realskiers

Geoff! Welcome Sir. Great to finally have the contributions of another skilled skier here.

Liam,
This all needs to be said... and I hope you don't take it the wrong way, because I would love to have the opportunity to share turns with you someday, and I don't want to ruin that opportunity if it ever presents itself [I truly mean that]. I will never try to change how you ski, or your viewpoint on ski technique. You will ski how you ski, and progress how you want to progress. Gary will back me up on this: I have strong opinions on technique, but I do not push them on those who are simply out to enjoy the mountain and the company it brings. I would never take issue with that, or try to take it away from anyone. I'm out there for the same reason as you - I love to ski, and I love to share the mountain with friends.

What I do take issue with is when an inferior skier who knows very little about expert technique, and cannot demonstrate expert technique, misleads other skiers on the subject of technique. What is worse is when this is pointed out to the individual doing the misleading, and they still persist. As I told Gary and LP recently, PMTS is an avenue to great skiing... it IS NOT a "way to ski". Is it the best/easiest avenue? I think so. Other great skiers may have different avenues, but what they don't disagree with are the results of my route when they see them. If a skier gets to the same place, or beyond, with a different method - great! I won't discredit that skier because their path was different. My skiing and coaching however, is the result of the combination of fitness, PMTS, and an understanding of ski performance and use that most will never comprehend. My skill set is unique, and it does serve a purpose. I walk the talk.

So lets talk hop turns. I will ignore the shortcomings of the exercise that I have already highlighted.

Can I hop turn? Uh, Yes.
Will I, if faced with the need? You bet.
Why would I use a hop turn? Because I **** up a prior turn and needed to get it back, or I was faced with a serious issue.
Do I practice it, or even consider it a technique that I need to develop? Never.
Why? Because I don't need it and they are too much work without any ski performance payoff.

The lack of need is they big key that you're missing. Do I understand every word of what you have posted? Yes I do. Can I ski like you, on the terrain you ski on? Yes, there is no doubt. Would I choose to ski like you do on that terrain? Never. Can you ski like me? Got video? I've gone from beginner to expert with [mostly] self coaching. I know how to go from beginner to expert - I did it - on my own. I can repeat and re-engineer it. What you need to recognize is that there are skiers who live in a totally different reality from you, the best skiers you know, and possibly the best skiers you have ever met. A level exists far beyond what you see in the best skiers on the mountain every day. A few think of that level of skiing as their reality; their home base; their normal. What you may consider a necessary technique, is a bail-out maneuver to that same few... Something they use before they "start skiing", which translates to "start linking good [expert] turns."

Respect those skiers. They will offer the same respect to you in return. They are skiers who know far more than you, and they are more accessible than you might imagine. I personally don't care if you listen to them or not, but do not steer others away from great skiing because of your own limitations, bias, or misunderstandings.

I am a student of great skiing, regardless of the origin. I advise that you not postulate as a teacher, but as someone who is keen to learn. If you are not keen to learn, then at least allow others to learn to apply what you refuse to or are not interested in.

The skill set I possess makes me an absolute nightmare to poseurs [when it comes to technique I make Josh (BW) look like a happy-go-lucky fellow]. Unlike Max, or HA, or Goeff, or jbotti, I am not subtle, I will blatantly show what you don't know, I will expose what you don't know to your avid readers, and I won't leave it up to their interpretation to draw an opinion. Those who have skied with me [many from this forum] know that I am not exaggerating even slightly. Do not read this as a threat (I wouldn't, unprovoked, publicly dismantle another skier's technique/understanding to prove a point), but I do ask that you understand the point of view.

Do not quote to respond. Do not respond in red as you did to Geoff [sorry, that was the welcome you endured Geoff, hope you stick around]. Do not respond. Take it in Liam. Learn something that will take, if not your skiing, but at least your understanding and respect for others' knowledge to a level that you don't currently possess.

Guess what?  You Don't get to tell me how to respond, or what color to use. 

 Now, Have I questioned your skill or the skill of any skier on this site??  Nope.  Have I questioned that you could ski things differently or better than other posters??  Nope.  You're putting arguments in my name that I have NEVER made.  All I have said, and frankly, it's the SAME thing you, geoffda, deslaurier, etc have all said:  There are situations that warrant a hop or two.. I've added the secondary idea (along the same lines as Deslaurier and any other steep camp type instructor) that for skiers who do not possess the kinesthetic awareness of You and are not as advanced on their journey through ski skilll acquisition they might want to try a few hop turns and get comfortable with the balance etc involved to pull them off when required.   That hardly deserves the response and the over the top defensiveness that I've got from the PMTS cabal.  Have I doubted that your method of skiing is beneficial, worthy, and worth pursuing???  Nope.  Have I endeavored to give ski skill advice to someone better than me? Nope.

As for my skiing vs. yours-You're a solid skier and I hold my own, and I get better every season.   I ski with guys regularly who do things on skis neither of us can (and I mean that)-so what?   An intermediate skier asked about a quick method of navigating steeps and crud.  I suggested Hop turns, and from that I now need a reeducation from the great grand pooh bah of western, NY blue groomers and to pursue a thoughtful soul-searching meditation on posting about ski technique.  Truth is, you didn't offer any advice to Johnny 2r (and few others did at all) but only got up when someone mentioned a well-traveled, fairly sensible option. 

So you know what?  I'm going to keep posting, and if you want to put up contradictory advice (or what you think is contradictory, since you've pretty much stated the same opinion I have) go for it-you're a worthy contributor. Honestly the only difference between us, is that I think it's worth it to have a few special maneuvers in your back pocket for those exceptional moments (which we ALL, as you've suggested, face sooner or later).