Backline Like a Pro

To understand backlining you must understand the priority list. Every ski school has some form of priority list — a ranking of all ski instructors by certification level, years of experience, and hours taught in the previous season. Supervisors use this list to assign lessons without bias. Instructors high on the list get the advanced lessons, while lower-ranking instructors teach beginners. If you are low enough on the list you may not have work every day — you get cut. Whether you want to teach a lesson every day is up to many personal reasons. Your position on the priority list affects how much work you get as well as what kind of response you get from a supervisor when you try to backline.

Backlining is the art of asking your supervisor to place you at the bottom of the priority list for the day. Whoever is below you on the priority list takes your lesson. This doesn't guarantee you will be cut. There is a catch: when you are at the bottom of the priority list, you are essentially volunteering to take on any newcomers or beginner lessons and you may still have to check in for afternoon lessons. Say your friends are in town and you want to ski with them for a day. You can't always take time off for this reason — this is an appropriate reason to backline. Your supervisor will place you at the bottom of the priority list and if you are lucky, you get cut. It's that simple at a glance.

Backlining is not a negotiation — you are asking your supervisor to do you a favor. There are times when it's completely inappropriate to ask, and ways to ask that will get you a hard no. If your goal is to stay in good standing with your supervisors, never backline your first year and never backline during weekends and holidays. Backlining during school breaks depends on the situation but should also generally be avoided. Supervisors don't remember how many times you request a backline — they remember how it made them feel. It is most appropriate to backline when your supervisors expect it. They expect people to backline on powder days, February and April weekdays, and when your family is visiting the resort. Try to get a good idea of how busy the school is going to be and how the supervisors are feeling, whether or not you are planning to backline.

Keep in mind that the supervisors' job is to assign the most qualified instructor to every lesson. Generally, the more certified you are, the more likely you are to get work even if you backline — and the more likely supervisors are to be frustrated if you try to get a less qualified instructor to cover for you.

Backlining as a casual instructor is different from doing it as a career instructor. If you are teaching part-time or not working to increase your priority for the next year, you can consider yourself a casual instructor. You have quite a bit of freedom from the political implications of backlining during busy times. Feel free to backline during weekdays and school breaks no matter your certification level or placement on the priority list.

If you are a professional instructor relying on connections and standing with supervisors to advance in your career, you have to apply a strategy they can see. You can never backline during school breaks, weekends and holidays — even if it's a powder day or your family is visiting. The strategy that has gotten me the most freedom to backline is as follows: build up your karma from the first impressions on. Christmas break is your chance to be first in and last out of the locker room every day. Setting up and taking down fences and beginner areas is your most powerful favor to perform. You know you are doing it consistently when you are already outside when the first supervisor comes out and you're teaching other instructors to set up properly. Take as many of these side quests as you can, enthusiastically. Once you get an idea of what they regularly ask of you, do it without being asked once in a while. This is huge.

Once lineup starts and guests start walking up to their instructors, be the most approachable instructor there. Wait outside the rentals to help beginners carry their gear. Supervisors remember who delivers exceptional service and who stands in the back talking to their friends. These are things you can do to stand out no matter how much experience you have teaching actual lessons.

But if you want a particularly high success rate with backlining, communicate your intentions ahead of time. This does two things: it lets supervisors know what to expect from you, and it gives you a chance to see their reaction well in advance. And this is something I have personally tried — don't backline in the first half of the season. When praised by a supervisor, say thank you and let them know you are building karma so you can backline in the second half. Be truly honest. In my experience I've never gotten a negative response. "I'm doing all this so you'll be more likely to let me go if I backline in March." At the end of the day, they decide if you can backline or not.

Most instructors start the season off really excited to ski powder and go ride with their friends. They backline when it's snowing. Many still have good money in their bank account from their summer job and work through the holidays thinking the money will be constant for the rest of the season. So what happens in late February when the biggest storm of the season hits? They have to eat and they have exhausted all their karma. When you are backlining, this is who you are competing against. When two people backline and a late beginner lesson shows up, supervisors ask themselves: "Who do I think will give a better lesson?" and "Who deserves the day off more?" When instructors who backlined on every powder day in January want to backline in February, supervisors often tell them to rock, paper, scissors and figure it out. Getting the supervisor to vouch for you is a sure way to give you an edge.

So you have been working hard for two months. The working holiday and part-time instructors are poor and hungry. Your supervisor knows you haven't backlined a single time yet. You no longer have competition. Even if you did, they vouch for you and you go skiing. From now on, every Miracle March powder day and every shorts-and-t-shirt day in April is yours. When spring break hits, you give one or two weeks of that holiday excellence and seal your reputation for next season. That is how you backline like a pro.

There isn't really such a thing as too much backlining — it all depends on your ski school's culture. But you may not always need to backline. Don't backline when you can take time off or when you can get someone to cover for you. If you have an industry-related exam, you can take that time plus one or two travel days. If you are sick, call in. If you are burned out, you can get excused time off to attend industry-related events. You can also tell supervisors you are burned out — their job is to assign the highest-qualified instructor to every lesson, and many consider burnout to be an excusable disqualifier.

Always remember to be genuine and communicate with supervisors while keeping in mind that they have a business to run. Manage the expectations of everyone around you. Work hard and enthusiastically and the strategies here will work. Give praise where it is due and make sure your efforts are noted. It's not rocket science.