Steepest Ski Slope in North Carolina, Whoopdeedoo, Sugar Mountain

Sugar Mountain is located in Banner Elk, North Carolina, which is approximately 2.5 hours northwest of North Carolina’s largest city, Charlotte.  It is the south’s largest ski area with 20 ski trails. The summit of Sugar Mountain is 5,236 feet above sea level, which is higher than any lift served ski area in New York, New England and Quebec.  However, the mountain boasts only 1200 vertical feet. Keep in mind, you don’t need extreme vertical to create technically great skiers, as evidenced by Buck Hill, Minnesota whose race program sent Kristina Koznik and Lindsey Vonn to the Olympics, all from 310 vertical feet.  Even with the summit sitting at nearly a mile above sea level, Sugar only receives, on average, 77 inches of snow per year. However, the resort augments the natural snowfall with an impressive snowmaking arsenal that covers 100% of the skiing terrain. Sugar Mountain provides an outstanding weekend getaway for skiers of all abilities. 

Whoopdeedoo is the short trail at the top right of Sugar Mountain - photo courtesy of Mark Clifford

Whoopdeedoo

Sugar Mountain is home to the only black diamond in the Tarheel state, the trail is named Whoopdeedoo.  The first question many Northern’s have regarding this trail is, “Is it really deserving of a double black diamond rating?”  The answer, when looking at only the steepness of the trail, is an undeniable yes. The trail has a sustained pitch of 31.21 degrees which is on par with such famous trails as Outer Limits (Killington), Stein’s Run (Sugarbush), Dynamite (Tremblant) and one of the hardest trails in Eastern North America, DJ’s Tramline.  The point being, the trail is steep enough that it will give plenty of skiers pause when standing at the precipice of the trail. But, to be clear, the trail doesn’t match the difficulty of the legendary trails mentioned earlier. Whoopdeedoo is generally groomed, so it lacks the moguls of Stein’s Run and Outer Limits, the frozen waterfall of Dynamite and the boulder fields of DJ’s Tramline.  In fact, the trail most similar to Whoopdeedoo is Niagara at Whiteface Mountain, which was a trail that the men caught ridiculous air off the top at the 1980 Olympics downhill. Besides the pitch, the other element of difficulty is the trail comes to an abrupt end on the Load Off trail, which is only 45 feet wide, so if you come in hot you will need to make a hard right on to the trail, otherwise you will be served up a tasty lunch of bark, cambium, heartwood and pith.

If you are in North Carolina and decide to ski Whoopdeedoo, you will need to ride the Summit Express, a six seater detachable chairlift to the top of the mountain and exit the chair to the right.  To access the trail you will go past an “Experts Only” sign. It is at this point that you should attempt to score some G.N.A.R. points by getting the attention of a stranger near you and say, in a serious tone, without bursting into laughter and say. “Hey, I’m a better skier than you”. Or, even better, waive your arms and poles vigorously and yell at the top of your lungs, “I’m going to tear the crap out of this run!”.  But, before doing that, be sure to take in the view from the top of Whoopdeedoo because it is exceptional.

Steepest Ski Trail in New Jersey - Pipeline, Mountain Creek

Located in the northwest corner of Northern New Jersey, more precisely the Vernon Township, sits 1040 vertical feet of a ski resort, known as Mountain Creek Ski Resort.  The resort is located 47 miles from New York City, making it the closest ski resort to Manhattan, thus it is probably one of the busiest ski areas in the nation. 

Mountain Creek is home to the only open air gondola in the US.  In 1998, the first year under Interwest ownership, Mountain Creek installed a Dopplemayer high-speed eight-passenger open-air gondola, known as The Cabriolet.  The lift is basically a bucket with no seats, much like a tram, up to eight skiers hold on to their equipment while standing and taking the journey to the top of the mountain.  The lift is open air and provides no protection from the elements. For those of you who have visited Mont Tremblant, the lift is identical to the Cabriolet gondola in the Pedestrian Village.

