Best Psia Aasi First Chair Podcast Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 700! National Academy 2024 With Pete Kray 19:30

2d ago19:30

19:30

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI Lead Writer Pete Kray for EPISODE 700!! We have an unbelievable bank of amazing podcasts that are all about snowsports instruction. Pete and George are old pals so this conversation is fun and insightful. Pete talks about his time at National Academy and what it's like being…

1
Episode 699 2024 National Academy With Eliza Kuntz And Peggy Hiller Mixdown 18:21

3d ago18:21

18:21

PSIA-AASI First Chair podcast Host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Peggy Hiller and Board Chair Eliza Kuntz! George, Eliza and Peggy chat about National Academy and how the week has been going and what to expect with Team Selection week. George questions Peggy on the member survey that went out and how it is interacting face-to-face wit…

1
Episode 698: National Academy 2024 wit Alpine Team member Jonathan Ballou 17:56

4d ago17:56

17:56

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA Alpine Team member Jonathan Ballou from Big Sky, MT. George and Jonothan talk briefly about the podcast and its history. Episode 700 is coming up! Jonathan has been on the National Team for 3 terms and is retiring as a team member this year. Jonathan talks about his time on the t…

1
Episode 697: National Academy 2024. Meet Vanessa Mann - General Secretary of IAESS 10:01

4d ago10:01

10:01

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas chats with Vanessa Mann, the General Secretary of IASESS (International Association of Science in Snowsports) and the Project Manager for Interski International. The IAESS bridges the gap between theory and practice. IEASS is the pillar organization of Interski International and connects snowsports t…

1
Episode 696: Checking in With Scott Behrens, First-Time Adaptive Academy Participant 6:25

7d ago6:25

6:25

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Scott Behrens, a first-time participant of Adaptive Academy. Scott shares moments about his time at academy and how it's living up to what he expected. Scott mentions how he got into adaptive snowsports and what led him into snowsports instruction. George and Scott continue to chat ab…

1
Episode 695: Checking In With Josephine Cormier - First-Time Adaptive Academy Participant 7:41

8d ago7:41

7:41

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with first-time participant of Adaptive Academy Josephine Cormier on her experience so far. Josephine came to Adaptive Academy by way of getting the Nancy Oakes Hall Scholarship this year. Josephine works at Achieve Tahoe, a fully adaptive program out of California. George and Josephine ta…

1
Episode 694: 2024 National Academy With Ben Potts, National Alpine Team Member 10:22

9d ago10:22

10:22

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Alpine Team member Ben Potts. George and Ben talk about the big National Academy and what it's been like so far seeing all of the new and returning members coming to this event. On top of this, Ben is staying in Big Sky for National Team selection that happens the week after National …

1
Episode 693: PSIA Adaptive Team Coach Geoff Krill 14:40

14d ago14:40

14:40

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA Adaptive Team Coach Geoff Krill. Geoff goes into how adaptive skiing and riding is just skiing and riding no matter what you're sliding on. George and Geoff talk about what it was like going from a team member to a coach of the PSIA-AASI National Team and what it means to be goin…

1
Episode 692: When It Just Isn't Working with Dana Forbes 19:49

24d ago19:49

19:49

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Dana Forbes who is the Executive Director for the Rocky Mountain Region. Dana wrote an article about a lesson experience that was completely discouraging and made her question whether or not she was a good instructor or not. This feeling is not unique to Dana though. Many instructors …

1
Episode 692: National Après Day - Breckenridge Distillery With Jessie Unruh 8:58

28d ago8:58

8:58

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host catches up with Jessie Unruh, the marketing director for Breckenridge Distillery. Breckenridge Distillery is one of PSIA-AASI's newest Official Suppliers and has worked with the National Team to create a unique and branded bottle of whiskey. Jessie talks about the history of Breckenridge Distillery and the differe…

1
Episode 691 2027 Interski Update With Peggy Hiller Mixdown 12:59

1M ago12:59

12:59

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast catches up with CEO Peggy Hiller. Peggy and George chat about Interki 2027 and the USA winning the bid to host the international event. Interski is an international group formed by instructors represented by more than 30 countries around the world. The different countries come together once every four years to share th…

1
Episode 690: Meet PSIA Alpine Development Coach Matt Boyd 13:00

1M ago13:00

13:00

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Matt Boyd, a recently announced Alpine Development Coach of the 2024-28 National Team. George and Thomas chat about all things snow pros and what it's like being a coach for the best-of-the-best snowsports instructors from around the country. Matt talks about Interski and how importan…

1
3.18.24: Learning About New Zealand's Rookie Academy with Ben Potts 13:16

1M ago13:16

13:16

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA Alpine Team member Ben Potts. As winter winds down in the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere is bracing for a successful winter season. Ben travels to New Zealand for their Rookie Academy where instructor training is conducted. This isn't for locals only, this event bri…

