National Team members Matt Larson and Peter Novom join us this week for a deep dive into the benefits of trying and joining freestyle events. Freestyle is an exploration of skiing and snowboarding. Freestyle is an exploration of your own skills and a way to expand your horizons. Hear about the ins and outs of park rules, apprehensions, and excitement that can all stem from freestyle. Register for Freestyle Academy and learn more by tuning in and at thesnowpros.org.

Join us for this introductory chat with Nicole LaVoi, Ph. D., creator of CoachingHER, a digital education platform designed to help coaches and instructors better support female athletes. Developed by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport at the University of Minnesota, it provides evidence-based resources to address gender bias, foster inclusivity, and enhance coaching effectiveness. The program includes self-paced modules, expert insights, and tools to create a more empowering sports environment for girls and women. PSIA-AASI members have free access to Coaching HER to improve their instruction. Learn more by tuning in and at thesnowpros.org under the Professional Development tab.

Pete Allison and Angelo Ross join us again talking this time about the words we use and why they matter. Angelo discusses defining the real-life experiences of learning the language of the craft of snowsports instructing and why it matters to not only educate your guests but also educate yourself so you can more appropriately deliver teaching and technical concepts. Pete goes on to talk about how much information people can take in and why because of that, instructors need to keep it simple. Learn more by tuning in and at thesnowpros.org under the events tab.

Join us for a chat with George Thomas and Eric Sheckleton, an original member of the AASI Snowboard team from 1996-2000 and current President of Interski. Erik was a key player in the formation of the original Rider Rally back in 1999 which was held at Whitefish, Montana. Eric worked with Randy Price, another AASI Team member, to bring the first national Rider Rally to Big Sky, Montana in 2000. They spent a week exploring and finding ways to build the snowboard community with fun and comradery to much avail. Erik looks back at the history of Rider Rally from 1999 to now and shares excitement that the 25th Rider Rally is happening this year as a stand-alone event at Copper Mountain, Colorado. Learn more about the PSU certification program by tuning in and going to thesnowpros.org under the events tab.

Join us for a chat with George, Pete and Mark about the Penn State instructor training program. Mark works as an instructor in the Eastern Region and learned about the PSU program in 2023. Since then, he has successfully completed the course and shared his thoughts on the process. TL;DR, the program was easy,and efficient, provided many “ah-ha" moments and connected the dots between instruction and leisure seamlessly. The program is completely online done through the PSU World Campus making access to the course very easy. Mark goes on to explain his drive to complete this course and what he plans on doing next. Learn more about the PSU certification program by tuning in and at thesnowpros.org under the events tab.

Eric Rolls, the Technical Coach for the AASI Snowboard Team joins us this week to talk about the 25th anniversary of Rider Rally – one of the largest snowboarders-only events in the country! Rider Rally 2025 will be held April 21-25 at Copper Mountain in Colorado. The first Rider Rally event happened in the winter of 1999/2000 and 25 years later, we’re bringing back the independence and radness of Rider Rally. There is a lot of history about this event and how it came to be. Listen in to hear Eric talk about this history and what to expect from the upcoming event. Interested in registering? Do it soon, prices go up on February 1. Learn more about Rider Rally by tuning in and going to thesnowpros.org under the events tab.

Geoff Krill, the PSIA Adaptive Team coach, joins us from Breckenridge, Colorado where the Hartford Ski Spectacular Adaptive event just wrapped up. Geoff talks about the ski instructor academy where National Team members and Education Staff from regions around the country came to learn, explore and connect with others. The point that was hit home much of the week, is that good adaptive teaching is just good teaching. You don’t need to teach to the equipment, teach to the person. Learn more about Move United and teaching adaptive winter sports. Tune in for much more and learn more at thesnowpros.org.

One of the biggest opportunities that stems from the PSIA-AASI resources is the professional development opportunity. Join podcast host George Thomas and guest Pete Allison chat through ways to organize your goals. Between local, regional and national events, on top of trainings and lessons – there are plenty of options around to help you professionally develop. Pro development doesn’t have to be just one thing, it could be as simple as taking care of yourself and allowing yourself the time to decompress. It could be just reading an article a week on a special topic or hanging with friends. The difference comes into play when you make the decision to choose yourself. Tune in for much more and learn more at thesnowpros.org.

Penn State University and PSIA-AASI have had a solid relationship for years. One of the big results of this partnership is a new course designed to allow you to easily earn college credit online while working towards your level 1 certification in any discipline. This course (RPTM 215) is truly revolutionary as it provides a breadth of education outside of snowsports instruction as well as material directly correlated to PSIA-AASI standards. Sign up for this course before the holidays to ensure you get a spot! On this episode, you’ll learn about the course and what it takes to complete it. Tune in for much more and learn more at thesnowpros.org.

Sometimes stories come across your feed that just hit you right in the feels. That’s what happened with Ben Nilsson when we asked “How do you use your snowsports education training in other areas of your life.” Ben responded and mentioned he had been in a horrific accident on the mountain leaving him with a long road to recovery. Ben mentioned how the training he got from PSIA-AASI and the way he learned to teach students was exactly what he used to get himself better and to a point where he is back on the mountain and planning on attending clinics this season. We’re so thankful for members who are constantly working to better themselves by employing resources found through PSIA-AASI. Listen to this pod to hear a heartfelt story on recovery and inspiration. Tune in for much more and learn more at thesnowpros.org.