Hello Fellow Instructors!
We are coming up on a three day weekend with Monday being MLKJr day. Historically this is one of our busiest weekends after the winter break. Forecast for Saturday and Sunday is looking very nice with mild temperatures and a lot of sunshine. If you are not already schedule to work I would like to invite you to add a couple of days to your schedule and enjoy sharing your passion with guests while teaching in great weather. Remember! When you work on a non-schedule day, that we’ve invited you to come, you will earn a lift ticket that can be shared a family member or friend. Please use this handy form to be added to the roster for this weekend: https://mhm.snowproportal.com/schedule-change-requests
Given this week’s weather, HRM terrain will NOT be open. We will park all three lots before 11am this weekend, so we need to plan for late lessons start times, guests arriving late, busy afternoon lesson business and all staff should plan to get here early to avoid traffic and potential parking issues. If you get parked at Sunrise or the HRM lot, plan on adding at least 45 minutes to your arrival time. Leave early, avoid the traffic or take the employee bus!
There’s more, please read on …
Thanks to everyone for an amazing first week of January programs
Last weekend lesson groups from the south lodge to the north lodge departed in a very timely manner providing guests with an exceptional lesson experience. As you plan for this weekend’s program lessons recall that using a theme for the day works really well. Last weekend I suggested you use stance and balance as a focus for the day. This weekend you may want to focus on turning movements that originate in the feet and legs separate from the upper body. This is the most efficient way to ski and ride, rather than turning your whole body to turn your skis or board.
New Ski & Snowboard School Supervisors
By now you may have seen two familiar faces in new roles with our Ski and Snowboard School. We are excited to announce Cayce Pitts and Douglas Bender to our supervisor team. Both gentlemen have been part of our full time instructor staff for the last couple of years where their leadership skills became evident. On weekends you will see Doug leading and working with instructors making our Trail Blazer and College programs run as smoothly as possible while Cayce works in the Adult Walk – In lesson area assigning instructors to classes to provide the best guest experience we are known for being the “Best in The West!”
But who is my boss? We are all “your boss” and we are here to help you be successful at your role enriching people’s lives through teaching snowsports. Mark, Josey, Tyler, Hallie, Jeremy, Joe, Cayce, Doug, Lisa and Chris are all here to help you, so please do not hesitate to come to any one of us for help. If we can’t help you at that moment, we’ll make sure we find one of us who can!
All our contact info is here:
https://mhm.snowproportal.com/contact/staff-directory
Repeatable Behavior
If you give your students positive feedback (and you should be!), make it something that is repeatable. When someone tells me, “Good job!” I respond with, “What was good about it, so I can do that again.” So with this in mind, you may still say, “Good job!” just follow it up with, “Did you notice that when you guided your ski tips the direction you wanted to go you were able to make a turn?” Or, “Great job on your first glide! When you kept your ankles and knees flexed to stay centered on your board you stayed in balance and were able to glide down the roller – that was awesome!”
We have received some guests comments that more positive feedback on what our students are doing well opposed to only focusing on what they’re not doing well goes a long ways to having fun, so remember to compliment your students on what they are doing well and suggest (instruct/coach) ways to make it even better!
What’s fun about skiing or snowboarding?
Ask your students – they’ll tell you! I make a point to ask my class and clinic participants why they are here today and what they like (or hope to like) about skiing or snowboarding. It’s a good reminder that the reasons you like skiing and snowboarding might be different than why they like it. I remember my first lesson ever – and what I remember was all the snow, riding the rope toe and chairlifts, all the people who were on the steep hill skiing so effortlessly, drinking hot cacao while sitting on a huge mound of snow, and all the fun I had skiing. I don’t remember all the details of what my instructor told me, but I do remember how much fun I had. Remember: Safety, Fun, Learning in that order.
