hosted the Vic Interschool, the biggest skiing event in Australia, and did a brilliant job through both the rain and the shine the week offered.We had perfect conditions for the World Cup Aerials.

Mt Buller provided all the Snowsports School with new uniforms, which actually were waterproof, and tried to enforce a uniform policy for us all to wear these awful black beanies.The Austrians lead the charge of rebellion, and before solidarity could become a factor, ski school management realised they were never going to win and turned a blind eye.

All in all there was a great vibe in the Snowsports School this season, and despite the marginal conditions at times, the beer at Kooroora was always perfect!

Trainers Co-Ordination/ Rookie Tryout It was great hosting the Trainer Co-ordination at Buller this year.

La Trobe University is a great venue

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Spring 2005

BULLER BANTER

Simon Lock

otherwise selection would have been difficult.We had some real standouts this year that will hopefully be with us for many years to come.

General Election As you would be aware, my writing this report is as the result of the general election at Mt Buller for a new APSI mountain rep.

for these things and it gave everyone the opportunity to see the new $1M investment made into the kids ski school.

This was the first Trainer Co-ordination I had attended and it reinforced in my mind what a professional organisation we are.

Congratulations to all involved in running it. Hopefully Buller can host these days again in the future.

Annual General Meeting Attached to the Trainer Coordination was the Annual General Meeting, which was attended by a good cross-section of the membership. It was great to see the competition for the Nordic position on the board, with two great candidates and a very close ballet.

It was also brilliant to see El Presidenta being coached from the back seat by Kerry Lee in the rules of a board meeting.

Hiring Clinic All Mt Buller APSI trainers, Richard Haslau, Richard Ross and myself, along with Tony Smythe, were all trainers at the in-house hiring clinic.This is a great way to introduce new instructors to our organisation in not only our training methods, but also in the level progression through the APSI training.

The first weekend we had no snow and had to focus on a lot of theory. In the end, this actually turned out better students, as we were more able to coach them in teaching techniques and the progression.

Thank God we could see them ski on the second weekend,

Three people nominated and there was even lobbying in the ski school meeting place with Vote For Me banners and various locker room posters.About 100 instructors/ members turned up to vote, which was really cool. It showed that there is real interest and passion in what the APSI is doing.

There was some healthy debate and speeches by the candidates and questions from the floor. In the end I got the nod, and Heather Little agreed to help me with everything during the season.

Without Heather’s help the APSI would not be as effective as it is at Mt Buller, and I’d like to give her a big vote of thanks for all her administration support and coordination with Claire.

APSI Courses @ Mt Buller A number of APSI courses were run at Mt Buller with the full support of the Snowsports School.All tickets and facilities were made available and I believe the mountain did everything it could to ensure the success of these courses.

Merchandise and Training Manual Sales Thanks to Heather Little, the process of ordering/purchasing and distributing APSI merchandise and manuals went smoothly. In the early part of the season Heather made herself available after skiing on Saturdays to sell manuals and that made it easy for everyone.Again, thanks to Heather.

Continued on page 11

Buller Banter continued from page 10

In-resort Training

Andy Rae Visit Great to have Andy visit the resort and spend some time with trainers and candidates.You just can’t get enough of this.As a rookie trainer this year and now qualified at Level 1, I feel more time should be put into training the trainers. It would be great to see if Andy can spend more time in the resorts, or if a mid-season training the trainers camp could be held.The day before the Level 1 and II exams this year at Hotham was brilliant as we all got a day’s skiing in with some demo team members and Level 111 trainers. Brilliant – we need more of it.

This is where we have the biggest room for improvement at Mt Buller.

In my opinion, two major changes need to happen.The APSI, the President and the Mountain Rep need to lobby the Snowsports School Director for more attention and dedication to be put into in resort training.The results for Mt Buller in exams this year were disappointing, and without a greater focus I don’t think we are going to see improvement in the near future.

At present, we don’t have any APSI Level 3 trainers in the resort, and our trainer co-ordinator is not linked to the APSI.This is a problem.

We have two guns – Richard Ross and Richard Haslau – and they need

to be fast tracked to Level 3 trainers and proposed to ski school management as trainer coordinators.

I now take Level 1 training and can keep pushing the crew through, however we need more strength at the top and direct connection to the APSI. This is the basis of on-going conversations at the moment, and I will update the board on any progress.

Thanks to Claire Like everyone else, I’d like to thank Claire and apologise for being late on everything she asks me to do.

Sorry and thanks.

Simon P Lock, Mt Buller Mountain Representative, APSI

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Spring 2005

11

I still remember the first time I ever learnt anything about the snow.

I was three years old and my mother was trying to teach me how to do a snowplough at the bottom of Smiggins Holes. I was completely fascinated by the chairlift and wanted desperately to be able to ride on it with my older sister.After a good hour or so of my mum pulling her hair out, trying to get me to listen, she finally gave in to my requests and let me go up the chair with my sister. I remember getting up the top and copying my sister.

I followed her down the slope in a tuck with my poles behind me.

It wasn’t until I got close to the bottom and was going scarily fast that I started thinking about how I was going to stop. It was then that I wished I had listened to my mother.

I crashed in a pile at the bottom and resolved then and there that I loved skiing and also from now on I might listen when it comes to learning how to improve.

Well, what could we really expect after the last couple of seasons?

The snow this year wasn’t plentiful.

However, we had enough to get us through and to keep most people on the hill busy enough, in what turned out to be a textbook “average” Aussie ski season.

With reports that we had over 750mm of rain during the season, I guess it is fair to say we did alright snow-wise.

This season our snowsports school employed more people than ever, and we had our biggest year not only in the school, but also generally around the hill, with excellent visitation statistics.

