Robin Barnes is a 4-term member of the PSIA National Alpine Team, and the Director of Skier Services at Heavenly Mountain resort, and the former Director of the Ski and Snowboard School in Portillo, Chile. Robin also serves as a Contributing Author and Reviewer for 32 Degrees Magazine, the official publication of the Professional Ski Instructors of America.

Barnes is a self-confessed skiing addict and rejoices in every kind of snow imaginable. “I love ripping it up in a GS course,” she says with her characteristic enthusiasm, “frolicking in the bumps, or tracking up fresh snow.”

I sought Robin out because her unique background has allowed her to see the world of ski instruction from every angle. She is the quintessential “real skier,” who, during her Portillo tenure would log 275 days a year on snow. I caught up to Robin at her office at Heavenly Valley, gearing up for the 2024/25 ski season, which is just getting under way.