Ramblings from the President

by Stu Hoyt, NRM President

July, only about 20 weeks until areas will start opening for the 20 – 21 season. So far, summer has been a little on the cool side. Fresh tracks could have been made on July 1st on the higher peaks in the Bitterroots. I was not quick enough to get there. It’s not quite time to start knocking off the storage wax but I’m thinking of the next season.

Many thanks to everyone that has renewed their dues for the upcoming year. Having your support at this time takes away a lot of uncertainty in keeping our business operations going. Herb has done an outstanding job planning for the future to keep our financial status solvent for the upcoming year. Our division is doing okay for now. Knowing that these past few months have been a struggle for some and not having a clear picture of what this upcoming season will be leaves many of us wondering. Wondering what our employment status will be, what our economic situation will be, what our health will be makes it tough to lay out dues in June. We understand and care about how this affects all of us. If you have concerns about your ability to maintain your membership, please contact Herb Davis or myself.

With summer, most of us are not too focused on making turns and teaching our clients how much fun sliding on snow is. For some though, this is the time that lots of work off snow is taking place. Herb Davis and Jill Chumbley are busy getting ready for the upcoming season so that it will be a great experience for us. With this darn COVID pandemic, there are going to be new policies and procedures for all of us this winter at our respective resorts. We are just going to have to wait to see how much change there will be we. PSIA-AASI will not be coming out with any health advisories, leaving that to states and the medical professionals, but we will be making some changes in how we as a division will conduct clinics and exams. Back in April, we started having weekly video socials and clinics. They were a lot of fun and informative for those that attended. This fall, there will be an emphasis on new online courses that you will be able to earn Continuing Education Units (CEUs). Herb and Jill have been working with our division education staffs as well as their counterparts around the Nation on content ideas and ensuring consistency between all division and disciplines of PSIA-AASI. To help make sure that we are targeting the topics that you need and would like to see, we will be asking you for your ideas and suggestions. Please keep an eye out for member surveys coming to your inbox.

Every winter, the National Office conducts a member survey to find out how we are doing serving you. The results are always enlightening. In some areas, we can give ourselves a high five. In other areas, we learn that we need to do a better job. This year’s results were no different. To help us do a better job for you, the Board of Directors is going through the results to pick out areas that the division needs to do better. We will try to address these opportunities and solicit input from you on what would make being a member of the Northern Rockies Division better.

So, go and get out there, enjoy the summer responsibly and looking forward to seeing you on snow in twenty weeks.

Cheers,
Stu
Chairman
Northern Rockies Division PSIA-AASI
Board of Directors