Learnist is a community of people sharing what they know and learning from each other. This “How I Use Learnist” blog series spotlights various ways people use Learnist in their lives to share their expert knowledge on various topics. Learn how Traci J. Macnamara uses Learnist to inspire her work as a new ski instructor in Vail, Colorado.

When I began teaching this winter as a new ski instructor at Vail ski resort in Colorado, I didn’t know that I was joining one of the biggest and most professional ski schools in the world. And I had no idea know what to expect from my co-workers or future students.

I’ve been living and skiing in Vail for seven years, and I know the best places to ski powder in the trees, the best ways to dodge the crowds, and the best groomers to ski when the snow isn’t all that great. But I’d never attempted to teach skiing before, so I attacked the task by doing one of the few things I do know how to do: get organized.

Learnist has helped me get organized as a new ski instructor from the beginning, and as I attended my new-hire training sessions, I began creating boards to help me gather and save information I wanted to share with my students. I got started organizing the basics by compiling a board all about essential skiing gear. And then as I worried about having future students get lost or hurt on the mountain, I created a board about how to avoid skiing dangers and injuries so that I could help steer my students towards safety as they skied with me.

Last week, as I was waiting for a student to buckle up her boots, I was stretching out my sore body, preparing for the big day. Unexpectedly, she asked me to teach her some stretches for skiing, so I showed her what I normally do, and then I made a stretches for skiing board when I returned home so that I could share it with more students in the future.

As a newbie ski instructor, I’ve realized that everyone comes to a lesson hoping to learn something totally new—or at least hoping to make progress mastering a difficult skill, such as skiing moguls. A lot of people struggle with skiing bumps, and it takes a long time and lots of practice to master this skill. With these challenges in mind, I created a board full of resources about how to ski moguls, and I also created a board about how to begin doing skiing tricks for those more adventurous and courageous souls out there.

Ultimately, I’d love to share my passion for this sport with skiers of all ages and abilities, and for a long time. I’m having so much fun in the process that many of my worries about teaching skiing have dissolved as I’ve gotten organized and have been able to enjoy chairlift conversations, lunchtime laughs, and lots of good early-season snow.