1
3.14.24: Catching Up with Mermer Blakeslee 19:14

1M ago19:14

19:14

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Mermer Blakeslee! Mermer shares how she got into snowsports instruction. Mermer is still instructing at Wyndham Mountain in the Eastern Region as she has been for the last 4 decades. Mermer was a key player at Women's Summit 2024 in Solitude, UT this year and speaks about her experien…

1
3.12.2024: Senior Editor of SAM, Level III Instructor, Alpine Examiner and new mom - Katie Brinton 16:05

2M ago16:05

16:05

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Katie Brinton. Katie is the Senior Editor for Ski Area Management (SAM) Magazine, . Katie talks about her journey into snowsports instruction and how it's not too dissimilar from other stories she's heard. She left a career as a "professional" and got a job for a winter as a ski instr…

1
Meadows Training Mixdown 23:21

2M ago23:21

23:21

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with instructors from Mt. Hood Meadows in Oregon on the process of Ed Staff training and tryouts. George catches up with Jeremy Riss, Jen Lockwood, Tyler Barnes and Katie Foyt. Mt. Hood Meadows had 5 members of their team chosen to join the Northwest Region Education Staff. Hear from Katie…

1
3.6.2024 | A Full 2024 Women's Summit Recap With Ying Liu 18:16

2M ago18:16

18:16

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Ying Liu who attended this year's Women's Summit in Solitude, Utah. Ying chats about how she learned better ways to teach and how to communicate more effectively. The feedback that Ying has gotten from students after utilizing what she learned from the Women's Summit has been great so…

1
3.1.2024 | Highlights From the 2024 Women's Summit With Ying Liu 10:01

2M ago10:01

10:01

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas checks in with Ying Liu who is at the 2024 Women's Summit. Ying talks about her highlights from the Women's Summit and mentions how she has been working with Mermer Blakesly on steering with the inside ski and how Mermer was able to guide her through that progression. The Women's Summit this year is …

1
2.28.2024 | Boots on the Snow | Providing Effective Feedback With Melodie Buell | Part 2 19:39

2M ago19:39

19:39

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Melodie Buell again and in this pod, they continue the chat about providing effective feedback to your students. George kicks off the pod with his own experiences with getting feedback from bosses and coworkers. Melodie goes on to explain how building a relationship with whomever you'…

1
2.21.2024: PSIA-AASI Regional Trainings with Education Development Manager Angelo Ross 14:00

2M ago14:00

14:00

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI's Education Development Manager Angelo Ross. Angelo is a well-accredited instructor for PSIA-AASI. Angelo spent much of his winter traveling around to regional examiner trainings with a message of alignment focused on movement analysis where examiner skills were practiced. A…

1
2.19.2024: Boots On The Snow | Working With High-Need Students With Brian Donovan 17:48

2M ago17:48

17:48

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with National Team member Brian Donovan and chats about handling and working with high-need students. We've all had students who have never been on snow or who don't understand the sport, or have issues with gear from the get-go. Brian and George talk about working with these students and …

1
2.16.2024: Freestyle Academy Part 3 With Tony Macri and Successful Freestyle Assessment Students 16:49

2M ago16:49

16:49

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with National Team member Tony Macri and a few successful FS candidates from the National Freestyle Academy event at Woodward-Park City. George talks with Diego about his experience at the full 5-day event and how his experience was. Joel got his Alpine FS I and talked about the experience…

1
2.14.2024: Freestyle Academy Part 2 With Ben Potts And Tony Macri 12:42

2M ago12:42

12:42

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with National Team members Ben Potts and Tony Macri who are at the National Freestyle Academy in Utah at the Woodward-Park City facility. George, Ben and Tony talk about how this is a national event that travels from region to region. Examiners come from nearby regions to help put this eve…

1
2.12.2024: National Freestyle Academy Part 1 With Ben Potts And Tony Macri 11:36

2M ago11:36

11:36

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with National Team members Tony Macri and Ben Potts. Tony and Ben are at the PSIA-AASI National Freestyle Academy at Woodward - Park City in Utah. Ben and Tony talk about Freestyle Academy and what it is. Ben talks about comparing Freestyle Academy to National Academy and how they're simil…

1
2.2.2024: Boots on the Snow | Psychological Splits During Lessons with Geoff Krill 16:16

3M ago16:16

16:16

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI Adaptive Coach Geoff Krill. George and Geoff chat about psychological splits among groups in a lesson. Geoff explains the difference in mentality among some students when taking a lesson. Some are there to learn and get better and others are sometimes just there to experienc…

