Another Day

Hi Folks!

First let me make you aware of a change. You will now have to post under the registered option. It is simple as it even accepts AIM screen names. The reason for this is simple. It will make it easier to follow the threads by identifying some handle to a post.

This blog has really proved it's point. When I read the nonsense that keeps getting repeated over and over in the same illiterate manner it leaves little doubt that the core constituency of Epic is not too bright.

Once and for all let's put aside the following points regarding PMTS:

1. I have never met Harb or anyone else associated with PMTS. I am in fact certified by PSIA and still a member in good standing.

2. Harb never claimed he invented the move that he named the "Phantom Move". I challenge anyone to direct us to one place where he does. What he does claim to have done is to have developed a new and complete learning system that is directed to the public. Those of you who do not undestand this are eitehr stupid or ill-informed.

3. Those of you who comment negatively on Harbs skiing just make yourselves and Epic look even more clueless. You can debate the systems all you want but the guy can ski.

4. Those of you who continue to say that Harb was booted from PSIA should watch out. The next time you post that back it up. FYI, many of PSIA's best technical papers that are still in use were written by Harb. Again if you don't know waht you are talking about you and Epic would prob be better served if you kept your mouths shut.


This should preclude any need to address these points again unless you are prepared to back it up with authentic and authoritative links.

The question of why I was banned from Epic has come up a couple of times. I was banned because I called SSH on a racist joke that he made. In a general sense Epic didn't like the way I called people out on their BS. What I object to was the complete double standard that exists on Epic. Those that are in agreement with teh principles of PSIA are allowed to say and do whatever they want. They can treat other members with disrespect on a regular basis but when they get a taste of their own medicine they dont like it. Leading up to the SSH incident was the psoting of El Hombre Rapidos photos. The funny thing is that according to the mods he was whining like a baby even before that over the race challenge.

A private lesson at a resort is up above $500 per day. If you think your money would be well spent with Rick Fastman, BPA, Mangojazz, Nolo, SSH etc. then Epic is for you.

Let me also address Ott's comments about Jerry Berg. Berg is a great skier. I had the pleasure to ski and be coached by him many times. He skis with style and power. Comapring him to Bob Barnes is just wrong. FYI, I have also skied with Bob. He's a nice guy but he's not a skier that I would aspire to ski like.

Not too much longer till the snow flies

Wow

I can't believe the number of posts! Not many were on the topic which I think is really the crux of the disagreement.

I had a great summer. The Olympics were amazing as was China. Really had a blast. Came back and got some more surfing in and then took delivery on a new boat for the kids. OMG! What a blast! They were ripping hanging out on the trapeze.

I see that Epic finally is puttering allomng with some banner ads. Now that they're advertising they should really invite the banned back. Controversy and excitement is how you not only break through to new ideas but also how you attract more eyeballs.

HHV (Harald Harb Envy)....it's a disease that seems to infect the pin chasers especially the ones on Epic. Interesting that those are the PSIA crowd that also lack real skiing skills.

Flexon keeps harping about what a real skier is. For me I know them when I see them. I know I ahvenm't seen any that are part of the Epic crew.

MA for the GP

The fixation with Harald Harb is really something. I guess it really must be intense envy. Is it that he has been able to have success independently? Let me again make something clear. I am not a PMTS member. I have never met HH or attended a clinic. I am certified by PSIA.

Now let's look at the skiing of the public in a very general sense. First of all the role of ski instruction has changed dramatically over the years. In the past there was a need to take lessons. Changes in areas such as equipment and grooming mitigated that need at least in the eyes of the public. The result has been that many many skiers are either self taught, taught by friends or take a beginner lesson and then are self taught. 

Now let's look at the public's performance on the hill in a general sense. Their skiing can best be described as pivoting t a skid or windshield wiper turns or Z turns. They use a variety of releases from picking skis up to big up movements. But they all use massive rotary movements. There may be upper body rotation at initiation as well. But the end result is that tail does not follow the tip. They cannot make round turns.

Now let's tie this back to how they are learning. They are self taught or taught be friends. ( Let's hope to god this is true because if it isn't ski instruction in the NA is a real failure). The twisting of their bodies or feet ends in a bad result. It is clearly a movement pattern that comes naturally to them. They instinctively know how to throw their skis sideways. So why oh why does PSIA teach people from the first wedge turn to turn their feet? Shouldn't they be taught how to balance on an edge. release the edge and use the ski?

How long will it take PSIA to back peddle out of the steering hole they've dug and continue to dig for themselves? It took them about 10 years on the stance issue.

Mailbag

Greetings from Bejing!

Sorry to be out of touch but I was surfing and then doing the long slog over
here with some stops along the way.

There are a number of topics and misinformation that keep coming up in these
discussions. These points keep getting raised by the Epic crew. I can only
conclude that it is willful misdirection.

This forum is not about PMTS. It is about the management of Epic ski banning
people who do nothing but voice an opinion. Often HH's conduct on the PMTS
forum is brought up as an excuse. Let's clear this up right now. The PMTS
forum is for PMTS. Always has been as far as I can tell. It makes this clear
up front It Epic on the other hand pretends to be an open forum. It is not
and that's fine to. Put please STOP PRETENDING!