Mountain Creek caters to all people whether they ski or ride or not.  The resort is home to the nation’s largest snow tubing park with 30 tubing lanes, the world’s largest Slip ‘N Slide and the world’s tallest and only double-looping waterslide, so even if your buddies don’t ski or ride there is plenty to do at Mountain Creek.

In Ehukai Beach Park on Oahu's North Shore is an area that is notoriously known for huge waves that form hollow curls of water where the surfers can shoot the tube.  This deadly wave, known as the Banzai Pipeline, averages 9 feet tall waves and the break has killed more surfers than any other surf spot in the world. While Pipeline at Mountain Creek can’t really be compared to the Banzai Pipeline, that comparison is better left to trails like Delirium Dive (Sunshine Village), Couloir de Polichinelle (La Grave, France), Body Bag (Crested Butte) and Corbet’s Couloir (Jackson Hole).  However, Pipeline at Mountain Creek does share a name with the famous surf spot.

Pipeline is the only double black diamond at Mountain Creek and is the undisputed nastiest trail on the mountain.  The history of this trail is sketchy, but it was initially part of Great Gorge and was allegedly harder “back in the day”, however it is unclear why it may have been harder such as narrower, ungroomed, bulldozed irregularities out of the terrain.  There is documentation in a 1988 edition of SKI Magazine that the trail was reopening, which may coincide with the taming of the trail in order to navigate a snow cat up the trail for grooming. In the past, the trail was called Upper and Lower Pipeline, today it is referred to just as Pipeline and the lower portion is part of a condominium complex.  This trail is very similar in steepness, width and length to other well-known trails such as Upper Skyward (Whiteface) and Alexander Dispatie (Mont Chantecler), both of which are signature runs at their respective mountains and have been used for major competitions. Upper Skyward was the start of the women’s downhill at the 1980 Olympics and Alexander Dispatie was used for the 2016 Sports Experts Speed Nation National Championships.  Additionally, the trail has a steeper sustained pitch, over 300 ft, at 29.01 degrees than such notable trails as: Gondy Line Ext (Sugarloaf), Shock Wave (Sunday River), Cloudspin (Whiteface), Black Magic (Magic Mountain) and Goat (Stowe) – yes Goat! To be clear Pipeline isn’t anywhere near as hard as any of the trails listed because it is groomed, doesn’t have a double fall line like Cloudspin and Goat and rock ledges like Black Magic and Goat and is much wider than Goat and Black Magic.  However, what does make Pipeline difficult is it is generally as icy as Madison Square Garden on a night the Rangers play, due to the southern location of the mountain, the amount of man-made snow (Mountain Creek has 1000 snow guns) and the number of “yahoos” who attempt to go down the only double black diamond on the mountain. There are two options to best experience New Jersey’s steepest trail in all its glory. First, wait for fresh snow and go mid-week during the day before the schools and ski clubs arrive.  Second, and the better option since Mountain Creek only averages 65” of snow per year, is to get out your tungsten carbide file and bevel tool and put an edge on your ski that could cut a ribeye.

The point being, the trail should not be disregarded just because it isn’t as hard or deadly has its name sake in Hawaii or because the trail is located in the “winter paradise” of New Jersey.

Steepest Trail in West Virginia, Lower Shay’s Revenge, Snowshoe

Snowshoe Mountain (The Shew), is located in Snowshoe, West Virginia and is part of the Allegheny Mountains.  Despite the name of the resort, the ski area is located on Cheat Mountain. Cheat Mountain is the second highest mountain in the state of West Virginia which tops out at 4,848 feet, only 15 feet smaller than Spruce Mountain.  The resort, which is the largest winter resort in the mid-Atlantic, has 256 skiable acres and 14 lifts, including 3 high speed quads servicing Snowshoe's 57 trails.  The resort receives between 125-135 inches of snow per year, however the area is known to supplement Mother Nature with a robust snowmaking system. 

