We love to hear from our visitors and readers. If you have a comment you'd like to share with other site visitors, please e-mail it to us and we'll post it.

Being a part time private coach and mentor for Erik Schlopy and Bryon Friedman of the US A Ski Team, for the past 9 years, I had the chance to know and work quite a bit with Harald Harb and Diana Rogers.

I believe Harald is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced alpine ski world experts. Not only because of his successful coaching of an Olympic Champion [Tommy Moe], but more so because of his in-depth understanding of all the aspects of skiing at various levels of proficiency, based on his passionate theoretical studies and practical explorations regarding the entire ladder of alpine skiing.

I can write an entire book about what he knows and how he dived into the "secrets" of teaching/learning how to "travel" from a beginner stage to the expert level, but.....I prefer to just say that: he walked and analyzed theoretically and dissected proprioceptivelly every step of that path.

He did that passionately, tackling every aspect regarding the skier, the equipment, the biomechanics of the skiing movements, looking for ways and succeeding to facilitate the transfer of his knowledge and abilities to anybody who wants to become a better and happier skier.

And last but not least..... he did most of that with the terrific and expert help of Diana Rogers.

Dean M. Nicholas, Ph.D.
President, Quality Life & Performance LLC, Utah

Hi Harald,

Hopefully I will get to the slopes this weekend (flying from Texas to New Mexico). If so, this will represent my 24th day of skiing. I just turned 49, and never skied until a couple of years ago. I accompanied my kids on spring break and took lessons. Love at first try. Went back at Christmas, and took another day of lessons. Loved skiing, but just didn't quite have it. After reading your articles in Skiing magazine, I bought your first book and video. On a weekend trip to Taos, my breakthrough using PMTS was amazing. I now can ski blue, double blues and groomed blacks with ease and confidence. Beginning to venture into powder and moguls.

Two weeks ago, on a weekend trip to Taos, I decided to take mogul lessons. I immediately told the instructor that I learned everything I knew from your teaching. He reaffirmed every facet of your methods, and showed me how to use them in moguls. I came back home, reviewed your second video, and can't wait to get back to the process of improving my skiing.

By the way, though they won't admit it, I can OUT-SKI my kids now. They may beat be down the hill by pointing their skis down the fall line the entire length of the mountain, but I can carve thanks to your system. Sure is great! Thanks.

R.G., Texas

After several private lessons with several instructors where I tried unsuccessfully to master the wedge christie -- I read your book. I decided to abandon the wedge turn and go straight to the phantom turn and short parallel turns. I was carving turns in just a few hours. I can't thank you enough. We need a PMTS certified instructor in Oregon!!

L.C.

You're going to put ski instructors out of business.

This past week I printed out some pages from your online lesson and shared it with a couple of friends during a weekend of skiing. With just a few minutes of study, we all mastered the phantom turn and it dramatically improved our skiing in all conditions. It was the instant cure for poor upper body positioning and a whole host of other errors I usually make.

I can't say enough good things about the phantom turn. As soon as I mastered it, I found I was no longer sitting back to far, skidding my skis, trying to steer my skis or doing any of the other common mistakes many skiers make. In the steeps and bumps turn initiation was instantaneous and gave me new confidence to navigate even the most challenging terrain.

Thanks !!!
C.C.

There's been quite a long time since my last visit to your web site. The work that has been done from Diana is excellent. The web site is very-very nice. I believe you can design web sites as good as you ski.

Last summer I bought your book "Anyone can be an Expert Skier" , and that's exactly how it is. In a previous e-mail that I sent to you last October I was writing that I would buy a pair of shaped skis and
when up the slopes would try your PM’s. Well I did so and now I don't ski, I fly! I could ski quite well before, but now I go down the slope like a dancer. So smooth and so effortlessly. Curving a turn is now very easy and you don't need much speed. Linking sort turns is such a fun now. I really thank you very much for that big lesson your book gave me. Looking forward for " Anyone can be an Expert Skier II".