1
2.1.2024: Boots On The Snow | Managing Class Splits With Brenna Kelleher 18:42

3M ago18:42

18:42

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI National Team member Brenna Kelleher on managing class splits when giving lessons. Brenna describes what a class split is and how to overcome working with students in a lesson who want to do different things and have different abilities. Brenna goes on to talk about lap coac…

1
1.24.2024: The [NEW] Children's Alpine Field Guide with Kevin Jordan, Mark Aiken and Ryan Ravinsky 22:41

3M ago22:41

22:41

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Kevin Jordan, Mark Aiken, and Ryan Ravinsky on the new Children's Alpine Field guide. Kevin is a PSIA Alpine Team member based in Aspen, CO. Mark is a pro based in Stowe, VT, and an Eastern Examiner. Ryan is based in Jackson Hole, WY, and is on the Alpine Education Staff and an examin…

1
1.23.2024: Boots on the Snow | Providing Effective Feedback With Melodie Buell | Part 1 19:12

3M ago19:12

19:12

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Northwest examiner Melodie Buell, the Education and Training manager for Oregon Adaptive Sports and a Lead Trainer for Mt. Bachelor Ski and Ride School. George and Melodie chat about Effective Feedback and the importance of delivering it in a way that students can enjoy. Geroge kicks …

1
1.19.2023: Catching Up With Kyle Wilson From Nordic Mtn on the Small Snowsports School Scholarship 12:19

3M ago12:19

12:19

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up again with Kyle Wilson, the snowsports school director at Nordic Mountain in Wisconsin. Nordic Mountain is a family-oriented place with 300 vertical feet. Nordic Mountain applied and received the Small Snowsports School Scholarship during the 2022/23 season. Upon learning that Nordic did n…

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1.17.2024: 2024 Women's Summit with Ying Liu 11:08

3M ago11:08

11:08

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Ying Liu, a PSIA-AASI certified instructor and member of the PSIA-AASI Women's Advisory Group, aka, The Women's Council for Equity and Inclusion. Ying was a 'late-bloomer' in the ski instruction world and found herself part of the Women's Summit in 2023. Ying mentioned that the idea o…

1
1-11-2024: On The Snow With Randi Sidman-Moore 10:20

4M ago10:20

10:20

First Chair Podcast host Goerge Thomas catches up with Randi Sidman-Moore from OnTheSnow - a web and app-based platform that offers weather reports and lifestyle content. Randi has been skiing since she was young thanks to her athletic father. Randi ski raced through college and is now a ski instructor at Deer Valley Resort. Randi is also a photogr…

1
1.9.2024: Boots on the Snow | Class Management With National Team member Chris Rogers 14:46

4M ago14:46

14:46

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI National Team member Chris Rogers. George is beginning a "boots on the snow" type series that covers a range of topics including class management. All classes aren't related equally and sometimes there are 'trouble students'. Chris speaks on how to overcome some of these sit…

1
12.28.23: 2024 Slopes Challenge With Curtis Herbert from Slopes 12:44

4M ago12:44

12:44

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas chats with Curtis Herbert, the creative mind behind the Slopes App. Curtis chats how how Slopes started and what the goal is for the future. PSIA-AASI and Slopes are collaborating on a fun member-facing challenge. This challenge is tracking your vertical stats for the month of January 2024. If you sk…

1
12.20.23: "How The Grinch Stole Christmas!" - Happy Holidays 11:16

4M ago11:16

11:16

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas brings you through the story of Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Happy Holidays from PSIA-AASI.By PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast

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12.19.23: Adaptive Update With Melodie Buell 15:25

4M ago15:25

15:25

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Melodie Buell from Oregon Adaptive Sports in Oregon. George and Melodie chat about why Melodie has such a passion for adaptive skiing and riding. Melodie goes on to explain how she found purpose through adaptive snowsports and what resources are available to PSIA-AASI members and how to find th…

1
12.14.23: Earn College Credit With Professional Snowsports Education Certificate 18:07

4M ago18:07

18:07

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Dr. Pete Allison - a professor at Penn State University. PSIA-AASI and PSU have been collaborating since 2016 on standardizing and unifying the assessment process for exams across the country. Starting January 2024, you will be able to earn up to 9 college credits through PSU's World Campus by …

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12.12.2023: Spreading the Message of the Importance of Examining Skills With Jeb Boyd 10:56

5M ago10:56

10:56

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with the PSIA-AASI National Team Head Coach, Jeb Boyd. George and Jeb talk about the consistent examing skillsets that have been talked about this year. Regional Trainings have been ongoing across the country which provided a consistent content message across the United States. Jeb talks about how t…

