{"id":2452814,"date":"2020-01-02T10:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-02T17:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/?p=318590"},"modified":"2020-01-02T10:10:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-02T17:10:00","slug":"lessoned-up-aspen-ski-school-pros-are-some-of-the-most-tenured-in-the-industry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/local-news\/lessoned-up-aspen-ski-school-pros-are-some-of-the-most-tenured-in-the-industry\/","title":{"rendered":"Lessoned Up: Aspen ski school pros are some of the most tenured in the industry"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.6971713810316\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-318590-888\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-824x1024.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Aspen Historical Society | David \" scooter lacouter with a ski hat on class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"8\">\n<p><strong>David &#8220;Scooter&#8221; LaCouter with a ski hat on, 1980.<\/strong><br \/>Aspen Historical Society<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-824x1024.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"David \" scooter lacouter with a ski hat on><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | With powder days like this at the \u201coffice,\u201d it\u2019s easy to see why Skico pros have such lengthy tenures.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-1\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"9\">\n<p><strong>With powder days like this at the \u201coffice,\u201d it\u2019s easy to see why Skico pros have such lengthy tenures.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-1-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"With powder days like this at the \u201coffice,\u201d it\u2019s easy to see why Skico pros have such lengthy tenures.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-2-1024x746.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Aspen Historical Society | An instructor and a children's ski school class.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>An instructor and a children&#8217;s ski school class.<\/strong><br \/>Aspen Historical Society<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-2-1024x746.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"An instructor and a children's ski school class.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | A young skier tackles the slopes of Snowmass in December 2016.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>A young skier tackles the slopes of Snowmass in December 2016.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-3-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A young skier tackles the slopes of Snowmass in December 2016.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-4-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times | A kids\u2019 ski school class makes turns at Snowmass in December 2016.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>A kids\u2019 ski school class makes turns at Snowmass in December 2016.<\/strong><br \/>Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-4-1024x682.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"A kids\u2019 ski school class makes turns at Snowmass in December 2016.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-7-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-7-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Getty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto | Group of friends having fun on ski holiday in mountains\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-2\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"7\">\n<p><strong>Group of friends having fun on ski holiday in mountains<\/strong><br \/>Getty Images\/iStockphoto | iStockphoto<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.aspentimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/5\/2020\/01\/cover-atw-010219-1-7-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Group of friends having fun on ski holiday in mountains\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/lessoned-up-aspen-ski-school-pros-are-some-of-the-most-tenured-in-the-industry\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/lessoned-up-aspen-ski-school-pros-are-some-of-the-most-tenured-in-the-industry\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Forget the \u201c10,000 hours\u201d rule.<\/p>\n<p>The collective tenure of Aspen\u2019s ski pros adds up to well above 10,000 years, standing head and shoulders above most any group of on-mountain ski instructors in the world,<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">At what other resort do you find close to 500 instructors in the ski and snowboard school who have tenures of 20, 30, 40, 50 years or more?<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Aspen Skiing Co. recognized the commitment of their pros last season when it took out a full-page newspaper ad listing their names and thanking them for their years of service.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote p402_hide\" readability=\"2\">\n<blockquote readability=\"7\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s gone from nuts and bolts to a lot more philosophy and a lot more dynamics involved.\u201d \u2013 David \u201cScooter\u201d LaCouter, Aspen Skiing Co. Pro<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Jonathan Ballou, managing director of Skico\u2019s ski and snowboard school, chalks it up to the place and the people.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cWe run a very high retention rate, over 90 percent, because of the company as a whole, its guiding principles and our commitment to really taking care of people,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen you take care of people they will take care of you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Skico employs more than 1,200 pros across its four mountains who are dedicated to giving guests a memorable experience \u2014 whether that\u2019s teaching the basics, diving into specific techniques or being a tour guide on the hill.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI love taking them to places they\u2019ve never been before,\u201d said Susan Blakney, who is entering her 31st season as a pro and instructs predominately on Aspen Mountain, but will go anywhere the guests want to go. \u201cI love when my clients get better. It\u2019s an extraordinary feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">David \u201cScooter\u201d LaCouter, who has more than 50 years as a pro with Skico, has instructed thousands of guests since he began teaching in the 1960s here.