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 rider, 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
- Snowboard 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:
AASI 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.
- Complete the Snowboard Level I E-Learning Course prior to registering for the on-snow assessment.
- You should prepare by reading the AASI Level I Assessment Guide and Snowboard Technical Manual as well as the Teaching Snowsports manual.
- 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 Assessment.
Requirements
- Prior to registering for an on-snow assessment, you must complete the Snowboard Level I E-Learning Course.
- Successfully pass an on-snow assessment as detailed in the AASI Level I Assessment Guide.
- At this assessment you will be expected to understand, teach and engage students in the Novice Zone.
- The candidate must attend a 2-day Level I Assessment and pass the assessment criteria in the AASI Level I 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
- Snowboard Level I E-Learning Course
- Snowboard Level I Assessment Guide
- Digital Manuals
- Certification Standards, Fundamentals and Performance Guides
- Event Participant Safety Policy
- Snowboard/AASI Assessment Forms
- Digital Learning Hub
Once you attain your Snowboard 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 find the right event for you at 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: Digital Learning Hub Courses 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 Eastern programs include 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
- Using Movement Analysis in Assessing Snowboarders and the 6 Snowboard Technical Fundamentals with Brian Donovan (2 CEUs)
- Movement Prioritization (1 CEU) with Nate Gardner
- Stance and Alignment: The Alpine Boot and the Body (1 CEU) with Dave Taylor
Go to: 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.
AASI Level II Certification
Prerequisites
- Must be Snowboard, Alpine, Tele, Cross Country OR Adaptive Level I Certified and a current member.
- 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 the online Snowboard Level II Professional Knowledge Exam prior to registering for the 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.
- Must have attended a prerequisite event in either of the previous two seasons or the current season, but prior to registering for the Level II Snowboard Assessment Event.
- Snowboard Level II Assessment (Exam) Prep
- Snowboard Movement Analysis
- Snowboard Riding Concepts
- Snowboard Teaching Improvement
Requirements
Three-day on-snow assessment
- Each day the candidate will be asked to demonstrate their teaching and riding skills to a different examiner.
- Candidates will be evaluated on the Assessment Criteria of the National Standards as listed in the Snowboard Level II & III Assessment Guide.
- All participants must follow the PSIA-AASI Eastern Event Participant Safety Policy.
Resources
- Snowboard Level II Professional Knowledge Exam
- Snowboard Level II & III Assessment Event Prerequisites
- Snowboard Level II & III Assessment Guide
- Digital Manuals
- Event Participant Safety Policy
- Certification Standards, Fundamentals and Performance Guides
- Digital Learning Hub
- The Matrix
- Snowboard/AASI Assessment Forms
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.
AASI Level III Certification
Prerequisites
- Must be Snowboard, Alpine, Tele, Cross Country OR Adaptive Level II Certified and a current member.
- It is highly recommended to be a current employee of a snowsports school.
- It is highly recommended that you’ve taught a recommended minimum of 300 hours; of which ideally, 150 were at advanced levels.
- Pass the online Snowboard Level III Professional Knowledge Exam 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.
- Must have attended a prerequisite event in either of the previous two seasons or the current season, but prior to registering for the Level III Snowboard Assessment Event.
- Snowboard Level III Exam Prep
- Snowboard Movement Analysis
- Snowboard Riding Concepts
- Snowboard Teaching Improvement
Requirements
Three-day exam
- Each day the candidate will be asked to demonstrate their teaching and riding skills to a different examiner.
- Candidates will be evaluated on the Assessment Criteria of the National Standards and listed in the Snowboard Level II & III Assessment Guide.
- All participants must follow the PSIA-AASI Eastern Event Participant Safety Policy.
Resources
- Snowboard Level III Professional Knowledge Exam
- Snowboard Level II & III Assessment Event Prerequisites
- Snowboard Level II & III Assessment Guide
- Digital Manuals
- Event Participant Safety Policy
- Certification Standards, Fundamentals and Performance Guides
- Digital Learning Hub
- The Matrix
- Snowboard/AASI Assessment Forms
Snowboard 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 Snowboard Examiners. They are chosen by way of a demanding and competitive tryout. They receive training that focuses on sharpening their riding 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.
There are no AASI tryouts scheduled at this time for the 2023-2024 season.
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.
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.