Snowshoe owned by Alterra Mountain Company.  

Lower Shay’s Revenge in all of its bumped up glory - Photo provided by Showshoe Mountain.

Lower Shay’s Revenge

On the backside of Snowshoe Mountain is an area named the Western Territory which is home to two ski trails.  On the left side of the of the Western Express high-speed quad, as you look at the mountain is the black diamond trail, Cupp Run which was designed by 1968 three-time Olympic gold medal winner, Jean-Claude Killy.  On the other side of the lift is a trail that was cut in 1998 called Shay’s Revenge. Shay’s Revenge is divided into two sections, Shay’s Revenge and Lower Shay’s Revenge that result in a combined 1500-foot vertical drop.  The upper half of Shay’s is a run of the mill, generic black diamond that your average skier can skid and slide down and the advanced skier can strap on the rocket boosters and melt the bases of their skis. For the less confident skiers, there is a bailout option to Cupp Run to avoid Lower Shay’s Revenge.  Lower Shay’s is a double black diamond, although when it was opened in 1998 it was a black diamond and subsequently upgraded to a double black. Lower Shay’s is often marketed as the longest, steepest mogul field south of the Mason-Dixon line. The trail measures 3554 feet long and easily the longest double black diamond south of the Mason-Dixon.  However, it is not the steepest, that title goes to Whoopdeedoo at Sugar Mountain, NC which checks in with a sustained pitch of 31.21, compared to Lower Shay’s sustained pitch of 26.47. However, Whoopdeedoo is frequently groomed and is much shorter than Lower Shay’s. Snowshoe blows a lot of snow on this steep section and it is generally open with big bumps for a major portion of the ski season. 

Shays’ is arguably the toughest run in West Virginia and as some of the locals down in the hollow would say, “Meema, I’d done gotton on Shay’s and the mogul’s just kep’a comin’ and boy it liketa scared me to death.”

Looking down Lower Shays from the top. Photo provided by Snowshoe Mountain

Steepest Trail in Pennsylvania - Extrovert, Blue Knob

Extrovert is located at Blue Knob Ski Resort is located in Claysburg, Pa – about two hours east of Pittsburgh, the area is considered an upside-down mountain.  The lodge, parking, ticket windows are all located at the top of the mountain. When the conditions are right, Blue Knob is a strong contender for the best ski area, not only Pennsylvania, but the entire Mid-Atlantic region and while that may not mean much to folks who regularly ski in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Quebec, it should be noted that Blue Knob has some challenging terrain that can be enjoyed by even the best skiers.  Blue Knob is the highest skiable mountain (3,146 feet) in Pennsylvania with a vertical drop topping out at 1072 feet.

The mountain has not always operated as a ski area, quite the opposite, from 1952-1961 the Air Defense Command operated Claysburg Air Force Station at the mountain where members of the 772nd Radar Squadron worked.  The base began operations with the role to guide interceptor aircraft toward unidentified intruders picked up on the unit's radar scopes.  However, in 1961, due to budget constraints, the station was shuttered and the radar operations were shifted to Gibbsboro AFS in Pedricktown, NJ, subsequently that site was then shut down in 1992. Due to the height of the mountain, the prevailing idea was to transform the land and buildings from an Air Force Base to a ski area, thus providing a much-needed boost to the local economy that just lost a major employer when the base was relocated.  In 1962, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation created the Blue Knob Ski Area using both leased State Park land and adjoining private land. Trails, including Extrovert, were cut, lifts were installed and skiing began. The former Air Force station buildings were converted to support the ski area which were located at the top of the mountain, because it was a radar site, which is how Blue Knob became and upside down mountain. As noted earlier, Blue Knob is the best skiing in Pennsylvania, due to the relatively high elevation and north-facing slopes.  The downside to this geography is Blue Knob can be frigid and windy. The cold and windy environment combined with the lack of a robust snowmaking system is a perfect mixture for icy conditions, but who cares…Blue Knob has a bowl. While it doesn’t rival the back bowls of Vail, the Stembogan Bowl it is legitimate bowl, completely void of trees. Blue Knob is a skier’s mountain, you will not find a plush “Stein Erikson” type lodge or high speed quad lifts, but if you are looking for some challenging skiing, when you are in or near the 814, then point your vehicle toward Blue Knob.

