PSIA AASI Rocky Mountain

Dues Renewal for the 26/27 season is open, renew before June 30th for the lowest membership dues rate!

Low Event Alert!

The Wheel's Up Downhill Mountain Bike event at Angel Fire on Jun 6-7 currently has low attendance. If you are interested in attending this event, please sign up ASAP at www.psia-rm.org.

Gear up for an adrenaline pumping adventure at this Wheels Up clinic, where the worlds of mountain biking and snowsports come together in an exhilarating fusion! Join members of PSIA-AASI-Rocky Mountain's education staff, as they give you a "behind the scenes" of an operational bike park and downhill mountain bike coaching as well as building your personal DH Mountain bike skills. Put the teaching for transfer concept into action when reverse engineering snowsports through mountain biking.

Congratulations to Rachel Channell for receiving a scholarship this season!

"Thanks to the Daryle Bogenrief Memorial Scholarship, I completed my Adaptive I exam. Expanding my skill set and technical foundation has better equipped me to help bridge the gap between ability and opportunity. I’m excited to continue my career in instruction by helping a more diverse range of skiers to find confidence and independence on the mountain."

Some photos from recent events!

Congratulations to Casey Bues for receiving a Rocky Mountain scholarship this season:

"When I was feeling burnt out by my professional job, I began seeking alternative ways to make a living while exploring my passions. Thoughts of, "I wonder if I can find a way to make money snowboarding", entered my mind and a quick online search proved that I could do just that. It wasn't long before I began instructing snowboarding at Arapahoe Basin for the 24/25 Season. I entered a world that I knew nothing about and quickly fell in love. Wanting to both prove and improve my teaching skills, I took and passed my Level 1 at the end of last season and made it a goal to take my Children's Specialist 1 in 2026. I was overjoyed when I learned that I was granted the PSIA-AASI Rocky Mountain Scholarship for CS1. Receiving this scholarship allowed me to focus on preparing for my assessment rather than be worried about the financial aspect. PSIA-AASI has provided me with so many useful resources to not only enhance my own technical skills, but convey how to teach those skills to others. I'm proud to say that I am now CS1 certified!"

Congratulations to Angela Illar for being awarded a Rocky Mountain scholarship this season!

"Being awarded a scholarship was an incredible gift. It motivated me to sign up for the exam. I’m extraordinarily grateful to the folks at AASI for considering my application and granting the funds to me. I had a very eye-opening experience during the exam where I received important feedback to improve upon my own riding and help my future students. I also learned new freestyle tricks. It was not an easy exam, and I was nervous because I felt like the least skilled in the group. The exam worked the way it was supposed to helping me improve throughout the three days. I was surprised to see that I passed at the end only because of applying the feedback and working with my group and examiner. My examiner was extremely thorough, held us to the standard, and saw how we improved and encouraged us. I entered the exam feeling such trepidation, three days later I left with such confidence and a desire to sign up for even more exams. I was incredibly grateful for the scholarship that will benefit me for a lifetime."

Please help us in congratulating our newest AASI Rocky Mountain examiners: Tzvi Bieler (Beaver Creek) and Ray Ford (Aspen)!

Rocky Mountain is excited to have them join the team!

Congratulations to Sam Hughes for receiving a Rocky Mountain scholarship this season!

"I wanted to take a moment to express how grateful I am to PSIA for the scholarship. Thanks to the support, I was able to become certified to teach mono/bi sit skis, which has made a real difference at our ski school. Adaptive skiing is in incredibly high demand, and mono/bi sit ski lessons are actually the one product we regularly sell out of - simply because we don't have enough certified instructors to meet that demand. This scholarship helped me become one of those instructors, and I'm so thankful for the opportunity it made possible."

Congratulations to Lauren Benitez for receiving a Rocky Mountain scholarship this season!

"Receiving the Rocky Mountain scholarship made it possible for me to pursue my PSIA-AASI Level 1 certification and fully focus on my preparation and assessment experience. The support reduced the financial barrier and allowed me to show up confident. The event was a great learning experience and made me excited to become a better skier and instructor. Earning my Level 1 has strengthened my skills as an instructor and deepened my passion for teaching. I’m looking forward to taking my Children’s Specialist 1 (CS1) exam soon. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and support from PSIA-RM."

Congratulations to Jay Clifford on receiving a Rocky Mountain scholarship this season!

"Thanks for selecting me for the scholarship. I'm so grateful to PSIA-AASI for helping me develop as a skier, snowboarder and instructor and for supporting me financially to make that possible. I just passed my Alpine Level 1 today and had a great time in the certification. Mike Stanley was a wonderful examiner. I felt like I received accurate and helpful feedback. Mike showed us clear demonstrations of what was expected of us. He was approachable and made sure everybody understood each task. I most enjoyed getting to know my fellow Alpine 1 candidates and learning about their experiences and teaching techniques. In other certifications I have done, that has also been one of the most valuable parts of the certification process to me. Reflecting on my career as an instructor I realized I don't often get the chance to watch other instructors teach. I very much appreciate that part of the teach day and always look forward to gleaning new techniques from my fellow candidates.

In preparation for the certification I got to know other instructors in my ski school better and utilize the training program here at Copper. I'm so grateful for all the work my trainers put in to help me prepare on top of their regular duties. Although the exam itself is the only day I was assessed on it truly felt like a culmination of all the effort I and my trainers put into improving my skiing, movement analysis and teaching."