First Chair: PSIA-AASI Podcast
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First Chair: PSIA-AASI Podcast
The First Chair Podcast brings you inspirational stories and educational tips from the country's best ski, snowboard, Nordic, and adaptive instructors. More than 34,000 individuals belong to PSIA-AASI (Professional Ski Instructors of America and American Association of Snowboard Instructors), maki...
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506 Episoden
Flip the Script and Reignite the Joy: Why Fall Instructor Training Matters – Part 3
In part three of our Return Instructor Training mini-series, host George Thomas chats with Lindsay Ward, PSIA-AASI Central Region Education and Certif...
Curiosity, Culture, and Commitment: Why Fall Instructor Training Matters – PART 2
In the second episode of our three-part series on fall instructor training, host George Thomas is joined by PSIA-AASI National Team member Peter Novom...
Kick Off the Season with Purpose: Why Fall Instructor Training Matters 1
The season is right around the corner, and fall instructor trainings are more than just a chance to reunite with friends and get back on snow. In this...
A New Era of Collaboration: National Leadership Talks Priorities
In this episode of First Chair, PSIA-AASI CEO Jeffrey Lifgren and Board Chair John May sit down with host George Thomas to share their perspectives on...
Jumpstart Your Season with Katie White & Kevin Jordan
First Chair connects with National Team members Katie White and Kevin Jordan as they join us from Portillo, Chile. They talk about why late-season tra...
Skiing South America: Kevin Jordan on Training in Portillo, Chile
First Chair connects with PSIA-AASI Team member Kevin Jordan to explore what it means to train in the Southern Hemisphere during the North American su...
ep 761
First Chair catches up with Aspen Snowmass instructor and PSIA-AASI National Team member Kevin Jordan to talk about the growing crossover between skii...
EPISODE 760: Collaboration, Communication, and Cooperation with Grace Center do Ouro
In this episode of the First Chair Podcast, George Thomas chats with Grace Center Du Oro, recipient of the PSIA-AASI Three Cs Award for communication,...
Episode 759 | Dale Drennan on a Life of Learning, Teaching, and the Power of Tele Turns
In this episode of First Chair, George Thomas catches up with Dale Drennan, recipient of PSIA-AASI’s Educational Excellence Award. Dale shares her jou...
Episode 758 | Year-Round Ski and Ride Training with SkyTechSport
In this episode of First Chair, George Thomas talks with SkyTechSport co-founder Alex Golunov and account manager Connor Bishop about how their cuttin...
Episode 757 | The 5 Elements of Inspirational Instruction - Part 3 - w/ Dr. Josh Pighetti
In the final episode of this three-part series, host George Thomas is joined by Dr. Josh Pighetti and PSIA-AASI National Team members Matt Larson and...
Episode 756 | The Five Elements of Inspirational Instruction — Part 2 w/ Dr. Josh Pighetti
In Episode 756 of the First Chair Podcast, George Thomas continues the conversation with Dr. Josh Pighetti to explore the remaining three of the Five...
Episode 755 | The Five Elements of Inspirational Instruction — Part 1 w/ Dr. Josh Pighetti
In Episode 755 of the First Chair Podcast, George Thomas talks with Dr. Josh Pighetti about the first two of the Five Elements of Inspirational Instru...
Episode 754 | A National Team Member's Path to Adaptive Level III with Lyndsey Stevens
In this episode of First Chair, PSIA-AASI National Team member Lyndsey Stevens joins host George Thomas to discuss her recent achievement of earning h...
Episode 753: Finding Balance with Gibbon Slacklines and the Giboard
In this episode, George Thomas talks with Brian Pate and Derek Mikulski from Gibbon Slacklines about how balance training can elevate your performance...
Episode 752: Inside National Academy: A Conversation with Jeff Lifgren
Episode 752: Inside National Academy: A Conversation with Jeff Lifgren by PSIA-AASI First Chair Podcast
Episode 751: National Team Member Lyndsey Stevens Talks Spring Riding, Team Tryouts, and Interski
In this episode, George Thomas catches up with PSIA-AASI Snowboard Team member Lyndsey Stevens. They chat about the shift into spring riding, exam sea...
EPISODE 750 | Connecting with the Nation’s First ‘Doctor of Snowsports Education’
On this episode, we chat with Josh Pighetti who just earned his doctorate degree in Recreation, Park and Tourism Management. This has taken over two y...
EPISODE 748 | Power & Grace: 2025 Women’s Summit Recap with Ying Liu
On this episode, we chat with Ying Liu about the 2025 PSIA-AASI Women's Summit at Solitude, an event dedicated to skill development, inclusivity, and...
