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The First Chair Podcast brings you inspirational stories and educational tips from the country's best ski, snowboard, Nordic, and adaptive instructors.
More than 34,000 individuals belong to PSIA-AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors), making it the world’s largest organization dedicated to snowsports. We are lifelong learners committed to changing lives through great experiences on snow.
Connect with us to learn more:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesnowpros
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesnowpros
YouTube: @thesnowpros
More than 34,000 individuals belong to PSIA-AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors), making it the world’s largest organization dedicated to snowsports. We are lifelong learners committed to changing lives through great experiences on snow.
Connect with us to learn more:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesnowpros
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thesnowpros
YouTube: @thesnowpros
782 Episodes
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Thinking about your PSIA-AASI certification? Here’s how to actually prepare—and what examiners are really looking for.
In this episode of First Chair, George Thomas talks with AASI Snowboard Team member Eric Rolls about certification exam preparation, based on his 32 Degrees article. Instead of shortcuts or “cheat codes,” Eric breaks down the real skills that lead to success—on snow and in the assessment environment.
You’ll learn how to manage nerves, adapt your teaching in real time, and understand the five success patterns that examiners use to evaluate candidates. Whether you’re preparing for Level II, Level III, or supporting other instructors, this episode gives you a clear, practical framework to approach your next assessment with confidence.
What You’ll Learn:
- The 5 success patterns for certification success
- How to handle nerves and recover from mistakes
- What examiners are actually assessing
- How to improve movement analysis (MA) communication
- Why listening and adaptability are critical skills
Resources:
Learn more about certification: https://thesnowpros.org
Register or manage your membership: https://members.thesnowpros.org/register
Explore webinars + training: https://lms.thesnowpros.org
About First Chair
The PSIA-AASI podcast for instructors looking to grow their teaching, technical, and people skills.
What drives someone to keep pushing forward when life delivers unimaginable setbacks?
In this episode of First Chair, George Thomas sits down with Aspen Ski Instructor Tony Drees, a Purple Heart recipient whose journey from combat injury to cancer to amputation ultimately led him to the slopes as a ski instructor.
Tony shares how losing his leg at 50 inspired him to pursue skiing with purpose—quickly progressing from first lessons to teaching and preparing for his Alpine Level II certification. Along the way, he reflects on resilience, the power of collaboration in adaptive sports, and why outdoor recreation is never a solo effort.
From backflips on one leg to mentoring Paralympic athletes, Tony’s story is about more than perseverance—it’s about using skiing to inspire reflection, connection, and possibility.
Watch this episode on YouTube to see Tony’s story and hear how the snowsports community helped shape his journey.
How can a movement as small as a five-degree change in your knee or shoulder position dramatically improve your skiing efficiency?
In this episode of First Chair, host George Thomas talks with PSIA-AASI National Team member Justin Arndt about his recent 32 Degrees article, “Micro Adjustments: A Practice for Developing Efficiency.” Justin explains how subtle changes in body position—like shifting your center of mass, adjusting knee angles, or refining pole placement—can significantly impact balance, power, and efficiency on snow.
Justin also shares how these ideas translate across cross country, alpine, telemark, and snowboard instruction, and how instructors can help guests experiment with small adjustments that create big performance gains.
Watch this episode on YouTube to see Justin demonstrate these micro adjustments and tutorials visually. His examples make it easy to understand how tiny movements can lead to more powerful, efficient skiing.
The conversation also covers:
- Why efficiency is the foundation of cross country skiing
- How micro adjustments can improve skiing across disciplines
-Teaching strategies for helping students feel subtle movement changes
- Details about the upcoming Cross Country Academy at Mt. Bachelor
Whether you're an instructor, certification candidate, or simply looking to ski more efficiently, this episode offers practical insights you can apply on your next day on snow.
What’s the state of telemark skiing in the United States today — and where is it headed next?
In this episode of First Chair, George Thomas sits down with PSIA Telemark Team member Keith Rodney and instructor Charlie MacArthur to talk about the evolving landscape of telemark skiing. From regional “pockets” of passionate skiers to grassroots growth through clinics and community events, they explore how the sport continues to adapt and thrive.
They discuss modern telemark gear, accessibility, and why now might be the perfect time to try something new on snow. You’ll also hear about upcoming telemark festivals, Telemark Academy at Copper Mountain, certification prep, and how U.S. Telemark is preparing to represent its approach on the global stage at Interski.
Whether you’re tele-curious, a longtime tele skier, or simply looking to expand your movement toolbox, this conversation highlights the spirit of exploration, learning, and community that keeps the freeheel turn alive.