Wishing you all the best together with a snowy winter.

Regards,

TM
Thessaloniki, Greece

In 1996, I had a total hip replacement. I asked my doctor if I would be able to ski again. He said yes, but give it a couple of years to heal. I started skiing agian in the 1998/99 season. I started on my trusty Dynastar 204 Coupe Slaloms. After three or four days, I took the "Guided Demo" at Steamboat Ski Area. I instantly started to demo various brands. I settled on Volkl.

But something was not right. I suspected alignment. I started to look on the Internet and found you at Silver Creek. My wife and I just drove over one Saturday and found you in. We chatted with Diana for a while (she was very friendly and warm!) and set up an appointment for the afternoon. We went for on-snow evaluation and Harald had me doing things that I have never done. After we went indoors, he did all of the measurements and we went out again. We came back in and he did some refinements. The results were I felt more stable on my skis then ever before.

Since then, I have taken three private lessons, one with Diana and two with Harald. After twenty five years of skiing, I had a wedge entry that no one could get me out of. Last March, Harald was successful. And it was so simple. He had me ski with my heels together.

Now I can ski all day, using Primary Movements. My hip does not bother me at all. My balance has improve to the point that the only falls I have are because of trying things on my outside edge. Under normal skiing conditions, I just don't fall anymore. At sixty five years old, Idid not think that Ihad many years left for skiing. Now I have to say that I think I will be able to ski until I am ninty or older. This is all due to PMTS and Harald and Diana's patience with this old codger.

RH
Craig, Colorado

Dear Harald,

I know the ski season is now over but I wanted to take a moment and thank you and Diana Rogers. I took a ski vacation the end of March with my Son who lives and skis in Colorado and had the best time of my life. My first ski trip to Colorado in 1998 ended with a dislocated collar bone after 20 minutes on the slopes.
The second trip in 1999 was better after a lesson but it was snowplow, snowplow, snowplow and I could never get over the fear factor. In January of 2000 prior to our trip in March I bought your book and video determined to learn. In the evenings here in Indiana I read and watched the video and practiced to exercises in the garage. On the first day my son could not believe it nor could I. The first day was spent on the greens practicing. On the second day I never met a blue run I did not like. What a difference! I want to thank you again for your system! You made one 50 year man’s trip to Steamboat Great! Hope to keep seeing your articles in Skiing Magazine and "on the snow" web site.

Thanks Again

MM

Hi Harald:

Having studied your book, and applied your techniques, I have seen a rapid improvement in my skiing, despite the fact that I'm on 12 year old Head Radials (NOT shaped).
[…]
Until reading your book I was stuck in intermediate purgatory.
[…]
Great book.

Sincerely

PW
Calgary, Alberta

Harold, our mutual friend, Mike, suggested I tell you about my experiences with your teaching techniques as described in "Anyone can be an Expert Skier." In late spring Mike suggested I get your paperback book and visit your web site when I told him I had been trying to learn to ski on shaped skis. I bought the book and did some exercises from the web site. Then I went to Sun Valley to visit my brother-in-law, a veteran skier who works for the ski school. He told me that you had spent three days there teaching a clinic on shaped ski techniques and that he was impressed. He learned that he had a correctable "alignment" problem which resulted in skiing on his right side edges. Afterward he had no trouble skiing or teaching with shaped skis.

I was only scheduled to be there for one day so I skied with my brother-in-law’s wife, also a good skier, since he was recovering from an injury. What was interesting was that I had begun to use the techniques in your book while I was still only halfway through and it turned out that I was keeping up with her and was looking OK as well. I felt such a strong sense of improvement that I bought a demo pair of K-2 4's. The last skis I owner were 205's; these were 170's. My brother-in-law told the shop I was "a strong intermediate" which I considered a fair assessment.

