by Jeff Markham » Thu Mar 18, 2004 8:11 pm
My two cents...
I've Harald's writings and have had personal conversations with him. I have never gotten the impression that Harald, literally or figuratively, claims to have either invented or re-invented the wheel (i.e., skiing). However, I believe that he can claim to be one of the very few who are espousing a narrow horizontal stance, along with other concepts such as inside foot tipping as a method for turning, etc. It may be that he was the first individual to differentiate between vertical separation and horizontal separation. Certainly, he did not invent the distinction, but recognized it and brought it to the skiing world's attention.
IMHO, PMTS is not a collection of proprietary techniques. IMHO, I *do* consider PMTS unique in that it has taken the "best of the best" and has integrated them into a comprehensive system that excludes non-productive techniques. Also, I believe PMTS unique in its incorporation of alignment and it has newly addressed the foundations of skiing instruction. It is this integration of complementary parts which is synergistic. The beauty of PMTS is that, taken alone, the techniques are excellent and you can receive value by implementing any part. However, PMTS is truly more than the sum of its technical components. Add in Harald's highly effective books, videos, and camps, and you have a formidable combination. I can personally testify that it instantly and drastically changed my skiing for the better. Note that I am not a PSIA basher -- I have only had one previous ski lesson and I don't know or care whether it was PSIA-based. It *is* possible to be a PMTS fan, but not an enemy of PSIA.
One thing to note is that the creation of PMTS was not a one-man show. It was the product of several individuals: Harald, Diana Rogers, Rich Messer, Kim Peterson, Bob Hintermeister, et al -- Harald has never claimed to be the sole fount of wisdom. However, he *is* passionate about his ideas and is uncompromising regarding his vision. He is clearly the person most identifiable with PMTS and serves as both an object of admiration and condemnation.
For years, Harald has been promoting PMTS techniques to a largely deaf ski-instruction community. I have no doubt that it has been *extremely* frustrating for him at times. He receives lots of effusive accolades from his clients -- and it should be noted that they came to him, not the other way around. However, his clients can't change the outside world of sking instruction themselves, except perhaps as a bottom-up movement.
So, when an outside authority (presumably not affiliated with either PMTS or PSIA) changes his mind about a wide stance and publicly says so, I can understand Harald's enthusiasm. He's only human.