In Part 3 of our Mentorship Series, former PSIA-AASI National Team member Carol Levine shares how a simple idea turned into a powerful national mentorship experiment.
What began as research through the Women’s Council for Equity and Inclusion — including nearly 500 mentorship-related survey comments — evolved into a time-bound, targeted pilot program supporting women endorsed for National Team tryouts.
Carol walks through the four guiding principles behind the program:
- Targeted groups
- Time-bound structure
- Choosing (not assigning) mentors
- Encouraging multiple mentors
The results? Increased confidence, deeper belonging, stronger leadership pipelines — and proof that mentorship doesn’t need to be complicated to be impactful.
This episode explores how ski and ride schools, regions, and individual instructors can create meaningful mentorship cultures that elevate retention, resilience, and long-term professional growth.
Because sometimes, a little bit of support truly beats a whole lot of nothing.
How do we make safety engaging without turning it into a buzzkill? In this episode of First Chair, George Thomas is joined by Tanya Riley and Earl Saline from the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) to explore how Safety Awareness Month is evolving—and how safety messaging can stay effective all season long.
From shifting the conversation away from “don’t do this” toward positive, guest-facing behaviors, to addressing lift safety, restraint bar use, and social media’s influence on on-snow culture, this conversation highlights the powerful role ski and snowboard instructors play as daily safety ambassadors. The group also dives into lift safety bootcamps, industry-wide collaboration with PSIA-AASI, NSP, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and why modeling safe behavior matters at every level.
Whether you’re teaching first-timers or advanced guests, this episode reinforces why safety isn’t a moment—it’s a mindset that shapes great guest experiences all season long.
In Part 2 of this four-part series on mentorship in snowsports, George Thomas builds on the foundation set in Part 1 by shifting the conversation west. After exploring how the Eastern Region’s Next Steps Mentorship Program took shape, this episode looks at how mentorship can succeed even without a formal, one-size-fits-all structure.
Joined by Marisa Cooper from the Western Region, George dives into the power of alignment, community, and “mentorship with a small M.” Marisa explains how sharing best practices across regions, fostering informal leadership pathways, and meeting members where they are creates meaningful mentorship opportunities—proving that connection and impact matter more than rigid frameworks.
Mentorship plays a critical role in shaping careers, confidence, and community within the snowsports industry. In Episode 1 of this four-part series, George Thomas sits down with Matthew Lyerly to explore how the Eastern Region’s Next Steps Mentorship Program was created — and why it’s about much more than exam prep.
Matthew shares how the program connects developing snow pros with experienced education staff, supports long-term career growth, and builds meaningful relationships across member schools. From advancing certification goals to finding belonging and professional direction, this episode sets the foundation for understanding mentorship as a powerful tool for retention, development, and leadership in snowsports.
In this episode of First Chair, host George Thomas sits down with Matt Gnoza, Freestyle Sport Director at U.S. Ski & Snowboard, and PSIA-AASI National Team members AJ and Elle, to explore a groundbreaking collaboration between the two organizations.
As the U.S. prepares for the 2034 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Matt shares how his team designed a new National Development Group program to prepare future Olympians — and why partnering with PSIA-AASI was a game-changer.
AJ and Elle discuss what it was like to work with elite freestyle athletes, how fundamental skiing skills translate to world-class performance, and what both groups learned from blending coaching philosophies.
Together, they reveal how this project is helping athletes — and coaches — become better skiers, better teachers, and better teammates.
In this episode of First Chair: PSIA-AASI Podcast, host George Thomas sits down with Derek Mikulski, Director of Commercial Sales and Education for Gibbon North America, and National Team member Melodie Buell to explore how balance training off the snow can transform on-snow performance. Derek shares how his own fitness journey led him to champion the Slackboard—a slackline-inspired balance trainer designed to build strength, stability, and coordination for athletes of all ages. He also discusses new research showing how balance training supports not just athletic performance but overall health, focus, and mental well-being.
Melodie offers an instructor’s perspective, sharing how Slackboard training has enhanced her preseason conditioning—improving foot and core engagement, reducing fatigue, and adding a sense of play to her workouts. Together, they discuss why balance work matters for every discipline—alpine, snowboard, cross-country, telemark, and adaptive—and how small, mindful off-snow movements can yield major gains in control and confidence on the hill. Whether you’re looking to prevent injury, extend your teaching career, or rediscover joy in movement, this conversation connects fitness, flow, and longevity in ways that resonate with every snow pro.
