Message #20635

[Liam]

Midwif,

56 isn't that old (my patrol director is 70 and he skis it all...and has had both acl's repaired over the years)...and, perhaps taking out the 'air' portion of my definition of expert skier, it is a goal that could be achieved by you (or anyone else who puts in the time, money, equipment focus that you do).  But, I suspect 'high-intermediate' is enough for you...which is great, like I said, it is a decent level to get to in skiing, especially if you started skiing as an adult. 

But I don't think skiing the most advanced terrain in the east (or anywhere else) well in all conditions is beyond the pale for people who pursue skiing to the level that you guys all apparently do.

Jim,

what you said is EXACTLY my point, 30 days got you as far as they could (low intermediate), the average resort instructor could take you no further, you were primed and ready to take advanced camps (and like I said, it is exactly folks like you that find their way to these camps) and absorb the lessons in books and videos. 

Well now you've been an avid camper of a particular style for a number of years and dedicated skier and purchaser of high end equipment...and by your own description, you are a high intermediate (which, is not a knock, like I said, it's a decent place to end up in your skiing and lots don't make it that far).  You, like a lot of PMTS adherents (and this is going by the copious amount of stuff people post of themselves and their skiing here and on the PMTS forum), hit this plateau and content yourselves with further refinements of technical moves you already have.   I guess somewhere out there there really is a 'perfect turn' and pursuing it might be a worthwhile goal.

You can certainly strive to make nicer turns on certain terrain as an enduring year in/ year out goal in your skiing.   But, I think there is more, PMTS is a part of pursuing this 'more', but there are other skillsets (and mindsets....and the 'mind set' paradigm is the substance of a future thread I'm working on) that go into the expert equation.  Some of those skills and the accompanying mindset were probably part of your initial forays onto the white world of frozen wonder long ago.

I'm glad you read Lito's stuff, it's long been my favorite....I came to really get what the feet first gang (HH, Clendenin, etc) were getting at after I read Lito.  But think about how open ended and diverse Lito's vision of Expert skiing is (the last few chapters of his last 'Breakthrough on the New Skis.' ) In fact, I just checked it...He's the one who said ALL Conditions-All Terrain.  I just can't argue with Lito.