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The journey to L3 reaches a new chapter.

post #1 of 56
4/18/12 at 7:29am
Thread Starter 
I will report more about the process and experience once I decompress a bit, but the bottom line.

In full on spring conditions and some of the toughest skiing conditions I have experienced (Squaw Valley Monday and Tuesday April 16-17) I skied two of my strongest days and passed the level 3 ski module! So with enough determination and hard work, a part time instructor can ski at the national standard.

Now on to the teach module.
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post #2 of 56
4/18/12 at 7:44am

Congrats...the word around Vail last weekend with some challenging conditions was that there was a decent L2 but low L3 pass rate. 

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post #3 of 56
4/18/12 at 7:46am

Congrats!

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post #4 of 56
4/18/12 at 11:30am
Great to check in and see this.

Way to go, DChan!
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post #5 of 56
4/18/12 at 12:00pm
Hey, David, that's wonderful!!! You'll pass the teach for sure.
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post #6 of 56
4/18/12 at 12:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MEfree30 View Post

Congrats...the word around Vail last weekend with some challenging conditions was that there was a decent L2 but low L3 pass rate. 


Probably because a lot of the L3 candidates were trying to perform some maneuver they've been unable to master. Some of them have been down to one or two individual maneuvers to get through to get the pin for several seasons now. A format change next year encouraged some to retry. I know folks who've met the standards for teaching and performance maneuvers, but still fail to do a wedge christie.
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post #7 of 56
4/18/12 at 1:35pm
Congratulations, D!

I know how hard you've worked at it. Good to see the effort pay off! No small accomplishment.

Onward!

Best regards,
Bob
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post #8 of 56
4/18/12 at 2:01pm

Congrats! I am sure this was a lot of hard work. Good job.

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post #9 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:05pm
Great job dchan!
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post #10 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:22pm

Dave, That is great news and congratulations !!!!  You looked good throughout the 2 days and I'm happy for you !!!!

Lou

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post #11 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:25pm

Well done. Now complete your mission. Good teaching to you !

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post #12 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:32pm

Way to go dchan, sounds like you even had fun

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post #13 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:35pm


 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kneale Brownson View Post


Probably because a lot of the L3 candidates were trying to perform some maneuver they've been unable to master. Some of them have been down to one or two individual maneuvers to get through to get the pin for several seasons now. A format change next year encouraged some to retry. I know folks who've met the standards for teaching and performance maneuvers, but still fail to do a wedge christie.


Kneale , these are L2 going for L3? How did they get to L2 if they can't do a wedge christie?

 

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post #14 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:47pm
Thread Starter 

Probably because doing a L2 wedge christie would not pass L3 muster. A great deal of our instructors have a hard time with proper traverses. Some are L1 and some are L2!

 

Doing the "task" of a carved or straight (targeted) traverse and actually skiing a clean traverse properly are 2 different things.

 

Doing the task of a wedge christie and skiing it correctly to the point of mastering the movements and being able to teach someone the exact in's and out's of a proper "wedge christie" are 2 different things.

 

 

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post #15 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:52pm
Thread Starter 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowbowler View Post

Way to go dchan, sounds like you even had fun

 

Fun yes. But I'm beat! (in a good way)

 

When I took the exam last month, I had not had nearly enough time to practice or train due to lack of or poor conditions. If I had known this would be such a lousy January and feb) I would not have tried in March. I could barely sit up out of bed after that event.

 

This time we skied hard (real hard) but I'm still upright and moving fine. (OK a little sore in places)

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post #16 of 56
4/18/12 at 3:56pm
Thread Starter 

Hi Lou

 

I didn't realize you were a member here.

 

Thanks.

 

Hope you took away a good experience.

 

DC

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post #17 of 56
4/18/12 at 4:01pm
Quote:
How did they get to L2 if they can't do a wedge christie?

Unfortunately, that is a very good question, Snowbowler. The Wedge Christie is the only maneuver that appears and reappears at every level of our exams in PSIA-Rocky Mountain, from Level 1 through Level 3, Trainer, and Examiner selections. And it's supposed to represent movements that a first or second-day beginning skier makes! Doing it right, though, takes a very accurate and rare understanding, and doing it with the precision, accuracy, clarity, and consistency expected at Level 3 takes more practice than many people realize. At Level 2, the expectation for near-perfection is not there, but the expectation for fundamental accuracy is. So it is possible for someone to perform a good wedge christie at the Level 2 standard, and still not be at the Level 3 standard.

