Epic Posters

[milesb]

For all those who are talking about "mixing and matching":

Some of you have gone to ESA events and/or had lessons with high level PSIA instructors. Do you tell Bob Barnes/Mike Rogan/Weems/etc afterwards-"Sorry, but I'm going to keep doing the same things I was doing before the lesson, even though you suggested to do something different, because I don't think it's holding me back. But thanks for the addition to my bag of tricks." I would suggest that if you feel that way, you probably should find an instructor that you respect more.
Many of us wouldn't do that with Harald either, even though we only paid a small fraction of that money for his books and videos. I'll say this: you CAN get some benefit from just "trying" PMTS, but the really cool things happen when you make PMTS your way of skiing.
If you just want to diddle around the hole, that's fine. But if you don't know what it's like, please don't come here to deride those who have actually "put it in". Because at some point (you may not be there now) that's what it's going to take to really understand PMTS.

[milesb]

Hi Ott. John Mason has put up a great glossary of PMTS terms, which I believe he is going to expand into some sort of FAQ's with links to articles, pictures and videos. Hopefully he can get it to be a sticky post in this section. I think that would help new members alot. But not as much as buying the books and videos and coming back .

>>>I guess it depends on what this site is meant to be. I have always thought of it as a tech support site for HH's camp and book customers.<<<

Oh my! that puts a totally new light on what this site is, something I never thought about, a tech support site. That explains why skiers who are not involved, yet, in PMTS are often sidelined, if you don't want tech support for PMTS, what are you doing here, oh my.

But even so, there should be tolerance for exploratory questions here that don't get the most often quoted answer, 'Buy the books and videos and then come back'. Might not that turn a lot of people away?

....Ott

[Ott Gangl]

That would be great, I think, especially the FAQ which could be read by folks who want to know about PMTS without them having to but into the forum with maybe inappropriate questions, often posted by novices and being mistaken as willful intruders.

Harald sold a lot of books and skiers will be able to access the FAQ and have some of their concerns cleared up. If you compare the numbers of book buyers to posters on this forum, the posters are a minuscule percentage of them.

As I mentioned in another unanswered post, many folks who either learned or taught or are teaching in the ski areas of America and are interested in PMTS are reluctant because of the perceived climate in this forum which often says that if you are not already involved in PMTS or don't want to embrace all of it don't come here.

The only reason I am here at all is that I think PMTS is great and has a future, just not without some modifications to fit the areas, terrain and schools. So far, with how I read Harald's mission statement it isn't going to happen soon.

Sure, I could just become a cheerleader for PMTS but that isn't how I see it. I see it as being decimated by everyone and his neighbor taking not only the terminology but the movements and applying them to their own teachings and pretty soon it's going to be a mixed parcel with different interpretations of this and that and Harald will be left with only a credit here and there for certain things PMTS and a claim as the developer and the only pure PMTS guru.

The books have so much good stuff in them that instructors I know have told me why shouldn't they apply them when they feel they are appropriate.

Well, those are my feelings on this Superbowl morning, they may be modified whenever I feel they need be.

....Ott

[Flexon Phil]

I agree with Ott, anything to get more people out skiing is a plus. If people learn better by PMTS, then we need to get it in front of more people. Lets just avoid the whole Beta-VHS BS.

[dewdman42]

Ott,

cmon.... quit your sniveling...get Essentials....read it...and ski better....

[Ott Gangl]

I know,dewd, book learning is important!

Be forward on your skis.

[Ken]

PSIA/CSIA have completely different missions that have nothing to do with truly high performance skiing. They have more to do with looking pretty, skiing in control, enabling skiers to 'get down" any part of the mountain without looking terrible or feeling sketchy.

Add to that, "...on just about any equipment." I would like to hear what Harald says to the person coming to his camp in rear-entry boots! "I've had these boots for 15 years, and they've never caused a problem; they're as comfy as bedroom slippers."

On another note, I've seen a lot more skiers laying down good looking carving tracks this year than I've seen before. I don't know the reason, but they're there.

The lack of skiers returning for intermediate and upper level instruction is interesting. The ski schools do little marketing to these folks, and maybe just don't have much of a product to sell. The 2-1/2 days of upper level clinic I had at the local hill resulted in one or two recommendations for each of the skiers, and really not that much improvement. Looking at those same skiers later, I don't see that many of the changes stuck.


Ken