your comments have nothing to do with the wedge/no wedge argument
many of the PMTS skiers around the country started with the wedge - got stuck at intermediate - took up PMTS to get to advanced
they express anything ranging from disgust to dissapointment at all the time the wedge progression wasted
on to another reason
shaped skis - shaped skis turn when edged
the old straight skis turned when edged and bent
(now no nitpicking - I know straight skis always had a slight shape to them - but my two statements above are factual)
the wedge progression is from the era of straight skis when a beginner could not pressure a ski to bend it and carve a turn
In the day of shaped skis, the wedge creates pressure on the knees and faces the beginner with the constant prospect of their tips crossing. The old straight skis did not try to turn when edged like the shaped skis do.
The wedge is the single largest factor in the bad skier retention figures. Skiers try a first lesson to see if they like skiing. They complain about the knee pain the wedge produces and hang it up.
Get rid of the wedge and skier retention will climb.
In my two family members case who tried skiing the year before I started skiing the wedge and the lack of control this made them feel, the pain this caused in their knees and the falling from crossing their tips were the specific reason they both decided to never ski again.
When I started skiing a year later, I too had a wedge lesson. By the 4th day out I had stopped doing it and discovered a variation on PMTS that turned me easily without the wedge. It wasn't pretty but anything was better than the wedge. (I being more stubborn than my other two family members)
Get rid of the wedge and I predict objectively measured retention numbers will climb (and by retention we are not talking about people that take another lesson but people that simply continue to ski at all (this seems to be missed by folks on Epic)). Increase this retention number and the whole ski industry benefits because the number of skiers will sky rocket. (oh, but Gonzostrike won't like that because the slopes will have more people on them ..... or maybe more ski resorts will be profitable to build and open - duh!)