But the more troubling question, and the one that I suspect Kneale alludes to, concerns Level 2 (or higher) instructors whose wedge christies are fundamentally incorrect--regardless of the level or lack of skill behind them. That should not happen. But it does, I'm afraid. Many strong, athletic, experienced skiers can put on a pretty good show in the moguls and off-piste, yet still exhibit fundamental errors that, while they do affect their efficiency and mastery in the tough stuff somewhat, don't really cause problems there. But the Wedge Christie is intended to show very specific fundamental movement patterns that are either right...or they're not. In my opinion, these wedge christies should not pass Level 1, not to mention Levels 2 or 3. But sometimes they do....

Alas....

Best regards,
Bob
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post #18 of 56
4/18/12 at 4:02pm

Ho Humm

 

Another Show Dawg......

 

 

 

Good for ya!  ;)

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post #19 of 56
4/18/12 at 4:23pm

Way to Go dchan!!!!!  I'm sure you'll do great with your teaching too!

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post #20 of 56
4/18/12 at 4:33pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by dchan View Post

 

 

Fun yes. But I'm beat! (in a good way)

 

When I took the exam last month, I had not had nearly enough time to practice or train due to lack of or poor conditions. If I had known this would be such a lousy January and feb) I would not have tried in March. I could barely sit up out of bed after that event.

 

This time we skied hard (real hard) but I'm still upright and moving fine. (OK a little sore in places)

 


well that sounds like a good day to me, accomplish your goal and have nothing left in the tank for the day. Unfortunately for me I found the teaching partt of L3 to be more physically demanding along with mentally demanding than the skiing part at least here on the east coast. Lots of standing around all day with increments of skiing 300-500 yards at a time, then stopping , talking etc. Best way to practice go stand at the side of a trial all day. Great job and good luck on your next part.

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post #21 of 56
4/18/12 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowbowler View Post


well that sounds like a good day to me, accomplish your goal and have nothing left in the tank for the day.

 

Talk about nothing left in the tank!

 

Some of you know how wet and sticky it can get here, along with conditions that if you jab your pole into the snow it goes at least 3/4 of the way in and the snow just grabs your pole so it doesn't want to come out, I was running on empty.

With hard skiing all morning including Hop turns in those conditions right before lunch in the Funnel (steep and mucky snow (see above)), one legged skiing on our way to lunch on a slow pitch of very sticky wet snow, and right after lunch skiing chute 75 top to bottom 3 times!!! YUP I was running on fumes.

 

I hit the wall about 3/4 of the way down on the first run. I had to sacrifice top to bottom runs in favor of good solid turn mechanics and good skiing by taking a break on each of the next 2 runs. In my defense my examiner had to take a break too.. and I do live at Sea Level and only spend a few days at a time at altitude.

 

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post #22 of 56
4/18/12 at 5:28pm
Way to go, Dchan! Congratulations! (and I love the t-shirt!)
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post #23 of 56
4/18/12 at 6:02pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowbowler View Post

How did they get to L2 if they can't do a wedge christie?

 

 

I watched an examiner, Cert 3, demo a wedge christie, by forcing the skis into a wedge, somewhat stepping the skis to match after pushing on the outside ski

and then an edge lock with two tracks to a traverse to finish the turn. Bob, it was in the RM division. This examiner is still at it!

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post #24 of 56
4/18/12 at 7:12pm
That's just wrong, Racer--at least, assuming said examiner was actually trying to demonstrate a wedge christie. There are, of course, alternate movement patterns (stem christies, for example--which is what you described) that we would sometimes demonstrate, for any number of reasons, including comparing one movement pattern to another. I'd love to think that that is what you observed, although I'm afraid that I would not be surprised otherwise. Although they look superficially similar, stem christies are the polar opposites of wedge christies, in both movement and intent.

It's a good discussion, one we've entertained repeatedly in the past here at EpicSki, and one worth revisiting again, probably. But it's a bit off the topic of celebrating DChan's success in the Full Cert. skiing exam. Again, D--congratulations!

Best regards,
Bob
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post #25 of 56
4/18/12 at 7:16pm

Well done dchan!!!!

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post #26 of 56
4/18/12 at 7:59pm

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by dchan View Post

Hi Lou

 

I didn't realize you were a member here.

 

Thanks.

 

Hope you took away a good experience.

 

DC

 

 I had a great experience !!!   Congrats again, and thanks for the inspiration !!!

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post #27 of 56
4/18/12 at 9:28pm

Hey David congratulations!  It must have been the soap?

 

Glad to see you Kicked that Chicken!

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post #28 of 56
4/18/12 at 10:19pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks Bud.

Didn't have to break out the soap biggrin.gif but I think I made a killer run down Toms Tumble on the first day that might have been a sign I was skiing well. Sure boosted my confidence and focus for day 2.

It was good seeing ypu .

DC
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post #29 of 56
4/19/12 at 6:38am

Congrats.  The harder part, teaching is.  Yeesssssss.

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post #30 of 56
4/19/12 at 6:51am

Congrats Dave! beercheer.gif

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