Happy New Year, everyone.
So, I get to the local mountain early this morning to try and beat the crowds. I go into the lodge, buy a cup of coffee, and make my way over to my table. I squeeeeeeeeeeeeze into my shiny new Raptor 130's (man, those ain't no bedroom slippers), take a sip of coffee, look at my watch, and realize I have half an hour before the lifts open.
So I do what any die hard real skier does. I take my copy of Essentials out of my bag, flip it open, and try to get my brain ready for a morning focused on fore/aft drills.
A few minutes go by, and a nice older gentleman walks up beside me, looks over my shoulder, and says, "Hi there. I'd be happy to take one run with you this morning, if you would like. I can meet you by the lift in 30 minutes."
He's wearing an instructor's jacket.
"You want to take one run with me?" I ask. I'm assuming this is another SS trainer looking to recruit instructors. I was approached a few times last year. So my attitude is less than enthusiastic, given what I've seen their instructors teaching in their lessons.
"Sure," he says. "I noticed you reading that book. I would be more than happy to ski one run with you. It's complimentary."
Now I get it. He's trying to drum up business. And here I am. An obvious skiing novice reading a book. A book on how to ski. Wearing bright red Raptors with "RACING" emblazoned on every buckle, band and flap. Trying to teach myself to ski from a book. A book with one hilarious picture of a guy bent over on his skis in a tuck with another guy pushing on his head.
"Are you an instructor?" I ask.
"Yes sir!" he says.
"Yeah... I used to be a ski instructor many moons ago," I say.
He gives me a confused look, then looks down at the book I'm reading. Then looks at me again, still confused. "So.... why the book?" he asks.
"See this guy on the cover?" I ask. "That's Harald Harb... a former PSIA Demo Team member."
"Uh-huh," he says, obviously not recognizing the name.
"He's not with PSIA anymore," I say. "His technique is years ahead of them. So, I'm just doing a little mental prep work before I work on dialing in my balance this morning. That's what this book is for -- how to tap into the pinnacle of high level ski technique. This guy Harald's methods have transformed my skiing."
"Oh," he says. "You really don't need a lesson, do you..."
"Mmmmmm.... nope, sorry. But have a great day and a Happy New Year! Thanks for stopping over."
I realize right afterward that I should have just taken him up on his offer and skied a run with him. It would have given me a little more time to talk PMTS, and show him how much better it is than what he and his colleagues are doing. Maybe it would have sparked some interest. Ah well --- learning experience. I'll try it again this year when I go there.
So thank you again, Harald, for helping me recover from former PSIA frustration and technique abuse. Clean ski technique is so liberating to an avid student of skiing, and I hope I can help more people discover it for themselves.
Have a great 2010, everyone!