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Thread: PSIA Certified Mags: Level 1 Exam?

  1. #1
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    PSIA Certified Mags: Level 1 Exam?

    So I'm headed in to take my written exam this weekend; I haven't looked at either of the print manuals (alpine technical and core concepts) but I have read over in detail all of the online portfolio/study guide/stepping stones material. I'm feeling confident because in reality sooooo much of this stuff is just fancy terminology placed over common sense skiing concepts.

    Is there any reason not to be confident going into this exam? Anything lurking I should know about? The higher-ups at my local hill (Wilmot, IL) seem to make this a big deal in terms of sign-offs and prep work but I just don't see it; especially after skiing for four years in Bozeman...

    Any thoughts would be appreciated. (and yes I'm planning on teaching somewhere far far west of here next season...)

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by leifar View Post
    So I'm headed in to take my written exam this weekend; I haven't looked at either of the print manuals (alpine technical and core concepts) but I have read over in detail all of the online portfolio/study guide/stepping stones material. I'm feeling confident because in reality sooooo much of this stuff is just fancy terminology placed over common sense skiing concepts.

    Is there any reason not to be confident going into this exam? Anything lurking I should know about? The higher-ups at my local hill (Wilmot, IL) seem to make this a big deal in terms of sign-offs and prep work but I just don't see it; especially after skiing for four years in Bozeman...

    Any thoughts would be appreciated. (and yes I'm planning on teaching somewhere far far west of here next season...)
    L1 on snow is easy, the written is the only possible part you can potential fail and even then alot of it is common sense.

    let me make this clear you noone fails a L1 exam ever. Pasucks and my friend kelly just took this together at springs. They told me that one person there couldnt do basic parallel turns on a blue groomer(which is the standard) and still passed.

    pasucks just did this though and he would be more current than me since i did mine in 03. PM him.

  3. #3
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    I'd PM Harold Harb, he seems to be up to snuff on this instruction stuff...
    I still call it The Jake.

  4. #4
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    Nobody fails Level 1... the whole point of Level one is to get you into PSIA -- and if you fail you won't be paying dues.
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  5. #5
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    I didn't have to take a written exam, I guess that's a Midwest thing. I imagine reading what you read and having prior teaching experience should make it a breeze. You'll be fine.
    I'm in a band. It's called "Just the Tip."

  6. #6
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    I didn't take a written exam at Level 1 either, we just did that at Level 2. But for that written, my buddy and I spent the three hour car ride going over the alpine manual and core concepts. The only time we even looked at them-- both passed with no problem.

    And for the record, my area had several failures at Level 1 in the past few years... I witnessed 2 in my group when I took the exam 5 years ago. They had teaching problems and with an obscene amount of leading and coaching from the examiner still didn't get it. In fairness to our ski school leadership, these people had taught for years and argued to take the exam, against the better judgment of the director. He was proven correct.

    I'm sure you'll be fine with teaching experience, good skiing, and common sense. good luck!
    Last edited by ECKerry; 01-20-2009 at 04:31 PM.

  7. #7
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    show up, you pass. simple as that.

  8. #8
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    When I took it 10 years ago we had one guy who didn't look at the book at all and he failed. I think I spent an hour or 2 the night before and had no problem.

  9. #9
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    I guy I worked with a while back failed his level 1. They were asked to ski a mellow groomer so they could be evaluated on their skiing abilities. Shane and his friend proceded to spin three's off of a small lip and got failed on the spot.
    The more I think about this, the more i think that the other guy that failed that day was Dana Flahr....


    ...but i could be wrong
    Last edited by Caucasian Asian; 01-20-2009 at 06:37 PM.
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  10. #10
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    can you make a pizza?
    french fries?
    if you answered yes to either of the above questions, you're (over)qualified to be a level one poodle.
    powdork.com - new and improved, with 20% more dork.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by robgoose View Post
    Nobody fails Level 1
    Hah, you'd be surprised.
    eating and sleeping is serious business

  12. #12
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    Review the Glossary in the Lv. I portfolio (a combo of the Core Concepts & Alpine Manual versions, know the Safety Code, do what your examiner tells you to do.

    Voila -- you've got a bronze pin. It's that easy.

  13. #13
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    thanks for the replies sounds like I'm good to go. ya the skiing part...um not too worried...but I was wondering about the written test. just a lot of jargon and BS but I'll play their game and get my pin. Thanks

  14. #14
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    ^ Exactly what Gnu said. Just read the book, be familiar with all of the concepts, and recognize the terminology. For level one, 100% of the necessary info can be found simply in that one manual. Don't forget the code.