The next time I went skiing was a month later at Squaw. I went with a man with whom I had been skiing earlier this year but before I read your book. By this time I was reading the section dealing with linked short swings. After skiing with him for a day he said that I was so much improved that he was ready to go buy some new equipment himself. He also said that I was skiing parallel all the time now.

My last day this year, on Memorial Day weekend, I wanted to see if I had it together or not. I skied alone so I could concentrate on how I was doing. I managed to do what you said. I skied entirely at Squaw on a blue cruising slope with five runs off one chair. I managed to go nonstop top to bottom all day. No falls. I felt good. I found I had more confidence and my skill level was a lot higher. I didn't mind cat tracks which used to bother me and I had to snowplow or stem to keep control. Also I liked the fact that I was much more efficient and didn't tire despite the nonstop skiing. Last, I had a more delicate "touch" which decreased my exaggerated body movements, kept me in better contact with the ground, and provided more precise control.

Ordinarily, I would say you can't learn to ski by reading a book. But this time I felt was different. Two reasons are that the book is divided into very detailed steps which describe the whole flow of the process; and I was able to visualize the turns and practice in my head. The visualization worked because of the pictures and the detailed description.

I don't want to get you on an ego trip but I do have to tell you how grateful I am to Mike for pointing me in your direction. I had not skied for the last fifteen years with one exception. I did ski a little bit with my son and granddaughter last year in Boise but she was doing as well as I was and she was only six. I begun to despair that I would ever get back to the level where I could ski effortlessly, gracefully, enjoyably, in a variety of conditions, and on most, if not all, of the mountain. I can only say that on the last day I almost met that goal thanks to the inspiration of your book. With some practice I hope to be able to ski the whole mountain. Well, as soon as I finish the sections on steeps, moguls, and powder. The best part now is that since I am 72 years old I get to ski at a reduced rate or even free sometimes. It is hard to fully express my appreciation by email. Mike gave me your number so I may call you and make it a little more personal.

Best wishes,

JM
Los Gatos, CA

Harald and Diana,
Thanks for the race camp (1-24-00 thru 1-28-00). It was a blast.

This is my fifth season of skiing. Since I began, I've been taking lessons and doing other clinics, costing thousands of dollars and never getting any better. Since my wife and I met up with you two last year, our skiing has improved immensely. The transformation I watched my wife go through after being properly aligned was absolutely phenomenal. For the first time since I began skiing, I finally have some basic, scientific fundamentals to utilize each time I hit the slopes. Your simple system of teaching not only makes sense, but also works. I finally have a fundamental system of tools that I can go to if my skiing starts to lag. The drills always take me back to my feet, the beginning of the kinetic chain, allowing me to evaluate what's happening and correct it. Your coaching style was extremely student focused and inspirational. In the future I will always seek out a certified PMTS instructor for lessons and as always refer to your manuals. In conversation with other skiers, I always recommend PMTS and give them the required information about your system so that they can experience the same breakthroughs that I have.

Thanks again for the camp and everything else you shared with me. I will
definitely be a return camper in the future.

CB
Arvada, CO

January 18, 2000

I quickly read your book and looked at the tape a couple of times before I went skiing.

The payoff was enormous for my skiing. I only wish I had been able to study the book even closer before I left. It also helped my racing, instilling greater confidence. I now have the key, I just have to open the door wider.

DP

Hey ski buddy, you’re a genius!

Dear Harald, I didn’t have much time to try the fundamentals of your system but congratulations: just tipping the free foot toward the little toe side works fine!

I will have more time to try it in more detail but till now I only could steal some time before and after the ski coach seminar held by the well-known Swiss expert Philip Chevalier.

Let your Christmas and start into 2000 be as good and nice as possible.

IS
Czech Republic

Dear Sirs,

First I would like to congratulate you with the most exciting ski instruction site ever. It's logic and you can move directly to the level that describes your skiing ability - very good!

