Team Member Summer Adventures: Brian Smith

Catch up with PSIA-AASI National Team members as they share their summer adventures and how it keeps them on their game for winter. Here’s how PSIA Alpine Team member Brian Smith is spending his summer.

What’s your big summer adventure?

My at home thing is gardening. My outside of home thing is boating. Boating allows us to do a variety of things. This year’s big summer adventure is our annual trip to the ocean to fish and boogie board in the surf.

Why is this one of your favorite off-season activities?

I’ve boated for over 20 years and my wife and daughters love it. Lake George, New York, is surrounded by mountains. We park our boat along one of the many islands and camp, swim, fish, snorkel, and hike all in the same day if we like. There’s 35 miles of water, so there is always something to explore.

What do you learn?

Two things. First, preparing with family ahead of time is much like collaborating with the people I ski with in a lesson. Secondly, when planning family activities, the decision-making process is a lot like making decisions when teaching snowsports: When to go? What to pack? Who does what? Which activity do we do first? Some decisions I find myself using a “fast thinking” mindset to decide for the family. Other decisions require collaboration with family, here I use a “slow thinking” mindset so I can hear the input of others.

How does this keep you physically and mentally engaged in the off-season?

We are a family on the move and my job requires physical endurance daily. Mentally, I stay engaged by comparing a lot of my experiences on family outings to those I have while teaching skiing. I just let the girls decide and everyone’s happy.