First Chair: PSIA-AASI Podcast

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Andy Stein who is the Digital Marketing Manager for PSIA-AASI. Andy is also a degreed meteorologist with a decade of experience on local and national television. George and Andy talk about the upcoming El Niño winter and last winter's La Nina. They also go in-depth about what it's like to forecast and how far meteorology has come in...

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Dana Forbes who is the CEO for the Rocky Mountain region. Dana and George chat about the upcoming season and how to prepare for the incoming winter. Pre-season strength training is very important to help, as well as, joining clinics and utilizing the education opportunities right now will help kick-start your season. The Rocky Mounta...

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Peggy Hiller, CEO of PSIA-AASI. Peggy and Thomas discuss more details of the member survey that was conducted earlier in 2023. Peggy shares insight from member schools and what values being a member school brings. Find out why members are a part of PSIA-AASI and how the organization can add value. PSIA-AASI is constantly working to i...

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA Cross Country Team Coach Emily Lovett. George and Emily chat about their summers and the upcoming Cross Country academy which happens in November. This year's Cross Country Academy is in West Yellowstone, Montana, and will include 3 days of classic and skate skiing with current and former PSIA Cross Country Team members. Get the inside tr...

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas interviews PSIA-AASI member Gordo Garlock. Gordo is on a 41-year streak where he has skied at least 1 day per month! As a former high school track and ski coach, Gordo had access to Mt. Hood year-round which made skiing possible every month of the year. Gordo mentions that climate change has recently made it very hard to keep this streak going since the Palme...

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Makayla Meixner on why being nutrient-conscious during recovery is important. Keeping up with your calorie intake and eating three meals a day plus a snack help your body recover quicker. Makayla is a health nutritionist and has been a guest on the First Chair pod before. Makayla details how to correctly

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Julie Gacnik who is the Brand Creator. Pure Mountain Fun is the newest Official Supplier for PSIA-AASI. Started by two 10-year-olds in 2020 after a day of flubbing with ski equipment, Pure Mountain Fun offers an easy way to transport your skis or snowboards for kids of any size. This has proven to help families navigate the parking lot shuffle...

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with Ryan Latham and Kevin Jordan from the Aspen Snowmass Snowsports Schools. Kevin and Ryan will be hosting the Inclusive Snowsports Group Facilitation webinar. Scheduled for Wednesday, September 20, 2023, from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. MT, this clinic will focus on creating functional knowledge of how to assess a student with a diagnosed or undia...

First Chair Podcast host George Thomas catches up with the folks from Mt. Hood Meadows ski school in Oregon. George chats with Tyler Barnes, Jennifer Lockwood and Katie Foyt. Tyler is the snowsports school director. Jennifer and Katie are alpine trainers at Mt. Hood Meadows. The team from Mt. Hood Meadows talks about how they are working to build community and how they're working to get more peopl...

PSIA-AASI First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with Katie White. Katie is the Scholarship Director for Women of Winter and the Ski School Director in Portillo, Chile. Katie is currently living in Portillo during the southern hemisphere winter. Katie spends most of her year on snow and helping to grow Women of Winter. Hear from Katie on what's happening in her life and what's to come t...

PSIA-AASI First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with Peggy Hiller, the CEO of PSIA-AASI. Earlier in 2023, PSIA-AASI sent out a member survey that included questions about how happy members are with their membership and asked several questions based on the individual's experience. It was shown that many members are happy with the organization but our net promoter school was a bit lower...

First Chair Podcast Host George Thomas catches up with Dr. Leslie Desrosiers. Learn how to elevate your fitness routine with sport-specific preventative exercises that take performance and longevity to new heights. Find out how simple it can be to add game-changing neuromuscular control strategies to your workout and keep your knees stronger and healthier. Hear more about how keeping your ACL stro...

PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast catches up with Kyle Wilson, the Snow School Director at Nordic Mountain in Wisconsin. Nordic Mountain was the recipient of the Small Snowsports School Scholarship for the 2022/23 season. Kyle talks about the culture of Nordic Mountain and the impact receiving the Small Snowsports School Scholarship provided. Kyle mentions how the operations of Nordic Mountain are in...

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI National Team member Kevin Jordan. Kevin is on the PSIA-AASI Alpine Team but during the summer, Keving is a mountain bike extraordinaire. Listen in to hear from Kevin on the benefits of mountain biking during the summer. Learn about the 6 basic skills needed for mountain biking and how they relate to the fundamentals of skiing and riding.

First Chair catches up with Steve Binns, Hestra's Marketing Manager for North America, about the diversity of gloves that are offered. Hestra believes they "have a glove for every day" - including gardening gloves! Smart technically is available in gloves allowing for mobile phone use without taking the gloves off. Hear from Steve on how to pick the right size for you and how to easily get your ha...

First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Peggy Hiller, who's been meeting with regional PSIA-AASI Board of Directors members this month to learn about their interests and discuss ways to find alignment. Peggy also shares why July is a great month to reset, recharge and reconnect to your educational and training goals for the next season. Peggy shares some of her favorit...

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI National Team Coach, Jeb Boyd. Jeb chats about the importance of lifelong learning and how continuing reading is beneficial to yourself. Jeb also shares how PSIA-AASI is working to improve the member and guest experience using this ideal. Jeb mentions how Interski is keeping education in the snowsports industry strong. People skills are one of the pillars of P...

First Chair catches up with PSIA Alpine Team member Jonathan Ballou about his participation on the PSIA-AASI National Team. Jonathan talks about his decision not to seek another term in 2024 and what his next plan is. Listen in to learn more about Jonathon's experience with the PSIA-AASI National Team.

First Chair catches up with Makayla Meixner, an AASI-certified Level I snowboard instructor, about nutrition. Makayla holds a master’s in nutrition and is a registered sports dietitian who works primarily with winter sports athletes. Listen in for tips on how to fuel yourself to sustain your energy AND perform your best. Eating well, and snacking throughout the day, will help you keep your energy...

First Chair meets Scott Valitchka, Nordic Mountain’s snow school trainer. Scott’s school received one of PSIA-AASI’s small school scholarships. He shared that the funds helped bring education to their team members who might never be able to invest in such education and training. Listen to the story of how Nordic Mountain’s seven new level I instructors will pay this investment forward by connectin...

First Chair podcast host George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Peggy Hiller, who's been meeting with regional PSIA-AASI Board of Directors members this month to learn about their interests and discuss ways to find alignment. Peggy also shares why June is a great month to reset your educational and training goals for the next season and how PSIA-AASI can help support you in your pursuit of th...

Eliza Kuntz, Chair of PSIA-AASI Board of Directors, interviews George Thomas in this special First Chair podcast. George serves as the voice and host of this First Chair podcast. He’s also a PSIA-AASI member and begins his upcoming adventure ride with Race Across America (RAAM) on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. This event will challenge George, and all the ultra-cyclist participants, to test and push the...

[*Sponsored Content Podcast] First Chair catches up with Daniel Demschar, CEO of Snofolio, a training management system that gives skiers an on-slope performance training portfolio. Daniel talks about his history as a ski racer and how he started working with Snofolio. Learn more about how this all-inclusive system helps snowsports schools and their instructors enhance customer service and lesson...

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI CEO Peggy Hiller about what’s been happening at your association. First up, renew your membership this month to maintain access to all your membership benefits. When you do, you can shop Pro Offers to snag deals on your spring and summer gear, keep access to education resources to pick up CEUs this summer, and more. Peggy also shares what’s been happening with...

First Chair catches up with PSIA-AASI member Suzy Chase-Motzkin about her 3-part webinar series on Mondays, June 5, June 12, and June 26 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. MT. With this new webinar series, you’ll learn how to create a more mindful presence to enhance the way you slide and instruct. This series is broken into three parts: Communication, Performance, and Practical Applications. You’ll earn three...