Extrovert is actually divided into two trails, Upper and Lower, both are rated as double black diamonds.  The trail is steep, narrow, ungroomed and generally contains blue ice moguls, so hard you would need a jackhammer to get rid of them. To compound the situation, sharp edges generally don’t help you in icy mogul fields since carving turns isn’t required. Upper Extrovert turns into Lower Extrovert when the trail intersects with Lower Route 66 and Lower High Hopes which happen to be the three hardest trails on the mountain.  Where these trails merge creates the perfect storm of tight, irregular and titanic moguls that will sink any skier that decides to sit back. Extrovert is a legit double black diamond even by Vermont standards, the trail is the steepest in Pennsylvania (although Avalanche at Denton may have been steeper when Denton was open) and has a sustained pitch (sustained defined as 300 ft.) of 30.98 degrees making it the only trail in Pennsylvania to top out above 30 degrees.  To put that in perspective, there are only 23 trails in Eastern North America with a greater sustained pitch and that list reads like an East Coast Hall of Fame list with trails such as Dynamite (Tremblant), Face Chutes (Jay Peak), Upper Lift Line (Smugglers Notch), DJ’s Tramline (Cannon), and when you combine the pitch with the minimalist width of the trail, which is a scant 69 feet, it becomes evident that this is a difficult trail. However, the Mid-Atlantic thaw and freeze weather patterns compound the difficulty creating ice clods doubling as moguls. When skiing the trail you will need all of your extroversion characteristics to be concerned with the physical environment, even though Extrovert is in Pennsylvania don’t write it off as a “hack” trail, it isn’t!  In fact, the trail is regularly mentioned in conversations as one of the hardest trails in the east.

Extrovert on a rare packed powder day. Photo by Jim Kenney

To learn more about Blue Knob visit their website at: https://blueknob.com/

Steepest Ski Trails in Vermont

Steepest Ski Trails in Vermont

Upper Liftline - Smuggler’s Notch, Vermont

Smuggler’s Notch is home to one of the five triple black diamond trails in Eastern North America, the trail is called Black Hole and was on Travel and Leisure’s’ 10 scariest ski trails list, however an argument could easily be made that Upper Liftline is the trail that should have been put on the list, even though it does not carry the triple black diamond designation that was given to Black Hole.  However, Skiing Magazine did rank Upper Liftline #4 on their Eastern Extreme list in a February 1995 column. While the ranking by Skiing Magazine is old, the trail has not changed since the days when Green Day was topping the charts with their Dookie album, so yes, Upper Liftline is still an extreme trail beyond the ability of the majority of skiers.

The stats are impressive for Upper Liftline, it has a maximum pitch of 43.25 degrees and sustained pitch (over 300 feet) of 35.74 degrees with a vertical drop of 1460 feet over a trail length of 3790 feet and, as a kicker, the trail is only 56 feet wide.  Based on sustained pitch, Upper Liftline is the third steepest trail in the East with only The Slides (Whiteface) and Upper Bubblecuffer (Sugarloaf) being steeper. As the name implies, the trail is located under a lift, the rickety and timeworn Madonna I chair to be precise.   The location gives you the opportunity to scout the trail to determine your line that will best showcase your skills to the captive audience above who slowly pass over the trail or time to figure out how you are going to clean the excrement out of your North Face pants after you get down the trail.  However, it is not the steepness, narrowness or double fall line of the trail that makes it difficult, it is the rock ledges. Upper Liftline is a trail consisting of rock ledges after rock ledges that show no mercy with the occasional lift tower that gets in your way. After going over one ledge you will not have time to make a long runout and gain control, instead it is a couple quick turns down the up to 43-degree pitch and your airborne again over the next ledge.  If you miscalculate any of the drops, some as high as 15 feet, and you will find yourself cartwheeling more than an elementary school girl on the playground, but unlike the school girl you will not be sticking the landing. To be honest, it takes a rare talent to really ski this trail, not just go down it and fall off a couple of ledges, but to really ski it where you dance with the mountain. The mountain leads with steeps and ledges and you carve, turn and spin 360’s while turning this American Ninja ski trail into your own playground. 

