Monica’s Story

As a ski instructor, I want my students to feel safe and trust me to give them instructions, a progression of tasks to help them learn how to “stop” and “turn” in control on all types of snow and terrain. Learning new skills takes time and practice; I want everyone to have as much FUN as possible along the way!

I went skiing for the first time with my girlfriends in high school. I had no idea what to do or how to do it!  I skied the “crash and burn'' method and survived. I did not ski again until after college and my family was old enough for us to ski as a family. I now knew enough this time around to take a lesson. We all learned the basics in a 12-week program. Memories were made that will last a lifetime and we became a ski family. We continued taking lessons for the next 10 years. Skiing with a group of family and friends was magical for us. I loved it enough to begin training as an instructor.

Learning as an adult allowed me to think about what and how I learned. I knew there had to be a better way to learn to ski. As a beginner, everything was new to me. I was often overwhelmed with too many very detailed instructions. One day, several instructors and I were discussing, “why do we use ski poles, how do we teach using ski poles, and when do we introduce ski poles?” To my surprise, there were several different answers to these seemingly simple questions. Yes, there was some common ground, but always some added stipulations. I decided to break the idea down into basics. If I have something in my hands, out in front of my chest area, I am more relaxed, I feel safe, I can adjust my balance, I can express tension unto what I am holding. Now, I do not need to think about my upper body, I can focus on my lower body. Are my shins/ankles/feet/toes working together in my boots? They need to control my skis!

-Monica Schwanitz

PSIA-Certified Ski Instructor
Children’s Specialist
Senior Specialist