Registered Member
The biggest benefit of your membership is access to incredible learning opportunities and resources, so regardless of if your goals are something concrete like a certification or a specialist program, or if you just want to be a better teacher and skier, you’re in the right place.
- If you haven’t already joined a snowsports school, now is a good time to do that. Most instructors do their initial training through their own school.
- Check out these FREE resources:
- This is a great time to start learning even more about your craft. Your membership comes with FREE digital access to these manuals or you can access printed manuals here.
- Teaching Snowsports Manual
- Alpine Technical Manual
- Teaching Children Snowsports Manual
- It’s also important that you spend time teaching lessons on-snow. Getting better at anything requires practice.
- If your goal is certification, develop a plan with your snowsports school director or training supervisor to learn what you need to know to be successful at Level I.
- As a registered member, you are eligible to take any event that doesn’t require certification as a prerequisite. Check out the Event Calendar to see your options!
Resources:
Alpine Level I Certification
Prerequisites
- It is highly recommended that you are currently employed as an instructor in a snowsports school where you receive on-snow training to teach in the beginner/novice zone.
- We highly recommend a minimum of 50 hours of combined in-house training and actual on-hill teaching before you attempt the Level I Assessment.
- If you are not currently working in a snowsports school, you must complete a PSIA-AASI on-snow Level I Prep event BEFORE you register for the level I assessment. Or you can register for a 5-Day Level I College which includes both the prep course and the assessment.
- Be a current Registered Member of PSIA-AASI in good standing and at least 14 years of age.
- You should prepare by reading the Alpine Assessment Guide and Alpine Technical Manual as well as the Teaching Snowsports manual. Digital versions of these manuals are available from the National office.
- Complete the Alpine Level I eLearning Course prior to registering for the on-snow assessment.
- PLEASE NOTE: While a school director’s signature is not required, we strongly encourage you to notify your director so that he or she is both aware of and can help ensure that you are prepared for a successful exam experience. When you register for a Level I Certification Assessment you are attesting that you have read and completed all prerequisites prior to taking the Level I Certification exam.
Requirements
- Prior to registering for the on-snow assessment, you must complete the Alpine Level I eLearning Course.
- Successfully pass an on-snow assessment.
- At this assessment you will be expected to understand, teach and engage students in the Novice Zone.
- The candidate may attend a 2-day Level I Assessment. Or, the candidate may attend the 5-day Level I College.
- The candidate must pass the Level I Assessment Criteria in the Alpine Assessment Guide.
- All participants must follow the PSIA-AASI Eastern Event Participant Safety Policy.
Once certified, click here for a summary of what is required to maintain PSIA-AASI Certification.
Resources
- Alpine Level I eLearning Course
- Alpine Assessment Guide
- Digital Manuals
- Certification Standards, Fundamentals and Performance Guides
- Event Participant Safety Policy
- Alpine Assessment Forms
- Digital Learning Hub
- Matrix
- Member Customized Events
Once you attain your Alpine Level I certification, you are also eligible to take any courses that require a Level I certification as a prerequisite, so even if your goal is not additional certification or accreditation, there are still lots of opportunities to improve your skills in educational clinics. See the Continuing Education section or the Event Calendar for more details. You can also consider some of the Level II Prep events as a way to keep moving forward in your professional development.
Continuing Education
There are lots of options to continue your professional growth and maintain your certification both on and off snow.
*What is a member required to do to maintain certification?
For on-snow events, please see the Event Calendar.
Filter the calendar by:
- month
- discipline
- event location
- state
- resort
- and/or type of clinic to see options.
Find course descriptions and the right event for you with our new Event Finder.
Online courses you can complete at your own pace:
If you need the flexibility of an online option, we have several e-learning courses you can take to earn credits:
Go to Eastern Online Courses for the following options (6 CEUs each):
- History of Skiing
- History of Snowboarding
- Aging and the Senior Skier
- Teaching Students with Developmental/Intellectual Disabilities
Go to the Digital Learning Hub for other E-Learning Courses:
- Skate to Ski (6 CEUs)
- Teaching Families and Groups (6 CEUs)
- Alpine Movement Analysis (1 CEU)
- ACL Strong – Knee Injury Prevention (2 CEUs)
- And more non-credit and 1 credit programs.
Prerecorded webinars that offer credits:
There are many prerecorded webinars you can watch at your convenience to earn CEU credits.
