We’re excited that you’re considering joining the Intermountain Division of the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI)! Your membership unlocks a mountain of educational and career advancement opportunities; members who actively instruct at a member school have prioritized access to the hundreds of clinics we offer every year. It also allows you to pursue certification as an instructor, which is an important milestone in your snowsports career (more on this below). In addition, our members also have many other benefits, which are explained in detail on this page.
Certification is one of the most crucial parts to advancing your career as an instructor; you may become certified in any of our disciplines (Alpine Skiing, Snowboarding, Telemark Skiing, Cross-Country-Skiing, Adaptive Skiing, and Adaptive Snowboarding), and there are three levels of certification available in each of those disciplines. Certificates are also available as a Children’s Specialist or in Freestyle Skiing/Snowboarding.
Professional Members: A Professional Member is a member who has been through training at their snowsports school and who is currently (or previously) employed as an instructor by a current Member School. Professional Members are working toward, or have already achieved any level of certification. They maintain certification by earning continuing education units in PSIA-AASI clinics and educational events.
Associate Members: An Associate Member is a member who intends to work as a professional instructor but has not yet been employed by a Member School or gone through snowsports school training. As part of their instructor journey, Associate Members may earn their Level 1 certification after they have completed a Foundations Clinic. They may then maintain continuing education units by attending teaching, people skills and movement analysis clinics or webinars. Once an Associate Member is trained by and works or volunteers at a Member School they become a Professional Member.
Your membership with PSIA-AASI Intermountain also includes a membership with the National Organization, which allows any certifications you earn to transfer to all of the other divisions of PSIA-AASI. These certifications are recognized by Member Schools across the country, allowing you to easily demonstrate your experience in teaching snowsports. A list of the Member Schools in the Intermountain Division can be found on this page.
It is important to remember that the only legal and safe way to teach skiing is to do so as an employee of a ski area. Teaching “underground” as an independent instructor is illegal nationwide, and violates our Code of Conduct. People who do so anyways are at risk of being found liable for damages if their client is injured. Additionally, instructors caught teaching underground lessons are typically given a lifetime ban from that ski area, can lose their membership and certifications, and are often subject to legal action or prosecution.
For more information on ski areas that are recruiting instructors, you can visit the National Job Board.
What’s Next After I Join?
Check out our New Member Guide for more information about all of the opportunities you have as a PSIA-AASI Intermountain member.
