skijim13 wrote:"I am at the highest level in Austria... "
That's odd... I thought the highest level Austrian skiers were named Hirscher and Fenninger. Herr Gerschler, zeigen Sie uns Ihre Kristallkugel!
skimjim13 wrote:... flexing to release is old school"
He's half right. I free-skied with Klammer and another retired Austrian WC racer about 20 years ago. They made SL-to-GS sized turns all day long (politely allowing the rest of us to keep up!) and they flexed to release every one. Klammer free-skied bumps, trees and groomers like water flowing downhill... utterly remarkable and only possible by flexing to release.
Flexing to release was optimal on old, straight skis, if you were good enough. It's even more optimal on modern skis, which make it accessible to skiers at every level.