by geoffda » Mon Nov 21, 2016 12:12 pm
Hi Will,
Yes you have it right: you need to get rid of everything. The turns you are making involve you extending upward during transition in order to lighten the skis so you can twist them into the new turn and hit the edges hard at the end for speed control. From the PMTS perspective, what you are doing is not skiing because you aren't actually using the ski to make turns. The movements that we teach will lead to the kind of skiing that you desire, but first, you have to make the paradigm shift to let the ski do the work. The idea is that you don't turn the ski; it turns you.
If you have the Anybody Can Be An Expert Skier books, I'd recommend starting with Book 1. Starting with Book 2 is also a possibility, but because you are an instructor, and because you have high aspirations, you will get more from starting with Book 1. Forget about Essentials for now; you need to start with the very basics of learning how a ski works. The only two movements you need to concern yourself with right now are tipping and flexing. Your immediate goal should be to master the Phantom Move along with a basic, parallel two-footed release. Anyone Can Be An Expert Skier 1 will get you to that level. From there, Book 2 will develop little-toe-edge balance and the Super Phantom. Once you have "graduated" from Book 2, you will have the basic prerequisite skills necessary to learn how to ski at a very high level.
For learning PMTS, you will want a ski that is soft, narrow and has a reasonably tight radius (12-15m). Avoid FIS slalom skis as they are too stiff and will not respond to the slow speeds at which you need to practice. We recommend the Head SuperShape Speed, the pre 2017 Head iSL (this year's model is too stiff), or any Head iSuperShape SW (if you can find them). Also the Head iSLr (non-KERS) would be a fine learning ski.
If you are serious about learning PMTS, be prepared to spend the next few seasons skiing slowly on blue and red pistes, with most of your time spent on blue. I would also strongly encourage you to get to a camp. While following the books will undoubtedly help you a great deal, it is difficult to fully understand PMTS without working directly with a coach. Additionally, by attending a camp, we can ski with you and ensure that your equipment is set up properly. If you have alignment issues, or other problems with your set up, it can be difficult to impossible to succeed at the kind of skiing we teach.
What I would recommend for future MA would be to put up video of you doing a specific drill from ACBAES and we can provide you with feedback. In order to make progress with your skiing, it is very important to do the drills correctly.