The APSI exam results included some great efforts by our crew attempting Level 3 Alpine, including two passes on first attempt (well done goes to Josh Toole and Evan Gilhome) and mixed success in other 12

Spring 2005

SODERGREN SCHOLARSHIP 2004 RECIPIENT REPORT

Ta r e e s a Straatmans I was fortunate enough growing up just 40 minutes from the snow, so I got to spend heaps of time in the snow as a kid. From Year 3 up to Year 11 we spent every Wednesday in the snow for school sport and we managed to get another few days here and there for competitions.As a kid, I remember looking up to my instructors at Perisher and resolving that when I grew up I wanted to be just like them and spend my life in the snow.

At the age of 16 I was fortunate to be taken in by Christine Cantrell at Mt Selwyn, teaching kids to ski and snowboard. I worked for Mt Selwyn for two seasons and was absolutely hooked. I loved working in the snow, being able to snowboard and ski every day, and the satisfaction you get from

FA L L S C R E E K REPORT

Pe t e Sheridan levels of alpine, snowboard and tele.

The telemark cross-over course was run with great success (thanks to Roberto) and hopefully we can run the same course again next year.

The new levels of management in the lift company have completed what could only be described as a very dynamic and pro-active first season, with rumours abound at the end of the season about possible changes to lifts, snowmaking and other improvements to the ski area.

I have had it confirmed to me by John Schryver, CEO of the lift company, that they have actually been talking to the Ecosign company about engaging them to put together a masterplan for the ski area, so stay tuned!

teaching people was excellent. It was at Mt Selwyn that I was first introduced to the APSI. I remember talking with Phil Thamidjas who was the Technical Director back then, and he asked me what I wanted to do within the industry. I replied that I wanted his job, not that I had any idea what that actually entailed. I did conclude then, however, that I wanted to get fully certified in snowboarding. Being only 17 I was told I wasn’t old enough to sit exams, and it wasn’t until 2003 and first season teaching at Perisher that I was able to sit my Level 1.

I have since then obtained my Level 2 in snowboarding and been introduced to a wealth of knowledge about skiing and snowboarding.

From my first experience with the APSI I was impressed by the skill of knowledge and riding that the examiners and trainers within the APSI possess.

Tareesa Straatmans, 2005 Sodergren Scholarship Recipient

The future looks bright at Falls with some exciting development planned, including the Slalom Plaza project.This project promises to be very exciting, entailing about 56 residential units, various retail and community spaces linked together to provide a seamless gateway for day visitors to the resort.

Although still in the planning referral stage, it is hoped that construction will commence this summer and will be staged over three consecutive summer building seasons.

Now, I guess, is the time that most of us start to consider our plans for summer (or winter, as the case may be). I will soon be planning my day around waves, tee off times and happy hours overlooking the water before heading off for a northern winter – hoping your time is as enjoyable.

Pete

Winter 2005 skiing for me ended on 27 September. It was a half day’s training with Tim Robertson, who was unable to attend the earlier official Demo team training.

ALPINE REPORT

We were at the top of Anton’s t-bar in Thredbo standing on the last patches of snow, reminiscing about the past few weeks of exams.

Let me recap some of the highlights: a foot of snow fell for the start of the Victorian exams, straight after one of the most interesting National Level 3 exams I have ever been involved in.

There was rain, disappearing snow and lift closers at that exam – all of which were simply a reflection of how the whole season panned out.

Sadly the weather is something that I do not have any control of, but I am sure all those involved in courses and exams this season would agree (even considering some of the conditions) that the trainers did a great job. For that I thank each and every one of them.

To all those who participated in courses and exams this season, I also thank you for willingly partaking in the further development of your skills. I know it may not have been as good a snow as we have had in the past, but take a look on the bright side – “we have had worse”.

The technical committee and I are continually looking at ways of improving the overall product of what is provided at courses, in an effort to uphold an international standard of which we can all be proud.

As a result, one of the biggest improvements this year for the Alpine system was the introduction of the mid-season CC exam, something that had the approval of 99.9% of candidates (all of whom agreed that ‘it was a more relaxed format and a nicer introduction into the world of instructor training’).

For the association and the resorts the benefits were just as rewarding; new instructors this season were

Andrew Rae being trained earlier than ever before and all were gaining the much needed grounding of kids’ specific teaching skills.

Further developments are always on the cards so keep an eye on the website and the next Snowpro edition for updates or changes to other courses for season ‘06’.

Exam results this season were good, the only weak trend that I could track was in teaching, something that we will have to address next season at the trainers’ coordination.All those who received a pass at any level should be included in this edition of the Snowpro.A very solid standard was observed at the CC and Level 1 group in particular, which can be partially attributed to the change in the course format as well as your talents. So to all – keep it up, stay with it and I hope to see you returning for other levels in the future.

Another highlight of the season was training your Demo team; the demo team is there for all members.

They are a group of people that the APSI can use to trial new concepts in skiing and teaching.After some training this is then tested on a world scale, at Interski.This group is then expected to bring back some new innovations from other countries combined with their own theories, so that our system can evolve and benefit all of us.

A fundraiser was included as apart of the August training session at Thredbo.The format was a fun race, team auction and silent auction of graciously donated products.The fundraiser will now become an annual event to help raise funds to send your team to Korea in 2007.

All members and their guests are welcome to join in on what was a great weekend of racing, bidding and drinking with instructors and guests alike.

Over the season I noted the ups and downs felt by candidates, trainers and Demo team members as they attempted to improve and reach their goals. I feel that experiencing these highs and lows are simply a part of learning; we all need to go through it, if we care about where we are going.

I really think this happens to all of us.To help clarify what I mean, let me give you an example of the career highs and lows of one APSI trainer.These are simply written in point form and it is up to you, the reader, to imagine what sensation this person was going through at each step of their journey.

• Started teaching skiing at age 21.

