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Postby h.harb » Tue Nov 17, 2015 7:20 pm

Fun day at A-Basin, 4, possibly 5 frequent forum members and posters, skiing on the same slopes today.
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Re: Forum members

Postby Erik » Wed Nov 18, 2015 9:01 am

We can see the groups on the A-Basin web cams when you are in range of the base area camera, particularly on the lower face of High Noon. Even on the web cams, it is easy to pick out the PMTS skiers.

It looked like you were the last ones off the slopes on Monday afternoon.
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Re: Forum members

Postby DougD » Wed Nov 18, 2015 8:14 pm

It's been a fantastic camp. I've been in Walter's group and he's a great PMTS coach in every way... observing, demonstrating, guiding, beating us with sticks, etc.

My skiing has been de-constructed and currently looks (and feels) like crap. But that's what learning new movements is like. I know what I have to do to improve, Walter already identified my SMIM and gave me the drill to work on.

Max and JBotti are here too, free skiing with the coaches and observing. Saw Max doing some Phantom Javelins... wow. I could aspire to his level of skiing, but I have a loooong path ahead of me to get there.

That said, it's a vibrant atmosphere and we got lucky... 10" of new snow yesterday, 8" more last night and it snowed all day. It's still snowing now outside my condo at Keystone. Should be another great day tomorrow!
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Re: Forum members

Postby Max_501 » Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:08 am

DougD wrote:My skiing has been de-constructed and currently looks (and feels) like crap. But that's what learning new movements is like.


Many of us can relate to that!

The daily snow has been terrific but it makes learning more difficult because the uneven surface further challenges balance which is already being challenged by the drills, so you are getting a double whammy this week.
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Re: Forum members

Postby skijim13 » Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:49 am

Doug, sounds like you are having a great camp. I worked with Walter last year in the Superblue camp, he is a great coach. After a week of Superblue I thought I forgot how to ski I had so much going through my head. I look foward to the Short Turn Camp in January.
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Re: Forum members

Postby DougD » Thu Nov 19, 2015 4:58 pm

Double whammy indeed, Max.. but what skier would object to 6-8" of new CO powder every day?!

Our group switched to Diana today. Her role, clearly, was to help us begin integrating the myriad of new movements that Walter had introduced. I don't need to tell camp veterans how that went... she's brilliant. Everyone in the group began putting it together (even me, lol).

Harald joined us for most of the afternoon (after JBotti and Max finished stealing him all morning!).

The quality of coaching here is unbelievable. All the coaches ski PMTS so well that it's difficult to tell them apart from a distance... except for Harald's floppy hat tassel.

5-7" of fresh predicted for tomorrow. Another pow day!
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Re: Forum members

Postby Lester » Thu Nov 19, 2015 6:06 pm

Snow Again ??? It makes me jealous, here in NYC winter seems to be far away, Killington, Vt barely reopened with few runs( not sure if it worth a weekend trip yet). It looks like my ski season will start in December. I wish I was in Colorado now.
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Re: Forum members

Postby h.harb » Thu Nov 19, 2015 7:29 pm

Actually Doug, I was with Bob, Geoff and Walter in the morning and with Max and John during my lunch hour, and doing an alignment assessment on a client as well for a Monday boot fit, I didn't know you were so interested, are you trying to keep tabs on me?
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Re: Forum members

Postby DougD » Fri Nov 20, 2015 10:26 pm

h.harb wrote:I didn't know you were so interested, are you trying to keep tabs on me?

Just following Diana's orders, like a dutiful student should!
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Re: Forum members

Postby DougD » Sat Nov 21, 2015 4:24 pm

Seriously, it was beneficial to all campers that each group had its own coach (Bob, Diana, Geoff or Walter) PLUS Harald acting as coach-at-large. HH floated between groups all day, every day. Each attendee received feedback on their key issues from TWO coaches.

In 35 years of skiing I'd never received this level of ski instruction from even one coach. To receive it from two exceeded every expectation.
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Re: Forum members

Postby skijim13 » Mon Nov 23, 2015 5:06 am

Doug after the first camp you will want to just keep going back for more. The most important thing I learned from camp was video yourself everyday to watch you movements. Just got a new Ipad for this and new cam with wifi that loads directly to the Ipad, found great movement analysis software for the Ipad, can't wait to get on the slopes. Can't wait for camp.
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Re: Forum members

Postby DougD » Mon Nov 23, 2015 8:59 am

skijim13 wrote:Doug after the first camp you will want to just keep going back for more.

