CG or Cm not the problem

[Harald]

When the Cg isn?t moving at the right time it is because releasing movements are not happening or not happening in conjunction with your body?s relationship to the slope and turn. So why not focus on what moves the Cg instead of trying to move your Cg. You can?t get your Cg to move (with the forces) without letting go of the edge grip at the stance foot or downhill ski. When I was on the PSIA demo team this was still an unknown and not easily accepted or comfortable topic.

A short story: I was skiing at Beaver Creek with Jay Evans. Jay and I bumped heads in the early years of my demo team experience. Jay was the golden boy of the Demo Team. He had been on the team for two previous terms and was the favorite of the coaches. We did become good friends; because we gained respect for each other?s skiing, not because we agreed on technique.

One of our early encounters was during a run on perfect Colorado snow at Beaver Creek. We were skiing together side by side, making medium turns, skiing fast and I yelled out to him, ?This is so great, all you have to do to get these turns is to let go of the downhill edge.? He responded by yelling back, ?No, you just have to move your center of Mass.? I was frankly astounded. Early on in my Demo team experience I was beginning to see there was a difference of skiing understanding, and as we know I was never able to reconcile the difference. This is just one example and reason why PMTS came to be.

But the over emphasis, discussion and teaching of Cg movement isn?t the problem that causes most skiers to plateau. Lito and many other independents, moved away from traditional instruction because it didn?t have an effective way of addressing this very problem. The origins and problems associated with recurring wedge and opposing edge positions in transition can be traced to performance or action of the skis at release. No release movement = no edge angle or ski loading, in the upper third of the turn after turn initiation.

[John Mason]

to paraphrase a bit

Sounds like your demo team buddy was skiing in a sound fashion, but clearly had no tools to express or teach others what he was doing.

PMTS is that tool.