DIRECTOR’S PERSPECTIVE VIEW VIDEO
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Learn why Katie Ertl and Georgie Bremner put such stock in hiring PSIA-AASI certifi ed instructors in their ski and ride schools.
Georgie Bremner
HIRING PSIA-AASI MEMBERS IMPROVES YOUR RESORT’S GUEST EXPERIENCES By Stephanie Prince Alexander, PSIA-AASI Special Projects Editor
recent chat with Managing Director of Ski and Snowboard Schools at Aspen Snowmass Katie Ertl and Ski and Snowboard School Manager at Buttermilk Georgie Bremner revealed several of the challenges they face in their roles,
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as well as the benefi ts of hiring PSIA-AASI certifi ed instructors. Read some of their unique perspectives here, and also watch them speak about these issues on the snowy peaks of Aspen Snowmass (see video info above).
GEORGIE BREMNER, Ski and Snowboard School Manager at Buttermilk in Aspen Snowmass
How long have you been a PSIA-AASI member? 15 years
How long have you been instructing? 23 years
What the biggest challenge you face in your job? Hiring the right number and mix of people for the number of guests who come to Buttermilk any given day, week, month, or season.
What makes the Buttermilk Ski and Snowboard School successful? Having a variety of instructors, personalities, and experiences. We look for instructors with top-notch people skills who get our guests to
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really connect with skiing or snowboarding and keep coming back for more.
What are the ideal qualities you look for when hiring instructors? We look for candidates who enjoy teaching and know how to create a safe environment for learning.
Give us your take on hiring PSIA-AASI certifi ed instructors. It’s a bonus when I get to hire certifi ed instructors (which we do every season)! We’re incredibly fortunate to receive a lot of certifi ed applicants. Certifi ed instructors bring teaching experience and an ability to hit the ground running, so it’s a lot easier for them to learn other things, like their way around the mountain. Through their training, PSIA-AASI members
learn how to be a good learners themselves, which is crucial to understating how to provide guests with accelerated learning.
Do you encourage people to become members of PSIA-AASI? I absolutely encourage instructors in their fi rst year to get certifi ed – getting that professional
connection off the bat is key to their success. It also helps them build their own skiing and riding skills. We’ve very lucky to get instructors stay
for up to 20 years or more after they thought they’d just be here for one season! I think becoming certifi ed with PSIA-AASI plays a role in that. We encourage people to get certifi ed early because they will likely stay on longer than they planned.
How do you encourage those who are already members to get more involved with PSIA-AASI? I encourage instructors who are members to be active participants, to go to clinics, and connect with their fellow members. T ere are so many opportunities and skills that PSIA-AASI teaches that expand well beyond our industry and I encourage them to take advantage of that!
KATIE ERTL, Managing Director of the Ski and Snowboard Schools at Aspen/Snowmass
How long have you been a PSIA-AASI member? I’ve been a PSIA-AASI Rocky Mountain member for 27 years. I was on the PSIA Alpine Team from for two terms, from 1996 to 2004, and from 2004 to 2012 I was the manager for all the Teams.
SCOTT D.W. SMITH
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