Second I like the idea about the Phantom Move. I have been skiing with all my attention to the stance ski, so I am really looking forward to try out the opposite.
[…]
Best regards,

MF
Norway

Dear Harald,
I hit on, learn, and enjoy your ski site. I understand you are also a boarder. I also do both types of riding. I ski on the hard snow days and ride a board on the powder days. I am 55 and am a skier that has taken up boarding. If. boarders could be somehow be attracted to skiing (skiing is not cool dude) and they could ski on those boiler plate days there would be a lot less action in the ski patrol shack. My friend's daughter broke her wrist boarding at Mt. Bachelor (Or). He said that on that icy day there were 13 broken wrists and 3 broken hips. I guess the oldster riders are doing the hip thing. OUCH! I feel the message should be: Learn to board on those stormy days when the lower runs are just the place to be; then do the Harb carve on those days when two edges are better than one.

Keep up the good work.

Sincerely,

P

Hi Ann, [Ann is a PMTS Accredited Instructor]

I'm now back to London. I had a great time at Silver Creek. On Thurs. afternoon I took classes from Patrick, and then one class each from Sonia and John on Friday and Sat. I'm now able to ski down the green Buckhorn trail alone without falling down at all. On Friday night I went down the blue trail having fallen down only once (my husband didn't tell me the green runs were closed during night ski time!).

Thank you very much for answering all my queries prior to the trip. Without your input I probably wouldn't have taken the trouble to go all the way to SC. I'm now a total believer in PMTS and shaped skis. Enjoy the rest of the reason and take care.

Regards,

P
England

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am a UK resident and would like to purchase the above video as a companion to the book that I bought recently. I would be grateful if you could advise me of shipping costs or a UK supplier if you think that would be more convenient.
The book is marvelous and a breath of fresh air, congratulations.

Yours Sincerely,

N
England

I wanted to let you know that your book, Anyone Can Be an Expert Skier, is great. I purchased the book last year. I only got to ski about 4 days and only read the first couple of chapters but your system works and is easy to understand. I have only skied for 6 years but last year I improved the most.

Thanks,
AZ

Hi Harald,
Superb Job on your first Private Lesson article for Skiing Mag. I already received several calls and E-mail from around the Country that this written Ski TIP has been one of the best ones out there. It was simple, clear and on top of it easy to read.
Just to name one of those guys (RUSS SHAY - SUREFOOT) was totally impressed. He told me last night that he hardly reads those Ski Tip Articles, but this one he said will give even less skilled skiers the right message to become the skier they always wanted to be.

FF
Vail, CO

Hi Harald

I had a pretty good time skiing with Lucia Wing (Stratton Vt.) yesterday, and you're right, she IS terrific. She's really into your Primary Movement system, and we spent the entire half-day working on various parts of it. I'm still having the most trouble skiing on the uphill ski only for early turn initiation, but I have to keep plugging away at it. Also, Lucia thinks that I may need some cant adjustments since I have more difficulty on one foot than the other in various situations.

By the way, I've been to your web site and yes, I'll have to visit you guys out there at Silver Creek one of these days.

Take care,
N

Dear Harald,

I've been skiing for 40+ years and you name the different style and I've tried them. I also picked up most of these techniques from magazine articles, which I have ability to put into action. In fact I'm basically self taught. Last year I bought a pair of K2 shaped skis and didn't seem to see any remarkable difference from my old pencil skis until I read a number of tips from ski magazines on your PMTS method and tried them. I was amazed on how well it works. Last week I bought your book and I'm going thought it and trying to incorporate the lessons into my skiing. I can see it may take a little time to get rid of the conventional up/down movements and body motions. This looks like the greatest method to ski effortlessly with shaped skis.

R

top

back to contents

©1999-2002 Harb Ski Systems, Inc.
"PMTS", "Primary Movements", and "Primary Movements Teaching System" are trademarks of Harb Ski Systems, Inc.
"Direct Parallel" is a Registered Trademark of Harb Ski Systems, Inc.