In Memory of Lenore Lyle 2 May 2023 6:59 AM (2 years ago)
LENORE LYLE
Lenore Lyle passed away in her home on November 20, two weeks before her 95th birthday. Lenore was involved in the ski industry for most of her life as as a ‘fully certified’ instructor and then owner of Ski Masters Ski School, teaching skiing to thousands of Northwesterners. Through her love of ski instruction, she became a member of the PSIA-NW board, serving as the organization’s first woman president from 1978 to 1980. Lenore later conducted annual tours with her husband to the great ski resorts of Europe, satisfying both her love of travel and her pleasure in sharing experiences with friends. She took her last ski run in 2015, using her walker to get to the lift – determined to ski even if she couldn’t walk!
Lenore also loved flying with her husband, sailing, and crabbing at their Deception Pass retreat. She was born in Denver in 1927, then moved to Seattle as a young child, attending Ballard High School and graduating from the University of Washington in 1949. Shortly thereafter she married her husband, Ron, to whom she was married for 62 years until his death in 2012. Lenore is survived by her two children – Greg and Claudeen – four grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.
Rookie of the Year Award Nomination Form 18 Dec 2020 9:40 AM (4 years ago)
Rookie of the Year Award Nomination Form
- This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Outstanding Service Award Nomination Form 18 Dec 2020 9:34 AM (4 years ago)
Outstanding Service Award Nomination Form
- This award recognizes an instructor who currently possesses a PSIA-NW membership for a minimum of 10 years. They must have a sustained history of distinguished service of lasting benefit to PSIA-NW and/or the greater snowsports education community including their snowsports school or the local community, or have performed an exceptional act of service worthy of special recognition. Examples of distinguished service may include, but are not limited to demonstrating positive leadership skills, fostering connections with and between members and/or a history of willingness to mentor peers – both young and experienced.
- This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Service to Youth Award Nomination Form 18 Dec 2020 9:23 AM (4 years ago)
Service to Youth Award Nomination Form
- This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Larry Linnane Legends Award Nomination Form 18 Dec 2020 8:52 AM (4 years ago)
Legends Award Nomination Form
- This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Instructor of the Year Award Nomination Form 18 Dec 2020 7:25 AM (4 years ago)
Instructor of the Year Award Nomination Form
- This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
In Memory of Bob Christofferson 17 Jul 2020 11:29 AM (5 years ago)
ROBERT “BOB” CHRISTOFFERSON
Robert “Bob” Christofferson passed away on March 3, 2020. Bob was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Ginny, and their two sons Ryan and Brent, his daughter-in-law Julie, and two grandchildren Sofia and Rory.
Bob began skiing at age 13, after earning enough money from his paper route to buy his first pair of skis. He became an accomplished skier who spent his life on snow teaching for Fiorini Ski School at both Crystal Mountain and Snoqualmie Summit. He served Fiorini as a Supervisor, Technical Director, and Ski School Director. He joined PSIA in 1971, and attended countless PSIA events in an effort to learn the latest techniques, engage with fellow members, and to share his knowledge with others. Bob was passionate about teaching and training others to become better instructors, leading countless clinics after ski school on weekends, and after work on weekday evenings. He became a Level III Certified Instructor in 1985, and was awarded the Larry Linnane Skiing Legends Award on behalf of PSIA-Northwest in 2019.
In the early 1970’s he became proficient in freestyle skiing, and could be found upside down doing back flips in Seattle’s local newspapers. After retiring from his day job in the electrical and neon sign industry, Bob achieved a life-long goal of teaching for a destination resort at Northstar in North Lake Tahoe, California.
Bob was a dedicated family man and shared his love of skiing with his wife and sons, making winter activities a family affair. During the off-season Bob remained competitive and could be found coaching his sons’ baseball teams, rooting for the Seattle Mariners, cycling with friends, and playing golf. When not on his skis, Bob enjoyed spending time on endless home improvement projects, family vacations, and sharing quality time with his family. He always wanted the best for his wife, kids, and grand-kids, and did everything he could to support their dreams. He shared with friends that he was looking forward to teaching his grandchildren how to ski when they were old enough, something they will now do with their loving grandfather in their hearts.
A celebration of Bob’s life will be held in 2021, a date yet to be determined. It will be a fun event, reflective of Bob’s love of life, family, and friends.
