Head fast thang

[Perry]

Any women skiing on the Head fast thang or know anyone who is.  I am thinking about getting some skis for my wife before we go to a Harb camp in Feb.  She is 5'3", fairly athletic and a decent upper intermediate skier who I believe will really improve when she fine tunes her technique.

Also, for those who have been to the camps, would you recommend us letting them make recommendations about ski choice.  that certainly makes sense, I was just wondering what others experience has been.

Current ski - Fischer vision 73 - 153

thanks - Perry

[ToddW]

Perry,

If you and your wife are serious about learning the PMTS style of skiing, I'd call or write Harb Ski Systems before making any equipment purchase, skis or boots, to ensure that the gear you purchase is conducive to good PMTS skiing.? Be sure to tell them that you're registered for a camp.? If you happen to have a few seconds of video of your wife skiing, they can use that to make a better recommendation based on her alignment and skiing level.

Harb Ski Systems does sell equipment, but they don't push needless sales on their customers and are happy to recommend equipment that they don't carry.? Last season, they passed up an easy chance to sell me new boots when another bootfitter had messed up my boots.? I went to Colorado expecting to buy boots and came back with my old boots tweaked to perfection?

You can also try posting on the PMTS forum ( http://pmts.org/pmtsforum/ ), but the gear portion of that forum is not very heavily read.? Harald tries to be responsive on the PMTS forum, but not all PMs and posts get answered.

If you haven't been to a camp before, be prepared for a surprise.? You'll see a lot of progress over the course of a week.? There are two February camps:? Solvista and Bear Valley.? Which one are you attending?? I went to Solvista last year, had a blast, and will attend again this year.

-todd

[Perry]

Going to Solvista and look forward to meeting you.

Tell me why you liked the camp besides the obvious - you got a lot better.

[ToddW]

Perry,

  Getting a lot better's not enough?? Did I mention that it's fun too?? ?

Okay, here's my list off the top of my head

• The camps attract a great group of people who are fun to learn and ski with.
   
• During the week, the slopes are almost deserted so you can concentrate on learning rather than collision avoidance.?
   
• The coaches ski beautifully, and you'll have a chance to see all of them ski.? It gives you a mental picture of quality skiing.? I can't count the times that midwif said "Harald makes that look so easy" last year.
   
• You can get footbeds made and your boots dialed in perfectly during one of the afternoon alignment sessions.
   
• If you're lucky, you'll get to play "follow the leader" directly behind Harald as he gently tries to shake you off his tail? ? ?F U N !!!
   
• If you improve enough, ski patrol will give you a nickname.? The staff loves watching the PMTS campers;? we're visually distinct and a refreshing change from the status quo.
   
• There are two hills, and the flatter one where most instruction occurs is meticulously groomed which is good for locking in technique.
  ?
• The groomers also build a ridge long enough for several turns to work on forced turn timing and leg flexing.
  ?
• The video MA sessions every day at lunch are an incredible educational experience.? ?You spend 30-45 minutes with a PMTS coach dissecting the skiing of your 6-person group.? If MA's not your cup of tea, you can watch just your video, but most of us found it fascinating and had developed a surprising degree of MA ability by the end of the week. Riding a ski lift will never be the same again -- you'll see what each skier is doing and why they're succeeding or not.
   
• I met several good skiers, and they had all left their egos at home.? All of the groups seemed to get along well.? Mine certainly did (midwif and arothafel from the pmts forum were also in it.)
   

I look forward to meeting you and your wife in February.

-Todd

[midwif]

Hello Perry!!

Ditto to what Todd said.
While we could have chosen to ski the harder part of Solvista, none of us did during the week.
All realized that improvement was based on getting the basics down.

It sounds like your wife and I are similar abilities. I am 5'4"/115lbs and a strong intermediate skier. ( I think)
I would strongly suggest that you follow Todd's advice.
The Fast Thangs may be more ski than is wiser to improve on. I ended up with the Every THangs, which are right for me. I did demo them twice before purchasing, though. And tried a few others before that.
Look forward to meeting you both at Solvista as well.
A group dinner one night???

[Perry]

Todd and midwif,

Thanks and very helpful.  I saw some great ski deals on ebay.  great skis from 05 that were new and got an itchy mouse finger.  The advice to wait and demo, esp after input from people who have a clue is wise.

I already had my boots done by Harb systems.  My wife still doesn't fully get what a difference this will make in her skiing.....but she will.

midwif, right now there are some O5, xrc 1100, new without bindings for................ ........$219 (i think -- seems too low) tempted?