I already want to go back!

Max_501 wrote:The daily snow has been terrific but it makes learning more difficult because the uneven surface further challenges balance which is already being challenged by the drills, so you are getting a double whammy this week.

We got whammied all 5 days, Friday most of all. It dumped so hard we couldn't see our tracks on the next run. Yes, this was an extra balance challenge, but that was the reason for going (as you know well).

After camp ended I free skied all afternoon with Walter, Bob and 3 from my group (staying focused on the final SMIM Diana gave me, of course). Walter and Bob were terrific, offering additional guidance, fun drills, etc. As a real balance test, Walter challenged us to link 3 short turns on one ski, then 3 using both skis, then 3 on the the other ski, etc. I'd never successfully linked one-ski turns even on easy groomers, so trying it in tracked out, bumped up powder was daunting - but like everyone in the group... I did it! Walter even noted my, "much softer feet, especially the stance foot". Challenge + knowledgeable guidance = success.
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Re: Forum members

Postby skijim13 » Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:35 am

Sounds like the snow was great, send some here. Doug, what is your SMIM?
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Re: Forum members

Postby DougD » Tue Nov 24, 2015 3:37 pm

skijim13 wrote:Sounds like the snow was great, send some here. Doug, what is your SMIM?

Wish I could! Once we hit Dillon, all we got was snow-over-black-ice all the way to Denver. Four hours of driving hell. :shock:

One's SMIM is ever developing (we hope), especially in the intense coaching environment at camp. On Wed afternoon, Walter told me it was, "Find some easy terrain and practice LTE traverses to improve LTE balance". Well... by Fri afternoon, LTE balance and even tipping had improved so that I could link one-ski turns through tracked out powder and small bumps. Not exactly like Harald, but way better than early in the week.

On Thurs-Fri I drove poor Diana nuts. At one point she decided I had a THRIM (THREE MOST IMPORTANT MOVEMENTS). :lol:
A. hand/arm position (hands too low and/or tending to swing forward and undo CA)
B. flexing to release (residual extension and BTE dominance)
C. heels closer together (which is the first comment YOU made to me last year at Killington - good eye, Jim)

Three tasks were too much for my little brain. Even when she reduced it to two and asked me to alternate (four turns on one focus, four turns on the other focus), I'd lose one the instant I shifted to another. In particular, any actual pole plant would awaken old movements (arm swing, extension, BTE dominance, often a stem).

Soooo... I'm not allowed to pole plant until A, B and C are all under control. In the meantime, I'm to ski using the Pole Drag drill (arms wide, hands chest high, both pole tips always on the snow and pushing forward). Once things seem under control, I can alternate series of turns with pole tips on the snow, then raised a couple inches above, then on the snow again. No actual pole plants until I'm reliably flexing to release, keeping heels together and using proper CA.

I started immediately post-camp, Fri afternoon, while skiing in a pack led by Walter. We pounded the powder for three hours and I never once planted a pole. Among other games, Walter introduced "Midget Turns". Grasp your poles about halfway down the shafts. Now make normal Pole Drag Turns, ie, the tips MUST maintain contact with the snow. If you can do that, you're really flexing! It looked and felt goofy but we all did it successfully, demonstrating either our flexibility or our gullibility! :roll:

Seriously, they forced very deep flexing through the transition... learning new movements by exaggeration. It was on the next run that Walter commented that my feet/legs were much more relaxed.
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Re: Forum members

Postby skijim13 » Wed Nov 25, 2015 6:52 am

Doug, I had similar problems. This year I will start when I get on snow with flexing to release and improved tipping. I have been working all year on flexing and tipping as well as dryland tipping board for CA with many angry mother drills. I believe my LTE balance is good since I worked on it all last winter and now can make banana turns and one ski turns. I got new video equipment and need to get on the snow to work on these, but the weather here is not too good, not much snow making at our mountain, maybe they will open Decemeber 12.
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