PSIA AASI West

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Truckee, CA
PSIA AASI West

Safety - Fun - Learning

Please visit our community guidelines: psia-w.org/home/about/ -id-12 They all bring a passion for snowsports to share with others.

Professional Ski Instructors of America & American Association of Snowboard Instructors - Western Division: Supporting the growth & development of Pro Educators in California & Nevada. We are a non-profit organization that supports our membership in there pursuit of professional ski and snowboard instruction and coaching. PSIA-W/AASI members range from full and part time instructors to alumni memb

ers, who are retired from teaching. Many of our members come from professional backgrounds such as contractors, small business owners, pilots, doctors, lawyers, and teachers.

07/23/2026

The best part of teaching isn't showing someone how to ski. It's watching them discover what they're capable of.
Confidence isn't built in a single lesson. It's built through encouragement, patience, and people who believe in us before we believe in ourselves.
For many instructors, earning a certification is only the beginning. The real reward comes later—when a student reaches the bottom of the run with a smile and asks:
"Can we do that again?"
That's the kind of impact that lasts.

🎥 Hear how Subhrojyoti Banerjee discovered that teaching became about much more than skiing.
Sky Tavern

07/10/2026

Not every season is measured by the turns you make.
Sometimes, the biggest victory is simply making it back.
Doug GreenDyke shares a deeply personal story about overcoming serious health challenges, returning to the mountain, and rediscovering why teaching skiing means so much to him.
His story is a reminder that resilience isn't about never facing setbacks. It's about choosing to come back with gratitude, purpose, and a renewed appreciation for every day we get to do what we love.

Thank you, Doug, for sharing such an honest and inspiring journey.

07/05/2026

Not every lesson on the mountain comes from an exam.

For Xiomara, earning a PSIA-AASI Alpine Level I certification wasn't just about passing—it was about discovering a community that made them feel supported from day one.

Having not grown up skiing, stepping into the certification process felt intimidating. But instead of competition, Xiomara found encouragement, kindness, and people who genuinely wanted each other to succeed.

Today, that experience shapes every lesson they teach. Because helping someone feel welcome can be just as important as teaching the next turn.

🎥 Watch Xiomara's story.

**What experience has had the biggest impact on the way you teach?**

06/30/2026

Western By The Numbers.
The Ambassador Program isn't just a nice idea on paper; it's become one of Western's biggest engagement drivers. In year two alone:
+ 52 ambassadors,
+ 23 member schools involved,
+ nearly 500 volunteer hours logged,
+ and almost 100 new members onboarded.
The network is also closing real gaps — about 98% of waitlist requests fulfilled, and stronger support for new instructors navigating certification pathways.

This is what member-first looks like in practice: not a slogan, a system.
Source: PSIA-AASI Western regional data.

06/27/2026

What makes someone stay in PSIA-AASI?

For Tobias Pietz, it wasn't just the education or certification.

It was the people.

The mentors who shared their knowledge. The friendships built on snow. The community that continues to inspire him season after season.

Whether you're just getting started or you've been teaching for years, you're never learning alone.

What does the PSIA-AASI community mean to you?

Share your story in the comments.

06/24/2026

What makes our community special...More than 50 years of membership. Decades of mentorship. A passion for teaching that continues to inspire new generations of instructors.

Sometimes we spend so much time talking about organizations, programs, and numbers that we forget the people behind them.

Thanks, Tad, for sharing this story—and thanks, Libbie, for everything you’ve contributed to our profession.

If you’d like to see some of the recent results and momentum at PSIA-AASI West, take a look: https://psia-w.org/truth-and-momentum/

06/22/2026

Western By The Numbers.
We continue to invest in exam quality and the results show it.
Western's exam process is more consistent, more transparent, and better supported than at any point in the region's history. The goal was never just higher pass rates — it is a more transparent, more accessible, and more nationally aligned path for candidates at every level. The data shows a region that holds itself accountable and delivers on that commitment:

📌 Examiner training hours went from 0 to 21 mandatory paid hours — plus 54 hrs of optional on-snow development available.
📌 Confirmed noncompliant exams dropped from 11 in 2023 → 5 in 2024 → 0 in 2025. In 2026, 2 complaints related to exam inconsistency were filed, and upon investigation, 0 examiners were found to be delivering noncompliant or inconsistent exams.
📌 Exam prep courses grew from 26 events serving 155 candidates to 55 events serving 462.
📌 Certification registrations held steady and grew — 830 in 2021 to 928 in 2026.
📌 Active member participation rose from 40% to 48%. Inactive members cut nearly in half.
-> Not a finish line — a new standard.
More info: https://psia-w.org/fact-sheets/

06/17/2026

Access takes more than one form.
Across five disciplines — alpine, snowboard, cross-country, telemark, and adaptive — Western builds pathways for instructors who don't all start in the same place. That includes leading the nation in piloting a comprehensive program for Associate Members, roughly 20% of our region, with targeted exam-prep support that keeps the bar for professionalism exactly where it should be.
Different starting points, same standard.
Access + Representation.
See the full picture: psia-w.org/truth-and-momentum

06/15/2026

When Manuela moved from Argentina, she expected to learn a new language.
What she didn't expect was finding a community that felt like home.
In this member testimonial, Manuela shares how the PSIA-AASI Western community helped her build connections, grow as an instructor, and create meaningful relationships with students and peers along the way.
Because sometimes the most valuable thing we gain on the mountain isn't technical knowledge—it's belonging 🤗

What makes your snow sports community feel like home?

Address

PO Box 969
Truckee, CA
96160

Website

http://www.psia-w.org/

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