Go to Eastern Webinars to see Eastern programs including the following and more:
- Exploring Common Movements Between Disciplines (1 CEU) with Kathy Brennan, Brian Donovan and Keith Rodney
- Converting Beginners into Lifelong Snowsports Enthusiasts (1 CEU) with Joe Forte
- Movement Prioritization (1 CEU) with Nate Gardner
- Stance and Alignment: The Alpine Boot and the Body (1 CEU) with Dave Taylor
Click on Digital Learning Hub Webinars for National programs including and more:
- The Importance of Failure (1 CEU) with Mermer Blakeslee and Maggie Loring
- The Unified Assessment Form: An Examiner’s Perspective (1 CEU) with Eric Rolls
- Checking Under the Hood Webinar (1 CEU) with Krista Crabtree and Heidi Ettlinger
- The Art of Being (More) Emotionally Intelligent (1 CEU) with Fran Tone
- Create Your Own Place at the Table (1 CEU) with Amy Gan
Children’s or Freestyle Specialist 1
If you have a particular area of interest, now that you’ve achieved your Level I certification, you are eligible to take some of the specialist courses. These are nationally recognized “Certificate Based” programs that address teaching special populations or activities. The courses have an evaluative component, but they are also highly educational in nature. Take advantage of any of these educational opportunities that are focused on your particular area(s) of interest. If you are working toward your Alpine Level II certification, be aware that the Children’s Specialist 1 is a prerequisite course for the Alpine Level II Teaching Assessment.
Alpine Level II Certification
Prerequisites
- Must be Alpine Level I Certified and a current member or Snowboard, Tele or Cross Country Level II Certified and follow the Crossover / Cross Discipline Policy.
- It is highly recommended to be a current employee of a snowsports school.
- We highly recommend a minimum of 150 hours of combined in-house training and actual on-hill teaching.
- Pass online Alpine Level II Professional Knowledge Exam prior to registering for any on-snow portion.
- Please note: While a school director’s signature is not required, we strongly encourage you to notify your director so that he or she is both aware of and can help ensure that you are prepared for a successful exam experience.
- Attain Children’s Specialist 1 prior to taking the Teaching Assessment.
- A skiing or teaching clinic is recommended to help candidate prepare for the assessment.
Requirements
- One-day Level II Skiing Assessment: Candidates will be evaluated on the Assessment Criteria of the National Standards.
- One-day Level II Teaching Assessment: Candidates will have multiple opportunities to teach and show their knowledgebase through group and individual participation and questions by the evaluators. Scoring will reflect the Learning Connection Model – Technical, Teaching and People Skills.
- If the candidate prefers, there is an option to attend a five-day skiing or teaching college.
- All participants must follow the PSIA-AASI Eastern Event Participant Safety Policy.
Resources
- Alpine Level II Professional Knowledge Exam
- Digital Learning Hub
- Matrix
- Alpine Assessment Guide
- Alpine Skiing Assessment Activities
- Digital Manuals
- Certification Standards, Fundamentals and Performance Guides
- Event Participant Safety Policy
- Alpine Assessment Forms
- Children’s Specialist 1 Information
- Children’s Specialist 1 E-Learning course
Children’s, Freestyle or Adaptive Specialist 2 or 3
If you want to continue your professional development in your particular area of interest, Children’s Specialist 2, Freestyle Specialist 2 or 3 or Adaptive Specialist 2 or 3 are great options.
Once you’ve achieved your Alpine Level II, you are also eligible to take any courses that require a Level II certification as a prerequisite, so even if you’ve achieved your certification goals already, there are still lots of opportunities to improve your skills in educational clinics. You can also consider some of the Level III Prep events as a way to keep moving forward in your professional development.
Alpine Advanced Educator Program
The Advanced Educator is a certificate-based program for all Alpine Level II Certified and Alpine Level III Certified members, updated in 2024. This program requires commitment, as well as a sense of purpose for developing professionally.
Many program courses are open to members of any level and may be taken by instructors who are not pursuing the Advanced Educator Program but find a specific course that is of interest. Some Advanced Educator Program courses are only open to Alpine Level II Certified and Alpine Level III Certified members (CS2, for example).
The Advanced Educator Program is designed to allow continued professional development opportunities for instructors even if the desired goal is not a higher level of certification. This is an Eastern Region program and is not recognized nationally; therefore all required courses must be completed in the Eastern Region.
Completing the Advanced Educator Program will require the participant to complete all five modules for a total of eight courses:
| History Module: |
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| Physiology & Equipment Modules: |
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| Teaching & Technical /MA Modules: |
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| Freestyle Module: |
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| Adaptive Module: |
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Any member who completes the series of required courses/modules will be awarded a Advanced Educator Program certificate of completion AND the option to attend an Alpine Level III Teaching or Tech/MA assessment module free of charge.