1
12.9.2023: Learning About G3 Backcountry Gear With Duncan Pawson 16:08

5M ago16:08

16:08

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Duncan Pawson with G3. G3 is “Genuine Guide Gear” which focuses mostly on backcountry gear based in Western Canada but available worldwide. G3 offers several different "families" of ski options, as well as skins, splitboards, poles, probes and shovels. Duncan is one of the engineers on staff at…

1
12.8.23 - Peggy Hiller Member Survey Part 3 - the Premier Member Experience 12:37

5M ago12:37

12:37

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Peggy Hiller, CEO of PSIA-AASI. On this episode, George and Peggy talk about the member survey that was conducted. Part 3 of the survey is how PSIA-AASI can take critiques and make changes. Peggy talks about how PSIA-AASI is striving to accomplish education excellence. We've made strides to do …

1
12.6.23: Rocky Mountain Season Kickoff With Don Begley 8:15

5M ago8:15

8:15

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas talks with Don Begley who attended the Rocky Mountain Region Season Kickoff event in Breckenridge, CO. George and Don talk about the importance of a good critique and why being an instructor is so beneficial to your life. Don chats about how he left cross country skiing because the recent warming climate has m…

1
12.4.23: Rocky Mountain Season Kickoff With Dave Speer 7:02

5M ago7:02

7:02

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Dave Speer. Dave talks about why coming back to the instruction industry and attending this event is the perfect way to learn about all the new advances in the work of snowsports instruction. Dave acquired his Level III in 2003 and eventually took some time off to focus on other things. He reti…

1
12.1.23: Rocky Mountain Season Kickoff With Paul Roberts 8:20

5M ago8:20

8:20

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Paul Roberts. Paul is an instructor at Peak 8 in Breckenridge. Originally a ski instructor in Canada, Paul moved to Colorado 30 years ago. The Season Kickoff event for the Rocky Mountain Region happened in November 2023 and provides instructors a chance to catch up with others in the industry, …

1
11.25.2023: Catching Up With Carole Stecker, an Instructor at Keystone Resort 6:13

5M ago6:13

6:13

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Carol Stecker at the Rocky Mountain season kickoff event. Carol has been a Keystone instructor for a long time and joined the season kickoff event to earn more CEUs and engage with other local instructors. George and Carole chatted about the event and how it has progressed this year. Carole tal…

1
11.24.2023: Catching up with Rob Crawford at the Rocky Mountain Region Season Kickoff Event 8:19

5M ago8:19

8:19

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Rob Crawford at the T-Bar on Breckenridge mountain. George and Rob talk about leading clinics and covering important information that's needed for the upcoming season. Rob is new to the Aspen Snowsports School staff and is thrilled to learn from some of the best in the industry. Rob is part of …

1
11.22.2023: Catching Up with the Angel Fire Crew for the Member School Management Event 11:37

5M ago11:37

11:37

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with the Angel Fire crew from New Mexico. The team from Angel Fire joined in on the Member School Management (MSM) event in Colorado to have fun, talk about the upcoming season and make some turns together. They talk about what they're learning at MSM and how they plan to take what they've learned b…

1
11.21.2023: Rocky Mountain Season Kickoff with Robin May 12:08

5M ago12:08

12:08

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas. You'll hear from Board President Robin May at the season kickoff event in the Rocky Mountain Region. The season is starting across the country and our regions are ready for an adventurous season ahead. The point of this season kickoff event is a social and networking event but it also is a sign of the season …

1
11.17.23: Chatting with National Team member Brian Smith 18:04

5M ago18:04

18:04

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas chats with National Team member Brian Smith who is also a member of the Eastern Region Education staff. Brian chats about the overlap of being on the National Team while being a part of the educational processes with PSIA-AASI. George notes that Brian is a unique team member because of this. Brian ta…

1
11.15.23: Catching up with National Team member Josh Fogg at Team Training 16:51

5M ago16:51

16:51

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Alpine Team member Josh Fogg at Team Training in Keystone, CO. George and Josh talk about the lack of snow this year and what it looks like at Josh's home mountain of Aspen Snowmass. George asks Josh about the plan for working with his new staff as the Training Director at Aspen. Josh…

1
11.13.2023: Catching up With National Team member Ryan Christofferson 11:37

6M ago11:37

11:37

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Alpine Team member Ryan Christofferson. George and Rayn catch up at Team Training which took place in late October at Keystone Lodge in Colorado. Ryan chats about his time on the team and what he's looking forward to in the future. He chats about his freestyle specialty and what it means to him…

1
11.9.23: New from Faction Skis With Henrik Lampert 8:33

6M ago8:33

8:33

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Henrik Lampert from Factions Skis to chat all things new this year. The new skis this year are the very colorful Dancer series. An all-mountain ski that will surely make you slide nicer on snow. PSIA-AASI members get a very special rate off of these skis. Check out the pro offers at h…

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