The Duel Cert

Before I even begin...

Thanks Pat!

The guy above cleared me to teach skiing midseason (which is unusual), and cleared me to take the Certification Exam this season.  Of course, he couldn't have done that if I wasn't at that level, but many other supervisors just told me to wait until next year, and without him I would have had to.

And now without further ado...

PICTURES!

So you may recall that when I got certified as a Snowboarding Instructor I took a 3 day test.  For my Ski Certification, there was actually another option available called an 'In-House Certification'.  

For this process you go to a series of ski-improvement clinics, and at the end, you take a one-day ski test with an instructor from another mountain...

Pictures from said-clinics.
(In this one, the girl on the right is pretending to teach the other coaches like they are four year olds)

Yes, that is a half pipe...
(And no, that was not a requirement, Thank God!)

Gondola has an awesome Magic Carpet...

(Learning area)

And what would a test be without some homework...

Delightful...

More homework

(Progressions for how to teach certain ski lessons)

In order to get more experience teaching Ski Lessons, I transfered for 6 days to Gondola (another ski school) to teach more skiing.
(Cal Kids didn't need me as a ski coach, Gondola desperately needed more people)

(Gondola comes out of the building on the left)

And after much studying and preparation...

THE BIG DAY!
(Now, to be honest, the big day was really our practice exam.  As luck would have it, I took a lot of pictures that day, which is what you just got done looking through.  

On the day of our practice exam we had another instructor trainer come in and do a 'mock exam'.  Turns out it was the real exam, and thanks to our excellent skiing, we all got checked off!)

(Below are the pictures from our "Real Exam")

Our morning meeting location

Because who cares if it's April?  COLD WEATHER!

The weather eventually came to its senses though...

The real purpose of our "Exam" was to prepare us for the next stage of our skiing career.  We did have to do mini-lessons (5 minutes instead of the usual 15), but really it was meant to prepare us for Level 2 Ski Clinics (the next step).

AND I PASSED!

WOOOOOOOOOO

Because I now have my Ski and Snowboarding Certification, I am now a Duel-Certified Instructor.  Shortened, that makes me a 

Duel-Cert!

Enjoy!
Chris

Heavenly, Tahoe Bound

Hey yal, here's an awesome video!

So you may be wondering how this video is relevant.  The answer is that 

I'M GOING TO BE A SNOWBOARDING INSTRUCTOR THIS WINTER!

 (here)

Heavenly, Tahoe (California).  I'll be working with kids at the Heavenly Snow School

 In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty stoked! (and I am watching tons of snow videos to get myself even more stoked!)

and here are some more pictures!

The view of the lake!

The ground view

The trail map

 Enjoy!
Chris

PS - (My summer plan is still in the works)

Life Updates: No Thru-Hike, Jobs, and More!

Hey everyone!

I had an idea today.  As I don't always have a trip or a book finished every week, I figured I would come up with a new kind of post.  The Life Update!  This will be terribly boring for those of you who don't know me, but for those who do, this is a cool way for me to share with you what I've been up to.

So first of all, I've done some thinking and I don't think I will be thru-hiking next year after all.  There are a few reasons for this, but it really comes down to one thing: I wasn't looking forward to it.  After a summer of learning to Lead Climb, Canoeing, and listening to cool adventures (thanks Dirtbag Diaries), I concluded that there were other things I'd rather be doing than hiking 2000 miles.  I still haven't ruled it out as a future trip, but for now, I plan to move forward in a different direction.

What is that direction you may ask?

A JOB!

(or jobS)

'12-'13 Winter Plan:

I've got an application into One Steamboat Place already, and hopefully the interview will be this month (/early September)!  I believe the position I applied for was driving (they said they'd pass my resume along to the driving manager), but I really am not sure exactly how the process works for awarding jobs.

If I do get it though!  It would go from December to April.  Hopefully during that time I could get plenty of shredding time!  (Hopefully I could also find some beta on how to become a snowboard instructor too!)

'13 Summer Plan

This one is much more up for grabs.  I've got a few ideas at the moment though:

-Working at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, NC
-Working at Adventure Treks

-Working as a Climbing Specialist

-Working as a river guide in Colorado

-Working at Boys and Girls Metro Club of Atlanta

-Working as a Outdoor Trip Leader (somewhere...)

And more!  I'm going through a Storm of Swords now.  The going is slow though because of two things:

(recently aquired one of these!)

That's all for now folks! (And I'll probably update this post in the summer section.  I just want to make sure I post something now though)

Enjoy!

Chris

PS - If you are/have wondered why I always link books to Amazon, it's not because I'm sponsored by them or anything.  I think Amazon is one of the best places to read reviews, and if you DO decide to get the book, odds are Amazon will have the cheapest prices...

I'm Outward Bound

Or, to be more specific, I'm working for North Carolina Outward Bound!  I just got the phone call Saturday morning, and, as this is kind of BIG news, I figured I'd make a post about it!

Also, if you want a great song to listen to while you browse this, you should go here:

And listen while you read!

(btw, I feel this song is additionally significant because I feel at home in the Mountains, which, consequently, is where I'll be working! (iA))

So first, a little info about NCOBS:

Outward Bound is the oldest, most respected outdoor educator in the world, and North Carolina Outward Bound, the oldest independent Outward Bound school in the country, knows how to help you open your eyes to your own potential

BLAAHHH!!! Exciting right?!

Also, some of you may be wondering: "Chris, what does it mean to be 'Outward Bound'?"

To be “outward bound” literally means to leave the shelter of the harbor for the open sea; figuratively it means leaving comfort zones, putting fears aside and discovering possibilities.

This is taken from their site, and I couldn't really put it any better myself...

But anywho, I went up there a few weekends ago

Where this place is...

Aka Here:

This is where I had my interview.  Met a guy named Dan Miller

(this guy:)

(And he wasn't dressed up much more than this)
 We talked for about 2 hours, and told me he'd call me sometime in early February to let me know what they decided...

and on
FEBRUARY 11 2012

I GOT IT!

LOOKING FORWARD

In early March I should be getting some paperwork

(My favorite! How'd he know?!)

Then later we might be doing a little conference call to get to know each other

(Although there may not be cupcakes...)

And then in May!

We're Outward Bound! For a 14 day Wilderness Expedition!

And then I come back and work as an intern.

Rationing, driving, and just having a great time!

But until those Happy days begin (Aka May 16), I'll be studying for the GRE, leading trips, and enjoying my last year of college.

Deuces,

Chris