Great Learning Opportunity for Managers

By Gail Setlock

PSIA-E Alpine Examiner

Snowsports Management Committee Chair

To kick off each new season, PSIA-AASI Eastern hosts an annual Snowsports Management Seminar (SMS). The SMS is an opportunity for directors, managers, supervisors and trainers to participate in on-snow sessions, indoor sessions, a Town Hall meeting, an evening banquet, and more. Topics covered at SMS include updates and changes within PSIA-AASI. Attendees can also develop their personal skiing and riding skills, increase their knowledge of teaching children, adults, or adaptive students, network with others in management, ideashare, and much more. The seminar is an opportunity to learn what other snowsports schools are doing and to gather ideas to take home and implement in their own schools.

The Snowsports Management Committee meets throughout the late Summer and early Fall to develop the menu of sessions for the upcoming SMS that December. The SMS Committee is comprised of eleven directors and managers from all over the Eastern region. Committee members represent a variety of snowsports schools – large schools, small schools,

Mount Peter Ski Area

Mount Pleasant Ski Area

Mount Snow Adaptive

Mount Snow Resort

Mount Southington Ski Area

Mount Sunapee Resort

Mount Van Hoevenberg

New England Disabled Sports at Bretton Woods

Ober Gatlinburg

Okemo Mountain Resort

Peek’n Peak Resort

Pico Mountain

Plattekill Mountain

Powder Ridge Ski Area

Ragged Mountain Resort

Rikert Nordic Center

Roundtop Mountain Resort

Saddleback Mountain

Seven Springs Mountain Resort

Shawnee Mountain Ski Area

Ski Big Bear

Ski Butternut

Ski Sundown

Smugglers Notch Resort

Snowshoe Mountain Resort

Song Mountain

Stowe Mountain Resort

Stratton Mountain Ski Resort

STRIDE Adaptive Sports Program

Sugarbush Resort

Sugarloaf Mountain Resort

Sunday River Ski Resort

Thunder Ride Ski Area

Timberline Mountain

Trapp Family Lodge

Tussey Mountain

Vermont Adaptive at Bolton Valley

Vermont Adaptive at Pico

Vermont Adaptive at Sugarbush

Wachusett Mountain Ski Area

Waterville Valley Resort

West Mountain Ski Area

Whiteface Mountain

Whitetail Resort

Willard Mountain

Windham Mountain

Wintergreen Adaptive Sports

Wintergreen Resort

Winterplace Ski Resort

Wisp Mountain Resort

Yawgoo Valley adaptive schools, and schools from southern states all the way to northern Maine. In addition, SMS committee members also represent diversity as skiers and snowboarders, new to snowsports management and seasoned directors. Back by popular demand each year, the SMS has offered Movement Analysis (MA) sessions for skiers. While presentations vary from year to year, the MA presentations typically consist of an indoor morning session with videos to watch and discuss, and afternoon on-snow sessions to practice what was learned in the morning. These sessions are always popular, and they give attendees more knowledge and insight into Movement Analysis. We are hoping to offer a similar program for snowboarders at next year’s Snowsports Management Seminar.

At last winter’s SMS, changes in assessment format and assessment forms were reviewed for both skiing and snowboarding, so managers could take this home to share with staff preparing for exams.

The Snowsports Management Seminar is a great opportunity for folks in snowsports management to get together, share ideas, compare experiences, and learn about the variety of things to share with staff to help them improve as teachers and coaches. We hope you’ll join us next fall at the seminar to kick off your season. Our Snowsports Management Committee already met in early April while this season’s experiences were still fresh in our minds, to talk about ideas for next Fall’s Seminar – guaranteed to be the best ever. We look forward to seeing everyone next year at the 2023-24 Snowsports Management Seminar. <<