• First lesson was read out to the group from a pocket note pad borrowed from another instructor • Selection to the NSW state demonstration team was achieved before passing level one.

• Topped the NSW level 1 exam • 2nd season missed out on making the national demo team • Topped NSW level 2 exam • 3rd season received a resit in teaching at level 3 • 4th season passed resit with a mark of 8/10 Over the following seasons: • Became a rookie trainer/examiner • Represented Australia as a national demonstration team member • Became a trainer for level 3 T&D in a very short time Continued on page 14

Spring 2005

13

Alpine report continued from page 13

• Was not allowed to take a level 3 F&R because the technical director thought skiing ability was not aggressive enough • Next season topped the national Demo team tryouts with high scores in all aspects, including free skiing.

Another season has come and gone, with some very good sliding and some not so good.

This trainer is still involved in the APSI training system and I am sure that the emotional roller coaster that they went through has been very rocky, but I also believe that the many lows have been a major contributing factor and motivator for each of the following highs.

DISABLED ADAPTIVE REPORT

Thredbo again was extremely busy, with no rest for all the instructors involved. Huon Lemercier had a great team including Robbie, Kenton, Stefan,Amelia, Pete, Shane, Rick and the many others.Thank you from the Thredbo Snowsports School, the Department of Sport and Recreation and myself.You all did a fantastic job.

Graeme Morris

As well as all the organised groups,‘Sport and Rec’ and the Thredbo Snowsports School had lots of ‘hop-ins’,‘roll-ins’, through private bookings.

but alas he has fallen to the real world. I wish him all the best of luck for his future, and welcome Alan Davis in to fill the shoes.‘Fluff’ does have big feet!

Smiggin Holes was also very busy.

‘Fluff’,Alan, Mick and the rest of their team do a great job over there.

‘Fluffy’ once told me he was a ‘lifer’

I’ve had several instructors enquiring about a Level 2 Disabled/Adaptive exam.At the moment it is a possibility for next

Successful Adaptive/Disabled Level 1 Candidates 1st

Charley Phelan – Mt Hotham

2nd

Bridget Dean – Mt Hotham Another in the long line of the Dean family... starting with Nick.... circa 1975ish!

3rd

Mick Finnegan – Mt Hotham

Rookie Examiner

Chris Cochrane – Mt Hotham

Thank you to Dean Shepherd for all his hard work in Victoria.

1st

Stefan Muller – Thredbo

Equal 2nd

Kenton Williams – Thredbo

Equal 2nd

Ralf Meijer – Mt Selwyn

3rd

Alan Davis – Smiggin Holes

4th

Mick Eyers – Smiggin Holes

Rookie Examiner

Huon Leerier – Thredbo

Any one of you may right now be at any point of a similar journey to this trainer, whether it is up or down. Having goals, as well as a true desire to teach, is probably what keeps us in the game and helps us move forward – slowly.

Andrew Rae

year, depending on demand. Let me know if you are interested on courtenaymorris@hotmail.com.

It will be a definite for 2007.

This season’s exams were held in NSW and Victoria, on the 18th of September.The Victorian exam was brought forward and the venue changed due to deteriorating snow conditions and lack of work towards the end of season. We’ll be looking at earlier dates for the exams next season. Please accept our apologies to anyone who was inconvenienced by the changes.

We have plans for training clinics in Baw Baw, Mt Buffalo, Falls Creek and Mt Buller early in the 2006 season.

Congratulations to all of the candidates and the Rookie Examiners. 2005 was the first year that we used Rookie Examiners.

We still need more in-house trainers at Mt Buller, Falls Creek, Blue Cow and Perisher to attend rookie training next season. If you are interested, please do not hesitate to contact me on: courtenaymorris@hotmail.com.

We hope you all have a great winter/summer, wherever you go.

See you all next year.

Kind regards, Graeme Morris

Remains of jumps summit Oct 15 14

Spring 2005

The end of the 2005 season has arrived, and what an interesting season it was. From the start there was a lot of the usual speculation of whether or not it was going to snow.

How quickly it changed in Jindabyne when 20cm fell across the town.

This season saw a huge change in the number of trainers and rookie trainers in the snowboarding ranks.

I would like to send out a big thank you to all the trainers this year for the amount of effort they put in this season.

When travelling from resort to resort this year it was clear that there were so many new instructors in the country, at all resorts. It was a good sign of things to come in the future.

I know that the results across the board this year were not the best.

I saw a lot of disappointed faces this year, not only candidates but trainers as well.The hard thing for me was that it seemed not to be in one area but across the board.The candidates were either having trouble in their teaching, or their riding, or their

SNOWBOARD REPORT

Jason Clauscen

theory. It was just such a mixed bag.

For those who didn’t get the results that they were after, try not to take it to heart, but take in on the chin.

Going through the exam process, especially for the first time, is tough.

Some of the best instructors and trainers in the industry have had their stumbles along the way, but when they get up and dust the powder off they have learned even more.

This year also saw the first Freestyle Certification in Australia, and boy was it tough.The course evolved over the two days and saw a third day added. I would like to thank the candidates who attended and helped set the standard for the certification.

Next year there will be a number of changes, not only to the courses but also the exams.The aim will be to maintain or raise the standard and also to clean up some of the content.

I would like to invite anyone who is interested in becoming a trainer, or who would like to see where the direction might be heading, to attend the trainers co-ordination at the start of the season. It is a great eye-opener into the APSI and the industry.

Also, for those interested in the Demo Team, there is a spot up for grabs and it will be decided at the co-ordination.

I would like to thank Thredbo for their support again this year, without which my job would be even harder.

I wish everyone a merry Christmas and a Happy New Year wherever you may be.

Be Safe, Jason

INTERESTED IN SOME WINTER FUN (AND WORK)….. APPLY HERE! Wilderness Sports operate the Nordic & Telemark Ski Schools within Perisher Blue with APSI certified Nordic & Telemark instructors.