Photo Credit: Wayne Nagai
In Memory of Fred Hirai 6 Jul 2020 12:50 PM (5 years ago)
FREDERICK HIRAI, PSIA, ROKKA SKI INSTRUCTOR, 1929-2020
Fred loved to ski and wanted to show people the pleasures of skiing and the beauty of the mountains. He was born in Renton, Washington in 1928 and spent his childhood on a farm in the Maple Valley area. During World War ll he and his family were interned in the Minidoka Concentration Camp in Hunt, Idaho, just a few miles from Twin Falls, Idaho. Fred was only 14 years old or so, when he volunteered to leave a holding camp in Puyallup, to go to Minidoka with some of the other adults. There he helped build barracks, which eventually housed the 10,000 incarcerated families, mostly from the Pacific Northwest. From the concentration camps, he was later drafted into the U.S. Army.
After his discharge from the Army he returned to Seattle, and in 1950 began working for Boeing as a machinist, and after a few years was awarded a scholarship to attend the University of Washington. He received his undergraduate degree in 1965 and his Master’s Degree in 1968, both in Education. He taught Special Education classes in the elementary and middle schools for the Seattle Public School District.
In about 1948 Fred started skiing with the assistance of Nobi Kano, and learned how to teach others the joys of Skiing. He was one of the founding instructors for the Rokka Ski School in 1950. He joined the now PSIA, and passed his Associate in 1960 and Full Certification (now Level 3) in 1962. With his strong background in education he was an effective ski instructor. In addition to teaching for the Rokka Ski School, he also taught with the Greater Seattle Ski Program. He made many friends over the years, and we will remember him for his humor and friendship.
A donation to the PSIA Education Fund will be made by the Rokka Ski School in memory of Fred Hirai, PSIA member and Rokka Ski School Instructor.
May 11, 2020
Bill Kawahara
COVID Updates 15 Mar 2020 12:00 PM (5 years ago)
We remain committed to ensuring the safety of our members and staff during this unique time. Please see below for our operating guidelines as they stand now.
Operating Guidelines
- Protecting our membership, employees and resort guests is our top priority
- Events continue to be open to PSIA-AASI members only and only those registered for the event are permitted to participate
- Events will meet outside and head directly to the slopes to minimize meeting indoors
- Plan for your car to be your chalet for the day
- Confirmations will let you know where and when to meet
- If you have not received a confirmation email, your registration was not successful. Do not show up for an event if you have not received a confirmation – contact us before the event at 206.244.8541
- Meet at the meeting location as close to specified meeting time as possible, if you are unable, please text PSIA-AASI-NW immediately at 206.244.8541
- All educational staff and members need to sanitize hands prior to meeting and whenever in any buildings for breaks
- Trainers and members must self monitor at home for symptoms. If you have any of these nine symptoms please notify the office at 206.244.8541 and do not attend the event. We will be flexible with our event cancellation policies and offer penalty-free transfers and refunds:
- cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fever, chills, repeated shaking with chill, muscle pain, headache, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell
- Participants will wear mask/face covering when in public, including office spaces, communal gathering places, restaurants, retail outlets and rental shops, and when engaging with resort guests and other members (including when in the base area, etc,) and as dictated by hosting resort policy
- We ask that all participants maintain a 6′ distance when possible.
- Your clinician will remain 6′ from the group whenever possible while presenting to uphold 6’ social distancing rule
- Physical distance will be kept during teaching portions of assessments
- Always adhere to the local resort’s protocol
Click here to read our commitment to snowsports area operators regarding PSIA-AASI Events >
November Tech Series Training Downloads 20 Nov 2017 9:45 AM (7 years ago)
Please see below for downloads from the various presentations during the November training.
Alpine Certification Presentation (PDF)
Alpine Movement Analysis Presentation (PDF)
Snowboard Learning Outcomes – Level I (PDF)
Snowboard Movement Analysis (PDF)
Creating a GREAT Guest Experience Presentation – By Jeff Johnson clicking on the link will take you to PSIA-AASI’s Matrix, you will need to log in as a member in order to access it.Snowboard PSIA-AASI Fall Conference Update (PDF)
Terrain Based Learning Presentation By Ben Fok- clicking on the link will take you to PSIA-AASI’s Matrix, you will need to log in as a member in order to access it.