Katie Fry thanks her parents every day for moving her from the flatlands of Cleveland to the Rocky Mountains back in 1972. Skiing since she was three, Katie grew up ski racing with the Aspen Valley Ski Club until she was 18, at which time she began sharing her love of the sport by teaching others how to do it. Teaching was also the perfect way for Katie to work her way through the University of Colorado, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Science. After graduation Katie was a ski instructor for three years at Mt. Hotham in Australia during the summers while continuing to teach in Aspen/Snowmass during the US winters. Currently she holds the position of Managing Director for the combined four Ski/Snowboard Schools of Aspen.

Here is a brief overview of some of Katie’s other accomplishments: 

·          Twelve-year Alpine Examiner for Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA) - Rocky Mountain

·          Level-one certified snowboard instructor

·          Former member of PSIA National Alpine Team where she traveled the country working to maintain consistency in the American Teaching System

·          Manager for PSIA/AASI Alpine, Nordic, Snowboard and Adaptive National Teams

·          Frequent contributor to and technical reviewer for The Professional Skier

·          Numerous published articles

·          ESPN ski contributor

·          Appearance in the movie “Aspen Extreme”

I spoke with Katie back in August about things like teaching children how to ski and the overall benefits of enrolling in ski school. I hope you enjoy the read and learn something along the way.

Many skiers and snowboarders out there often dream of quitting their jobs, moving to a ski town and becoming a ski instructor.  Do you think you have the best job on the mountain?

I do. I think it’s the best job because that’s what I’ve done. I think if you are a certain type of person who likes to engage with people and share your passion and abilities then it is absolutely the best job. If you are someone who is more fascinated with the medical side of things, then patrol would be more of what I would suggest. It’s interesting. A lot of people come to the mountains and, if they don’t have any experience being in the mountains, they work the lifts or guest services, which are two other great jobs because it offers the opportunity to interact with people. But if you really want to be one-on-one and engaging with people’s vacations I think being an instructor is the best job.   

So for people who have that dream, what advice can you offer?

That’s an interesting question.  I have a good friend who has been teaching now for about eight years, but had previously worked on the London Stock Exchange. I think you have to be prepared for seasonal work. As you know, it goes with the seasons and with the weather.  If it is something you are going to do, be prepared to work a good chunk of time in the winter. Then you have time to play during the great shoulder seasons – which is especially nice if you are good with your money. You can travel to Mexico or Canada or wherever you’d like to go. Then you have to figure out what you want to do in the summertime - whether it’s working a job in the mountain town that you’ve chosen or trying to do back-to-back winters like a lot of our instructors do. Many instructors go to Australia, New Zealand and South America. I think if that’s a dream of yours, be prepared to have your job start and end and start and end every four to five months. I think that’s what surprises people the most. One day the resort closes down for the season and that’s it. Everyone disappears until the next season. I think that’s the hardest transition for everyone. 

What makes the Ski/Snowboard School of Aspen’s programs different than others out there?

I think there are a few things. A few of our programs are trademarked, such as Diamond Pros and Beginner Magic. We really look at the beginner process from a mind, body, spirit focus instead of just the equipment you are on or the information content of the lesson. We bring in equipment and balancing issues and then look at the technique. 

How has ski school changed over the years?

Ski School attendance has grown by leaps and bounds in the past 10 to 15 years. We offer a true experience. There’s nothing hugely tangible except for your ability after the lesson.  You’re not walking away with a new pair of skis or a new jacket. You’re walking away with the human connection. Having that is what I think ties people to the mountain environment - they feel like they’re part of the club. I think part of the instructor’s job is to help make guests feel like they belong by showing them how to do it. Whether it is skiing, snowboarding or snowbiking, it is something they can do while they’re here and then come back to the mountains and be a part of it again regardless of where they go. 

What do you think are the barriers to entry for ski schools and what are you doing to try to combat that?

There is a perception that going to school denotes a process that a lot of people might not want to do on their vacation. A lot of resorts have changed the name of their ski schools because of this and in doing so, the general recognition was lost. The perception is really how cool can it be if you’re calling it school?

There is now a large push for family time and because of this, parents are putting their kids in ski school for part of their vacation instead of for the whole vacation like they used to. A great way to maximize family time is with a private lesson. Guests can set up and customize a private lesson for their whole family with one instructor who can tailor or modify each portion of the lesson to the ability of each family member. Kids of different ages grow and develop at different rates, so customizing is great.

There are also new beginner opportunities because we can now have people learn at a faster rate. The ability attained by beginning skiers in four days a few years ago can now be attained in two because of new equipment technology and new teaching techniques.

We’re also trying to look at what opportunities we can have here in Aspen with the four different resorts. We are setting up groups like Mountain Explorers - start at Snowmass on a Monday with an instructor and a couple of people – you get to meet some folks and then ski the other mountains; Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain and Buttermilk. It gives you a better sense of the valley and exactly what each mountain has to offer. In the past couple of years we have also started Diamond Session which looks at a way to continue coaching yourself after the lesson is over. Ski school guests are going to walk away knowing how to have a great time when they’re by themselves or with friends and family. I think another factor is that friends want to teach friends and that’s always going to be the case. I have a twin sister and I tried to teach her how to snowboard. I had her in tears. I’ve never had a guest in tears and have no idea why my sister is crying!  I had high expectations of her athletic ability and I was trying to push her too fast and too far and she had a miserable time. 