In the final episode of the Finding Our Why mini-series, PSIA-AASI’s Nathan Chapple reflects on two decades in snowsports instruction—starting as a 15-year-old junior instructor in the Pacific Northwest and growing into an Intermountain examiner who measures success by the lives he touches. Nathan shares how teaching gave a shy kid a consistent forum to practice communication, how certification structure sharpened his craft, and why a student-centered approach (and today’s People Skills emphasis) creates better teachers—and better guest experiences.
Nathan also opens up about scaling impact by training instructors, the season he nearly lost his spark, and how changing environments (hello, Snowbird) helped him rediscover joy. His advice for anyone on the fence about Level II or Level III is pure gold: control what you can, avoid outcome-only goals, and treat this as a game to play—not a game to win. It’s a grounded, generous conversation that brings our series home: purpose isn’t a pin or a title—it’s the way we show up for guests, peers, and the broader mountain community.
In Part 3 of Finding Our Why, PSIA-AASI member Kathy Mogensen joins George Thomas to share her journey from a seventh-grade ski-club kid with rental skis and fifty cents for hot chocolate to a 20-year PSIA-AASI instructor who’s helped generations of new skiers fall in love with the sport.
Kathy’s story captures what makes ski and snowboard instructors so passionate about what they do—the joy of watching guests gain confidence, connection, and community on snow. What started by chance—when a ski school director handed her a jacket and said, “Here’s your group”—grew into a lifelong purpose rooted in helping others discover the same love of skiing that shaped her family’s life.
Throughout the conversation, Kathy reflects on the mentors who guided her, the small ski areas that nurture tight-knit teaching communities, and the simple power of sharing turns with others. She also opens up about fear—how she’s faced it, learned from it, and now uses those lessons to help her students find control and confidence on the hill. Whether she’s teaching inner-city kids, moms learning to ski for the first time, or fellow instructors, Kathy’s “why” is simple: to create opportunities for others to feel the same joy and connection she’s found through skiing.
This episode celebrates the everyday instructors who make the biggest difference—not through big mountains or fancy titles, but through genuine care, patience, and passion for helping others find their way on snow.
In Part 2 of Finding Your Why, PSIA-AASI National Team member Melodie Buell sits down again with George Thomas for a raw, heartfelt conversation about what it really takes to trust yourself, stay authentic, and reconnect with purpose—even when doubt creeps in.
From her first tearful ski lesson at age five to racing Division I in college, coaching junior athletes, and eventually finding her calling through adaptive instruction, Melodie shares how every turn on snow led her closer to understanding her “why.” Along the way, she talks about shifting from external validation—pins, titles, and team selections—to internal motivation grounded in impact, service, and inclusion.
This episode digs into the emotional side of professional growth in the ski and ride world—the part we don’t always talk about. Melodie opens up about facing imposter syndrome before national team tryouts, learning to sit with discomfort, and finding the courage to show up as her authentic self. Through vulnerability and grit, she reminds all instructors that living into your purpose isn’t about reaching a pinnacle—it’s about using every opportunity to connect, give back, and elevate the people and communities around you.
Whether you’re just starting your certification journey or decades into teaching, this conversation will hit home. It’s a reminder that your “why” can be the strongest tool in your quiver—and that believing in yourself might just be the most important skill of all.
In the first episode of our latest mini-series, Finding Your Why, host George Thomas sits down with PSIA-AASI National Team member Melodie Buell to unpack what it really means to find purpose in snowsports instruction. Melodie shares how defining her “why” reshaped her approach to teaching, training, and living—moving beyond goals like earning certifications to embracing the deeper meaning behind the work instructors do every day.
Together, George and Melodie explore how understanding your purpose sustains motivation through challenges, transforms how you connect with guests, and turns feedback into growth. Whether you’re a seasoned pro or a new instructor, this conversation invites you to pause, reflect, and rediscover what truly keeps you coming back to the mountain.
In this special episode of the First Chair Podcast, PSIA-AASI CEO Jeff Lifgren and Marketing & Communications Director Katherine Fuller share the inside story behind this season’s all-new member survey. This isn’t just another questionnaire — it’s part of a larger, ongoing effort to better understand and respond to the needs of instructors, schools, and the entire snowsports industry.
Jeff and Katherine discuss why this new approach is different, how it will help PSIA-AASI stay relevant in a rapidly changing environment, and why every member’s participation matters. From uncovering what drives instructors to helping schools tell their story to resort ownership, this project is all about listening, learning, and building a stronger future for everyone on snow.
In this episode of First Chair, host George Thomas sits down with Rob Golden, CEO of Renoun, and Dana Kaufman, Director of Renoun Pro Membership, to introduce PSIA-AASI members to one of its newest official suppliers.
