By Christian Green

This is the third story in recognition of this year’s PSIA-AASI award recipients. Members are being honored this week at National Academy, in Big Sky, Montana, for their achievements as instructors, leaders, role models, and collaborators in the snowsports industry.

Being college next-door neighbors with former AASI Snowboard Team member, former PSIA-AASI Board Chair, and now Interski President Eric Sheckleton has its benefits. After 3C’s Award recipient Ralf Riehl, A3, S1, graduated from college, he went straight into the insurance industry, while Sheckleton found a fun summer gig driving around tourists in one of Glacier National Park’s historic red buses.

“Thank God I didn’t know the full extent of the lifestyle they were living in Montana because I would have moved there right away,” said Riehl of Sheckleton’s summer of fun. Instead, Riehl began grinding away in the corporate world, doing so for 11 years before 9/11 helped him reassess his life. A few months later, he attended an AIG corporate ski outing, which reminded him how much he loved being on snow.

Not long after, he quit his job, reconnected with Sheckleton, and then found himself in Montana that summer driving a red bus in Glacier. As the tourist season came to an end, he realized he was already “off the hamster wheel” and could continue to live off his savings, so he contacted his old friend again. “Sheckleton said, ‘Well, you know, one of the best ski schools around is Whitefish, which is right next door [to Glacier].’ So, I applied, and there were 30 people competing for six jobs, but I got one of the positions,” Riehl said.

After the season, Riehl headed back East and eventually returned to the insurance industry, but he knew he wanted to continue to teach. “I always loved skiing, always had a passion for it, but then life just kind of took me into teaching,” he said.

Saying “Hi” to Mount Snow

At the time, Riehl’s mother owned a house at Vermont’s Mount Snow, so it made sense for him to start teaching there, even though he was working in Connecticut during the week. More than 20 years later, Riehl is still teaching there, having earned his Alpine Level I, II, and III certifications over the course of 12 years, from 2004 to 2016.

According to Riehl, he’s stayed because “Mount Snow is a family. When I got there, they were super tight, and they were into training and getting better,” which made it more appealing.

The resort is also alluring because it’s the closest big mountain to both New York and Boston, which makes for a diverse student demographic, he noted. “It’s kind of like a small mountain, but a big mountain, and we have the best snowmaking in the East as of about 10 years ago,” he said. “They built this whole system with its own lake and 150% capacity, so it has the fastest recovery and best fresh tracks in the morning.”

For Riehl, Mount Snow’s family atmosphere carries over to his interaction with fellow instructors. Saying “hi” seems like a standard salutation, but it opens the door to so many other things, particularly with new instructors. Simply asking them a few questions, such as, “Hey, are you new here? What do you teach? Have you had a tour of the resort?” goes a long way in letting them know that it’s OK to share your experience.

Riehl pointed to a recent exchange in which he bumped into a new instructor and asked him how he was doing. “Literally, five minutes later I was talking to somebody else and that new guy came back to the locker room and then walked out,” he remembered. “And I said, ‘hey, come back here and meet this other instructor.’ Sometimes, I just like to remind people that it’s OK to talk to others.”

The same holds true when connecting with students to make sure they’re enjoying themselves. Riehl recalled a few years ago when he taught the boyfriend of one of his good friend’s daughters. The boyfriend never skied and wasn’t keen on being there.

“This guy was an academic and had never done anything athletically,” Riehl conveyed. “I had two hours with him, and within five minutes of meeting him, I told him he shouldn’t expect to get on the lift today.” That’s why Riehl was shocked when he came back for a second lesson and managed to get up the lift at the end of that second lesson.

Excitement Leads to Fun

Fast forward a few years to a chance encounter with that same student. “I ran into him on the top of a blue run with his wife and everything’s going well,” Riehl said. “I was so happy to see him enjoying the outdoors and getting that sparkle and feedback that they’re enjoying skiing together.”

Riehl added that moments like this excite him in everything he does, even in his corporate job. “I just love teaching. I love helping people. And I love helping them understand how things work,” he said.

This excitement for teaching extends to locker room conservations at Mount Snow. “We talk about how we could have taught a lesson better or differently,” Riehl said. “The camaraderie around that and the ability to have something to talk about, those are the things that most excite me about teaching and sharing the craft.”

Ultimately, Riehl expressed that the instructors and students at Mount Snow are there to have fun, enjoy being outside, and experience the mountain. Even if his students never make it to the chairlift or get off the magic carpet, he wants them to be able to appreciate their time on the mountain.

“I think it’s really important to get them to see all the other amazing things that they’re going to experience,” he said. He frequently reminds them that, later that evening, when they may be eating dinner or out at a local watering hole, they’re “going to know what the snow was like, what the weather was like, what the crowd was like, and what it was like to be on the mountain today. And they’re going to be able to hold their own in that conversation.”

Through it all, Riehl never takes himself too seriously, often joking with his students to lighten the mood. “I have no qualms about telling them that they’re my ‘victim’ and we’re going to have a good time,” he said. “I’m here to mess with people . . . to get them to smile, laugh, and open up . . . because I think about the apprehension a day-one student can have on that walk to ski school and what’s going through their minds and everything they may have had to overcome to get there.”

Sharing His Positive Outlook with Others

As Riehl related, making students feel comfortable on the slopes may stem from what he had to overcome as a child. He noted that he was dyslexic, so the beginning of his academic career was trying, and it took him a while to feel as though he was on the right path. “I always felt a little bit on the outside and not normal,” he remembered. “I didn’t understand why.”

Another moment that shaped his perception of how people should be treated happened at the age of 13, when his mom took him to Winter Park, Colorado, to volunteer with the adaptive program. “That experience helped me to realize the importance of helping people with respect,” he said. “It brought me to a place where I don’t really care who you are, what you are, or what you want to do.”

These lessons helped him prioritize people. “It’s every single interaction that I have. I want my world to be pleasant, and nice, and happy, and fun,” he maintained. “So, if I put that out there, it comes back. I’m selfish in my drive to be like that because I want to live in a world like that.”

Excelling at the soft skills and being aware of his environment has made Riehl into the instructor he is today, one who focuses on helping “anybody, anywhere.”

“When someone succeeds, it’s a victory for me, and I relish in their accomplishment,” he said. “And I’m grateful PSIA-AASI recognizes the skills and the power of positive influence on someone.”

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The 3 C’s Award recognizes members who demonstrated positive leadership within their snowsport school or region through consistent collaboration, communication, and cooperation with peers and guests – they serve as role models for others. Learn more about the awards and how you can honor members who have made an impact on our industry.

Read about this year’s other award recipients:

Educational Excellence Award: Dale Drennan

3 C’s Award: Grace Center do Ouro