Why do I keep teaching?
Winter 2002 by Don Meyer

Sometimes when talking with non-instructor friends, I get a little jealous when they talk of riding or skiing around the US or even in Europe and South America. During the height of the season I am fully engaged in either preparing for the teaching season, teaching and managing the school, and then post-season activities which typically include clinics to become a better instructor or examinations to get to the next instructor certification level. That's not to say I don't also have some weekends at Baker and Crystal and even a week at Whistler/Blackcomb.

So my season goes like this.

All summer and fall - Workout, aerobics, hiking, backpacking to keep myself in shape. Thinking I should go hike Mount Rainier or Baker in search of snow so I can ride again.

3rd week of November - Have to go to Mt Hood to kickoff the season with the other School Technical Directors to hear about the latest stuff from the Snowboard Association (AASI) Leadership. There are talks and clinics and 3 fabulous days of riding. Sometimes the snow is even nice but nice or not no one really cares because we are back on the snow again.

Last weeks of November - If there is snow, I am at Stevens refreshing my skills and having fun, mostly having fun. If there is good snow then work must take a back seat because I must be ready for instructor training. This is an imperative that overrides all else, as it should be. We work to provide value but mostly so we can play harder.

1st weeks of December - Instructors training begins. Hard to focus, snow falling, the instructors, instructor candidates and I all wanting to just ride but we will have students so we must mix work and play as we do with our students. Fun-Safety-Fun-Learning-Fun. The better we are, the more fun instruction will be and more fun our classes will be and quicker our students will learn which means more terrain choices which means more fun for them and us. When the snow is deep and growing deeper, it is hard to focus on why we are in clinics.

All of December - we continue to clinic and free ride on our days off. Work family, responsibilities, Bah Humbug! The mountain calls, crisp air, white & green, ride up & slide down. Sit on top of the ridge, the world to see. This world seems endless and although it has its dangers, it seem very civilized compared with civilization. All troubles left behind, no wars, politics, roofs to fix, problems at work or home - only silence occasionally broken by whoops of joy. Why can't all work be like this? Thoughts only of sliding, flying, carving, skidding, steeps, powder, immaculate groomed slopes - all cares and serous thoughts gone for the moment. Physical pleasure unbounded, flowing, moving like the wind.

January, Feb, March - Some free riding time mixed in with working if you can call this working. Helping people slide, understand turning and control, and how to stroke the mountain so that it cooperates and gives them (and you) more freedom to roam. Small pleasures, the joy in someone's face, receiving thanks for helping them achieve their desires, seeing them break through their own physical and mental barriers beyond into the next level. Tied up and yet free. By this time, we've ridden about 3 times as many days as the average skier/rider, 20-30 days.

Mid-March to June - Seasons Pass stretching as far as possible. Going to Bachelor, Hood, Whistler to extend the season. Training for exams and next years work/fun. Exams. Free riding without thought of anything. Thinking about ways to ride in July-October to slide at least one day of every month. Never Summer! Exams - Sweet torture - learning lots of new stuff, passing/failing, understanding that there are many things that you don't yet understand, seeing grace in motion, examiners flowing down horrendous terrain like water down a rocky mountain stream. New horizons and visions of what could be. Many of these people ride for a living, nearly every day that snow is available. New ways to help people.

New ways of thinking about how riding works and how to pass that knowledge on to others. Just riding, not thinking, moving, not judging, flowing, not turning, positioning mass over edge, not edging, moving mass over effective edge not pressuring, letting the board turn, flow and rebound, not turning, working with the mountain, not controlling my speed ridng with, not on the board.

The season is too soon over. What is next? Could I, should I think only of my own riding pleasure? What of the others? Is not a great part of the pleasure sharing the pleasure? Can I have as much pleasure if no one rides at my level? The higher the level of riding all around, the more fun people have, the more fun people are having, the safer the terrain and the better the terrain and therefore my pleasure is increased. The pleasure of flowing down the hill is equaled by helping someone else flow down the hill and doubled by flowing down hill with with others. The shared pleasure of recalling that moment is as good as the moment itself and perhaps even better at times because it can be relived over and over.

So what of next year? What about other experiences? What about those who you don't help? Will there be others to take your place? Can anyone really take your place? Each year these thoughts, the pleasures, the options, the future pleasures, the students run through my mind. What to do, perhaps just enjoy life and see how it plays out. Perhaps other pleasures will become more consuming during the off months. Not likely! The powerful strong feeling gained from being in the mountains. Looking down thousands of feet and convincing someone that it is just a bunch of 3 foot turns, a flat spot up on an edge, the exhilaration at the bottom, new achievements, new levels attained, smiles as big as the sun warms the heart like the sun never can. 1500 feet down and without breaking a sweat.

We'll be back, better, smarter, more helpful to others, and having more fun. The reasons haven't changed. We love the mountain. We love the scenery. We love sliding. Yes, we love going fast on a most insignificant personal vehicle. We love how such a basic device does so much for us. We love helping people achieve their dreams. We love helping the sport by helping others love the sport. And yes, we love getting a seasons pass and making enough money to buy another board so we can have yet more fun. And yes, some people think we are cool because we do this. And yes, it feeds our dreams and eases the daily business of living. And yes, it gives us an excuse to get away from the mundane more often than if we just wanted to go riding would allow. No excuses, there couldn't be much more fun than this.