Renoun isn’t your average ski company — it was founded by an aerospace engineer who discovered how to use non-Newtonian material in ski cores. The result is skis that adapt in real time to terrain and vibration, stiffening on ice and staying smooth in powder. This patented “secret sauce” gives skiers a ride that literally changes with every turn.
The company has launched the world’s first ski membership program, RenounPro, a community-driven model that combines high-performance gear with real connections. Members get access to skis, exclusive events, discounted gear, and even opportunities to swap or donate old skis to adaptive programs — creating a cycle of performance and purpose.
Rob and Dana share how Renoun’s direct-to-consumer roots allow them to know every customer personally, why they see PSIA-AASI instructors as the core of this new movement, and how the RenounPro community fosters connection both online and on the mountain. You’ll also hear how instructors can get involved, lead their own events, and access exclusive member perks.
In part three of our Return Instructor Training mini-series, host George Thomas chats with Lyndsay Ward, PSIA-AASI Central Region Education and Certification Manager, about how to bring fresh energy and purpose to the start of every season. Lindsay draws on her journey from small-town instructor to trainer, ski school director, and regional leader to share a powerful perspective: return training isn’t a box to check—it’s a chance to reconnect, retool, and reignite your passion for teaching.
She breaks down how management can turn pre-season meetings into celebrations of community, creativity, and culture—and how instructors can transform routine refreshers into opportunities for growth. From the importance of safety and communication to sparking curiosity and lifelong learning, Lindsay reminds us that returning to snow is more than just repeating old steps—it’s rediscovering the joy that brought us here in the first place.
Whether you’re leading the training or lacing up your boots to attend, this episode will inspire you to flip the script and see preseason prep as the launchpad for your best winter yet.
In the second episode of our three-part series on fall instructor training, host George Thomas is joined by PSIA-AASI National Team member Peter Novom to talk about why investing in your returning instructors is critical for both staff culture and guest experiences.
Peter shares insights from his 25+ years of teaching—why no two lessons are ever the same, how to keep curiosity alive year after year, and why approaching training with an open mind transforms it from a “requirement” into a growth opportunity.
From constraints-based learning examples to the importance of feedback culture, George and Peter explore how return instructor training can:
- Motivate and energize your most experienced staff.
- Turn routine lessons into creative, engaging experiences.
- Set seasonal teaching goals that keep instructors growing.
- Strengthen longevity, curiosity, and commitment within your school.
Whether you’re a manager designing training or an instructor showing up for it, this episode will help you see fall training as more than a refresher—it’s an investment in long-term success, for you and for your guests.
The season is right around the corner, and fall instructor trainings are more than just a chance to reunite with friends and get back on snow. In this first episode of a three-part series, George Thomas sits down with PSIA-AASI Education and Development Manager Angelo Ross to explore how you can show up with the right mindset and get the most out of these essential preseason sessions.
From the excitement of reconnecting with peers to the challenge of avoiding “habit mode,” George and Angelo dive into why setting clear intentions matters—for your own growth and for creating the best possible guest experience. They highlight how open-mindedness keeps us learning, why training is about more than social catch-ups, and how concepts like observation vs. inference, note-taking, and questioning strategies can transform both teaching and learning.
Angelo also shares insight into examiner training updates, including the new Co-Examiner Connection Guide and why fairness, consistency, and collaboration are at the core of this season’s focus. Even if you’re not on Ed Staff, you’ll discover practical takeaways—from refining your teaching fundamentals to recognizing breakthrough moments on snow—that will help you start the season stronger and stay inspired all winter long.
Tune in and get ready to shift your perspective: fall instructor training isn’t just a requirement—it’s your launchpad to becoming a better instructor and delivering an unforgettable guest experience.
In this episode of First Chair, PSIA-AASI CEO Jeffrey Lifgren and Board Chair John May sit down with host George Thomas to share their perspectives on leadership, priorities, and the future of the organization.
John reflects on his journey from teaching at Mount Hood to serving as Board Chair, highlighting the experiences that shaped his career and his passion for supporting instructors. Jeff outlines the National Board’s strategic priorities for the year ahead: stabilizing IT systems, supporting regions and members as valued clients, and driving decision-making with reliable data.
Together, they discuss how the organization is shifting toward stronger collaboration with regions, recognizing them as the experts in delivering on-snow education and guest experiences. They also talk about the importance of community and self-development, the evolving role of member schools, and how new communication and survey efforts will help bring the entire membership along on this journey.
Tune in for an inside look at how PSIA-AASI leadership is laying the groundwork today to deliver a stronger, more connected member experience in the seasons ahead.
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