The ABC's and 123's To Park & Pipe Coaching
BY LANE MCLAUGHLIN PSIA/AASI-NW TECHNICAL VP

Can we officially say that the newschool style of freestyle skiing/ snowboarding has gone beyond the “fad” phase? With humility and compassion, I recognize the “we” is PSIA (primarily) and AASI (to a lesser degree) and historically we’ve been slow to adopt change. Along with being slow to embrace snowboarding, abandon our stretch-pants and address the influence of shaped skis, our organization has most recently been slow to establish a leadership position in developing and providing freestyle terrain park education.

Luckily slow does not mean dead. And more than ever, opportunities are popping up for our involvement as educators of safe, fun and productive learning practices to enjoy the terrain park experience. Resorts are increasing their commitment to developing “Learning Parks”, where the shape and size of features are accommodating to skiers/riders of all ages and abilities and that allow us to introduce the joy of jumping, sliding, grinding and spinning. With the right terrain, your challenge boils down to understanding fundamental performance concepts so you can create a progressive approach to taking on the right amount of challenge for each individual.

Perhaps you still think the whole terrain park “thang” is a bunch of hooey, and if so, feel free to page forward to a more relevant article, but if you want some fast-track advice to becoming a friend of the trend, then let me give you some basics – perhaps the ABC’s and 123’s of becoming an effective park coach.

Recon Your Resort’s Goodies

All parks are not created equal and instructors teaching in resort parks are not all treated equally. You need to do some recon and find out first hand what your resort offers for freestyle terrain, features, and more importantly, what your resort/school policies are for teaching clients in the park. There seems to be a wide spectrum out there, from intro terrain gardens and generous accommodations for teaching/ teachers, to x-game-mega-huckeronly features with a go-away-psia policy for ‘infecting’ the park with the ‘act of teaching’.

Since the park is a place with a vibe, energy and flow unique from other areas of the mountain, it is your responsibility to go check it out and be prepared ahead of class time on how you are going to effectively lead and coach people in that environment. How are you going to fit in with the flow while still being able to introduce concepts, observe performance and keep your group cohesive? Where are the features that accommodate the skill level of your clients? How will you utilize these features?

It’s also important to strike a good relationship with your resort and the terrain park crew so that both teams can “help me help you”. You need them to shape, space, and size up features appropriate for learning progressions while they need your help to educate resort guests on how to use the park. Perhaps any lingering reluctance by resorts to allow us to teach in the park is rooted in a lack of our demonstration that we’re park ready, which can be remedied by the following steps.

Grab A Copy of the Park and Pipe Instructor’s Guide

Read it, learn it, live it. Based on the collaboration and consensus from ski and snowboard coaches from across the country who have spent time coaching in the park, you have more than enough tried and true information, progressions, and tactics in this guide to give you a foundation for teaching the park experience. You should be able to make a better case to your resort or school director that you have the right stuff for teaching in the park if you can demonstrate that you, and thousands of coaches like you, can utilize the principles within Smart Style, the ATML model, and their connection with Alpine (PSIA) and Snowboard (AASI) performance concepts.

Participate in Park and Pipe Education

Since our sport is experiential, I’m sure that it’ll take more than information from a manual and the osmosis process to give you the confidence to coach others on their park skills. The Park and Pipe Instructor’s Guide comes to life during Park and Pipe clinics you may be having within your school, and definitely at a variety of events on the PSIA/AASI-NW calendar. From day clinics, to camps, to elective sessions at Symposium, there are a wide variety of opportunities to come out with the skills you’ve got (that means as you are; as-is; from newbie to huckster) and improve those skills and associate with other members interested in promoting park education.

Once you’ve completed your ABC’s, you’ll have some sense of whether or not the jib culture is your bag baby. If the hook is set and you want to be reeled in completely, then you should turn your attention to the 123’s and participate in the Freestyle Accreditation program. Here’s where you can validate your skills and put a little somethin’-somethin’ in your back pocket that tells your boss, clients and posse that you’ve got skills.

Foundations of Freestyle Accreditation (FS-1)

This is a one-day clinic session that establishes the fundamental concepts in skiing, riding and teaching park features. You’ll apply your knowledge and skills to jumps, rails, halfpipe and flatland jibs. Assessing student readiness and making the connection between performance and learning outside the park and within the park are covered too. Participants will also get feedback relevant to achieving the next levels of accreditation.

Progressive Freestyle Accreditation (FS-2)

This is a two-day clinic session (assuming the participant has already attended and earned FS-1 Accreditation) where each participant will be evaluated on their ability to ski/ ride a required set of park features and meet the performance criteria. Activities also include coaching your peers through selected park situations. Like an exam, the accreditation is earned by demonstrating required skills, but through a more collaborative and coaching oriented process than is experienced in a more formal exam setting. You’ll see that the breadth and depth of understanding does require you to come to the event with relevant teaching experience in the park and therefore you’ll need your ABC’s before your 123’s, but you could achieve this within your season.

Advanced Freestyle Accreditation (FS-3) This is a two-day clinic session, and actually the same session as the Progressive Freestyle Accreditation (FS-2). Participants will all ride and teach together on the same features and it’s the level of skill each participant demonstrates that determines whether the meet or exceed the FS-2 or FS-3 criteria.

The freestyle education and accreditation events are open to all disciplines. Bring your board, skis, or telemark gear and you’ll mix and mingle with other like-minded trendsetters. More information about freestyle education and accreditation can be found at www.psia-nw.org, or check with your Training Director or the PSIA/AASI-NW office to get the info you need to get involved.