This is me

[Heyoka]

http://media.putfile.com/skier6

I'm going to take a big risk here...

Look at the the video frame by frame. What i see is this. It's cool. You can see my counter, no flinching of the downhill foot. Nice edge angles and my skis are bending. I even get upside down. Folks, all I think about is what I've learned and continue to learn from PMTS.

I had been swingin all day and this is a friggin catwalk. I didn't know I was being "watched", but I sure as hell appreciate being watched.

So??

[skiut]

That video sucks. I would really like to see some video of you in challenging conditions, I bet it would be good. I would like to see some high performance videos from accomplished skiers on this site, now that would be good advertising. No offense, but 2 turns made in the parking lot is hardly impressive.

[jclayton]

G'day mate . Previous post ? Not exactly constructive . You've got the b***s to post yourself , would be nice for someone to give you an honest appraisal . In my humble and uneducated opinion , perhaps a bit more freefoot pull back . It was a bit short but it looks like " you got rythm " .

[Harrison]

bend the knees

skiut is that needed?

[Ourayite]

Are you sure you posted the right video? Catwalk?

[Harald]

Hey Harrison, do skinny skiers tip to the little toe edge? Not too much tipping in that photo.

[Harald]

Look if it means anything, Paul can ski very aggressive lines on steeps and bumps with almost anyone, except me. Sorry Paul, the truth may hurt, but it gives you a target to aim for and I?m getting older ever year. When you can beat me up Mt Evans I?ll really be worried.

[Lonnie]

Here's a couple others for refrence.

Another video of Paul. This is near the end of a run (as you can see him remove his pole strap at the end of the video.)
Skier 6 (quicktime movie)

"Skier 7" is a PSIA level II skier that is working towards Level III
Skier 7 (quicktime movie)


A few notes on the videos. 1). I shot them with a small digital camera. 2). They are VERY short. 3). The skiers being filmed did not know the video was going to be used for this purpose. When you add these things together, I don't think they fully represent the skier's in question skiing. BUT, on the other hand, I think that sometimes in situations where our gaurd is down, that our "base" movement patters come out. In other words the movement patterns that we do automaticlly, with out thinking about. I think that I could make the arguement that this is "how" any one individual skis. Now learning/teaching systems aside, if a skier is trying to ski a certain way, and they are not doing it in their "automatic" skiing, then they simply need to focus more on the movements until they become automatic....

I'm not trying to bash anybody with these videos. I'm simply putting them up there for discussion as I did on the other site (which is where I'm sure Paul pulled them from). Right or wrong, and without trying to bias the group, more folks picked Skier & as a PMTS skier than Skier 6 in that thread. To be fair, many of those folks don't have training or the MA eye of Harald...

EDIT: So while I have the floor, I'd like to comment on what I see in Paul's skiing. In the video I posted, you can see a distinctive overflexing at the waist just after turn initiation. This would be the one thing I'd try to minimize in Paul's skiing. Paul, are you aware you are doing this? I'm wondering if this move has a specific purpose to PMTS or what you are trying to accomplish with it? It seemed to me, skiing with you that day, that you were trying to do what you could to put as much pressure on that outside ski as you could, and that this move might be a mechanism to do that. Paul/Harald, Comments/rebuttal?

[Max_501]

2). They are VERY short.?

Maybe too short?

3). The skiers being filmed did not know the video was going to be used for this purpose.?

Maybe next time ask the folks to pick a run they'd like filmed for this purpose so they actually ski rather than just tooling around.

When you add these things together, I don't think they fully represent the skier's in question skiing.?

And that probably makes this exercise moot.

BUT, on the other hand, I think that sometimes in situations where our gaurd is down, that our "base" movement patters come out.?

I agree but if you filmed me on a catwalk or easy run I'd probably be playing around with my edges, weighting, balance, etc... If you want to get a representative shot of skiing a more challenging run might work better.

Right or wrong, and without trying to bias the group, more folks picked Skier & as a PMTS skier than Skier 6 in that thread..

People also pointed out that the video was too short and that they'd just be guessing.

[John Mason]

I looked at Paul's video and I see that move your talking about. Paul normally doesn't do that. It almost looks like a retraction move that might be appropriate at the crest of a bump but it's smooth there.

We do flex at transition in PMTS in such a way that looks natural and the CM is traveling the shortest path even in terms of vertical motion. But this little abberation that Paul is doing - almost a tuck at transition - is not PMTS and not the way Paul normally skis.

But, as has been pointed out, who knows.

The other skier from a PMTS perspective is lacking in a release and most of the action at initiation is on the uphill/outside BTE. Which for many would look normal and perhaps good from some people's perspective.

At release and transition in the PSIA skier if you frame by frame it you'll see the knees come together a bit - the base looks like a triangle at that point - because the skier is leading the new turn with his left leg and has not really released his downhill right leg. This means he has lost his parallel shins. The new turn actually is starting with a bit of a steering move on the outside left leg.

A pmts skier at that same transition would have either parallel shins or even a very slight bowleggedness that might be hard to see, but you would not have the knees coming together. The PMTS skier would be subtely falling into their new turn while a clean edging new outside ski is not steered or pushed off for the new turn, but simply rolled over to it's new edges as a result of the tipping action and flexion of the right ski.(new inside ski)

These are both low energy turns. The differences in the transition would be come much more apparent in steeper terrain. Yet the differences are there.

Generally speaking most skiers do not ski with a release and focus on steering and tipping actions of the new about to be outside leg at transition. A PMTS skier just flexes and tips the old outside leg and literally falls into their new turn without steering that new outside leg. It looks quite different on the hill and if your in a body that can do both types of turns like most PMTS skiers are, the PMTS turn is a totally different feeling. (much more like flying)

[ryno]

Max. all good points.

[milesb]

Hey John, I just want to comment that I never feel a "falling into the turn" sensation when using PMTS properly. On the contrary, I always feel connected and in balance even when upside down on steeper terrain. Not to say you are doing this, but steering into the turn, or letting the movement of the CM determine edge angle (insead of free foot tipping moving the CM) can result in the disconnect that you speak of.

We missed you in Utah!