Under the eagle eye of hi level instructor

[midwif]

Jim and I shared an all day lesson with Diana Rogers of the PMTS crew.

Spending the time and money, reinforced, for me the value of working
with someone who can analyze and almost immediately define what
THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT MOVEMENT the students needs to master in order
to improve.

When Jim and I were on our own, we each can look at the other and pick out
movements that are wrong, improperly timed, executed poorly etc.

The HUGE difference in having an expert look at your skiing is that they see all those, but can
focus on which is the most important piece to work on first.

The building blocks (amino acids anyone?) start with the feet and work up the body.
Hmmm, where have I heard that before?

Anyway, those of you who follow PMTS technique and are self taught, do yourself the BIG favor of
taking a camp or a private with a certified PMTS teacher at least once!

Jim and I both came away with clear cut movements to work on.
Videoing each other in the days following the lesson helped to tell the truth of when we "got it" and more importantly,
when we did not.

It's true, video does not lie ,though I wish it did.

Lynn

[jim-ratliff]

I concur, and have to admit a certain surprise that there was so much knowledge such crucial knowledge transfer during the brief period.  (EDITED. it wasn't the volume of knowledge, it was the impact of the knowledge on our skiing).

Example. It took about 3 turns for Diana to say "we need to get rid of your bowleggedness  ( ?), that's a lot of the reason you have trouble getting edge engagement". Others had said I was "tipping too much" and that I should try skiing with a wider stance.  Canting the boot (not the cuff) made a huge difference.  My feet did move apart a little bit, but what I most noticed was my knees much closer together.  I don't remember every having my knees touching when skiing before -- I just looked at the narrow tracks I was leaving and figured all was good.

And then gradually I remembered when Rich made my last footbed three years ago commenting that although my static alignment is pretty neutral, when he padded the footbed under the big toe to compensate for my forefoot varus it changed my alignment.  Varus was raising the inside of the foot, the alignment would have required raising the outside of the boot, and he decided that it wasn't an issue for the way I skied at that time. In retrospect, I'm impressed at the consistency of diagnosis by two different people (trained in the same methodology) three years apart.

But the real value was being able to shim the boot on the slopes and look at the result in the skiing performance right then with no other changes.  Whether I could feel it or not, the improvement was clear to both Lynn and Diana (and, actually, being able to see things in each others skiing was a focus that Lynn and I had asked Diana to tutor a bit).  Lynn has a much better eye than I do (which is good for me).

Unfortunately, Lynn is also right about the camera.  It only shows how I am skiing on the snow, it doesn't understand or can't capture how much better I am skiing in my mind.   

[jim-ratliff]

Lynn's new found angles, front and rear.





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[LivingProof]

Lynn,

Some very nice PMTS going on in you new avatar and above pic. Good counterbalance and counteracting, nice arm positions....doing the no-swing pole plant?

Agree very much with you thoughts about spending time with a real expert and finding the single biggest improvement one can make. The other aspect is that you speak a common language with Diana and need a minimum of understanding exactly what you are instructed. I did have an experience this year when a high level instructor was telling me how to improve in powder and trying to understand exactly what he saying, then doing it, was difficult. Now, will I ever do the same as you and Jim did and make the trip to Dumont?

Ok, Jim....give up some shots of "the man".

[jbotti]

My very first PMTS lesson was with HH himself but after that my next several were with Diana. She is right there with HH in her ability to teach PMTS and bring the best out in any skier. I have many fond memories from those multi day lessons with Diana!! She is BTW one of my favorites persons to ski with, always a very fun day!!

Lynn, great CA and CB focus in your skiing!! I had gotten away with modest or mediocre counteracting in my skiing until last year when Harald said enough!! Now having sent a full seaon and 50 + ski days focsuing on it, wow, what a great result. Your off piste skiing will soar as a result of your CA focus.

LP, it's so easy to get on a plane and either get to a PMTS camp or book a lesson with Harald, Diana or Chris. Any alignment issues that you are still wondering about will get handled on the first day and you will be properly set up for good.

[jim-ratliff]

Lynn,

Some very nice PMTS going on in you new avatar and above pic. Good counterbalance and counteracting, nice arm positions....doing the no-swing pole plant?

Ok, Jim....give up some shots of "the man".

LP:
That would be hijacking Lynn's thread, and while that is normally quite acceptable on the forum, my lack of pictures I am proud of makes it a reasonable excuse for demurring.
The only redeeming factor is the number of times we saw instructors at Beaver Creek and Lynn would say that was about the way I looked.  Too upright, decent edges and turns, all inclination and no counter. In the interest of full disclosure, we also saw a number of instructors and mountain hosts that skied really well.
I will say that for the first time in my skiing history, I can do flappers while skiing with relative ease (and I hate flappers).

[HeluvaSkier]

...my lack of pictures I am proud of makes it a reasonable excuse for demurring.

We are all our own worst critics. No run or photo is ever perfect. Lynn "womaned-up" you should man-up. 

[jim-ratliff]

We are all our own worst critics. No run or photo is ever perfect. Lynn "womaned-up" you should man-up. 

OK, here's a couple of pictures.  Feel free to comment.


