🏔 PSIA Level 2 Alpine Certification – Study Syllabus
🔹 1. SKIING SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Goals:
Demonstrate consistent Level 2 skiing in all conditions and terrain
Show strong fundamentals from the Alpine Technical Manual
Focus Areas:
Medium-radius carved turns (blue terrain)
Short-radius parallel turns (steeper terrain)
Skiing in variable conditions (bumps, crud, off-piste)
Dynamic skiing with pressure control, edging, and rotary skills
Drills:
One-ski skiing (inside/outside)
Railroad tracks for edge control
Pivot slips and garlands
Hop turns and retraction turns
🔹 2. TEACHING SKILLS & MOVEMENT ANALYSIS
Goals:
Create effective lesson plans for intermediate to advanced skiers
Analyze student movements and identify root causes
Focus Areas:
Lesson structure (introduce, practice, reinforce)
Adapting teaching to different learning styles
Recognizing movement patterns using DIRT (Duration, Intensity, Rate, Timing)
Providing clear, accurate, and timely feedback
Practice:
Record and analyze video of students or peers
Create sample lesson progressions for intermediate terrain
Use the Teaching Cycle and Learning Connection model
🔹 3. TECHNICAL UNDERSTANDING
Goals:
Explain and apply skiing fundamentals from the PSIA Alpine Technical Manual
Focus Areas:
The 5 Fundamentals of Alpine Skiing
Ski-snow interaction and body mechanics
Terrain adaptation and equipment effects
Study Tools:
Alpine Technical Manual
PSIA-C/AASI e-learning courses
Movement analysis videos (PSIA YouTube or LMS)
🔹 4. PRACTICAL PREP & ASSESSMENT
Goals:
Understand exam format (skiing tasks, MA presentations, teaching segments)
Prepare mentally and physically for on-snow and indoor assessments
Tips:
Attend a PSIA Level 2 prep clinic
Practice skiing tasks under pressure with peers or mentors
Simulate teaching segments with feedback
Review past assessment feedback and the National Standards
📚 Resources
PSIA Alpine Technical Manual
Alpine Certification Standards (Level 2)
Movement Analysis Workbook
PSIA e-learning platform (lms.thesnowpros.org)