Headwall on Upper Liftline on a thin cover day…Good Luck!

Smuggler’s does bill itself as a family mountain and has a mascot named Mogul the Mouse, but do not be fooled, the Madonna I chair serves up some extremely un-family friendly terrain and Upper Liftline just may be the hardest trail in all Eastern North America.

Smuggler’s Notch - www.smuggs.com

Tuckerman’s Chute - Jay Peak, Vermont

Tuckerman’s Chute is like going for a ride on the Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure, it is a high adrenaline ride, but a short ride that seems to end almost as soon as it begins.  Tuckerman’s measures a scant 311 feet in length. However, you may only need about 50 feet to get yourself into trouble on this trail, as the entry to the trail is usually wind scoured and the snow cover a thin as an emaciated Kate Moss.  If you are standing at the top of Tuckerman’s Chute and find yourself second guessing your trail choice or your skiing skills, you would not be the first, this trail was cut to give a true expert skier a challenge. Of the 655 double black diamond trails in Eastern North America the trail with the steepest average grade is Tuckerman’s Chute which measures 34.31 degrees from top to bottom.  There are trails that are steep over 300 ft or have a single steeper point, but from top to bottom Tuckerman’s is “the trail” and for that reason it should be on your list to ski. Granted, the trail is only 311 feet long, but it is covered in trees, ruts, bumps, rocks, scrub brush and roots and very rarely skis the same from day to day or month to month.

Tuckerman’s Chute on a powder day!

After disembarking from the tram, head right and you will find a snow fence covered in warnings in both English and French reminding you to ski the trail in groups of three, the trail is not regularly swept, it contains hazards and natural distractions and to ski with extra care.  If after reading the legal mumbo jumbo you still have the intestinal fortitude to push onto the trail you will find the trail opens to a narrow chute and then begins to splinter into two and then three lines. The chutes all merge back into one before dumping you out onto the intermediate trail where you could continue onto JFK, Alligator Alley and then test your mettle on Staircase Glade.   If you do not mind waiting in the long queues that can pile up at the tram, you can find powder in Tuckerman’s for a day or two after a storm.

Jay Peak - www.jaypeakresort.com

Steepest Ski Trail in Connecticut

Steepest Ski Trail in Connecticut - Satan's Stairway, Ski Sundown

Ski Sundown is a ski area located in New Hartford, Connecticut, approximately 45 minutes north west of Hartford, CT.   Ski Sundown originally opened for the 1963-1964, under the name Satan’s Ridge Ski Area, with both night skiing and snowmaking.  Management continued to invest in the area’s infrastructure, however by 1967-1968 the area closed and was put up for auction. The ski area was purchased by Channing Murdock, a Middlebury grad who honed his skills in ski area management while working for the creative genius Walt Schoenknecht at Mount Snow, VT and Mohawk Mountain, CT.  Murdock was able to reopen the ski area in 1969, under the new name Ski Sundown.  

As you would expect for a Connecticut ski area, it is small with 16 trails and 625 vertical feet. 