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And with each one, a relationship was built \u2014 some that have lasted decades.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI\u2019ve done it for the money but really it\u2019s a love for the people,\u201d said LaCouter, 76, who like most tenured pros have an arsenal of repeat clients.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">He\u2019s had his share of celebrities over the years, especially back in the heyday of Hollywood when producers and politicians would come to Aspen to learn to ski.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI had Hugh Hefner once,\u201d LaCouter said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI wouldn\u2019t call him a good skier but maybe<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">an intermediate.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">LaCouter taught the Kennedys, a former mayor of New York, professional athletes and TV stars.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cThese stories go on forever,\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">LaCouter is intent on careful instruction and the art of low-impact skiing for many of his clients who are now in the same age group as him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cIt\u2019s gone from nuts and bolts to a lot more philosophy and a lot more dynamics involved,\u201d LaCouter said. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of like getting into their psyche and what they relate to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Like LaCouter, his son, Gary, began instructing as a teenager; Scooter at 15 in New Hampshire and Gary at 14 in a part-time capacity at Buttermilk until he graduated from college and then became full time.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Gary is now in his 40th season as a Skico pro teaching kids between 7 and 12 years old, many of whom have never skied before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI will be there forever. \u2026 I grew up in that program,\u201d Gary said. \u201cThere is nothing better than seeing a kid in the morning not knowing how to turn and then in the afternoon seeing that reaction, that amazement and that wonder.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Andy Hanson, who took his first instructing job at Aspen Highlands in 1966 and now has two years left before hitting the 50-year mark, has been a full-time pro at Buttermilk teaching kids since 1991.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI was an adult instructor but friends who were in kids ski school convinced me to transfer,\u201d said Hanson, 82. \u201cI watched my friends skiing around and they looked like they were having fun and I quickly learned that they are way more fun to teach than adults because they don\u2019t talk as much or analyze things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">While Blakney spends between 100 and 110 days on the hill each season, LaCouter and Hanson have dialed it back and work during the busy times in the season and average around 60 days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">LaCouter, who lives part time in Florida, and Hanson, who lives part time in Mexico, return when the snow starts sticking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI come back in December,\u201d Hanson said, adding that he has to train a bit to pass the physical fitness test to teach. \u201cI have to acclimate to get to used the altitude as I get older.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">LaCouter said he hopes to stay involved for years to come and be an ambassador for the ski school.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI may be teaching less but I want to keep my hands in it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">His son has the same outlook.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI\u2019ve got nothing to retire from,\u201d said Gary LaCouter, adding Skico\u2019s ski and snowboard school is one of the best trained and best paid<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">in the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">Blakney said she\u2019s working her dream job.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cI feel very valued by the Skico and I\u2019m happy to do a good job for them,\u201d she said. \u201cI love being out in nature but it\u2019s the people that I do it for \u2026 you meet the most extraordinary people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">And that\u2019s music to Ballou\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n<p class=\"Special Sections-ATW-ATW_Body_Serif\">\u201cIt is so inspiring the connections our pros make with people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aspentimes.com\/news\/lessoned-up-aspen-ski-school-pros-are-some-of-the-most-tenured-in-the-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: The Aspen Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>David &#8220;Scooter&#8221; LaCouter with a ski hat on, 1980.Aspen Historical Society With powder days like this at the \u201coffice,\u201d it\u2019s easy to see why Skico pros have such lengthy tenures.Anna Stonehouse\/The Aspen Times An instructor and a children&#8217;s ski school class.Aspen Historical Society A young skier tackles the slopes of Snowmass in December 2016.Anna Stonehouse\/The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2452814","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-local-news"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-18 23:09:17","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSPN The Valley&#039;s Quality Rock","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452814","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2452814"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2452814\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2452814"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2452814"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kspn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2452814"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}