With growth and increasing demand for professional instructors who specialise in these Snowsport skill areas we are inviting “expressions of interest” from prospective or currently certified APSI Nordic & Telemark Instructors. Additional staff are required to join our instructing team and further promote the sport and grow awareness of the fun and excitement possible.

We have part time positions available and casual opportunities exist at Events as well as the increasingly busy School holiday periods, Nordic Week and weekends. Additional employment opportunities exist in our and retail and hire store in Jindabyne through the winter season to supplement instructing income for the right people.

We invite dynamic instructors with a passion and excitement for the Nordic Snowsports to make contact with us for further details regarding the opportunities and joining our enthusiastic team.

Further training is encouraged and available from APSI Trainers in both Nordic and Telemark disciplines involved with our business. Equipment is provided when teaching and supplied via a number of equipment sponsorships.

Pro deals are also available on a range of levels.

Further information and details can be obtained from the Nordic & Telemark Ski School Director for Wilderness Sports: Bruce Easton 02 6456 2966 or via email: bruce@wildernesssports.com.au

Spring 2005

15

2005 – What a season. It was one where the ‘Cross Country’ part of Nordic skiing meant exactly that, and sometimes really meant ‘cross the rocks,‘cross the mud and ‘cross the grass. Still, the occasional hefty dumps did their best to repair the rain-affected snow in all resorts, and sometimes produced amazingly dry cold fine snow that had die-hard classical skiers reaching for the violet stick waxes. It was a season where good early machine packing and grooming and strategically placed snow fences had trails holding up to all but the heaviest deluges and warm westerly winds.

NORDIC REPORT

Wa r r e n Feakes

Courses and Instruction Judging by the response to 2005 courses, Nordic Ski instruction is in good shape.The greater percentage of Level 1 course and exam participants were from the education sector – both outdoor specialists and traditional school teachers. 2005 saw 23 new Level 1 instructors joining the ranks as well as five upgrades to Level 2 and two to Level 3.

It is interesting to see the number of Nordic Instructors who are attempting Level 1 or higher Telemark qualifications. Many people are still unaware that the term ‘Nordic Skiing’ includes the subdisciplines of Nordic Track Skiing (classical and skating disciplines), Nordic downhill skiing (XCD or cross-country downhill) which includes the Telemark progressions, and Ski Jumping (the Eddie the Eagle stuff).The first two instructional skills meld nicely as a package and give a Nordic instructor an enhanced ability to have a consistent workload at resorts where the Nordic trails are co-located with the lifted areas.This is a common situation in many overseas skiing areas, where it is more common to see the public comfortable with participating in more than one discipline during their skiing holidays.

It was gratifying to see Lake Mountain hosting courses and exams 16

Spring 2005

in 2005 despite the poor snowfalls.

Lake Mountain is the true ‘Nordic Nursery’ for Melbournians. In 2005, LM (Australia’s largest Nordic Ski School with in excess of 30 instructors employed this season) had over 70,000 visitors to the resort and almost 3000 Nordic lessons.

Interschools Interschools Nordic racing has matured in the last couple of years from something a little ‘odd’, to a mainstream competition. Perisher Valley Nordic area annually hosts two Regional Championships and one State Championship and the National Championships every other year.

Similar events are held in the Victorian resorts.These attract up to 200 competitors ranging from 7 to 17 years of age.The weeks leading up to these events represent a huge workload for Nordic instructors, and being outside the normal school holiday periods help balance the quieter periods. Standards of instruction that are required range from the very basic beginner lessons to full-on race coaching sessions with timing and video analysis.

Instruction extends to waxing advice and assistance, particularly for the more advanced skiers, and this attracts some enthusiastic parents –

some of whom end up as budding wax technicians.

Interschools present a challenge to the knowledge base of the Nordic instructor. Generally, the students who make the school Nordic team are all-round good sports performers and often accomplished Alpine skiers or Riders.As a result they are a pleasure to teach, but constantly keep in mind that these ‘Gen Y’ kids are super critical and particularly strong on the Visual and Kinaesthetic learning styles.A sound understanding of equipment and its preparation is needed and must be uncluttered by the Instructor’s personal preferences.Technique analysis and error correction need to be professionally delivered and consistent.Terrain analysis and resulting technique variations and transitions are essential skills to pass on as these young skiers strive for the small percentages that can win a team medal for their school.

Nordic Hint #24541 – Be calm and professional with the parent who arrives with little Johnny “Moguls Champion” and even littler sister Sarah “Snowboard Guru” and says:“They have to win the team classic as well as the skate relay tomorrow but they haven’t been on these skinny things before – you have an hour before they have to go to ‘real ski school’ – fix it!!

Mimicry and the Art of Nordic Instruction A recent ABC Radio presentation covered some neural excitation research conducted in the UK on Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Gen Yers.

In essence, the ‘Gen Y’ kid’s synapses lit up like Xmas trees when the visual end of the learning spectrum was proffered whilst the Gen Xers’ sort of glowed and the BBs’ merely spluttered.Apparently it is something to do with Xers being exposed to a variety of video screens from the moment of conception. Now, how can we make use of this phenomenon?

Continued on page 17

Nordic Report continued from page 16

One measure of a good instructor can be the ability to purposely ski with faulty technique, mimicking the errors of the student, then repairing the error during the demo showing the student how to correct it.

Although this demonstration technique is not easy to master, it is particularly suited to Nordic instruction where demonstrations and practice can be repeated quickly over the same piece of terrain.

Some important points to note when using this instructional technique are: • Isolate the student’s attention to one part of the anatomy at a time – eg “watch my left leg and how I change its position to get more drive”.

• As for all demonstrations, give the student different angles of view of the demo.

• Indicate clearly when you make the change – cones/flags are valuable.

