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Fort Lewis College

AE 141: Telemark Skiing

Winter 2011 • 3 credits

Instructor: R. Lee Frazer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Adventure Education

Office: 29A Pine Hall

Phone: w. (970) 247-7353 c. (970) 759-9406 (cell for emergency use only)

Email:

Office Hours: TR 2:00-5:00. Other times by appointment.

TA: Ross McWilliams

Email:

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MEETING TIMES: TR 12:20-5:35

All classes meet and end at Pine Hall. Transportation to and from field will be done through carpooling and by FLC van.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON RISK MANAGEMENT:

In this course we’ll be encountering many risks posed by the winter mountain environment and the nature of telemark and backcountry skiing. Thus, it is imperative that you pay attention to any safety instruction/direction as well as the professional conduct expectations explained below. Failure to do so may result in you being asked to leave the class.

All of us are risk managers and all of us are responsible not just for our own safety but the safety of others as well. You should plan on helping to build a culture of safety and risk management while on this course. If you can’t help meet this expectation, then consider taking this course at another time.

COURSE Description:

An introduction to telemark and backcountry skiing for the adventure educator. Includes turning, body position, selection, use and maintenance of equipment, safety procedures, group management, and winter alpine Leave No Trace practices. Restricted to Adventure Education majors and minors.

Prerequisites: Adventure Education major. Students who anticipate declaring an Adventure Education minor should speak with the instructor about waiver of prerequisites. Additional course fee: $150, paid when you registered (which covers gear maintenance and replacement, ski passes, and transportation).

Required Course Text and readings:

1. Textbooks:

Free-Heel Skiing: Telemark and Parallel Techniques by Paul Parker, The Mountaineers Books, 2007.

Allen and Mike’s Really Cool Backcountry Ski Book by Allen O’Bannon and Mike Clelland, Falcon Guides, 2007.

2. Additional articles and handouts may be distributed in class or electronically.

NOTE ON COURSE DIFFICULTY & TIME COMMITMENT:

·  First course in AE? If this is your first course in the Adventure Education Program, you should know that our courses are more demanding than most first-time students expect – demanding mentally, emotionally, and physically. Consider yourself forewarned.

Thus, you will get out of this class what you put into it. If you show up regularly, actively participate, and put in the appropriate time outside of class on assignments, readings, and so forth, you will likely get a lot out of this class. Adventure education professionals take responsibility for their own learning and preparation, as you are expected to do now.

• Time Expectations: A good rule of thumb for assessing how much time students should be spending outside of class is about two hours per week for every course credit hour. Thus, a 3-credit course often requires a minimum of 6 hours outside of class. However, since AE 141 is offered in a half-semester format, you might have to spend twice this much (12 hours per week) outside of class training, studying, reading and preparing assignments.

• Arrive on time to class! If you arrive late and are left behind you will be counted as absent for the class, and your grade will be dropped half a letter grade as a result.

Course Learning Objectives:

  1. Learn and demonstrate telemark and backcountry ski skills, including but not limited to:

·  Foundational skills – wedge turn, basic telemark turn, basic parallel turn, side hilling, wish-boning, kick-turns, trail breaking/route setting, avalanche awareness and snow safety, day trip planning and preparation, and basic equipment use.

·  Maintenance skills – ski equipment care and “personal/health” maintenance.

·  Advanced skills – skating, advanced telemark skills and refinement (including skiing in powder, crud, slush, and moguls).

  1. Discuss, demonstrate and reflect on safety and risk management skills, knowledge, and attitudes relevant to telemark and backcountry skiing.
  1. Reflect on and learn about some of the teaching methods used in telemark and backcountry skiing instruction.
  2. Acquire LNT (leave-no-trace) skills and knowledge relevant to the winter environment of the Southern Rockies.
  3. Investigate a topic of your choosing related to telemark or backcountry skiing OR skiing in outdoor and adventure programming (any form of skiing), and produce a research report and short presentation.

MAJOR Assignments & ASSESSMENT PRACTICES:

The following assignments are determined as best as possible at the beginning of the course. They may be altered, however, if the flow of the course or learning objectives would be better served. We will discuss any changes in advance.

