PMTS in Ontario - recommendation

Tell about your PMTS camp experience. Find out how to sign up for a camp.

PMTS in Ontario - recommendation

Postby metaphor_ » Mon Mar 16, 2009 10:46 pm

Hi all,

Just wanted to post about my positive PMTS lesson experience.

I recently had the pleasure of taking a lesson with John Nelles, blue certified and a CSIA level 2 instructor. Given that my background was all CSIA instruction to date (level 1 instructor) with exposure to PMTS through books only, John had the perfect background to relate to my experiences and set me up for success.

Making lesson arrangements was a piece of cake - John was willing to accommodate my tricky schedule and he really went out of his way to make it happen - to the point that he drove all the way out to Mount St. Louis to meet up. A++!

I joined the class with another skier and we started out on a progression with our primary focus on tipping movements. We started with some garlands, then moved into something like a fan progression. The value-add wasn't so much in the basic drills, but in John's consistent correction of technique. While CSIA does drill on garlands and fan progression, the tip doesn't have to be particularly clean--whereas you can't get away with a sloppy tip in PMTS! So this immediate feedback was critical, particularly because the movements feel significantly different.

We did a really interesting drill where John introduced what I'd call a passive rotary (I don't know the right PMTS word for it, my apologies) where you push the heel of your inside boot into the outside boot, and your skis slide around in an incredibly sharp arc. Now, I forget the point of this motion, but it was pretty cool :D Definitely something neat to bring back to the club. (I wish I could remember what the purpose was! it was so neat! :lol: )

We then moved on to the phantom move and javelin turns. Very helpful to get the immediate feedback on how to correct it. Yes, you can feel it's not working, but for me, having an expert there to tell you how to make it work properly was a huge benefit.

The next bit of the lesson was the one foot release. This was basically the culmination of the lesson for me - seeing that you can initiate the edge from the high-C part of the turn. This was also my saturation point for the day. I was pretty satisfied though seeing the one foot release turn into linked releases, then seeing John demo the two foot release. This showed me the path to follow in training, even if I'm not quite ready for the next steps yet.

John continued a bit more for the benefit of the other person in our lesson by going into moguls, which was beyond me, but was definitely a kind of "bonus" in the lesson. I must say the main event was practicing the one foot release.

On an interesting note, a few people in my ski club saw John with our group, and took note of his skiing - at the end of the day, they asked to set up some lessons with him for next season!

In summary, John gets an A++ and my two thumbs up. I will gladly take more lessons with John next season. His lessons are a massive value-add for any experiential learners who get a bit hung up on the books. He's also an awesome skier, and a very good natured fellow too.

You can find John's contact info on the PMTS site here: http://www.harbskisystems.com/inaccres.htm
metaphor_
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:25 am

Re: PMTS in Ontario - recommendation

Postby Icanski » Tue Mar 17, 2009 8:01 pm

Wow, thanks guys. I really appreciate the feedback.
I had a great time with these gentlemen. We covered a lot of ground in the time we had and they really dove right in (literally at times, the snow was so soft) and really were excellent students and made good progress. I really look forward to skiing with them again.
thanks for the kinds words,
Icanski (John) (my cover is broken :) )
Icanski
 
Posts: 478
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 4:58 pm
Location: Toronto, ON

Re: PMTS in Ontario - recommendation

Postby Icanski » Thu Mar 19, 2009 1:43 pm

Metaphor,
just as a follow up:
"We did a really interesting drill where John introduced what I'd call a passive rotary (I don't know the right PMTS word for it, my apologies) where you push the heel of your inside boot into the outside boot, and your skis slide around in an incredibly sharp arc. Now, I forget the point of this motion, but it was pretty cool Definitely something neat to bring back to the club. (I wish I could remember what the purpose was! it was so neat! )"

This movement is called the "Phantom Drag" and it's used to coordinate the feet, and introduce tipping to get the skis to turn while staying parallel and is the precursor to the Phantom Move. As you saw with the sideslip and forward diagonal sideslip, letting the stance leg flatten and start down the hill, then tipping the free foot and drawing it in towards the stance boot, with a bit of pull back, will get the skis to start turning in a gentle skidded turn. When tipped strongly and pulled in quickly, the skis will turn in a very sharp skidded arc, like spinning out. But by regulating the tipping and pulling in more slowly and less severely, the skis will do a slow gentle arc in parallel.
I also use it to teach students a parallel stop which is smooth and controlled, (and very cool and subtle) vs. up extension, radically pivoting the feet and often throwing the hip to get the proverbial "hockey stop".

this is a great way to learn the effects of subtle tipping of the foot, and how powerful the phantom moves are. By then lightening the free foot and tipping it, you learn to control the turn, and manage your feet, and develop the full Phantom move from there.
I hope that helps remind you of it's use.
cheers,
Icanski
Icanski
 
Posts: 478
Joined: Thu Dec 22, 2005 4:58 pm
Location: Toronto, ON


Return to PMTS Camps, Find a PMTS Instructor and Related Links

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 7 guests