PMTS Instruction & Bootfitting in Steamboat

[joco]

Sorry if I am posting on the wrong part of the forum. We are heading to Steamboat in January for 2 weeks. Are there any PMTS instructors there? Are there any bootfitters that you can recommend there as well? My wife would like to get some new boots and some decent ski instruction wouldnt go astray as well.
Thanks

[h.harb]

I'm afraid I don't know any. Do you want me to check? Please send your responses to my PM or e-mail, h.harb@habskisystems.com

Can you stop in a Harb Ski Systems in Dumont? It would be worth your while, to not get messed up with a poor boot fit.

[skimore]

I've lived in Steamboat for the past 30 years and have a hard time getting ski boots that fit well and ski well. One or the other, but not both. Over that time I have purchased many ski boots in Steamboat and have worked with many boot fitters.

Two years ago, before my first PMTS Camp, I got fitted at Harb Ski Systems. I bought a pair of Nordica Dobermans. Chris was able to make them fit and they ski well, too. Both features in one boot. What a concept! Last year my brother-in-law also got a pair of boots from them with equal success. I strongly recommend that you get your boots from Harb. If you are flying in to Denver it is very convenient. You drive right past the shop on your way to Steamboat. And if you arrive early enough in the morning you can drive down the road a piece and ski a few runs at Loveland and then come back and deal with any issues you might have before driving up to Steamboat.

If you're flying directly to Steamboat then it's about a two hour drive each way, so not as convenient. If you decide not to go to Harb, send me a PM and I can suggest a local shop with good boot fitters (but not AS good) in Steamboat.

[skimore]

Oh and no instructors that I am aware of either, but if you want a private there are several folks available, depending on whether you want to drive or them to come to you. Harald can help you with that, of course.

Send me a PM when you're in town and we can take a run together. It's rare and nice to see someone skiing PMTS style at the 'boat.

[Rick H]

I have to second Skimore's assessment of bootfitters and instructors in Steamboat. I live in Craig, about 45 miles west of Steamboat. So most my skiing is in Steamboat. I took a lesson late last season as I wanted to work on short radius turns. I knew going in that I would not agree with the method taught. I wanted some perspective on how PSIA instructors taught fairly high level skiers. The first thing the instructor did was to complain about my carving my short turns. He wanted my to slide my skis throughout the turn. We compromised and I slid the turn entry and carved the rest of the turn. Bottom line, I got some hints on my hand position; I was holding my hands too close to my body. So the lesson was not a total waste.

By comparison, I had a half day with Diana, earlier last season. What a difference!! As cold as it was, (minus 18f at the top of Chair 2 at Loveland) she got my skiing going in the right direction after 2 knee replacements. So, I would highly recommend driving down and take a lesson with Harald or Diana. You will find it very worthwhile and time and money well spent.

Rick H

[joco]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Realy busy at the moment so I will respond to you all whenI get a chance. No chance of me wasting time and money on tts lessons the more I understand pmts the more tts shocks me.

[famattjr]

Five of us will be in Steamboat the third week in January. I'd be interested in the response re any instructors with PMTS knowledge, too.

[Rick H]

As I recommended to joco, your best bet is to make the 2 hour trip to Loveland or A-Basin and have Harald or Diana give you a genuine PMTS lesson. It will be money and time well spent. If you ask for a PMTS lesson at Steamboat, all you will get is a blank stare and a "Huh???" All these instructors can teach is, is PSIA's ATS system. Also, if an accredited PMTS teacher tried to teach here, he/she would be escorted off the hill as son as they were discovered.

Rick H

[h.harb]

If I may add, what we teach is PMTS, it's the most evolved ski teaching method in the world. If you want boots or boot fitting, alignment, wait until you come to camp, we have a ski shop, we tune your boots so you can move properly on skis. It is a unique system, one of a kind boot fitting system that involves everything that can be measured and tuned on and inside a ski boot. It's the only boot fitting system of it's kind in the world and don't be lured into a substitute or impostor, it won't be the same.

There are only a hand full of top instructors in the world, who can teach skiing of any kind anyway, and that makes the well trained PMTS variety even more exclusive. If you want a ski lesson you can pretty much get one anywhere, but if you want a ski lesson that will change your skiing beyond what you thought was capable, see one of our Camp instructors. These are the Top Guns.There are other PMTS instructors and they are very good, but the instructors that are the most current and the most trained and work with us all winter, are our "Harb Ski Camp" instructors.

You can take a private for about $800, at any ski area. You can get a week, 5 days of PMTS, at our camps for the same amount or less. The two most popular camps are always filled by August, but there are always a few spots open in the Tech Camp and first "new" December camp.