That’s a great point.  What is your advice for those people who want to teach their friends or family?

Don’t (laughs). I really think that if you’re a friend or spouse or parent - if you’re willing to turn that person over to a professional for a day, or a few days, they’re going to learn the right habits to make the sport work for them.  For instance, I’m learning how to kayak this summer. I’ve spent a lot of time in the water and I’m not afraid to flip over, but my roll, when I’m trying to get back up, I’m engraining a lot of really bad habits. I eventually took a lesson with an instructor in a pool and after two hours she gave me three things to work on and now I can nail every roll and do it correctly. I think if you and your spouse or friend are going skiing and the other person doesn’t know how, I would turn them over to a professional so they can build the right habits and, in doing so, build a longer career right off the bat.

And it definitely makes the sport much more fun if you’re doing things the right way.

Oh yeah. The beginner doesn’t have the pressure of performance or of trying to please their parents or spouse. They also won’t become upset with their parents, friend, spouse or fiancé for telling them something they didn’t want to hear or for pushing them too hard. 

Have you heard horror stories from people who have tried to teach their spouse?

Absolutely. I’ve seen beginners just a few yards from their spouse or friend and they’re yelling, mad at themselves, uncomfortable and they just don’t want to be where they are. People forget the feelings of anxiety, fear, lack of knowledge and lack of ability and don’t take those feelings into account. I think we forget once we get good at something and our empathy somewhat diminishes. We don’t remember the feelings of the slippery slope under our feet and how scary that can be.   

What do you think are the biggest advancements in skiing technology in recent years? 

Right around 10 or 12 years ago we really saw changes in ski technology with shaped skis - following for the first time where snowboarding was going. That was the first big leap in ski technology. Here’s a ski that will do more work for us, meaning the skier doesn’t have to exert as much effort to turn it. Ski companies are now working on our dampening systems and softening the ski longitudinally. Now the ski turns well because of the shape, but how can we make it easier to bend the ski so that we can make a shorter- or longer-radius turn more easily? There are new skis that feel soft when going through the bumps, but it is stiff enough to hold a turn on hard snow. It not only bends length wise, it twists as well. The companies are making it easier, more fun and increasing the longevity of the day. Instead of being exhausted after three days of skiing, people can now easily make six without being totally worn out. We can also now ski and ride as we advance in age because of the equipment as well. 

For parents who wish to get their kids out on the slopes, how young is too young?

Program wise, schools have figured out how young is too young. Right now a lot of programs start at three years old. In just looking at coordination of the child, when kids are that small, their center of mass is higher than ours. Because their heads are larger, they’re much more off balance than we are. For us to assume that we can put them on snow and have high expectations is wrong. For children younger than three, ski schools have daycare programs. Ours, called Snowcubs, is for children eight weeks to three years old. Some parents come in with their two-year-old and ask that we take the child out on the snow for an hour or an hour and a half, just so they can slide around a little bit to feel more comfortable. We do honor and accommodate that. The true answer is whenever the child shows interest, but parents should not force them to go where they don’t want to go.  We will have kids ages two to six out on the snow, but if we see they’re losing interest in skiing or snowboarding, we’ll let them play in the snow - whether it’s a snowball fight, eating snow or jut running around. What they’re really doing is learning how to interact with that type of environment. If you push them they won’t want to be out there. They get cold easily and it’s exhausting – even riding up the lift is difficult.

If a child is expressing interest in getting on the mountain, do you recommend they begin with skiing or snowboarding?  Does it matter?

We recommend that a child be five years old before they snowboard because of coordination issues. With skiing, you have a wider base of support, your feet are not locked in, you can step around, you can move and turn more quickly. Here in Aspen, for kids five to seven, we offer snowboarding in very small group settings, three kids to one instructor ratio, so the pro can really be hands-on in that situation. If you’re going to start your child really young, I would recommend skiing.  If they’re going to start somewhere between five to seven years old, give them the choice. 

For those learning to ski for the first time, do you help them choose what equipment they should rent?

We recently opened a Beginner Magic shop for our Beginner Magic program. It allows the guest to walk into a very non-threatening environment to get their equipment. We try to take every intimidating situation out of the mix. You can walk into the Beginner Magic store and it’s all about equipment for the beginner. We’ll outfit them with short skis, make sure their boots fit well and then we’ll have the pros come into the store and start the introduction phase of the lesson right there. That’s at Snowmass and Buttermilk. 

If they can’t make it into the Beginner Magic store, we ask that they go into another shop the night before, so they have the time to ask the right questions. We also guide the guests through online information and send out a rack card and Beginner Magic brochure that really educates them on what to look for. We want beginners to be on shorter skis so they can turn more easily. For those going into a general ski shop for their equipment, we also give them a list of the right questions to ask. If the guest shows up at the lesson with the wrong equipment, we’ll walk them back to the store and make sure they have the right stuff. We really want their day to be special. 

For people who want to enroll in a ski school, do you think there are certain questions everyone should ask? 

First and foremost, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Secondly, make sure it’s the right lesson for you. If you’ve never been on skis or a snowboard, make sure you get into the absolute beginner lesson. If you have some experience, make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. Ask the instructor or coordinator to point you in the right direction. Make sure you know the length of the lesson and what the overall goals are.

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