Icanski wrote:
I think another aspect, too, which could be a whole different thread, is that there's a huge business of accreditation. The amount of time and money it takes to get through the different levels, particularly the jump from level three to level four, is incredible. People spend thousands of dollars to get their level four and have to take it usually two or three times. It's good to have high, tough standards. But it says something when the system which is training and teaching the instructors is not producing instructors right through. It makes it exceedingly difficult to get through, which indicates there's something missing in the training instructors get.
But that's for some other thread. They aren't aware there are other ways, and they don't hear about them.
Note that the ski press has rarely ever covered anything about PMTS....the elephant in the room has a lot of power in that realm.
I do think the CSIA teaching system is costing the local hill I ski @ a fortune not only in money being thrown @ training instructors & skiers that quite because no fun fighting gravity with the wedge but also the cost of building, insuring & maintaining the terrain park because skiers get bored when they can not ski so they want a terrain park.
For the last few decades the majority of kids @ the ski hill I ski @ take lessons from CSIA trained instructors when starting out with most taking the lessons for a year. @ our local hill There is not a single good skier under 30 that can turn well. Years ago less skiers took lessons & just went out & skied & the difference is huge skiers that never took CSIA lessons ski better.
PMTS I strongly believe has nailed the perfect system. I am not a big fan of the primary focus being on learning instead of thinking on how to achieve a certain goal such as expert skiing though if someone is not an independent thinker & was lucky enough to have by passed trying to think the best way to ski & learned how to ski through PMTS they have been very lucky they bypassed most of the crap out there. I do think Harold has given the path for independent thinkers to coach themselves close to there genetic potential through his book, videos & this forum.