willwingpang wrote:h.harb wrote:Good comments, we often tell students to show the bases to the side of the slope. I'd rather show them to the top of the slope.
Do I detect a joke here?
Not at all. New PMTS students are rarely capable of getting upside-down before their skis begin to turn. Most come to camp with little or no tipping ability, and even fewer have any clue about CA/CB. Showing their bases to the top of the slope, while the ultimate goal, would be impossible at this stage of development. They don't have the movements required, so asking them to do it would only cause frustration.
Showing their bases to the side of the slope is a sensible, achievable intermediate goal along the path to the ultimate goal.
Even before that, showing your bases to the bottom of the slope is a critical instruction. Newbie skiers who've not yet discovered their edges have no idea how to even stand still on a slope. Getting them to show their bases to the bottom of the slope (and thus achieve edgehold) is a sensible, achievable beginning goal to keep the novice from falling over or sliding hopelessly downhill. Many of the early exercises in Expert Skier 1 (including some skis-off exercises) are designed to teach exactly this.