My God, I had no idea of such depraved debauchery in the instruction industry. Well, it’s about time somebody instituted some parameters so our new young recruits do not end up in the wretched den of iniquity that is in, of all places, Aspen, where, apparently, the new Ski Instructor Hippocratic Oath has yet to be … emailed.
Ski Instructor Hippocratic Oath
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won technical and athletic gains of those instructors in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the less coordinated, all measures that are required, avoiding those twin traps of over-instruction and developmental nihilism.
I will remember that there is an art to skiing as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the teacher's knife or any technical subjugation.
I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a student’s improvement.
I will respect the privacy of my students, whether famous, for their flawed movements are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of fear, self judgement and the developmental plateau. If it is given me to save a skier, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to ruin a skier and cause plateau; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play “God”.
I will remember that I do not treat backseatidis or a cancerous weight to the inside, but the whole skier, whose faulty movement patterns and weak fundamentals may affect a person's separation and quiet stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the underdeveloped.
I will prevent skill plateaus whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of an instructional society, with special obligations to all my fellow skiers, those sound of mind and movement as well as the intellectually and technically destitute.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and snow, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of assisting all those who seek my help.