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[Liam]

You know, I need to get under the eagle eye of a hi level instructor.  As my season winds down I feel as though I've gone backwards a bit in my technical skills this year.  I actually do regret not doing drills more (or at all).  I never felt as sure-footed this season as I did last season and I know I could use some real coaching to step it up.

I think it's great that Jim and Lynn invest time and money each season to get out and ski with one of the best in the business. 

Your pictures look pretty good, I'm not really good enough at MA (or skiing) to really make much from a few still photos.  But I can see the bases of your skis in each picture...and I know that is a very good thing!    Looks to me like you're both pretty good skiers.

I got no video or pictures at all this season...which like drills I regret...but here's a video of my skiing (very short) in late march of last season.  It's fairly indicative of how I ski, I've seen other videos of myself in crud, powder, it looks similar (in fact my stance makes more sense and works better in powder/ moguls..I make Stein look bow legged!) 



If anyone is interested (hi level coach or not) I'd invite comments, and criticisms.

I'm looking to purchase a real race GS ski for next season and start to learn how to really lay them over, balance with deeply flexed inside leg, control the energy when I flex the stance leg and transition to a new turn....this season convinced me I have a lot more hard snow work to do.  Yep, I've finally become convinced (better late than never) that 'hip on the snow' carving is a very worthy goal...and one I'm pretty far from.

[jim-ratliff]

Liam:
Thank you.
My biggest problem and my current focus is that I'm too upright. My upper body needs to be more forward, the waist more flexed.
The second is that I incline/lean, so limited upper and lower body separation, and therefore limited angles to the snow.
Third, and not visible in still photos, is a tendency to stand up and lean back during transition.

But I do like the way this picture shows my tracks as I come across the little ledge.


Your shoulders are more level and upper body is calmer than mine. Much better seperation of upper and lower body.
Looks?? like an up move to release skis for transition?  in my opinion, nice looking classical skiing.
Will be interesting to hear what  those with a trained eye, such as Max or Gary or BW say.


BTW, the names I chose represent one of the things I really like about the forum -- each represents a different instructional paradigm.

Max - PMTS
Gary - Clendenin
BW - PSIA

[bushwacka]

I'd suggest developing these skills with a detuned SL ski and once mastered transfered to the race stock GS ski. A race stock GS ski doesn't come alive until you hit 40+ MPH. A detuned SL ski can crank awesome turns at half that speed.

x2 knowing that you like skiing bumps and trees learning to ski a SL skis is much more beneficial than learning to ski a GS ski.

with that said I see alot of good. Pretty good uper and lower body separation, nice turn shape once on edge, generally good tipping. Stance might be a little narrow but as long as both feet move not as one its all good.   the video might be to low of quality but I suspect your pushing you feet out alittle to get to an edge instead of cleanly rolling from edge to edge while your COM moves in away to be balanced on your new outside ski. You need to learn to move with your skis on this phase of the turn and be patient enough so they can hook up.

I have been posting this video alot but its a is a great way to learn how to cleanly balance on your outside ski from the start of the turn....and its also teaches you how far and how fast you can tip with out losing balance on it.

[jim-ratliff]

You know, I need to get under the eagle eye of a hi level instructor.  As my season winds down I feel as though I've gone backwards a bit in my technical skills this year.  I actually do regret not doing drills more (or at all).  I never felt as sure-footed this season as I did last season and I know I could use some real coaching to step it up.

Liam:
This also gets back to that penetrating comment Diana made. Where do I want to take my skiing?
What do you think is at the core of your not feeling as "sure footed" as last season?
Where do you want to take your skiing?

[Liam]

That all makes sense about the SL skis v. the GS ski...I just have been enjoying bigger turns this season and thought getting a powerful, big turn ski and learning how to really make them crank would be a worthwhile endeavor. 

Jim,

Yeah, the guy who taught me to ski was pretty PSIA focused (he learned to ski from Jimmy Ackerson at Heavenly along side a younger Mike Rogan back in the late 80's early 90's)-If there is one thing that PSIA does heavily focus on it's the disciplined, strong upper body.  On some of those turns I definitely pop up during transition---I find if I don't focus on flexing and show some patience I tend to rush the second half of the transition with some extension or rotation.  Patience is the biggest culprit in my mind.

As to the penetrating question you pose..hmmm, I have to think about that.  There is a point in confidence in technique I am missing...I'll get back to you on those questions, but they are great question.

Bush,

Thanks for the MA, I definitely push my feet out a bit to get the edge angles I want, bad habit I need to break....I have a question on the video you posted...what specifically is that demonstrating, and what are the key movements necessary to perform those turns to the level of the demonstrator? 

Was it a partial javelin or something akin to what the PMTSers call the Phantom Move? 

[bushwacka]

basically you are balanced on your new outside foot before it is your new outside foot. IE she is on her little toe on her right foot and remains balance on that right foot as she enters her left turn.

no javelin and IMO the lifting and tipping is pretty damn close to a phantom move if not exactly the same although I am not qualified to say.

BTW Midwif i am ok with you sharing my PM here.

[dan.boisvert]

Sounds like you guys had an awesome time!  I keep telling myself I need to get out to Colorado.  Maybe I'll actually do it one of these years.