But at the same time, don’t go straight to making snow people or digging a snow cave – because parents are paying you to teach their kids how to ski and snowboard – not make snow people. Get creative and be a kid again and remember all the fun there is to have with skis and snowboards on our feet. Sure, you can take a break, but limit any breaks to 10 minutes or less and only once per lesson.
Check this video out! What’s fun about skiing? Just ask your students!
What is a uniform for anyway? So we all look uniform and identifiable as instructors!
Ski & Snowboard School instructors wear green – that’s our protocol. The only people who should be issued the blue flannel long sleeve shirts with a black vest are those employees who regularly work indoors. I know the blue flannel shirts are cool, but please don’t check one out from laundry unless you regularly work indoors as your primary shift. We just don’t have enough of these to go around, and don’t worry, we are getting new cool uniforms next season! FYI, boot fitting occasionally, or teching skis for an hour here and there, or being a table mom or dad in SnoBlasters is NOT “regularly working indoors” so please don’t ask for a blue flannel shirt. And if you have one and shouldn’t, please return it before you get a call from laundry. Also, in all instances, no instructor should be teaching lessons while wearing a blue flannel shirt as their visible uniform – this goes for everyone! Ski & Snowboard School instructors wear green!
The official Ski & Snowboard School uniform pieces are: Green Outer Parka, Green Inner Softshell, Grey Pants. You may wear your own grey pants (if they are close to the same color) or your own black pants. But it’s really hot inside (or outside)! If it’s hot or we have sunny weather, you may wear your personal Hawaiian shirt with a nametag, or (coming soon), a 50th Anniversary Spring T-shirt (details to follow). So, please wear your green and represent Ski & Snowboard School – as you wouldn’t want to be confused as not being an instructor, right?
Guest Comments – Keep ‘em coming!
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Jason Ventura |
Please use this space if you would like to provide positive or constructive feedback for [your] instructor. |
I just really thought Jason was top-notch. He had a great attitude, enjoyed teaching, was very helpful, and kept encouraging us. He really made all the difference in terms of whether this could have been a positive or frustrating experience. I am very grateful that I got paired with him and other students will be very lucky to learn from him! |
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Greg DeHaven |
From when you signed up to now, if we could improve one aspect of your experience, what would it be? |
Take more hours in a row. Only took 1-hour sessions for the first 2 but really recommend at least 2-hours at a time |
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Please use this space if you would like to provide positive or constructive feedback for [your] instructor. |
Greg is a great instructor and willing to add more as I’m willing to incorporate it. He understands the types of learners and is tuned into people’s learning style. I have an open dialog with Greg through email and conversations in the lodge. He feeds on what I tell him. |
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Steven Dowling |
From when you signed up to now, if we could improve one aspect of your experience, what would it be? |
Everything was awesome, from the online reservation to the people that greeted us at check in that help with our gear, etc. we were impressed with every ones helpfulness and friendliness. |
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Please use this space if you would like to provide positive or constructive feedback for [your] instructor. |
Our daughters’ instructor, Greg, made their first day on the slopes a super fun and positive experience. When I found them at the end of their 2 hour lesson, they had progressed a ton, were laughing and smiling and wanted to keep going and they were really enjoying and joking with Greg. I could tell he worked hard to get to know them and their personalities. |
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Devin |
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Please use this space if you would like to provide positive or constructive feedback for [your] instructor. |
Devin was great at managing the different abilities in the classes and giving something for everyone to work on all throughout the lesson. |
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Evening Clinics
Please check the instructor portal for upcoming evening clinics as well as signup sheets in the instructor lounge. We will be adding paid training to the clinic calendar as well as other awesome topics, so come get some enrichment for yourself at evening clinics! There is a Level I Indoor session tomorrow evening being led by Jenn Lockwood, plus Level I, II and III clinics and Topic du Jour – some come to the 3:45pm Clinics meeting in the adult lesson meeting area!
https://mhm.snowproportal.com/calendar
That’s it for now! Hope to see you this weekend and please, if you can pick up a shift, this is the weekend to do it!
Tyler
