Duane Dinham (Thredbo, NSW)

Highest level of certification and year attained

APSI L4 2017 & OSV Diplom Staatliche 2023

Current Australian Resort

Mt. Hotham

Current Overseas Resort

Beaver Creek USA

Hometown

Croydon, Victoria

At what age did you start skiing/snowboarding?

At what age did you start instructing?

Why did you apply for the APSI National Team?

I have long yearned for the opportunity to be at the pinnacle of snow sports instruction and to be a role model for others. So I applied for the National team to challenge myself on both personal and professional levels, as I am committed to becoming the best version of myself and giving back in areas where I can. The National Team values strongly resonated with me, and it is inspiring to be apart of an organisation & Team that prioritize the same values I hold dear. My application was with the clear intention to share my knowledge and experience's while also seeking opportunities to learn, grow, and enhance my understanding of Snowsports from top experts in Australia and around the globe.

Also There was also a cheeky motivation of ripping with the best of the best and not only being able to call them your mates but teammates too haha

What area of the APSI are you most interested in developing?

I am particularly enthusiastic about enhancing the collective understanding of mixed performances and situational-based skiing, teaching, and learning. I am very interested in elevating some of the performance standards and potentially developing a psychological "performance" framework specifically for instructors to help them manage performance anxiety and overcome challenges when teaching and undertaking courses/exams. Additionally, I am highly motivated to continuously refining and improving our training programs, online APP and National Teaching Manual for members.

What do you hope to learn during your time on the APSI National team?

During my time on the National Team, I hope to further enhance my knowledge, technical skills, by networking and learning from the industry's best teachers, technical skiers & demonstrators. I aim to improve my content delivery and presentation skills while become the fittest, strongest version of myself. I am super excited to network with the industry's best and learn other nation's technical, teaching and customer service frameworks-philosophy's and compare differences to the APSI.
It is also my goal to motivate and become an inspiration for APSI members and for up and coming future industry professionals.

Anything else you'd like to share with members?

A fact that not many people know about me is that I was born 3months premature (26weeks) and weighed 886 grams. I was very very tiny and very grateful each day to have grown up healthy and now be able to do what I love for a living.

Some other fun facts:
Favorite food: Gnocchi
Car I drive: Nissan GQ Patrol
Favourite song: Nothing but a good time - poison
Favourite quote: 'Don't forget to smile because it makes people wonder what you have been up to'