Wine of the week

Hmmm...
Lift and tilt takes on new meaning!

Unbelievable skiing in Hintertux

Jay and I went skiing today in Hintertux. Thigh deep on May 1 - terrific!

Great snow in Hintertux

We arrived safely (and sleepily) yesterday in Hintertux. There's more snow here than in previous years. Even the beginner lift is still installed in a field near the hotel!

New kitties coming soon!

I'm testing the e-mail method of posting to my blog. What better content to
post than pictures of our new cats!
These are Pixie-Bob kittens, 3.5 weeks old, a brother and sister. We'll be
picking them up after our Mt. Hood Race Camp. If you know me, you know that
I am so excited about them!

Newly Accredited Instructors!

I'm back from an instructor accreditation at Tahoe Donner Ski Area, California. Lake Tahoe-area skis now have several PMTS Direct Parallel accredited instructors from whom they can take lessons. Slowly but surely, PMTS Direct Parallel spreads!

An accreditation is intense, with indoor and on-snow training; practice teaching with feedback; a written exam; and a day of skiing and teaching under [my] scrutiny. Most participants would agree that it's not an easy event. I really admire all instructors who step up and subject themselves to the event, from the stress, to the cost, perhaps missing work, and putting their egos on the line. For each instructor who comes to a PMTS accreditation to become a better instructor and learn how to teach a new program, there are hundreds more who do not. Accreditation candidates are clearly motivated to help their students.

I take my role of trainer/accreditor seriously at these events -- to provide real value in becoming a better ski instructor. Of course, the accreditation candidates want to meet the standards of a level -- to "pass". However, I don't view the process as successful just by handing out pins (as gratifying as that is). For me, a successful accreditation is one where the candidates demonstrate to me that they leave the event with new skiing and teaching capabilities, and that they have the confidence to use PMTS Direct Parallel with students. The newly-accredited instructors from this latest event showed me that the event was a success -- their understanding and teaching improved as the days went by, and with the improvement, their confidence became tangible.

Congratulations to all the newly accredited instructors...
Marlon Cavassin, Jim Gregory, Guy Manville, & Tony Roberts -- Tahoe Donner
Walter Edberg -- Alpine Meadows
Kelvin Lau -- Northstar
Thank you for taking time, taking a risk, and working hard to provide superior ski instruction!

Beautiful Mountains - The Tetons

Just one picture from our return trip form Big Sky. Here are the Teton mountains of Wyoming, viewed from the west in Idaho.

Super-Phantom 2: Guidance for Practice

I had a comment on my previous Super-Phantom posting asking for guidance/resources for practicing the Super-Phantom. Here are a few exercises for each component that I mentioned. The books Anyone Can Be an Expert Skier 1 and Harald Harb's Essentials of Skiing are good resources for more exercises or further details. As well, the PMTS forum (see link to right) has good threads on technique and practice.

Have fun!

transferring balance to the little-toe edge of the uphill ski
Sidestepping uphill (not sliding)
Traverses on little-toe edge of uphill ski
Traverse, stepping alternately from uphill to downhill ski
Traverse and sidestep uphill

sufficiently-forward balance to lighten the downhill ski tail
Shuffling feet fore/aft in straight run or traverse
Teetering uphill ski in traverse (holding ski off ground, pull foot back to touch tip to snow, push foot ahead to touch tail to snow)
Teetering downhill ski in traverse
Teetering inside foot in a turn
Traverse lifting only tail of uphill ski

flexing the downhill leg to keep the new free foot off the snow
Traverse lifting only tail of downhill ski
Turn completions ("J-turns") with tail of inside ski lifted (come to complete stop with tail still lifted)

tipping the free foot throughout the turn
Traverse tipping uphill ski toward little-toe edge (tip away from other foot)
Traverse, alternately tipping UH ski toward LTE, then flattening, then tip again to a higher angle
Start in fall line; tip one foot away from the other; hold for a second, then flatten, then tip again to a higher angle
On almost-flat hill, aim skis 45 deg. across hill. Start to slide; tilt downhill ski to flat, then back to big-toe edge; tilt to flat, then back to big-toe edge; tilt beyond flat onto LTE, then back to flat; tilt beyond flat onto LTE and then tip it farther.

sufficient counterbalancing to maintain balance on the stance ski throughout the turn
Touch stance hand to top buckle on stance boot throughout turn
Drag outside (stance-side) pole basket on snow through turn; don't let inside (free-side) pole touch snow
Lean head and shoulders over stance foot throughout turn
Crunch ribs to pelvis on stance side throughout turn
Any of above, keeping free ski off the snow through the turn

sufficient counteracting to finish the turn in balance, prepared for the new turn
Keep inside arm shoulder-high with hand above ski tips ("Strong Arm")
Reach inside arm across torso to touch inside hand to outside hip throughout turn
Hip-o-Meter, keep outside/stance hand pressing poles down and aft, inside/free hand above and forward of the poles
Face head and torso toward the lifted bases of the skis (outside the arc of the turn)