Ski Instructor and No AmeriCorps

Hey everyone,

The Path to Ski Instructor

So for most of the season, snowboarding has had enough lessons so that I work 4-5 days a week.  That's lead me to do things like

Level 2 Snowboard Clinics (pics below)

All those people are snowboard Instructors

Working on Carving

And Listening to the Instructor-Trainer (guy standing up)

But recently there have been several days with ZERO snowboard kids.  For that reason, I decided to put these on...

Feels so weird!

And go to Ski Clinics!

Yes, that is a half pipe.

And, because I kicked some butt in said-clinic, I got cleared to teach skiing!

And now I have new homework...

(Objective is to come up with a 5 step progression for each of the "Teach" bulletins.  WEE) 

(And, naturally, as soon as I did that the snowboarding lessons exploded again.  Either way though, it's nice to know I have lessons.)

And switching gears (although somewhat related)

No AmeriCorps

So remember I said I got accepted into this:

AmeriCorps NCCC

And they actually even told me I'd be going here:

Denver

BUT...

I'm not gonna go.

(WHYYYY???)

Well it's basically because of the timing. 

For about two and a half years I've been trying to get myself to where I am now.  I've worked really hard, done lots of professional development, and I'm finally in a position where I have a winter and a summer job(!).  

Also, the decision was made slightly easier by AmeriCorps telling me that I actually can apply next year as well.  I thought you couldn't be 24 in the program.  Turns out you just can't be 25.

I've been thinking about it, and what I'd really like to do at this point is continue progressing as an instructor.  Next winter (iA) I will be able to continue to build on my certifications, and hopefully will be able to teach skiing and snowboarding.  Next summer (iA again), I might be able to get out and begin to work as a field instructor which has been my goal since I was 16 years old.


For these reasons, it makes more sense to me to continue on this path, rather than 10 months to do Community Service.

Which means...

I'll get more time with these crazy people!

And more seasons to enjoy this!

We got Snow!!!!!

Enjoy!

Chris

February Life Update

Hey All!

So some of you may be looking for more than just random pictures to see what I'm up to.  For you good people, here's a little sneak peak into my life.

NEW AND EXCITING

So first of all, I got accepted into the first stage of AmeriCorps National Civilian Conservation Corps (NCCC) a few weeks ago.  In other words, they decided that they do want me to do AmeriCorps.  Confusingly, the next stage is for them to then randomly (yes, RANDOMLY) assign me to a base location.  The two places I can get assigned are:

Denver, Co

 OR

Sacramento CA

Hopefully I'll hear back from them in the next couple of days.  It might be another 2 months before I know though.  (Patience is the name of the game.)

Back to the Present

Work

Little backstory:  I was hired to be a part-time Uncertified Snowboarding Instructor.  That meant that I would get work 2-4 days a week, and teach mainly on the magic carpet. 

Currently I work 5 days a week, and get somewhat decent lessons thanks to my Certification and work ethic.  Usually I am teaching on the magic carpet, but sometimes I get to choose if I want the 6 year old, or the 11 year old surfer, which is nice.

The work is definitely cool, but it's also kind of hard.  The cool thing is kind of obvious, I teach people to snowboard in South Lake Tahoe.  My "Office" so to speak is where most people pay thousands of dollars to vacation to, and I get to spend 5 hours a day on the snow!  The other cool thing is that the kids who come to snowboard almost always chose to come and learn.  (Skiers on the other hand, are sometimes forced to come by their parents).  Also Ski Instructors have to teach "Firecrackers" which are 4-5 year old kids who occasionally pee their pants.  Snowboard Instructors can have "Blasters", but they are 5-6 years old, and are much less likely to pee their pants...

The hard thing is that I teach a lot of beginners the same thing (how to put on their board, stop, etc...), and it does get a little old after a while.  During these lessons, I spend most of my time off my snowboard, holding kids hands and helping them get the feel for snowboarding.  There's also the holidays, where I have about 7 kids, and the mountain is PACKED with people who have NO idea with what they are doing.  It's like trying to teach kids to walk, through a minefield, and you have to keep it fun.  

Fortunately, this (^) is mainly what first year instructors do (at least, the beginner-lesson part is).  As you gain experience (and certifications) you get more priority and begin to teach more upper level lessons.  I have had a few lessons where I spent almost the whole day on the upper mountain with my snowboard on.  Those lessons are SUPER COOL, and keep me motivated to keep a good attitude and try to come back in future seasons...  This being said...  Whether or not I will come back to Heavenly is a big question I'm trying to answer right now.  More on this further down \/

Either way though, working in Outdoor Rec is the bomb!

After Heavenly, and

Alaska Mountain Guides

Sadly, I still know very little about what my work in Alaska Mountain Guides will be outside my blog post about it.  I know I need to get there before April 24th, and Heavenly's season ends April 17th.  I still need to talk to Heavenly to figure out when I can expect to work until, and what things look like after that point.

On this note...

NEXT YEAR?

Long story short, the big question is whether or not I do AmeriCorps or not.  If I don't, I would get to come back to Heavenly (iA) and teach more advanced lessons, and then (again, iA) return to Alaska Mountain Guides and actually become a field instructor.  As it has been my dream to be a field instructor (NCOBS/NOLS style) since I was about 16, it's kind of a big deal.

Currently though, as only 18-24 year olds can do AmeriCorps NCCC, I'm leaning towards that option.

Anywho, thanks for reading!

Enjoy!

Chris