Alpine Certification Guide January 1998 Revised January 2010 Table of Contents Introduction ____________________________________________________ 1 PSIA-NW Mission Statement __________________________________________________ 2 The Purpose of This Guide ____________________________________________________ 3 Industry Information _________________________________________________________ 4 National Standards Alpine Teaching Matrix _______________________________________ 6 Alpine Skills Matrix __________________________________________________________ 7 Registered Level_________________________________________________ 9 Registered Requirements ____________________________________________ 10 Alpine Registered National Standards ________________________________________ 10 Membership Procedure ___________________________________________________ 12 PSIA-NW Registered Level Written Exam _____________________________________ 12 Certified Level I_________________________________________________ 15 Level I Requirements ________________________________________________ 16 National Standards – Alpine Certified Level I ___________________________________ 16 PSIA-NW Level I Policies And Procedures_____________________________________ 19 Exam Process __________________________________________________________ 20 Grading________________________________________________________________ 20 Exam Format ___________________________________________________________ 20 Areas of Evaluation_______________________________________________________ 21 Skiing Tasks - Level I _____________________________________________________ 21 Refund Policy ___________________________________________________________ 22 Education Credit _________________________________________________________ 22 Reinstatement Policy _____________________________________________________ 22 Certification Exam Assessment Sheets _______________________________________ 22 Certified Level II ________________________________________________ 25 Level II Requirements _______________________________________________ 26 National Standards – Alpine Certified Level II __________________________________ 26 Fundamental Skills & Tasks - Level II_________________________________________ 29 Written Test ____________________________________________________________ 31 Sign Up Policies and Procedures ____________________________________________ 31 Exam Registration _______________________________________________________ 31 Exam Process __________________________________________________________ 31 Grading________________________________________________________________ 31 Exam Format ___________________________________________________________ 32 Areas of Evaluation_______________________________________________________ 32 Skiing Skills - Level II _____________________________________________________ 32 Skiing Tasks - Level II_____________________________________________________ 33 Teaching Application - Level II ______________________________________________ 34 Sample Teaching Topics __________________________________________________ 35 Teaching Sample - Level II_________________________________________________ 37 Teaching Format ________________________________________________________ 38 Professional Knowledge ___________________________________________________ 39 Refund Policy ___________________________________________________________ 39 Education Credit _________________________________________________________ 39 Reciprocity _____________________________________________________________ 39 Certification Exam Assessment Sheets _______________________________________ 40 Certified Level III________________________________________________ 45 Level III Requirements _______________________________________________ 46 Alpine Certified Level III National Standards ___________________________________ 46 Fundamental Skills & Tasks - Level III ________________________________________ 49 Written Test ____________________________________________________________ 50 Sign Up Policies and Procedures ____________________________________________ 50 Exam Registration _______________________________________________________ 51 Exam Process __________________________________________________________ 51 Grading________________________________________________________________ 51 Exam Format ___________________________________________________________ 51 Areas of Evaluation_______________________________________________________ 51 Skiing Skills - Level III_____________________________________________________ 52 Task Script - Level III _____________________________________________________ 53 Teaching Application - Level III______________________________________________ 54 Teaching Topics - Level III _________________________________________________ 55 Teaching Sample - Level III ________________________________________________ 55 Teaching Format ________________________________________________________ 56 Professional Knowledge ___________________________________________________ 57 Refund Policy ___________________________________________________________ 57 Education Credit _________________________________________________________ 58 Reciprocity _____________________________________________________________ 58 Reinstatement Policy _____________________________________________________ 58 Certification Exam Assessment Sheets _______________________________________ 59 Reference Materials _____________________________________________ 65 Books _________________________________________________________________ 65 Books _________________________________________________________________ 66 Manuals _______________________________________________________________ 66 Videos_________________________________________________________________ 67 DVD’s _________________________________________________________________ 67 Study Questions________________________________________________ 68 Study Questions____________________________________________________ 69 Technical/Mechanical _____________________________________________________ 69 Teaching/Methodology ____________________________________________________ 70 Safety/Risk Management __________________________________________________ 71 History/Organization ______________________________________________________ 72 Equipment Knowledge ____________________________________________________ 72 Children _______________________________________________________________ 73 Movement Analysis_______________________________________________________ 74 The Skier ______________________________________________________________ 74 PSIA-NW Examiner and Examiner in Training Standards ______________ 75 PSIA-NW Examiner and Training Examiner Standards ____________________ 76 Introduction Introduction 1 PSIA-NW Mission Statement Provide high quality educational resources and well-defined standards to aid our members in improving their teaching skills to better satisfy the needs and expectations of their customers in the enjoyment of downhill and Nordic winter sports. Introduction 2 The Purpose of This Guide The purpose of this guide is to provide exam candidates, training directors, divisional clinic leaders and examiners with an established outline to reference while preparing for, participating in, and administering the PSIA-NW Certification Level I, II, and III exams. This guide provides a framework to work from as candidates develop their skills, trainers and divisional clinic leaders assist in their development and examiners validate the results. The guide is intended to provide an outline for the interested parties and is by no means a complete educational training document. It is the responsibility of all interested parties to supplement their development with additional materials and resources. No one person, document, or resource can prepare an individual for their certification process. Rather a combination of individuals, information and resources will provide the best blend of expertise for a well-rounded training pathway. Please take responsibility to familiarize yourself with the policies, procedures, formats, and testing criteria before embarking on your certification pathway. If at anytime in your training program or testing process you need clarification, it is your responsibility to ask qualified individuals for clarity. If you choose not to question and research the information, you will probably end up with a less than accurate perspective on the certification process. This perspective is bound to influence the outcome. Be accountable for your success! Individuals who can help answer questions and receive comments include: • PSIA / AASI-NW office - (206) 244-8541 – [email protected] • Education, Technical and Certification Vice Presidents • Education and Programs Director • PSIA-NW Technical Team • Divisional Clinic Leaders • Examiners • Training Directors • Ski and Snowboard School Directors/Owners • PSIA / AASI-NW Board of Directors Introduction 3 Industry Information The basic organizations representing snow sports instruction in the United States are: The Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) / American Association of Snowboard Instructors (AASI). PSIA/AASI is a national, member-oriented organization that represents over 28,500 ski and snowboard instructors in the United States. PSIA/AASI is composed of nine regional divisions. PSIA-Northwest Division is one of those divisions and represents ski and snowboard instructors and ski and snowboard schools in Washington, Oregon and Northern Idaho. PSIA/AASI