• Get to the kinaesthetic bit before the student’s concentration lapses.

• Take care that the student doesn’t perceive the mimic to be jocular criticism.

Instructor Currency and Accreditation APSI Nordic/NCIS has maintained a comprehensive written record of instructor qualifications and currency that goes back to 1978.

There are over 1200 instructors entered in the book and congratulations to Keith Jephcott for having the oldest entry.The problem is that out of the 1200, only 55 retain currency of their accreditation until the end of 2005 and of these, only 38 retain accreditation extending into the 2006 season.After adding newly accredited instructors from 2005, this will take the 38 to close to 70.

I have completed an electronic database of the current 55 and the new graduates and will get it onto

the APSI website. Like all databases, it will not be perfect, so if there are any arguments or queries, please contact me. For the remaining 1140, I can readily provide your history of NCIS or APSI qualifications as well as a record of individual courses, exams, clinics etc.

Remember, anybody who previously held a qualification can regain accreditation by joining APSI and attending a recall. In some cases, such as older NCIS qualifications, submission of an exemption form may also be necessary.

A Nordic Communications Network Nowadays, the preferred method of communication for most is undoubtedly electronic.The APSI website will be one method where I will be able to disseminate information to the instructional and trainer world and I intend to keep this up to date where I can. I would, however, like to establish an e-mail listing of as many Nordic instructors as possible. I already have around 50 email addresses and need more.The limited Nordic E-News emails that I managed to get out this season gained a good response and encouraged constructive input to enable the decision-making processes to be more representative.

Many new instructors used email for submission of knowledge assessments. I found this extremely convenient - my email account is far more portable than my postal address. I hope to progress to marking assessments submitted electronically next season using ‘track changes’ and returning them to the student for review.

So my appeal is for your email address if you are interested in keeping up to date with the APSI Nordic world.A simple email to me at wfeakes@netspeed.com.au will put you on the address list. Of course, your privacy will be respected and I understand that some of you may not wish to be contacted in this way or

may wish to be removed from the list. Just let me know.

Outdoor Education Providers – A Personal but Researched Perspective My immediate predecessor, Bruce Wharrie, did an excellent job of encouraging Outdoor Education Providers in Victoria to refer to the APSI as the Peak Body for skiing skills and some skiing instructional skills. I cannot say the same applies for some providers in NSW, where activities I have observed might loosely be described as ski instruction. I am told that changes to liability insurance provisions will gradually encourage self-regulation and peak body referral by all providers. Meanwhile, I will continue to cringe every time I see a passganging (square-gaiting) outdoor ed ‘instructor’.

APSI Nordic instruction and instructor training slots into the Australian National Training Authority (NTA) Training Package SRO03 – Ski Touring SKT. On first viewing, the following serials (5 out of the 11) seem to be covered:

SROSKT001B Demonstrate basic cross country skiing skills SROSKT002B Ski tour in a patrolled environment to a basic standard SROSKT003B Demonstrate intermediate cross country skiing skills SROSKT006B Demonstrate advanced cross country skiing skills SROSKT011A Instruct cross country skiing skills I have some major concerns with the progressions outlined in these serials.As an example, free skating and two skating come under the basic skills serial whilst diagonal stride – a foundation skiing skill – does not appear until the intermediate skills serial.

Continued on page 18 Spring 2005

17

Nordic report continued from page 17

I am reliably informed that this NTA package, although subjected to external review, did not get much critical input. It is my intention to involve the APSI in the next review due in 2006.

Equipment – The ‘Hairy’ Base Classical Ski Anyone who has skied Nordic for the past decade will remember the ‘Chemical Base’ classical ski.There were a few variations but mostly they were known as the “never work” ski. Nordic racers will also be very aware of the value of a ‘hairy’ in some conditions where the grip zone of the ski is roughened with sandpaper and left dry to provide grip. Recently, a couple of manufacturers have brought skis onto the market that actually ‘work’ in Aussie snow which is fairly consistently around 00 C.The Peltonen ‘ZETA’ base has been around for a few seasons and works well in most conditions.The kick zone will ball-up in fresh dry snow unless it is kept clean and waxed. Use only a liquid wax like Swix F4 or the Holmenkoll or Toko equivalent on the kick zone and polish well to maintain these skis – this will not affect the mechanical action of the zone.A new Fischer classical ski for 2005 is the ‘ZERO”.The yellow kick zone has the feel of fine velvet and is maintained by gentle rubbing with 100 grade sandpaper every so often.

The zone must be kept free of wax, so cover it with tape when you glide waxing tips and tails and brushing in additives.These skis come with a warning that they are only suitable for snow conditions at 00 C but I have found them a little more forgiving than this and have regularly used them for instruction this season, particularly in higher end lessons.These skis are fast and flexible and my 192cm pair seems to work just as well for my wife who is 15 kg lighter than me.

18

Spring 2005

Future Plans The following thoughts are not necessarily mine, but result from a combination of comments, verbal and written, that I have accumulated over the past few seasons from fellow instructors and trainers.

I cannot attempt all these projects alone and like the adage “do a few things but do them well”.The result will depend on the input and I would appreciate any contribution, large or small, supportive or critical, that will help improve and raise the profile of Nordic instruction in Australia. Meanwhile,‘The Nordic Three Year Plan’ revolves around, but is not restricted to, the following:

Rewrite – The Australian Nordic Teaching Manual • With the introduction of the revised Alpine and Telemark Manual in 2005 the Nordic Manual seems even a poorer cousin.

I cannot see why Nordic needs a significantly different Professionalism and Teaching and Technical Concepts sections to those in the Alpine/Tele manual.

Sure, there needs to be a slightly different focus and different diagrams in places, but for consistency, it should be much the same as Alpine Sections 1 to 5.