PMTS success is not based on confrontation with Epic ski. Look up HH's books
on Amazon. Now look at Bob Barnes' book on Amazon. If Epic was responsible
for the success of Harb's book then Barnes would have sold more than 10
copies of his encyclopedia. If you compare the PMTS clinics with those of
Epic you will also see a great deal of difference. If Epic ski forums are
responsible for the success of the PMTS clinics then clearly we would see
more success in the Epic Ski Academy.

HH has taken old ideas and claimed he originated them. This is also untrue.
From what I can tell, his claim to originality comes from his development of
a complete teaching system including alignment that is available to the
public.

As far as MA goes. When someone on Epic post up skiing at the level of HH
and has his experience then I'm willing to listen. Until then it's a bunch
of wannabes running off at the mouth.

So if you want to talk about PMTS VS what P/CSIA offer that's fine but
enough with the red herring BS. It just makes you look stupid.

Although there have been many interesting posts, one I found particularly
telling was from The Rusty. It speaks volumes:

"You can't see the productive discussions because they've been moved to a
premium forum where they can not be interrupted by obstructionists preaching
the "truth" about skiing and ski teaching. Or is it hiding behind closed
curtains in fear of criticism from those who know better? Maybe there is
another perspective? "

This is so telling to the lack of any real leadership or ability to lead by
Epic Ski management. It is also very PSIA. Protect the status quo. Don't
rock the boat and keep it secret.

Anonymous

I feel the ability to post anonymously on this blog is an important one. It let's people post what they really think. It also is much easier. I was not sure how easy it would be to use the validation methods offered and I didn't want to make it a pain in the ass to comment.

I would ask, not demand that if you are a participant on Epic or PMTS that you sign your screen name at the bottom of your post. It gives all of us a way to track the discussion and various points of view.

Posting video:

Many of you keep asking why I don't post video. There are a couple of reasons. 

 I am quite comfortable with how I ski and I don't feel the need to have my skiing validated. I ski for myself.

When I want my skiing critiqued and I want some instruction, I know who to go to.

I have worked in many many areas of the ski business and who knows I may want to return in y old age. So de-cloaking would be nothing but a negative for me.

I'm not setting myself up as an instruction guru. The demands for posting video came about as the result of the following: El Hombre Rapido posted video of Harald Harb which is against Epic guidelines and then proceeded to rip it apart. He and others then continued to pontificate on skiing and teaching. So a simple request was made by Bolter and Max ( both of who posted video). Post the video of what you are talking about. Now common sense would dictate that El Hombre Silencio would WANT to post his skiing. He is launching a new instructional series. What better way to publicize it. His unwillingness to do so leads you to one conclusion.

Posting

Hi all. I just discovered that there were a number of posts that were sitting in "moderation". Now before you waste your time posting, "Vocal skier is no different than EPiC!!!", let me tell you what happened.

I've never set up a blog. When I set this up it had a feature that forced comments made to a blog post over a certain age into moderation. I was unaware of this. I just saw that I had 10 comments in moderation due to this feature. I have published all of them with the exception of 3 copies of the same post that Ott made prob due to the fact that he was not seeing his comment appear.

I am going to turn this feature off but as time goes by you may want to make your comments on the more recent posts so that they are seen.

Rusty raised the question of censorship. There are only three posts that I have deleted. They were obviously done by bots and if they had any relevance at all to any of this even remotely they would have been left alone.

My apologies to those of you who took the time to comment and did not see your posts appear.

Talk amongst yourselves

With the time out/banning or whatever other childish action Epic has taken, Epic posters are free to talk amongst themselves without anyone challenging the status quo. This is the PSIA way and therefore the Epic way. In PSIA dissent is bad. On Epic dissent is bad. That's why PSIA is having problems and thats why I would never waste my money on an Epic academy. 

What PSIA and Epic don't understand is what people need to learn to ski well. Learning to steer the feet from the start of the wedge has led to a public that can only twist and skid to turn. They are then unable to learn and more importantly unable to implement the skills necessary to move on to higher level skiing. They are never going to get to the round turn which is a key to higher level skiing. Like friends enthusiastically recommending a bad doctor, the Epic crowd continues to perpetuate the PSIA party line.  Skill blending is a nice platittiude but it's a joke.

I guess you have to have been in skiing a long time to realize how many really bad ideas the PSIA hierarchy has had to retreat from. The most recent being the "Wide Stance" philosophy. They've been running from that for a while now.  I'm sure at some point they will catch on about steering and rotary.

The bigger question is why in the world would Epic emulate and run their organization in the same heavy handed way that PSIA has. Don't they see that it hasn't worked for PSIA? 

The Obsession

It's been funny reading the posts from the Epic crew. They might even notice that their posts are not censored. What's interesting is the obsession that Epic has with Harald Harb and PMTS. I'm not a PMTS instructor. I started this blog to point out the hypocrisy of EPIC and also of PSIA of which I am a certified member. So where does all of this PMTS talk come from? It has to be the result of a combination of fear and envy and a desperate need for acceptance and validation.  Let me explain.

