Is there a skill level system?

This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts use
the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is that the
standard?


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W R Chan from Upstate NY
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On 20 Nov 2003 03:13:49 -0500, Wai Chan
wrote:

This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts use
the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is that the
standard?

Yes - but I ski at "11".

JP

PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) uses 1 through 9, and a lot
of resorts have adopted this system for their ski schools. Useful if you're
traking lessons, but otherwise don't worry about numbers, just ski and have
fun.
--
mark
"Wai Chan" wrote in message
. 1.24...
This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts use
the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is that the
standard?


--------------------------------------------

W R Chan from Upstate NY
(to respond, remove ### from email address)

* I have no stinking sig *

Jay Pique wrote:

On 20 Nov 2003 03:13:49 -0500, Wai Chan
wrote:

This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts use
the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is that the
standard?

Yes - but I ski at "11".

Isn't it all tracked out by then?

--
//-Walt
//
// The Volkl Conspiracy

In . 1.24, Wai Chan
typed:
This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts
use the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is
that the standard?

I am not a number, I'm a free skier

Chris *:-)

"Wai Chan" wrote in message
. 1.24...
This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts use
the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is that the
standard?


Yes it is, but it's a bit subjective at best.
In the US at least.

Why do you ask?

Wai Chan wrote:

This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts use
the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is that the
standard?

The 10 levels are a PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) level
system, used to roughly sort people for lessons.

See definitions at http://www.amenta.com/ski/skiknow.htm

Note that they usually only go to 9 - sometimes a 10 is also defined,
with reference to situational skiing (steeps, race courses, jumping.)

Note also, that the levels DON'T cover true expert skiing - the real
experts (high level racers, ski mountaineers, etc,) are another 10 or so
slots above 9, by any real measure.

IMO most mountains will rarely have someone working as an instructor
qualified to teach 9 and 10 - if they have such a person on their staff
s/he is likely to be a race coach for their team.

(BTW, "rec.skiing" is a defunct group - removed from group list.)

On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 09:35:44 -0800, lal_truckee
wrote:

Wai Chan wrote:

This may be a trivial question for some of you -- particularly the
instructors and competitors... Is there a unified system to designate
one's skill level in alpine skiing? I notice that some of the resorts use
the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most expert. Is that the
standard?

The 10 levels are a PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America) level
system, used to roughly sort people for lessons.

See definitions at http://www.amenta.com/ski/skiknow.htm

Note that they usually only go to 9 - sometimes a 10 is also defined,
with reference to situational skiing (steeps, race courses, jumping.)

Note also, that the levels DON'T cover true expert skiing -

They are also very much set up so that beginning skiers can feel they
are achieving more by the fact they will go up levels quickly.

There is more difference in ability between levels 7-8 than there is
between levels 1-5.
--
Alex Heney, Global Villager
He's dead, Jim. Tell the Klingons that dinner is served

To reply by email, my address is aDOTjDOTheneyATbtinternetDOTcom

"foot2foot" wrote in
:
I notice that some of
the resorts use the Levels 1 through 10 system with 10 being the most
expert. Is that the standard?

Yes it is, but it's a bit subjective at best.
In the US at least.
Be that as it may. It's still more precise than the green/blue/black
system.

Why do you ask?
More for curiosity than anything else. Also, when asked about level of
ability, it would be nice to be able to describe it more definitively than
say "high blue at this resort and low black at another".



--------------------------------------------

W R Chan from Upstate NY
(to respond, remove ### from email address)

* I have no stinking sig *

lal_truckee wrote in
:
See definitions at http://www.amenta.com/ski/skiknow.htm
The following is the rating system that I'm more familiar with (I misspoke
about the existence of Level 10). They sort of resemble one another. Do
they to you guys?

http://www.smuggs.com/winter/alpineSki.html

--------------------------------------------

W R Chan from Upstate NY
(to respond, remove ### from email address)

* I have no stinking sig *