    On average, I fail about one person per for every 20 to 25 candidates. Just don't be the dumbest guy of the day, and I promise you'll pass.


  15. #15
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    do your pizza's..you'll pass
    'cast the future past'

  16. #16
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    "if you want to get your level 3, your going to have to get something with a little more side cut" or so they tell me.

  17. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by edmoloco View Post
    "if you want to get your level 3, your going to have to get something with a little more side cut" or so they tell me.
    some kid(i think from smuggler's notch) passed his L3 skiing on Prophet 90s when I took it up at stowe. So you dont have to take it on a carver if your good enough.

    I took my L1 and L2 on Line Chronics, but I did 'conform' at my L3 and take it on Fisher Progressors.

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by BushwackerinPA View Post
    some kid(i think from smuggler's notch) passed his L3 skiing on Prophet 90s when I took it up at stowe. So you dont have to take it on a carver if your good enough.

    I took my L1 and L2 on Line Chronics, but I did 'conform' at my L3 and take it on Fisher Progressors.
    I had some fat old guy for my on snow 2 last year, and I knew he was gonna fail me as soon as he looked at the 183 4FRNTs I showed up on. This year, I'm just conforming and doing my teaching on 168 Volkl All Stars or 6 stars or whatever the hell they're called. They're even kind of fun on hard snow, if extremely gay.

    For the L1, just read the stuff they tell you to read. No need to treat it like a textbook and take notes or anything. Pretty hard to fail. And do what they ask you to and refrain from skiing like a dipshit during the on-snow part.

  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by BushwackerinPA View Post
    some kid(i think from smuggler's notch) passed his L3 skiing on Prophet 90s when I took it up at stowe. So you dont have to take it on a carver if your good enough.

    I took my L1 and L2 on Line Chronics, but I did 'conform' at my L3 and take it on Fisher Progressors.
    They really like skis with lots of numbers on them, if you can read the turn radius, tip/waist/tail, all on the ski, your money. Now that I'm not trying to pass any test I never attend a PSIA event on any thing less than a 95 waist. Just for the comments.

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by onehotchili View Post
    i am planning on taking my L3 Telemark on Prophet 90s . but then again, at least in the Nordic Downhill division of PSIA-W.... things are more relaxed then on the Alpine side. (-or- so i have been told)!
    I'm going to challenge for my L2 tele on Piste Pipes. Just make sure that you have Hammerheads. The examiners 'round these parts LOVE Hammerheads (as does pretty much anyone else who has a designated non-touring tele setup).

  21. #21
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    Lefiar, how did you do?

    Managed to pass mine. Examiner's hate patrollers and I figured I was doomed. Got to the teaching part, and he said progress them to edging, so I went into a full blown edging drill, complete with a sideslip, pole plant and direction turn. At the end, his quote was "very nicely done, however very inappropriate for the level of what I asked." He wanted a progression to wedge christies. Anyway, it was a good lead for him into the "stepping stones" which I obviously did not read and had not mastered.

    We then proceeded to the skiing evaluation portion. Figuring I had blown the deal, I decided to rip down the blue run we were on, and managed to catch a short but well executed huck right in front of him.

    In my evaluation, his only comment was that I needed to stay centered over my skis more consistently.

    Anyway, they gave me a piece of paper and a certificate at the end of two days.

    Hope you managed the same.

  22. #22
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    yagottabekiddinme

    Please don't stress over anything PSIA related- it'll just suck the fun out of skiing. BTW, I passed my level 3 before shaped skis, but would love to show up on my Pontoons now.

  23. #23
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    My examiner was pretty cool about everytihing. He could have canned me if he chose to do so. He was our regional director, figured I would get a warning on the hucking shit.

  24. #24
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    The key to passing Level 1 is to know the basic technical vocab. If you don't know the basics, you may run into trouble. The other move that sometimes gets people in trouble is the wedge christie. Get someone who knows current PSIA standards to check yours out to make sure it conforms to whatever they are emphasizing this year.

    Yeah, tell me about Level 3s and inappropriate skis. I showed up on Karmas (at Heavenly during a storm) and was basically told that I needed something with a smaller sidecut. I failed (in the examiner's defense I was clearly below the level of the candidates that did pass). Now that I'm in the East, I haven't had much opportunity to train, so I'm not sure when I'll take it again, but if I do, I'll probably have to pick up something other than my Prophet 90s.

  25. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by robgoose View Post
    Nobody fails Level 1... .
    Not true. There are plenty of failures. Its just that the ones who don't pass are too embarrassed to tell anyone.

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