The Advanced Educator Program must be completed within 5 years of beginning the program. The program starts on the date that the participant completes their registration form.
With the exception of the CS2, there are no evaluative components to this program, and members do not need to be pursuing Alpine Level III Certification to complete this program.
All interested members must indicate their interest in the program by completing THIS FORM.
Are you ready for the challenge?
Alpine Level III Certification
Prerequisites
- Must be Alpine Level II Certified and a current member or Snowboard, Tele or Cross Country Level III Certified and follow the Crossover / Cross Discipline Policy.
- It is highly recommended to be a current employee of a snowsports school.
- It is highly recommended that you’ve taught a minimum of 300 hours; of which ideally, 150 were at advanced levels.
- Pass the online Alpine Level III Professional Knowledge Exam prior to registering for on-snow components.
- Please note: While a school director’s signature is not required, we strongly encourage you to notify your director so that he or she is both aware of and can help ensure that you are prepared for a successful exam experience.
- Attend a skiing OR teaching prerequisite in the current season or either of the previous two seasons and prior to the Level III Teaching Assessment. Please see below.
| Skiing Prerequisites: | Teaching Prerequisites: |
| Alpine Mini Academy | Eastern Trainer Academy |
| Level 3 Prep @ Eastern Academy | Level 3 Prep @ Eastern Academy |
| Level 3 Prep | Level 3 Prep |
| Intermediate Moguls | Coaching High End Skiing |
| Advanced Moguls | Children’s Specialist 2 |
| Dynamic Diamonds | Any Freestyle Specialist |
| Alpine Race Clinic | Movement Analysis 201 |
| Any Freestyle Specialist | Stance & Alignment |
| Alpine Spring Academy | Alpine Spring Academy |
Requirements
- One-day Level III Skiing Assessment: Candidates will be evaluated on the Assessment Criteria of the National Standards.
- One-day Level III Teaching Assessment: Candidates will have multiple opportunities to teach and show their knowledgebase through group and individual participation and questions from the evaluators. Scoring will reflect the Learning Connection Model – Technical, Teaching and People Skills.
- All participants must follow the PSIA-AASI Eastern Event Participant Safety Policy.
Resources
Alpine Development Team
Are you a Level III instructor who would like to take it to the next level and join the Education Staff? The Dev Team is a group of highly skilled Level III instructors who are training to become Eastern Alpine Examiners. They are chosen by way of a demanding and competitive tryout. They receive training that focuses on sharpening their skiing skills, their teaching skills, their people skills, and their professional knowledge. The goal is to develop highly effective clinicians to deliver a wide range of educational events to the membership.
To be eligible for the PSIA-E Alpine Development Team you must be:
- A current member of PSIA-AASI Eastern Region
- Level III Certified
- Actively teaching skiing for an accredited Snowsports School
Selection
Candidates are selected during a competitive tryout – i.e. an intensive skiing, teaching and people skills assessment. Format is determined by members of the discipline steering committee.
- Selection criteria may include, but are not limited to: on hill performance, prior experience with PSIA-AASI, resume, interview, writing samples, skillfulness with the Learning Connection Model components, and more.
Successful Candidates
Alpine Development Team members:
- Serve a term of up to four years.
- Must complete a series of recommended understudies, during which the Dev Teamer will lead groups for a period of time while under the supervision of the Examiner/Clinician.
- Must attend at least two days of annual education staff training.
- Fulfill requirements of Development Team Coach.
Application Requirements for the Development Team Tryout:
To be accepted to the tryout for the Development Team you must register for the tryout and submit the following before the deadline.
- A professional resume not to exceed two pages. Please identify your professional high points (e.g., presentations, authored materials, relevant activities outside of teaching, foreign language competencies, special credentials, etc.) Document should be in docx, jpeg or pdf format.
- A cover letter describing why you are trying out for the team, your strengths, what specific skills can bring to the team and the organization, or any other information you feel would be relevant. Please do not exceed two pages. Document should be in docx, jpeg or pdf format.
- A letter of recommendation from your snowsports school director or manager. In the event you hold that role at your school, please provide a letter of recommendation from your immediate supervisor or manager.
- Contact details for a second professional reference
- Contact details for a third reference, professional or personal
Thank you in advance.