• The Manual needs pictures and diagrams.

• The progressions need review.The issue of the dichotomy of Nordic track skills and Nordic downhill skills and how they fit progression needs examination for relevance to the Australian skiing demographic and environment.To this end, I am examining the Canadian Nordic Ski Instruction manual, and the PSIA and BASI equivalents. If I wanted to be controversial, I might suggest that Telemark fits more correctly in the Nordic Manual rather than in the Alpine Manual.Where would you put Alpine Touring if it became a discipline?

Production and Distribution – A Skills DVD

If Alpine and Telemark can do it – why can’t Nordic? Essentially we need an up-to-date video for training and consistency in skills marking.

I have seen the current video but believe we can do better with more recent filming and editing skills and tools that are available.

Review – The Red Book

Significant review is needed to simplify the Course Information Sheets and Trainers Guides and remove duplication.

APSI Input – Australian National Training Authority – Ski Touring

As already mentioned under Outdoor Education Providers above, the work already started needs to be continued.The role of APSI as the Peak Body needs to be reinforced nationally to maintain standards.

I have already received offers of assistance but can do with any help from anyone with an interest in this area of training.

Consultation Finally, I can try to achieve some improvements in APSI Nordic by myself but will do much better with input from instructors and trainers.

The basic goal is to raise the profile of Nordic Skiing, but underpinning this is to make improvements and changes that you – the instructors and trainers – want.The communication pathways are open, and you will never have a better chance to have your whinges, bitches and complaints heard, and where possible, acted upon.

I shall think of you all while I am pushing out the kilometres on the tracks at Les Saisies and Brusson in 2006.

Have a great summer.

Warren Feakes

APSI – ROOKIE TRAINER ASSIGNMENT Topic

The research

“How do experienced instructors combine or link the tools provided to them in the new APSI alpine teaching manual to create an exceptional guest experience”.

The questionnaires were handed out to alpine instructors randomly one lunch hour in the Perisher locker room. I realise there could be some bias toward instructors only having their lunch in the locker room.

Those that were providing a truly exceptional guest experience were probably at ‘Snow Gums’ for lunch.

Abstract It was found through questioning experienced instructors that the manual is used to pass APSI certification exams.Through passing exams, instructors complete a part of their development which helps in their ability to create an exceptional guest experience.

Introduction Given such a broad question as an industry related topic, I have chosen to go a little left-field in an attempt to define the topic – not from what I believe the answer to be but from what is a reality amongst the instructor fraternity.

To do this I created a questionnaire that asked instructors at Perisher Blue what their instructing experience was, whether they had used the new manual this year and, if they had, in what capacity.

My approach to this questionnaire was two-fold. Firstly, there is no question that a teaching manual is important in creating an “exceptional guest experience” for any instructor. However, the assignment topic asks whether it is the tools provided by the new alpine manual that go towards creating an exceptional guest experience.That led me to ask whether experienced instructors are using the new manual and, if they are, whether it is to pass exams or to improve their lessons.

For the purposes of this research I therefore proposed the hypothesis that: “The APSI Alpine Teaching Manual is primarily a reference text for the purpose of passing exams.”

Followed by the alternative hypothesis that: “The APSI Alpine teaching manual is a reference text used by instructors throughout their careers.”

Each question was designed to be simple and easy to answer.

In total, there were six questions with either a tick or circle to identify answers.The five questions took approximately 30 seconds to complete.

Groupings and Trends The six APSI level three instructors obviously were not sitting any exams, only one owned a manual, only two had used the manual this season and that was for the purpose of training other instructors for APSI exams.

Of the 13 APSI Level 1 and 2 instructors, nine (or 70 per cent) were sitting APSI exams this season – all of whom owned a manual and used it to help study for their exams. One of the other four owned their manual and used it to teach a better lesson. From the three that did not own manuals, one did not use it and the other two used it to update their knowledge.

The three rookies all owned a manual and used it to pass their exams.

One of the nine overseas instructors owned a manual and two (including its owner) have used it for interest.

Conclusion The results quite clearly support the hypothesis that:“The APSI Alpine Teaching Manual is primarily a reference text for the purpose of passing exams.”Therefore, the alternative hypothesis,“The APSI Alpine teaching manual is a reference text used by instructors throughout their careers”, can not be accepted.

The overwhelming trend was toward less use of the manual the more experienced the instructor.The fully qualified instructors did not actually use the manual at all unless they were trainers.

Discussion Having done the research and found that the manual’s primary use is to prepare instructors for their certification exams, I find it necessary to further define the manual’s purpose.The first question that springs to mind is why instructors put themselves through exams. If the manual’s use is to pass exams, then surely its presence has greater meaning if the benefit from obtaining a higher qualification can be determined.

The motivation to sit an exam could come from as many different angles as there are instructors to do them. Such motivations could include job status and recognition, through to survival in the industry due to the benefits of a pay increase.

However, surely it is the desire to teach a better lesson that constantly keeps us moving forward in our profession and ultimately decides our fate as a successful instructor.

Getting back to the original industry topic, (“How do experienced instructors combine or link the tools provided to them in the new APSI alpine teaching manual to create an exceptional guest experience”) it appears that experienced instructors use the tools in the manual to gain even more experience, in order to survive in the industry and gain a depth of knowledge that only time and experience can impart.

The manual in itself provides a basis or standard from which to work, giving all that study our system a common terminology and model from which to teach skiing.The exceptional guest experience can only come from all the instructors’ experiences of which the manual has some part.

Paul Speedy Continued on page 20

Spring 2005

19

APSI – Rookie Trainer Assignment continued from page 19

The Questions

Results

Question 1

Question 1

Which ALPINE Instructor qualification category would you consider yourself? (tick one box)

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Total:

6

13

3

9

31

(a)

APSI level 3

(b)

APSI level 1 or 2

(c)

First year instructor or CC

20% 42% 10% 28%

APSI level 3 APSI Level 1 or 2 rookies overseas

(d)

Overseas qualified

Question 2

Question 2

Yes

No

Total:

Have you been training for an APSI alpine exam this year?