Assignment / % of overall grade
Participation & Effort / 15%
Quizzes / 40%
Research Paper / 20%
Final Exam / 25%
Total / 100%

1. Participation and Effort includes… (15%)

a. Arriving on time and being prepared, having completed the readings and assignments before class. See more in the next section on class preparation, late and unprepared assignments, and professionalism under “Additional Course Practices.”

b. Participating regularly in class discussions and activities, while also supporting your class colleagues in doing the same. In other words, be actively involved while not dominating.

c. Participating in non-formal skills tests indicating that you are genuinely exerting effort in learning and developing the skills and concepts covered in this course. Skills that will be assessed will include: turning (wedge, tele, and parallel), stopping, speed control, climbing, transitioning, trail breaking, route setting, avalanche awareness in route finding, personal preparation (appropriate packing, etc.), and winter LNT skills.

2. Quizzes (comprehension and assessment of knowledge) (40%)

You will be asked to think critically about the assigned readings, class presentations and discussions, and other course activities. To assess your growing knowledge and thinking and add to experiential learning, we will have a minimum of five quizzes, given periodically over the next 7 weeks.

3. Research paper: (20%)

Investigate a topic of your choosing related to telemark or backcountry skiing OR skiing in outdoor and adventure programming (any form of skiing), and produce a research report and short presentation.

You will be asked to identify your topic by week 3.

Possible topics:

·  Dolores LaChappel – introduction and history

·  10th Mountain Division – introduction and history

·  Avalanche issues – case studies, avalanche awareness programs, avalanche forecasting, etc.

·  Historical perspective(s) on telemark skiing

·  PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors Association)

·  Louis Dawson’s book on the classic ski descents of N. America

·  Telemark and/or backcountry ski gear – compare/contrast bindings, skis, boots, software, etc.

·  Introduction to snow or avalanche science

·  Avalanche incidents, case studies, or survival techniques

·  Use of telemark and/or backcountry skiing in outdoor and adventure education – case studies, etc.

·  Adaptive skiing – what is it, trends, teaching methods, etc.

·  Motorized vs. non-motorized winter recreation – conflicts, ethical issues, etc.

·  Environmental issues posed by ski areas and resorts

·  USFS & BLM winter backcountry management planning, issues, etc.

·  Other topic of your choosing - which you must run by Lee before choosing!

Papers must be word-processed, double-spaced, in 12 pt. font (Times New Roman or Arial), using 1” margins. Length: minimum: 1500 words. Minimum # of sources: 4.

Writing is expected to be of a high quality, including correct grammar, spelling, word choice, sentence structure, and be focused, unified and include proper citations of all sources used. More information will be forthcoming.

4. Final exam… (25%)

Will be comprehensive, covering material from lessons, readings, quizzes, and class discussions.

Grading: A = 93-100 A- = 90-92
B+ = 87-89 B = 83-86 B- = 80-82
C+ = 77-79 C = 73-76 C- = 70-72
D+ = 67-69 D = 63-66 D- = 60-62 F = 0-59

Additional Course Practices:

As an adventure educator you need to be very involved and engaged, so make a habit of the following responsible practices, including:

1. Class attendance:

The decision to take this class is yours, as is your decision to major or minor in Adventure Education. But once you have made that decision, you have decided to attend class every time it meets, including the first class. Think of class as your adventure educator job for the semester. If you don’t show up for your job, or come unprepared, you receive poor evaluations or are fired. You also have responsibilities to everyone else in this community of learners. Therefore, unexcused absences will affect your course grade. An absence of a Monday/Wednesday class will reduce your grade by half a letter grade. An excused class absence includes illness, family emergencies, and some other scheduled academic commitments. Please notify us in advance. Register for this and any class knowing you can make a complete attendance commitment, without schedule conflicts.

2. Late and unprepared assignments:

Assignments are due before class on the date announced in class or in the class schedule. You can also email your assignment before class, but bring a hard copy with you to class for discussion and sharing. Class presentations and projects for which you have responsibility are likewise due on the date assigned or chosen, unless you have made arrangements with us at least a week in advance. Be aware of the course schedule; We will generally not announce reminders in class. Technology problems such as a printer running out of ink can be avoided by planning ahead; there are also plenty of computer facilities on campus.

