Slide into Winter

Kick off the season with this multi-discipline education fest. There will be something for instructors of Adaptive, Alpine, Snowboard, and Telemark. Certification Prep, Ski or Ride Improvement, elective clinics, and Train the Trainer are featured events. Come review the familiar, get introduced to the new, and get your education hours done early in the season. Find session details and register on the calendar.

Scholarship Deadline

Did you know that Intermountain provides scholarships to support your pursuit of certification? Scholarship deadlines are coming up, so apply soon:

Intermountain Members can apply for:
- The Intermountain Scholarship to cover the cost of a clinic
- The Mark Nakada Memorial Scholarship to cover Children’s Specialist education

Intermountain Schools can apply for:
- The Intermountain Small Schools Training Scholarship

The deadline is November 15 and details can be found on our website.

There is also the Brett A. Chamberlain Memorial scholarship to attend National Academy. Details are on the same page and the Deadline is December 3.

National scholarship information is located here. The deadline for several of these is November 17.

Certification Standards, Performance Guides, and Assessment Forms

PSIA-AASI’s certification standards give you a consistent training framework to help you meet certification goals. They represent the minimum standards and skills you must demonstrate each certification level.

The standards are the same across the United States, transferrable from division to division. No matter where you live, once you’re certified by PSIA-AASI, you’ll teach from the same platform and to the same standards as PSIA-AASI members from across the country. We have also adopted standard assessment forms that provide consistency in assessment evaluation across the country.

Performance Guides provide the details for successful and unsuccessful performance contributors, as they relate to the assessment criteria of the national standards.

A Letter from Intermountain's President

Last season presented a multitude of challenges with COVID-19 to work through in our efforts to provide safe opportunities for our membership to further their education and/or obtain a new level of certification or accreditation. I have to say a huge Thank You to our Executive Director Kirstie Rosenfield, our office staff, and our ED staff for their efforts to provide these opportunities, all while working under unusual circumstances to keep everyone as safe as possible.

In an effort to ensure we’re taking every precaution to provide as safe an environment as possible for our members, our ED staff, our Resort partners, and their guests, PSIA-AASI Intermountain will be requiring all members who participate in any in-person events to wear masks whenever social distancing of at least 3 feet is not possible. This includes lift lines, chair lift rides and gondolas, as well as any time you are inside a building, unless you are actively eating or drinking. If the host resort has stricter regulations, we will follow that resort's protocol. A link to the host resort’s policies will be available so you can understand the policies before you arrive. If you are unwilling or unable to follow these guidelines as set forth by PSIA-AASI Intermountain or our resort partners you may not participate in our in-person events; webinars are another good way to maintain your Continuing Education requirements.

It is my hope that our efforts to maintain these safety standards will help to turn the tide of this pandemic. I appreciate your support of our events and efforts as well as your understanding of the position we are taking at this time.

Stay Safe,

Mike Thurgood
President PSIA-AASI Intermountain

Member School Shout Out

Sundance is under construction! Over the summer, major changes have taken shape with two new lifts replacing the mile-long Ray’s quad. A new detachable quad will restore access to the amazing runs and views of Mandan Summit, opening up an additional 35 acres of skiing and riding. Snowmaking and additional parking round off the improvements. Instructors at Sundance are thrilled to have three magic carpets in the new beginner area and we can’t wait for our January clinics there!

New Helmet Policy

All members participating in Intermountain events using lift-accessed terrain are required to wear helmets. Remember to bring yours with you or leave time to rent one.