Satan’s Stairway is the moguled trail in the center of the photo:

Courtesy of Ski Sundown

Satan’s Stairway

In 2014, Ski Sundown cut a new trail, their first since 1981, trail was named Satan’s Stairway, which may be the greatest name ever for a double black diamond trail.  The name pays homage to the original name of the ski area, Satan’s Ridge. Sundown created the trail with the sole purpose of dedicating it as a mogul run. A move that is applauded, although a bit confusing since mogul skiing is somewhat of a bygone era from the 1980’s and early 1990’s.  To the point where moguls seem to be despised by the general public, which has led to resorts putting pictures of groomed corduroy on billboards and in skiing magazines, and marketing overgrooming as something desirable by everyone who skis. Ski Sundown markets the trail as a “classic New England cut” which is slang for narrow, the trail has an average width of 64 feet.  For comparison, the width is similar to Lookout Below (Whiteface), Extrovert (Blue Knob) and Le Bete (Mont Ste. Anne). Since the trail is so narrow, assuming the trail is skied by talented mogul skiers, the width would allow for only a handful of lines. The trail is appropriately named as a stairway because Satan’s Stairway has a series of three pitches that are flat, intermediate and steep.   The trail has an average steepness of only 18.68 degrees, however is does have a sustained pitch over 300 feet of 21.04 degrees. This isn’t steep compared to the big boys of the East Coast, but is similar to Boiling Kettle (Mont Tremblant) and Witch (Magic Mountain). The trail officially opened on January 10, 2015, made it the steepest trail in Connecticut and the only double black diamond in the state.

Loon Mountain Bird Sanctuary

Loon Mountain, located in Lincoln, New Hampshire is one of the most accessible ski resorts in the East with a variety of terrain that will suit every skier, especially if you enjoy park skiing.  Loon’s terrain parks grabbed top honors from Freeskier Magazine, claiming #1 Parks in the East for its mile-long Loon Mountain Park that is home to the only superpipe in New Hampshire. The pipe is massive and intimidating at 425 feet long with 18 foot high walls.  This is a park where you can really send it and if that isn’t your jam, it is still fun to watch some of these kids throw massive backflips off many of the jumps.  The resort is also known as a family mountain with a plethora of activities such as snow tubing on the Lil Sister trail, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, or a thrilling 700 foot zipline ride over the frozen Pemigewasset River. However, if you are tired of doing laps on the black diamond trails and glades located off of the North Peak Express Quad and need a break or want to head over to Loon Peak, there is an activity that you will not find on the resorts website or one that the myriad of skiers who visit Loon every year even know exists.  So, what is this top secret, Area 51 activity?

The secret activity is...there is a bird “sanctuary” on the North Peak of Loon Mountain Resort where you can feed wild chickadees and nuthatches from your hand!  To access the “sanctuary” ride the North Peak Express Quad to the summit of North Peak and ski off to the right and proceed to access the blue square, intermediate trail Sunset.  The chickadee haven is approximately 100 yards past the entrance of the Sunset trail and located on the left. You will see a sign that marks the area as a place where you can feed the birds. There is a trail through the woods to a small opening where you can feed the birds.  

So, how do you get the chickadees to eat from your hand?  

For starters, the colder the temperature the better because birds need more fuel to warm their bodies in cold, winter weather. In the cold winter weather the birds are more courageous when foraging for food.  Thus, this is a dead of winter activity, since the colder weather increases your chances of luring one to your hand. However, you will also need some patience and sunflower seeds (you need to bring your own).  Step one is to get comfortable, stand still and be quiet and let the birds come to you. While the birds at Loon Mountain are accustomed to eating from skier’s hand, it is still a matter of trust. The birds will flutter around you and check out your offering, but stay motionless and quiet because it is only a matter of time before these feathered- friends eat from the palms of your hands.  Eventually, they will swoop down and grab the seeds, some will stay for a nano-second and others will get more daring and stay on your hand for many seconds. As the birds get comfortable with you, see how close you can move your hand toward your face and still have the birds land on your hand - you will be surprised how eye to eye you can get with the Black Capped Chickadee.