12

19

31

YES

NO

Question 3 Do you own a copy of the new 2005 APSI alpine manual?

YES

NO

Question 4 Have you used the new 2005 APSI alpine manual this year?

YES

training for APSI exam this season not training for APSI exam

Question 3 Yes

No

Total:

15

16

31

48% 52%

own a copy of new manual do not own copy of new manual

NO

Question 4

Question 5 If yes what was the main reason for the manual’s use? (tick one box)

Yes

No

Total:

19

12

31

(a)

To update your knowledge

(b)

To help train other instructors

61% 39%

(c)

To help you pass an exam

Question 5

(d)

To teach a better lesson

(e)

Other

Question 6 If, (d) “To teach a better lesson” what section(s) in the (tick one or more manual did you use? boxes where appropriate)

20

39% 61%

have used manual this season have not used manual this season

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

1

2

12

3

manual manual manual manual

to to to to

5% 11% 67% 17%

used used used used

(b)

Section 2 – Teaching/technical concepts

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(c)

Section 3 – The Alpine Progression and exercises

1

4

5

2

(e)

Section 5 – History/Equipment/Environment

Spring 2005

18

Question 6

Section 1 – Professionalism

Section 4 – Specific Needs; Children, Disability

Total:

up date their knowledge help train other instructors prepare for exams teach a better lesson

(a)

(d)

(e)

8% 33% 42% 17%

(e)

professionalism teaching/technical concepts alpine progression and exercises specific needs

Total: 12

RESULTS RESULTS 2005

Alpine Children’s Certificate PASS:

Russell Adams Andrew Abercrombie Josefine Alex Deborah Allen Gerrit Anton Carly Ashmore Skye Baker David Ball Amanda Bevilacqua Michal Bierczynski Scott Birrell Georgia Blamey Andrew Blow Elizabeth Briggs Lyndall Brown Lee Bolton-Munro Nicolette Cassell Sarah Chen Ned Cockburn Tess Cook Karl Christian Megan Cussen Christopher Davey Nick Demopoulos Marc De Run James Doherty Joanna Dolriis Huw Dowdall Tim Edmeades Gemma Fitzpatrick Kelly Fuller Tim Gale Tanya Ganz Leon Gelbank Jemma Gibson Lea Gill David Green Hannah Gordon Nicholas Hand Campbell Harris Byron Heath Phillip Henning Courtney Hill John Homann Theresa Howson Ian Hubbard Robert Ives Luke Jackson Troy Jezewski Nick Jones

Ted Karlowatz Lisa Kirwan Adam Kowalewski Tim Lane Therese Linton Eva Martin Kerrie Mault Sarah Mansell Annie McCormack Gordon Moffat Tim Morcombe Zoe Neilson Mimmi Nikolaisen Alan Oakey Peter Pacers Ken Parker Callie Patrick Laura Pavlov Phillipa Peardon Andrew Peppard Joella Price Daniel Ranjel Kelsey Selfridge Margaret Sewell Melinda Small Chelsea Smith Murray Smith Warren Smith Suzanne Souillac Nikki Steggall Michelle Stevenson Evan Stilwell Liam Smithers Jane Stott Alex Stumpf Tennille Szymeczko James Taylor Rory Taylor Nathan Thompson Marteen Towse Melanie Trivett Jacqui Tsakmakis David Vincent Madison Waller Daniel Walter Sonya Walter Natalie Watt Pete Webster Michael Wieland Drew Wilson Nicole Wilson Peter Wohlfont Renee Wood Greg Zanchetta

Alpine Level 1 Jemma Barnes Michael Blackburn Michal Bierczynski Scott Birrell Georgia Blamey Caroline Brown Lyndall Brown Susan Burn Kim Carrington Nicolette Cassell Sue Chong Karl Christian Ned Cockburn Tessa Cook Marc De Run Joanna Dolriis Tim Edmeades Mick Eyers Michael Finnigan Gemma Fitzpatrick Kelly Fuller Tim Gale Hannah Gordon David Green Steve Guy Campbell Harris Rachel Haslau Philip Henning Courtney Hill Leanne Hillier Leah Howarth Theresa Howson Ian Hubbard Megan Inches Keenan Jensen Troy Jezewski Nicholas Jones Clare Kingston Lisa Kirwan Adam Kowalewski Tim Lane Therese Linton Mia Luciani Alissa Martelli Mark McInnes Rani Merkel Gordon Moffat Jake Molkentin Tim Morcombe Zoe Neilson Mimmi Nikolaisen Fiona Overall

Laura Pavlov Phillipa Peardon Andrew Peppard Rohan Reece Tim Rowley-Evans Jackson Rundle Kelsey Selfridge Melinda Small Warren Smith Suzanne Souillac Tahlia Stafford Nikki Steggall Evan Stiwell Jane Stott Georgina Taylor Nathan Thompson Jason Toh Loi Tran Jacqui Tsakmakis David Vincent Madison Waller Daniel Walter Sonya Walter Natalie Watt Nicole Wilson Kenton Williams Simon Young

Advanced Children’s Certificate Sara Akerblom Georgina Anic Chris Bellis Glenn Brain Steven Cannon Chris Cooper Tim Creak Chloe Cross Bridgit Dean Alan Davis Bridgit Dean Erin Dobell Gemma Ferris Glen Fisher Katrina Fraser David Furletti Shey Gers Melinda Giles Stefan Gosch Annelies Gray Kurt Hately Caitlin Jones Continued on page 22 Spring 2005

