Summertime in the Intermountain Division brings activities outside our work as instructors. We head into the season biking, camping, fishing, and working at our “other” professions.  The crowds and warm weather take our minds off the skiing and riding that we’ve all been doing since December. However, just because we are reaching for our t-shirts instead of warm jackets, we have NOT forgotten about PSIA-AASI. We are collecting our thoughts and regaining our strength. This strength comes from behind the scenes planning and discussions.

This past winter was a slow start for most of our division. The snow took its time coming. By mid-season we were still looking for more snow. In the end, most came away with an average year for snowfall, though of course we have all seen better years. That’s okay; it’s all part of the unpredictability of the weather. Membership increased this season, we had great participation in our clinics and events, and even the number of skier visits to some of the resorts were up.

Spring Clinic successfully closed out the season. I thank Deer Valley and Park City for hosting us. The weather, of course, was a topic of discussion at both mountains! Thanks to our clinic leaders and to all of the participants for positive attitudes!  Our new format for the banquet and awards was amazing and fun! Kirstie, Vicki, and Kathy did an outstanding job in pulling this event off. And a shout out to Jupiter Bowl – I think we will be doing that again in the future. Next year we will once again be at Sun Valley. Wonder if they have a good bowling alley?

The President’s Council has been meeting every other month by conference call to discuss our divisions. For the most part, according to all eight divisions, they each had good winters. Recently, I have been on a committee to create a nationwide Code of Conduct and disciplinary course of action. The President’s Council and I, with Nick Herrin’s help, felt we needed to standardize the Members’ Code of Conduct. There were similarities, but also some big differences across the divisions.  We took the strengths from each code and joined them together to come up with the National Member Code of Conduct. The Intermountain Division board adopted the code at our board meeting in June.

We are continuously looking for the purpose of the President’s Council and ways to improve our communication, consistency and collaboration between the eight divisions and our National organization. Membership accountability and lifetime membership awards are currently under discussion. We are looking for criteria consistency across the divisions to maintain the prestige of this honor.

Our division is strong! We are moving the needle of the organization and we are on the forefront of strategic thinking. We are working on comprehensive decisions that help keep us financially sound and member focused. Moving into the future we can only grow.

It is my hope that you all have a great summer and are looking forward to a brand new year in PSIA/AASI!

As always, best regards,

Rich McLaughlin

PSIA/AASI Intermountain President

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