Eastern ACE Team
The ACE (Advanced Children’s Educators) staff is a highly trained and very experienced group of snowsports educators specializing in Children’s snowsports education. The ACE Team is responsible for delivering the Children’s focused events throughout the season. In addition to delivering these events, the ACE Team plays a key role in working with the entire education staff regarding Children’s snowsports education.
ACE Dev Team Candidates
To be eligible for the PSIA-AASI Eastern ACE Team, you must be:
- A current member of PSIA-AASI Eastern Region
- Level III Certified
- Actively teaching skiing or snowboarding for an accredited Snowsports School
Tryouts
Competitive, intensive skiing, teaching, people skills assessment and in-depth knowledge of teaching snowsports to children.
Successful Candidates
ACE Dev Team members:
- Serve a term of up to four years.
- Must complete a series of recommended understudies, during which the ACE Dev Team member will lead groups for a period of time while under the supervision of the ACE Team Examiner/Clinician.
- Must attend at least two days of annual education staff training.
- Fulfill requirements of ACE Team Coach.
ACE Team tryouts are scheduled for March 18-19 at Sugarbush, VT.
Application Requirements for the Development Team Tryout:
To be accepted to the tryout for the Development Team you must register for the tryout and submit the following before February 28, 2024 at 11:30pm.
- A professional resume not to exceed two pages. Please identify your professional high points (e.g., presentations, authored materials, relevant activities outside of teaching, foreign language competencies, special credentials, etc.) Document should be in docx, jpeg or pdf format.
- A cover letter describing why you are trying out for the team, your strengths, what specific skills can bring to the team and the organization, or any other information you feel would be relevant. Please do not exceed two pages. Document should be in docx, jpeg or pdf format.
- A letter of recommendation from your snowsports school director or manager. In the event you hold that role at your school, please provide a letter of recommendation from your immediate supervisor or manager.
- Contact details for a second professional reference
- Contact details for a third reference, professional or personal
Please use this form to submit the required documents prior to February 28, 2024.
Thank you in advance.
Alpine Eastern Team Tryout – January 8-9, 2024
The 2023 Alpine Eastern Team selection yielded an incredibly talented group, and PSIA-AASI Eastern is thrilled to support them in their journey to the 2024 National Team Selection. We have added another opportunity for those who were unable to tryout last season, while upholding the standard set by the current selected team. For anyone who experienced a hardship that prevented them from attending or fully performing at the 2023 Alpine Eastern Team Tryout, read-on.
To be accepted to the tryout for the Alpine Eastern Team you must submit the following before December 15, 2023 at 11:30pm:
- A letter of introduction outlining the hardship experienced during the 2023 Alpine Eastern Team Tryout. This must demonstrate either an inability to participate or fully perform in the set event. Examples may include injury, illness, temporary condition, etc.
- A resume outlining your contributions to Snowsports.
- A sample article that would be printed in 32 Degrees, the Eastern Region Snow Pro newsletter or similar publication.
Please use this form to submit the required documents prior to December 15, 2023 at 11:30pm.
Becoming an Eastern team member is the first step on the path to being endorsed by the Eastern Region for the PSIA-AASI National team. The National Team Selection is open to all Level III Certified Members. Successful candidates at the 2024 Eastern Team Tryout will be offered a regional nomination letter to include in their National Team Tryout Application.
With fewer than 6 participants, this event has the potential to be shortened to a one-day event; after registration closes, participants will be notified about the final format.
Membership/Certification/Experience requirements to attend the tryout for the PSIA –AASI Alpine Eastern Team and the National Team Selection process:
- Current PSIA-AASI member
- U.S. citizen or Permanent U.S. resident
- PSIA – Alpine – Level 3 certification
- Children’s Specialist 2 accreditation
- Encompass a broad, diverse, technical knowledge of skiing, teaching, professional development, and learning theory relevant to snowsports instruction.
- Possess superb and inspirational communication skills.
- On Snow: Master of group handling, creative, innovative, and relevant content, as well as accurate demonstrations.
- Writing skills: Skilled in writing and able to contribute relevant ideas for communication topics. You should have a reasonable command of all communication channels including social media.
- Public speaking confidence for relaying inspirational education content and association messages.
- Be an athletic and inspiring role model.
- A Team Player focused on the vision and organizational Ends/Objectives of PSIA-AASI and its membership.
- You have a passion for providing exceptional guest service.
Choose any discipline to find more about Certification and Professional Development
We have developed pathways for learning for each of the main disciplines and specialties. Click on a discipline to learn more about options for learning, whether you are looking to maintain your certification or earn a new one.