So, next time you are making a trip up one of America’s great ski highways, Route 93, on your way to Loon, be sure to include a bag of sunflower seeds for everyone in your party, so you can take advantage of this rare opportunity, that everyone is sure to remember.

How Do I Become a Ski Instructor?

The life of a ski instructor has been glamorized over the years as a jet setting profession practiced by dashing people who get to work with super attractive individuals and sometimes get to teach the rich and famous how to turn on skis.  The occupation was showcased this way in the film, Aspen Extreme, when T.J. Burke and Dexter Rutecki head off to Aspen to secure positions as ski instructors and along the way meet a couple of beauties in Bryce Harper and Robin Hand. So, if you are like many die hard skiers, or you have seen Aspen Extreme one too many times, you may aspire to become a ski instructor.  However, in order to answer the question, you need to know what you really want out of becoming a ski instructor. Meaning, do you want to work at your local mountain, so you can get a pass, make a little money (e.g., $15/hr.) and ski as much as you want. Or, do you want to make skiing instructing a career and work where it pays really well (France) and then chase the snow to Chile, Argentina or New Zealand, so you work year round?  They have two very different paths. Today, I’ll talk about how to become an instructor at your local mountain.

Become an Instructor at Your Local Mountain

Quite frankly, somebody who is a good (not great skier) with no previous racing, coaching or teaching experience can become a ski instructor at a local mountain (defined as non-resort - think West Mountain, Bolton Valley, Windham, Gore, etc.).  Generally, these areas will post ski instructor positions on their websites in the fall and conduct clinics in late November and early December. During these clinics the Director of the Ski School and Sr. Instructors are evaluating the candidates in two main areas, which are:

• How well you communicate

  1. Can you talk in an entertaining fashion with strangers of all ages (3-103) and varying demographics?

  2. Do you have the ability to deal with difficult people?

  3. Can you explain the same thing nineteen ways from Sunday?

  4. Can you provide clear, concise, and respectful instruction and feedback utilizing time effectively?

• How well you can ski

  • You don’t need to be the second coming of Marcel Hirscher, the evaluators are looking for proper technique.  With that said, you should be a confident double black diamond skier. During these clinics the evaluators will be looking to see if you can:

    • Control pressure from ski to ski, control edge angles through inclination and angulation and control your skis rotation (e.g., turning, pivoting, steering) with leg rotation.

    • Demonstrate an accurate visual representation of the specific movement being taught.

In the instructor clinics I have attended, the evaluators have had each participant free ski down a novice and/or intermediate trails using long and short radius turns with various turning and stopping techniques, but they have never asked the group to ski bumps, a race course or a park - those lessons are given to seasoned and certified instructors. Keep in mind, the largest population of ski school lessons are kids learning to ski and school programs that offer lessons.  Therefore, most of the lessons rookie instructors teach are to newbies and novices. You will become very familiar with the magic carpet, red light/green light, pizza and french fries.

If you are hired, you will be expected to participate in clinics and free-skiing to constantly improve your personal skiing skills, attend PSIA (skiing) and AASI (snowboarding) clinics, and take appropriate exams, on an ongoing basis.  Additionally, in some cases, the mountain requires instructors perform alternate functions from time to time, both within and outside of their assigned department, particularly during peak periods such as holiday weekends. Also, keep in mind that you will not get rich being a ski instructor, a rookie instructor will make about $15/hour and you only get paid for the hours you are instructing!

What you should do now:

• If you are too young to be hired by the mountain (some areas require a H.S. diploma), investigate if the area has an instructor in training program.  For example, Gore Mountain, has an instructor in training program that teaches 13-15 year old kids, the skills and knowledge required to become a ski or snowboard instructor.  I would also assume going through a program like this would give you an inside track to getting hired.

• Join PSIA (US) or CSIA (Canada) and begin reading their materials 

• Scour resort websites for job openings and tryout clinics

Good Luck!