Board of Directors – PSIA-AASI Eastern

In October 2021 I stepped into my dream job as CEO of PSIA-AASI Eastern Region. The culmination of a life-long passion for snowsports, an early career in financial services and consulting, and a later career in seasonal business, this job was tailormade for me, and I’m loving every minute of it. I hope to connect with you as I travel around to understand how we may better serve our membership.

Notes

Where is the first place you participated in snowsports?	Blandford Ski Area
What was your first job in the snowsports industry?	Ski Instructor
What is a valuable lesson you learned in your snowsports career?	People skills developed as a snowsports instructor are vital to success no matter where your career takes you.
What activities do you enjoy, when you’re not out on the snow?	Golf, cycling, and gardening.
What would be your personal motto?	If a task is once begun never leave it ’til it’s done. Be the labor great or small, do it well or not at all.

Katie Brinton

Alpine Examiner Eastern Board Vice Chair

Home Resort/School Okemo VT work

About Me | Show Notes

About Me

Katie is an alpine examiner and at-large member of the PSIA-AASI-East board of directors based in southern Vermont.

Notes

What is an interesting fact about you?	I’m a proud theatre geek. My undergraduate degree is in Joint Honours Drama and English, and I once played Hamlet in a production of Hamlet at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
What jobs do you do – within and outside the snowsports industry, both winter & summer?	I’m an editor at Ski Area Management magazine and its sister publication, Adventure Park Insider. In the winter, I am also a staff trainer and instructor at Okemo Mountain.
Where is the first place you participated in snowsports?	Okemo—so things have come rather full circle from that first day on the Ski-Wee slope.
What was your first job in the snowsports industry?	Like many before me, I started as a children’s instructor (ages 3-6). Those first seasons involved a lot of hard work and hot cocoa, but there is nothing like ripping glades with a pack of 5 year olds.
What activities do you enjoy, when you’re not out on the snow?	Reading, mountain biking, dog walking, hiking, swimming, water skiing, writing, crosswords, Jeopardy.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grow up?	Veterinarian, actress, astronaut, singer, zoo keeper. I ran the gamut of childhood aspirations.

Landon Figg

Eastern Board Member

Home Resort/School Wintergreen VA work

Show Notes

Notes

What is an interesting fact about you?	I’ve been swimming in the Gulf of Finland – a very, very brief swim!
What jobs do you do – within and outside the snowsports industry, both winter & summer?	I’m a health coach with jecoaching.com where we help women learn to live happy, lean and free over 40. I also have a landscape design company.
Where is the first place you participated in snowsports?	The Homestead Resort in Virginia under the famous Austrian Sepp Kober.
What was your first job in the snowsports industry?	Teaching kiddos on the rope tow! Went through a lot of gloves!
Where is your favorite place to ski or ride?	Telluride! It’s on my license plate 🙂
What activities do you enjoy, when you’re not out on the snow?	Camping with my family in new places, traveling, creating healthy recipes from old family favorites
What would be your personal motto?	Just keep going!

Stephen Gover

Eastern Board Secretary NextCore Action Committee

Home Resort/School Okemo Mountain Resort PA work

Show Notes

Notes

What was your first job in the snowsports industry?	Snowboard Instructor at Tussey Mountain, in PA
What is your favorite memory from your snowsports career so far?	Passing my Level 2 snowboard exam in 2020
Where is your favorite place to ski or ride?	Jay Peak
If you could give a younger person snowsports/career advice, what would it be?	Be self-aware, but never undersell yourself; look for mentorship everywhere.

Peter Howard

Alpine Examiner Eastern Board Chair/PresidentAlpine Steering Committee

Home Resort/School Sugarloaf ME work

About Me | Show Notes

About Me

There is always someone better at it ( what ever it is) than you. To be included in this is a fortunate privilege that only a tiny slice of humanity gets to experience. I hope helping people ski better contributes to their enjoyment of life.

Notes

Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?	Musician
What was your first job in the snowsports industry?	Ski instructor/snow maker
Where is your favorite place to ski or ride?	Zermatt
What activities do you enjoy, when you’re not out on the snow?	Ocean sailing on multihulls
Who is someone you admire, and why?	Winston Churchill

Not Available

Eric Jordan

Alpine Examiner Eastern PSIA-AASI Board Rep

Shannon Rucker

Eastern Board Treasurer & Audit/Investment Chair NextCore Action Committee

Home Resort/School Liberty/Mount Snow PA/VT work

About Me

Shannon is a multi discipline instructor of 14+ years. Hailing from the Mid Atlantic as a part time instructor, Shannon believes the passion of our Organization’s members is the tie that binds. When she’s not sliding or teaching Shannon is up for everything else: traveling, mountain biking, playing rugby, family, shooting, skateboarding, or hiking.

Not Available

Aleks Smith

Alpine Examiner Eastern Board Member

Emily Spiker

Scholarship Committee Eastern Board Member

Home Resort/School Whitetail Resort VA work

About Me

I have been involved in snow sports for 25 years. Growing up in Virginia I never imagined this would become a passion. As a former teacher I have loved learning and challenging myself to continue to grow in this sport The greatest gift of this sport is the friendships you meet along this journey. Being able to share your passion with like minded instructors has opened my world to so many opportunities.

Terry Xie

Alpine Examiner Eastern Board Member

Home Resort/School Wachusett Mountain MA work

About Me | Show Notes

About Me

Born in Southern China, Terry first learned to ski at Wachusett Mountain, and still teaches there to this day. As an adult learner, he firmly believes in taking every opportunity to try and experience different things. In the summer, he is pretty laid back, and enjoys playing softball and whitewater kayaking from time to time. Terry’s native name is Xusong Xie (try it if you can) and speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.

Notes

What is an interesting fact about you?	Outside of skiing, I am not really an outdoor person.
Do you have any skills or talents that most people don’t know about?	I was an Architect in China.
What jobs do you do – within and outside the snowsports industry, both winter & summer?	I am the owner of an outdoor store. But we don’t sell skis.
Where is the first place you participated in snowsports?	One of my friend took me to ski at Wachusett in 2010. Now that I think about it, he was the first one to teach me how to ski!
What was your first job in the snowsports industry?	I became a Ski instructor at Wachusett Mountain in Fall 2014.
What is a valuable lesson you learned in your snowsports career?	There is no failure in snow sports if you learned something from it.
Where is your favorite place to ski or ride?	Silverton, CO. It is just different.
If you could give a younger person snowsports/career advice, what would it be?	If you are in this industry anyway, you might as well try to get the most out of it.
What activities do you enjoy, when you’re not out on the snow?	Occasionally I would go whitewater kayaking with friends in the Summer.
What goal would you like to accomplish in the next year?	Do something I have not done before and get the most out of it.
What goal would you like to accomplish in the next five years?	Stay healthy and continue to learn something new every year.