[midwif]

NO!! Not the 1100!
A quick look at Peter's review seem to indicate not the right ski for someone working on skill.
Too bad Tramdock had their sale on ET's last week. Very good price, I understand.
Are you a member of the main site and get the full reviews??
 The $20 is worth it.
Just remember to read what the icons mean. I have to reread every year. They differentiate between modern and traditional technique.

[Perry]

I bet you do better than you let on.  I do have access to the full site.  It is a great resource.

And yes, a group dinner sounds good. (skipped that the last time....how rude )

[jim-ratliff]

Perry:

Midwif was suggesting a group dinner for the RealSkiers attending the Harb camp (I am also enrolled for SolVista) in addition to the group social event for all campers (which I too skipped last time I went).? I don't know whether she is thinking eating out or is volunteering to cook, but at the RealSkiers gathering at Steamboat last December we had group dinner one night at the condo Lynn rented and one night at Ron's.? It was a lot more relaxed and fun than eating out.? Also, since Todd and Lynn both attended the SolVista camp last year, we can rely upon them for eating out guidance if that is the direction.

As far as ski recommendations, I wouldn't buy anything "for" the camp.? I like Todd's advice about talking to Harald and Diana for suggestions.? Recognize that there are a lot of skill development exercises that are made easier by narrower waisted and easier flexing skis.? The Vision 73 (other than being a bit wide) sounds like a pretty good ski for her to bring.? Peter's review says "Good for women polishing technical skills."

The XRC 1100 is a pretty high end ski (Michael Barrett helped Lynn buy a pair of those for her son a couple of years back).? The number is misleading, it is a stiffer and more demanding ski than the XRC1200 or XRC1400.? However, for the purposes of the class an XRC 800 would be a better choice for working on skill development.? Obviously, none of us have skis "just for Harb camps or just for working on drills" but you certainly shouldn't worry about needing higher end skis just for the camp (unless it's a SuperShape Magnum, which was rated as Peter's "skill development ski of the year last year").? If anything, it's just the opposite.? I remember that most skiing at the camp is slower, focused on the drill at hand, and actually more work than just free skiing.

Almost forgot to ask. Is there anything about the Vision 73 that your wife doesn't like or that is pushing her toward new skis?? Harald and Diana sold Lynn the Head Every Thang last year at camp since they had it there for her to ski on and offered her a good "end of season" price, but the waist on that is 72 so not really that much different from your wife's Vision 73.

[midwif]

Hey Jim
Let me know what your flight plans are. Maybe we can share a car???
Lynn

[jim-ratliff]

Perry:

Is your wife doing the Harb camp with you? At first reading it sounded like she was, and then I was not so sure.? The other "blue" camp I attended was probably 1/3 women, and there are usually at least 2 woman coaches (Diana and Maria Fermoile).? As you probably remember, they divide up all of the skiers into small groups of 6 or so skiers, so she would be skiing with people of like ability.? I'm sure midwif would love to have another woman in the group, encourage your wife to register along with you..? (or, alternatively, encourage her to just come skiing with all of us even if she doesn't attend the camp).

Jim

[ToddW]

A group dinner sounds fun.

Jim, I look forward to meeting you too in Solvista.

-todd

[jim-ratliff]

Todd:? ditto, and we have something else in common.? I have heard from a reputable source that the lift workers watched for you to come down the hill last year at Sol Vista, even gave you a nickname.? I had that honor at Winter Park one afternoon as well.? I skied down to the lift, came to a complete stop next to my son, and then proceeded to do a slow motion fall.? The lifties were still laughing by the time I got to the chair, and they continued to smile good-naturedly the rest of the afternoon.? I think my nickname was something like klutz; I suppose that's not a positive like "carver"?

That also may have been the day my son said "you know, dad, at your age you may not get any better."? That comment is what started me on a search that led to Lito Tejada-Flores and then to Harald.? Lo and behold, the first thing Harald's book emphasized was BALANCE.

[jim-ratliff]

Hey Jim
Let me know what your flight plans are. Maybe we can share a car???
Lynn

    Lynn, would love to have your company, but I've seen all the stuff you brought to RS2 last year and I normally just rent a smaller car and not a Dodge MaxiVan, so not sure there would be room for both of us???   

[midwif]

I learned my lesson last year at Steamboat.
I traveled much lighter to Solvista!!!

But, I understand if you feel its too much of a burden.
Truly, I do .