Decades ago PSIA lost it's way. As it became larger, it became more political. People were no longer judged and certified based upon merit alone. Let me be clear, many were certified on their ability but many more were not. They were passed and rose through the ranks on the buddy system. Not only does this have the effect of diluting the value of PSIA certification but it also fosters an environment where dissent and unique POV's are not tolerated.  This culture is then reinforced by the old guard hanging on to their positions. Look at the selectors for the D-team. It's the ancients and those that agree with the ancients. This extends all the way down to the divisions where examiners hold onto their status come hell or high water. A perfect example of all this is Nolo.  She clearly did not become an examiner based on her ability. She has clearly stated that she has received many plaques and awards based on all her work in her division. I contend that much of this got her the role of examiner. This is the PSIA way. Now if you were to stand up to Obi Wan and the others in the old guard who wrote all the silly crap that passes for ATS then you would have no chance at advancing. Because at some point in PSIA talent and ability take a back seat to the politics.

Of course this type of system hinders the development of new ideas and methods. It stifles creativity. This is why PSIA has been falling behind and losing members to the point where they now have yet a new membership level. Level 1 which essentially means if you pay them money they'll give you a pin.

PSIA is also important if you cant ski because they will tell you that you can. If you're part of the group,  they will validate your ability.  

All of this creates a bubble that PSIA and their group live in. They seem to have no awareness that the public views instructors as a joke. They have gone from being the admired masters of the mountain to being the bottom feeders. Tell some rippers that you are PSIA and they'll laugh at you. Kids today don't want ski um as instructors or to get taught by them either. They have better opportunities for work in the mountains and better coaching available

When we follow this, it is readily apparent why Epic behaves the way they do. Their ski experience is very limited. It is all in the PSIA cocoon. So they do not react well to challenge or innovation. That's why in one of the most innovative mediums in the history of man they are still stuck in PARK.

I guess that PMTS must be having an impact to generate the jealousy that comes form Epic. They must be scared that all the pin chasing and ass kissing could go down the drain.

Right and Wrong

Epic is a forum of extreme intolerance except in one area: bad skiing. If you can't ski, hello nolo, ssh, bts, jasp, bpa and let's not forget El Hombre Rapido!!! Dont worry I didn't forget Mango JAzz and Lonni.  It's ok. You won't be told that. Instead we'll look at your focus and your intent and any other type of BS that we can think of to justify your mediocrity. You're not skiing badly...you're doing a drill! You're not skiing badly....you're doing a demo. A demo of what? Skiing badly? No there is no skiing badly because according to Epic there is no right and no wrong way.  

I'm sorry to inform you there is a right and a wrong way and you can see it and quantify it. In a race course it's easy. Best technique wins. But we can se it in any other circumstance whether steeps, ice, powder etc. There are those whose movements on ski inspire us and cause us to aspire to them.  The problem is that many don't really know what those  movements look like and worse don't realize how far away they are from being able to make those movements.  Because they are told there's no right or wrong.

Perhaps this philosophy comes from PSIA. How else can it be that so many who are so involved in this organization whose sole goal is to train instructors ski so badly? 

Welcome!

This is an open forum. I've started it because I was banned from Epic Ski for asking some simple questions and exposing some of the frauds who post there in the instructional forums. 

Epic functions with 2 sets of rules. One set is for the public and one set is for a specific group at Epic. These individuals are allowed to criticize and say anything they want to without sanction. They are allowed to pontificate ad nauseum without providing any back up of their own ability or demonstrations of their technique. This is a bit odd considering that when any of us teach skiing eventually we have to demonstrate what we are talking about to our students. So why is it a big deal to ask for these individuals to post examples of them demonstrating. The reason is quite simple. They can't ski. They squawk and bark for video from others and  folks such as Max 501 and Bolter put up. But instead of rising to the challenge the Epic crew stooped to their usual tactics. Complain to Mods, Ban people and threaten others. No video was posted

 Epic is similar to a ski bar. The amount people talk about skiing is in inverse relation to their actual skiing ability. Nolo and SSH can't buy a turn although Nolo has many plaques and pins. BTS has provided one excuse after another for not posting his skiing. Ski Dude 72 is an obvious CSIA wannabe and is so out of it he still thinks Russ Wood is the Shit. But the biggest faker of all is El Hombre Rapido aka Fastman aka Rick. Well it turns out he can't ski either and when the photos went up of him much to his surprise the real crying started. The more you talk and the more convoluted the talk is, the less likely you are to actually be able to walk the walk. Well the Emperor's have no clothes on at Epic SKi.

Of course there are the other Psycophants that are so desperate to belong to the group such as WTFH and Cirqurider who contribute nothing but ass kissing.

There is a large group developing in the ski community that recognizes Epic for what it is, a petty little group and we're going to hold them to account. I suggest that anyone thinking of affiliating with Epic or who is already affiliated with Epic to think long and hard about it. I know that I will personally boycott instructors, manufacturers and areas that affiliate with them. I will encourage my friends and spread the word to others as well. 

The bullies will be stopped.