Glen Plake Completes PSIA Alpine Level I Certification; Stoked to Grow the Sport

Building upon an inspiring foundation of snowsports credentials, Glen Plake can now add “Certified Ski Instructor” to his resume; he completed the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) Alpine Level I certification exam this week at Breckenridge Resort in Colorado. Plake—the legendary freestyle skiing champion and April 2011 inductee into the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame—joined PSIA in Fall 2010 to build closer connections to grassroots industry growth opportunities offered by ski and snowboard instruction. “I’ve had incredible opportunities in my career, and I believe we’ve done great things as an industry to grow our sports over the years,” Plake said following the presentation of his PSIA certification pin. “What I realized going through this process is that the long-term heart and soul of the sport is found within those who have the opportunity to influence the experiences our guests have on skis. I’m honored to call myself an instructor and humbled by the depth of the training we receive as certified instructors. I can’t wait to start training for the next test.”

Through his training process, Plake has made connections with members of the PSIA-AASI Teams and education staff that have fostered valuable discussions about the growth of skiing and riding and the way the sports are taught. “It is great to have a member as passionate and involved in our industry as Glen,” said PSIA-AASI Marketing Director Andy Hawk. “Glen has been saying for years that ‘you can’t evolve unless you’re involved,’ and it is clear that this is going to be an awesome evolution for all of us.”

Plake plans to attempt the Alpine Level II exam later this winter, and is working through certification training events and written review materials with his wife Kimberly, who also completed the Level I exam. As time permits, he plans to complete the Alpine Level III exam, the highest level of PSIA certification. “I was talking to some folks earlier this week, telling them how I think the instruction profession and backcountry guiding are beginning to intersect at resort-based backcountry gates and that

we need to start thinking about all of that,” Plake said. “Then I went out and almost failed wedge turns in my Level I, so we’re going to take this thing one step at a time.”

Plake is an ambassador for Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM), the January snowsports industry initiative that encourages children and adults to learn by taking lessons from professional instructors. (Go to http://www.skiandsnowboardmonth.org for more information on LSSM.)

About PSIA and AASI

PSIA and AASI are educational organizations of the nonprofit American Snowsports Education Association (ASEA), with a combined membership of more than 30,000 men and women who are dedicated to promoting snowsports through instruction. The organizations establish certification standards for ski and snowboard instructors and develop education materials to be used as the core components of most ski and snowboard school training. PSIA and AASI support the membership through research and

development of instructional programs in alpine and nordic skiing, snowboarding, adaptive skiing and riding, and children’s skiing and riding. Visit http://www.TheSnowPros.org.