Training and Turns

Telluride Ski and Snowboard Instructors at Morning Lineup Before the Sun Even Hits "The Beach"

It’s almost midnight and I’m trying to wrap up a few loose ends in my writer’s world so that I can devote the majority of my energy to my ski instructor life—at least for the next two weeks.  As of tomorrow, I’ll be on the mountain some fifteen days in a row. Typical ski instructor schedule around the holidays as a great influx of visitors and second-home owners are debarking this weekend and next.  Those that are super organized have already done all of their Christmas preparations and such; others, like myself, rely primarily on the mountain for invoking great festive spirit.

Charting the Course for Future Mountain Adventures with Clients

We’ve all been working hard these past few weeks to improve our turns and also to perfect our teaching and communication skills. This has been achieved throughout a variety of workshops, orientations and training sessions both on snow and off; all has been carried out in an effort to ready ourselves for our clients and guests, young and old, first timers as well as well versed ski and snowboard enthusiasts.  Probably what resonated the most for me was the importance of the emotional connection we create with our clients or students.  (That comes more naturally to me than skiing the steeps!)  

And the mountain has cooperated heartily.  Snow fell twenty inches within twenty-four hours this past week, bringing snow totals for the month of December up to 69 inches. All lifts are open and the trails are cushioned with downy packed powder throughout.

My laundry is done, my little apartment is super clean and tidy and there’s a stock of EmergenC in the cupboard, chicken soup in the freezer and a huge bag of crunchies for my kitties in the closet. There’s not much more I can do to be entirely ready to spend a string of long, cold days on the mountain.  And I can’t wait.  I often say that becoming a ski instructor is the best thing I ever did for my writing career.  It gets me out of my own often squirrel-ly way and allows me to interact with all kinds of people in a place I love dearly doing something that is incredibly fun. Telluride Ski and Snowboard School is one big family.  The mountain, in fact, is one huge tribe.  I look forward to providing updates about our gang throughout the season.

Spreading Rainbows and Sunshine: The Most Important Part of Our Job

Thank you to Deb Willits for the photos.  She is most certainly one of the best Professional Ski Instructor of America (PSIA) trainers in the country and Telluride is lucky to have her.

The Mountain Awaits You