Late assignments receive a reduction of 10 percentage points (out of 100) for each class session handed in late. This deduction also applies to scheduled class presentations for which you are unprepared. “Late” means anytime after the time class begins; if you have an unexcused absence from class, the assignment is still late after the due date on which you were absent.

3. Class Preparation:

Just like an adventure education professional, you need to be prepared. If you have not checked out the backcountry area you are about to take your group into or have not read the medical forms of your participants, you are negligent. For class this means having completed the readings and assignments prior to class, and perhaps meeting with a small group of your class colleagues (expedition team members) to work on a class project. Coming to class unprepared may result in you being asked to leave class, and experiencing the class attendance consequences described above.

4. Professional Conduct: Learning and teaching occur best in an environment free of distraction. Therefore…

• Arrive on time for class.

• Do not leave class once you have arrived; take care of personal needs before and after class.

• Come to class awake, sober and alert. For safety reasons, if you come to class impaired by drugs or alcohol you will be asked to drop the class.

• Come ready to plug into class, and therefore unplugged from all electronic distractions once you enter class. Do not bring cell phones turned on. It’s not OK for cell phones to be on silent or vibrate mode; turn them off. Do not text message in class. Also, do not bring iPods or other music players. Do not bring laptop computers, unless necessary for class use.

5. Standards for Written Work:

Your written work should be high quality and that of a beginning professional. Papers and assignments should be typed or word-processed. Please make two copies of all assignments and back up your work frequently in case of computer error. I urge you to use the resources of the College Writing Center and other campus resources.

6. Originality of Written Work (Plagiarism):

All written work and assignments, including presentations, must be original and not previously submitted for other courses. The College academic integrity policy can be found at:

http://www.fortlewis.edu/shared/content_objects/records_office/academic_policies//policies_%20academic_%202006_%20ledger.pdf)

It is your responsibility to know it, and know how to include proper bibliographic citations in your papers, when you are paraphrasing or quoting from another printed or electronic source. Work determined not to be original, including papers that do not provide proper bibliographic citations of original sources you use, or work that was previously submitted for another course, may result in a grade of “0” on the assignment or failure of the course. Additional actions may include a review and hearing by the Academic Standards Committee, which may result in sanctions including suspension or dismissal from the College.

7. Extra Credit Work Is Not Available, to be fair to everyone in class.

OTHER IMPORTANT COURSE NOTES & EXPECTATIONS:

1. Reasonable Accommodation: AE and Fort Lewis College are committed to providing all students a liberal arts education through a personalized learning environment. If you suspect or know you have a documented disability which will need reasonable academic accommodations, please let me know. For more information, please see me or call Dian Jenkins, Coordinator of Disability Service, 280 Noble Hall, 247-7459, for an appointment as soon as possible.

2. Email: All course-related email correspondence must be conducted using your “fortlewis.edu” address. As a part of this course, you are responsible for checking your “fortlewis.edu” email for course-related information on a regular basis. I cannot reasonably contact student any other way, so if you’re unsure or need to contact me with questions, please do so by telephone or email.

Essential Ski Gear Information

AE provides the following gear: skis, boots, avy gear (probe, beacon, shovel), DMR ski passes, and skins. It is absolutely essential you treat this gear w/ care and respect. Failure to do so could result in you being asked to leave the course.

Required gear for classes held at DMR (in addition to skis, poles, boots, and a DMR pass):

  1. Clothing: As an outdoor leader it’s essential that you have clothing that’s comfortable, functional and keeps you warm. Today’s ski clothing includes a combination of synthetic under, mid, and outer layers that can be easily shed to adjust to changes in outside conditions as well changes in activity levels of the skier. Under-layers typically are thin, comfortable against your skin and are designed to wick away moisture that comes from you. Mid-layers are a little thicker and create space for air to act an insulator. Outside shells typically are meant to expend your body heat as well as wicking away external moisture and acting as a wind block.
  2. Gloves
  3. Ski socks
  4. Warm hat
  5. Sunglasses
  6. Ski goggles
  7. Sunscreen
  8. Snacks
  9. Small notebook or stack of note cards for taking notes

Required gear for classes held in the backcountry (in addition to the above):