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Of all the books and videos Harald has done, this is the most understandable, and concise. The video portion is very short, and acts as a teaser so we will buy the full video version. which we will.
I cannot think of any other contemporary ski authors with his qualifications. This is just simple, straightforward explainations with no guessing required."Essentials of Skiing" distills skiing into six essential movements that once mastered will result in the kind of skiing we all aspire to; the kind of skiing that shows up in ski movies. I've read a great many ski instruction books and nobody can articulate the mechanics of modern technique at a level that even comes close to Harald. There is simply no comparison between Harald and everyone else.
There are no weak metaphors that you must try to interpret. This is simply the finest ski instruction text in existence today. This is world class coaching available to anyone.When you read this book, you will be simply astonished at how well Harald explains modern ski technique. When you consider the costs of ski lessons, the value of what he is offering cannot be understated. Harald's instruction is both simple and effective and he includes plenty of great drills with external cues to help you learn to perform the movements and evaluate whether you are doing them correctly.What Harald teaches is effective and it works for skiers of all ability levels.
This is particularly true if you have read some of the other authors out there, or have read some of the "instruction" articles in the skiing magazines. His stuff has helped my skiing improve beyond my wildest expectations (and in a very short amount of time). If you've ever been frustrated by vague instructions like "be patient at the top of the turn" or "skiing ice is like skiing on eggs--you must be gentle yet aggressive" then this book is for you. In addition to the book, Harald has also published a very fine DVD series for the "Essentials Of Skiing". My skiing improved exponentially when I started applying what he is teaching.It is rare to find someone who is both a great skier and a great teacher, but Harald is both of these things.
He raced on the World Cup in his youth and then became a coach of skiers who would race on the US Ski Team, win Olympic medals and appear in ski movies. This is available through his website and I would also highly recommend it.I highly recommend all of Harald's products. This is the gold standard of ski instruction and I would encourage anyone to take advantage of it.
I have skied for over 30 years and learned from this book. Harb's book is a practical explanation of technique for the advanced skier. I found the DVD to be particularly useful for demonstration of the exercises.Some people can do and not teach, but I believe that Harb can both do and teach this technique. I am looking forward to next season.
Of course a lot of work is needed to get there but the way is open whereas before all I could see was a cloud of confusion.the detractors all have an axe to grind. He skis with and fits boots for Eric Schlopy. As a former terminal intermediate I now realise that I can ski like the WC racers. The language is clear and concise. This book , as a follow on from his previous books , is a must buy for anyone wanting to improve. This is no quick "band aid" method , like anything worthwhile , the student has to put in the effort to get the best. Bennie Raich's coach changed his alignment on Haralds advice with immediate improvement in results. I have seen coaches come up to Harald , hat in hand , to ask advice on technique and alignment.
etc. Check the testimonials. It clearly breaks down all basic and "Essential" movements. etc. Marco ( Polo ) for example has his own system as a supposed coach but his concepts of wide stance etc are all now well and truly debunked by recognised race coaches. Harald himself trained the likes of Chris Davenport and Tommy Moe. etc.The great thing about his books and method is that it doesn't matter at what level you are you can improve. ( and leave his ego at the door , something a lot have trouble with )Having said that , even with a minimal effort you will still get some benefit , still far more than with traditional schools.A side effect of studying this method is a greater appreciation and enjoyment of WC racing , you can see the techniques in action at the highest level.I spent many years looking for the best , most up to date instruction in France , Austria and Spain.( Spain , believe it or not ,I found generally better than the others ) Nothing compares.
I guess they did not have time to produce the complete set of dvds to sell with the book. For me, the previous 2 books of this book, Anyone can be an expert skier 1/2, focus on the final products of skiing skills, such as lift and tilt(book1), brush carve, bullet proof short turn, weighted release, super phantom move(book2), while in this third book, the emphasis is on the fundamental skills to make those previous ones perfect.However, if you haven't read the previous books and jump to read this one, you might not see the thought behinds each exercises. Two reason are it loads with technical details that would be more understandable with some reading on the previous books and the included dvd is just the trailer of another 3 dvds which just came out and are only available on the author's site( http://www.harbskisystems.com/detessent.htm ). The 3 dvds are worth to have, they illustrate how to perform each exercise correctly, especially when you don't understand or misunderstand what's written in the book.My last thought is no matter how much you know of PMTS(the system that these books are based on), you won't be able to perform them efficiently and could be frustrated if your boot alignment is way off. So, to start enjoying pmts, the first step I recommend is get the boot alignment right(by a certified pmts guy), read the 3 books starting from book1, watch the dvds, and perform exercises in those material.
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