Episode 749 | Building a Strong Snowsports Culture with Jen Lockwood
On this episode, we chat with Jen Lockwood, training coordinator at Mount Hood Meadows Ski and Ride School, about building a strong instructor culture...
episode 747 | Meet PSIA-AASI's New CEO, Jeff Lifgren
In this episode of First Chair, host George Thomas sits down with Jeff Lifgren, the newly appointed CEO of PSIA-AASI. Jeff shares his journey from wor...
EPISODE 746 | From Level 1 to National Team member in 5 Years – Meet Justin Arndt
Tune in and learn more about our newest Cross Country team member, Justin Arndt. Justin got his first certification in the Rocky Mountain region at th...
EPISODE 745 | Learn About the First International Symposium on Snowsports Education
Join us for an interesting chat with Pete Allison who just got back from Bulgaria where he attended the first International Symposium on Snow Sports E...
Episode 744 | Taking Yourself Beyond Your Region and Discipline
Join us on this fun episode with Angelo Ross and Pete Allison as they discuss the benefits of traveling to a new region to take clinics or assessments...
EPISODE 743 | The Benefits of Exploring Freestyle Skiing and Riding
National Team members Matt Larson and Peter Novom join us this week for a deep dive into the benefits of trying and joining freestyle events. Freestyl...
EPISODE 742 | Breaking Bias: Coaching HER & Elevating Women in Snowsports
Join us for this introductory chat with Nicole LaVoi, Ph. D., creator of CoachingHER, a digital education platform designed to help coaches and instru...
EPISODE 741 | The Importance of Words and Explaining the Language We Use as Snowsports Instructors
Pete Allison and Angelo Ross join us again talking this time about the words we use and why they matter. Angelo discusses defining the real-life exper...
Episode 740 | The 25-Year History of Rider Rally with Eric Sheckleton
Join us for a chat with George Thomas and Eric Sheckleton, an original member of the AASI Snowboard team from 1996-2000 and current President of Inter...
EPISODE 739 | Mark Carvlin Reviews the PSU Certification Program
Join us for a chat with George, Pete and Mark about the Penn State instructor training program. Mark works as an instructor in the Eastern Region and...
EPISODE 738 | Rider Rally 2025 – Bringing Back Snowboard Radness for the 25th Anniversary
Eric Rolls, the Technical Coach for the AASI Snowboard Team joins us this week to talk about the 25th anniversary of Rider Rally – one of the largest...
EPISODE 737 | The Hartford Ski Spectacular in Breckenridge, CO
Geoff Krill, the PSIA Adaptive Team coach, joins us from Breckenridge, Colorado where the Hartford Ski Spectacular Adaptive event just wrapped up. Geo...
EPISODE 735 | A Dive into Professional Development
One of the biggest opportunities that stems from the PSIA-AASI resources is the professional development opportunity. Join podcast host George Thomas...
EPISODE 734 | How to Earn College Credits While Getting Your Level 1 Instructor Certification
Penn State University and PSIA-AASI have had a solid relationship for years. One of the big results of this partnership is a new course designed to al...
EPISODE 733 | Turning a Major Setback into a Major Improvement in Your Life
Sometimes stories come across your feed that just hit you right in the feels. That’s what happened with Ben Nilsson when we asked “How do you use your...
EPISODE 732 | All Things INTERSKI 2027 in Vail, Colorado
On this feature episode, we’re chatting with Interski President and former AASI Snowboard Team member Eric Sheckleton. You’ll also hear from Pete Alli...
EPISODE 731 | National Team Training at Arapahoe Basin with Kevin Jordan
PSIA Alpine Team Member Kevin Jordan sits down with our podcast host, George Thomas at Team Training to chat about what the week of Training entailed....
EPISODE 730 | CARV 2 - The New Data-Driven Digital Coach Clip
CARV is a PSIA-AASI Official Supplier which provides data on your skiing. Dozens of pressure and motion sensors work to provide you with data that can...
EPISODE 736 | The Good, The Great, and the Let’s Maybe Not Try That Again | Part 2
AASI Snowboard Team member Brian Donovan joins us again for Part 2 of The Good, The Great and the Let’s Maybe Not Try That Again. In this episode, Geo...
EPISODE 729 | Tiny Habits, SMART Goals and Their Application Outside of Snowsports
On this episode, podcast host George Thomas (LIII Alpine) catches up with Andy Stein who is the Digital Marketing Manager for PSIA-AASI. You may have...
EPISODE 728 | Being Inspirational in Your Teaching – Research by Ph.D. Candidate Josh Pighetti
On this episode, podcast host George Thomas (LIII Alpine) catches up with Pete Allison, Associate Professor at Penn State University and Josh Pighetti...