21

Results for 2005 continued from page 21

Katrina Kelly Andrew Lade Shannon Moir James Olsen Libby Phillips Adam Pope Charlie Showers Samantha Sidwell Matthew Smith Damian Stewart Georgina Taylor Ryan Watts Karl Veiss Andrew Wunderlich

Alpine Level 2 Sara Akerblom Georgina Anic Reid Ballingall Chris Bellis Glenn Brain Steven Cannon Chris Cooper Michael Crawford Tim Creak Alan Davis Gemma Ferris Katrina Fraser Lucia Glasse-Davies Michael Gray Stefan Gosch Caitlin Jones Katrina Kelly Andrew Lade Tom Langtry Colin Lester Andrew McKendry James Olsen Adam Pope Charlie Showers Samantha Sidwell Matthew Smith Damian Stewart Karl Veiss Ryan Watts

Alpine Level 3 Clayton Bartlett Alison Brewer Evan Gilhome Christian Hayes Anthony Hill Paul Lorenz Chris Paynter Mohan Rasiah Sam Speed

22

Pete Sheridan Julia Stahlhut Joshua Toole

Snowboard Children’s Certificate Amanda Andrews Laura Bannister Rosemary Bean Scott Bickle Alexander Brown Adam Burn Rebecca Casey James Durrant Adam Federico Megan Ferguson Travers Fowles Simon Fuhrmeister Sean Gannon Michael Gibson Christianne Gilbert Samuel Green Chris Greenhalgh Brad Griffiths Kate Hamer Luke Hawkins Nathan Hawkins Chanelle Hepplewhite Lisa Hutchinson Gari Jarmany Tobias Jeavons Wiki Jones Jayson Keenan Daniel King Aline Lange James La Salle Nikki Lee Andrew Lloyd Debbie Mason Megan McDermott Anika McLeod Paul McMahon Kim Mitchell Jonathan Newham Mark Nicholson Trent Olsen Bree-Anna Pearson Adrian Pelly Gemma Perram Jarrod Quinn Tom Richardson David Ripplinger Tom Robb Julia Ruthven Elise Savage Fern Shearer Josh Simon Adrian Sisaric Ben Sutherland

Spring 2005

Ben Tavener Andrew Terhell Scott Terry Thomas Toleman Scott Townsend Natasha Underwood Drew Wallis Scott Waymouth Gareth Williams

Snowboard Level 1 Alex Bargary Alexander Brown Adam Burn David Dunlop Adam Federico Justine Fitch Travers Fowles Glenn Craig Samuel Green Brad Griffiths Kate Hamer Jared Hughes Gari Jarmany Wiki Jones Jayson Keenan Aline Lange James La Salle Andrew Lloyd Ben Margitich Debbie Mason Megan McDermott Jonathan Newham Gemma Perram Bree-Anna Pearson Tom Richardson Amanda Scott Adrian Sisaric Ben Sutherland Andrew Terhell Scott Terry Thomas Toleman Scott Townsend Andrew Walker Drew Wallis Gareth Williams

Snowboard Level 2 Ken Bluett Jai Chesney Jim Cunningham Tim Failes Luke Gane Sam Gard Alex Haddock Sam Jenkins James Lloyd Paul Mason Dean Sampson

Aaron Savage James Shoard Daniel Wise

Snowboard Level 3 Michael Ward

Telemark Level 1 Stephanie Chan Andrew Close Stephen Curtain Rob Daniel Andrew Davis Chris Ernst William Fry Tom Gellie Jan Hu Mark Mason David McNiel Paul Nicholls Alan Oakey Jarrod Paine Emily Reader Brett Sargeant Stephen Sparkes Rob Speirs Stan Staugas Andrew Watts Yuling Yin

Nordic Level 1 Matthew McDonald Rod Stuart Nicholas Brown David Low Birch Behmann Chris White Rob Lans David Russell Ron James

Nordic Level 2 Elissa Page Louis Wycisk Zac Zaharias Kathy Zimmerman

Nordic Level 3 Warren Feakes

Australian Professional Snowsport Instructors Inc. Suite 11, 137 High Street Wodonga Victoria 3690 Telephone: 02 6056 0611 Facsimile: 02 6056 0622 Email: apsi@apsi.net.au Website: www.apsi.net.au

APSI MERCHANDISE ORDER FORM All products are available online at www.apsi.net.au Otherwise orders can be faxed to the office on 02 6056 0622 or sent to: APSI Suite 11 137 High Street Wodonga Vic 3690

Name

APSI membership#

Address

State Phone

Postcode

Email

PRODUCT

QTY Ordered

PRICE (inc GST)

Postage & Handling

TOTAL

Alpine Teaching Manual (2005)

$85

$12

$97

Snowboard Teaching Manual (2004)

$33

$8

$41

Nordic Manual

$22

$8

$30

of stock of L & XL, please contact the office to place order)

$75

$15

$90

T–Neck (Black or White) XS, S,M, L

$45

$10

$55

Hat (Black or Silver)

$15

$5

$20

APSI* Certification Pins

$11

$3

$14

ISIA Badges*

$11

$3

$14

Alpine Demo CD

$5.50

$3

$8.50

TOTAL

$

Fleece Jacket XS, S, M, L, XL

Size

Colour

(currently out

*Available to members only

PAYMENT DETAILS Please find enclosed cheque/money order for $ Credit Card Details:

or Please charge my credit card for $

■ Bankcard ■ Mastercard ■ Visa

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Expiry Date / /

Autumn 2005

23

APSI gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship of the following organisations

SnowPro is the official newsletter of the APSI. The views expressed in SnowPro are not necessarily those of the APSI. Please address all correspondence to: Australian Professional Snowsports Instructors Suite 11 137 High Street Wodonga VIC 3690 Phone: 02 6056 0611 email: apsi@apsi.net.au website: www.apsi.net.au