No Two Alike

            The saying "You seen one you seen them all" does not apply to ski instructors. There seems to be a public perception that all ski instructors are young, blond, male and speak with a European accent. In my thirteen years of instructing the only instructor with an accent was bald, not young, but definitely male.

            The mountain were I work has a lot of part time

How Did It Get So Complicated?

Stuff I've read about skiing in the old days presents a very different picture then what we see today. In the past, at least in the East, many Towns had their own little mountain, probably with a rope tow, no snow making or lights. At some towns people could walk to the place, pay a small fee and ski for as long as their arms and hands could grip the rope tow.

More Gear Then You Can Carry (almost)

I know a lot of sports have a great deal of equipment involved with them.  I have seen Hockey Parents carrying gear bags that are bigger then the kid playing hockey. However, I'm not sure that there are many that have more then skiing. I'm not just talking about the various types of skies, boots, and poles. There is all the other paraphernalia, much of

It's the Same Only Different

A lot of things have been written about off season training. Everything from static exercises aka the wall chair exercise, to elaborate schedules involving hours spent on various complicated machines, to the ever popular 12 oz. curls at your local establishment. I say "to each their own". My opinion is that anything, well almost anything, that can interest you

Why is it;

the lodge is always up hill from the parking lot

the rest rooms are always down stairs

the shuttle bus pulls out of the parking lot just as you start walking towards it

even when the conditions are good someone will tell you "You should have been here yesterday"

even though you got up hours early, signed up for and paid extra to get first tracks, there is at least one set of tracks on

Dealing with an Obsession (That wonderful Obsession)

Most obsessions are not good for you. Ones like chocolate, alcohol, sun tans, medieval weapons tournaments... however there is at lease one that is defiantly good for you. I know this because I have it and I never want to be cured of it. After all how could skiing be bad for you? Those that have to live with me and my obsession may not think

A Day In the Life of a Part time Instructor

As a part time instructor I only have be at the mountain three times a week, even so there are still challenges. Getting to the mountain is the first challenge. Now I live rather close to my mountain, it's 16.4 miles to the lot in which employees are suppose park. Parking in the upper lots isn't that much further, but it does save on the walking time,

The Perfect Student (They do exist)

I know we are all unique, but some of us are unique in the same way other people are unique. What I mean is that students tend to fall into certain groups. As a seasoned instructor you have a tendency to try to get the type with whom you work best. That student is not always the Black Diamond big tipper with the anatomical form that suits you orientation.

If you do it right she might like it. (And it won't take long)

As a ski instructor you get to meet all kinds of people from all over the world. One particular type I seem to often end up with is the, spouse, girlfriend, or significant other of the guy that use to ski way back when. For some reason, like the demands of a grown up life, he hasn't been skiing in years. She, of course, has never

They actually want me back

An Article about Ski School Staffing

October 2008 By Clark Williams

Every year usually around September when it has started to get cool, the letter announcing my mountain's instructor rehiring clinic arrives. This is a good sign for two reasons, first and foremost it is tangible evidence that the season is approaching, second that my mountain has forgotten/forgiven my

Never Evers

Teaching the First Timers

By Clark Williams

 What motivates people to come out and give skiing a try is as varied as the people themselves. One of the most frequent reasons is the desire to be with someone that already skis. Be it a S.O. or offspring or just friends, whoever it is they are important enough for the never-evers to be here, usually with more then a modicum of

By Clark Williams

When my daughter first suggested that I attend the hiring clinic at the mountain where she taught, I thought she was kidding. I was no real pro on skis, but she assured me that, if I was having one of my good days, I should be able to pass the mandatory mirror test. For those of you not familiar with this test, the examiner holds a mirror under your nose and if it fogs over, you

Backcountry, Backcountry, Backcountry

Backcountry skiing on Mt. Greylock in Western Massachusetts

By Clark Williams

Everybody's  Doing it...

            Backcountry, backcountry, backcountry, that's all you hear about these days, even here in the East. One of the more popular trips here is the Thunderbolt trail on Mount Greylock in western Massachusetts. That's right, I said Massachusetts, it's