Monica Young Earns Her Alpine Level II in Treble Cone, New Zealand
Just as the summer was winding down here in North America – and winter was wrapping up in the Southern Hemisphere – PSIA Alpine Team member Ben Potts and Alpine Team alumnus Jonathan Ballou sent us an e-mail from Treble Cone, New Zealand, where they had just finished an Alpine Level II Certification Course with instructors from the United States.
PSIA-AASI annually offers certification courses abroad from Austria to China. In this course, PSIA member Monica Young earned her Level II and sat down for a quick post jet-lag interview with us when she got home. Here, Monica explains how she ended up finishing her certification abroad and what it means to her to continue striving for advanced certification.
Monica, who joined PSIA on Feb. 28, 2022, has taken advantage of all the opportunities to explore snowsports since becoming a member, including attending Interski 2023 in Levi, Finland, and achieving her Level II within two years of joining.
“I’m a post-Covid new professional ski bum,” Monica said. “Most important to me is learning and undertaking the PSIA fundamental assessments to take lessons and learn from the pros to be a better skier.”
She added that she got her Level I on April 2022, in Heavenly, then her skiing Level II on April 26, 2023, in Palisades. “My Level III skiing journey started in Treble Cone. Hopefully, I can reach my personal goal in time. Skiing is fun and a healthy sport. It keeps our mind working all the time, and I never stop learning,” she said.
Q: When did you start thinking that you wanted to go for your Level II?
A: I learned to ski at a late age, when I was 48. When I lived in Hawaii, I went to Snowmass for snow vacation. I learned how to put ski boots on and then to start skiing.
In 2010, I bought a house and moved to Tahoe. By 2020, travel was restricted so we couldn’t go anywhere. My friends said, ‘Okay, let’s ski more,’ because that was one of the only activities we could do. I discovered that it was really fun just to be out in the mountains. I skied more than 100 days that season.
Q: When did you first become an instructor?
A: 2022
Q: Wow, so just two years ago? What made you decide you wanted to be an instructor?
A: I skied every day, and the resort needed a ski instructor. They said, “Hey, we need you to help, and they saw my skiing improve a lot just during the season. I had been in coaching before as an archery coach, so I knew I could teach, but ski content is different. I said, ‘OK, let’s just try it.’ That was February. Then in April I passed my Level I.
Q: How did you end up in New Zealand?
A: PSIA posted about it. Then I looked at the Rookie Academy program hosted there, which includes a program for Level I and Level II, and decided that it was really good for me. So I reached out to the owner, Dean Hunter, and said, ‘I want to complete my teaching Level II,’ because I had passed my skiing Level II and wanted the opportunity to train with people like Ben Potts.
Q: So now that you have your Level II, I don’t get the sense you’re going to sit still for very long. How quickly are you going to work to achieve your Level III?
A: I think it’s going to take a couple seasons. It’s not just one season and you’re done. But I’m already working on how to make it happen.
