I have always looked for the best in ski technique. In the past I looked to racing for my ski technique because knew that trying to turn around a series of specific points in the snow required perfect balance and technique, and was a whole different animal from just turning where ever I could manage to do it. This is still true and I am looking forward to the day when I feel good enough to plant some brushes in the snow. When I worked in the resorts, I was I was acutely aware that the TTS instructors were always 2-3 years behind what was being taught by coaches. That is why I am learning PMTS, because it is years ahead of most coaching. Harald, please keep up the WC analysis. After skiing for 60 years I am skiing better than I ever have and approaching the ability to ski the way I have always dreamed I would, and it is all thanks to you.
All that being said, I will now stick my neck out.
I was in the finish area at Beaver Creek on Sunday watching the second run of the GS. Here are my impressions of what I saw from my novice perspective of PMTS MA. Bode Miller's run astounded me. My first reaction was that I could not believe that he was staying in the course. By half way through his run I was laughing with amazement while I compared his time on course and what I was seeing with my eyes. My first PMTS MA post race assessment was that it was the ugliest piece of skiing I have ever seen. That being said, he did get the job done. What amazes me the most was that it seemed to me that his skis were glued to the snow and rocketing ahead and his body was often fluttering out behind trying to catch up. I am happy to have read Harald's explanation about his long legs because that explains my assessment that he looked like he was in the back seat a lot (classic Bode). I will venture that Bode still likes to ride his tails, and I found myself contemplating what he has done with his ski design that allowed him to get away with it. Looking back from the present and what I have read from Harald, I would say that Bode was having trouble with his fore/aft balance but was generally able to find it in the center of the turn. He made a move at the top of Harrier that I am waiting to see again whenever Universal decides to air the race. From what I can remember it was an amazing effort to rewind his counteraction as he came off the lip rotated. All in all it was one of the most amazing performances I have ever seen Bode make, but if I were a coach and my kids were jumping up and down wanting to ski like him I would be pulling my hair out.
On the other hand, Marcel Hirscher was a study in balance and poise. Compact, controlled, in balance, quiet upper body and with amazing ability to maintain a consistent stance width. Very classic PMTS. Ted Ligety was to my mind somewhere in between the two. Timewise, compared to Bode he actually was slower in the top two thirds of the course, but he took a page from Aksel's book and completely nailed the faces of Harrier and Redtail, gaining 4 tenths of a second there. Harald is completely right about Pinteraux too. He completely took the entire field to school in technique. He is still making tactical mistakes which he will correct. Were it not for those, he would have podiumed in SG and maybe GS too. Not a lot on MA detail I know, but I still have a hard time picking out the details.
I will now stand back and prepare to be schooled in PMTS MA.