Chris,

I have used the SKI COACH extensively since I purchased one in January and I’ve found it be a ‘fabulous tool that provides immediate definitive feedback’. I find it much better and simpler to use both when working just by myself and also when I have worked on ski proficiency tasks training our new class of Ski Patrollers in preparation for their on-hill qualification test.

It is also a much more cost effective and quicker way to provide feedback versus using a video camera, taking a break from training or practice to go watch and break down the video footage, and then go back on the hill and try and put the pieces back together again. While video is a valuable tool for some things the SKI COACH gives that immediate conclusive feedback that a skier can both feel and hear. I find that both myself, my fellow patrollers who have tried it, and the candidate patrollers like and find benefit much faster in fewer repetitions because of the unmistakable feedback the SKI COACH gives you. You really KNOW when you are doing it correctly.
I have tried wearing it both inside and outside of my coat and I prefer to wear it inside. While I both hear and feel it when the metal balls move,  I find that I feel it before I hear it and can often feel the metal balls begin to move.  Conversely when wearing it outside my coat I lose some of that feel and rely more on the audible.

Overall, I have found the SKI COACH to be just an incredibly valuable training tool. It has definitely helped me to improve and my fellow patrollers that have tried it have all found it very interesting. I have strongly recommended it and given the website information out in the hopes that more people will discover it too.

Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to help you promote the SKI COACH. I believe it is an amazing idea, concept, and tool whose time has come!

Regards,

Ken Adams
National Ski Patrol Member 217523

Chris,

Nothing is as good as the Ski Coach. I have used it all season with most of my cliental and can't believe how much and how fast it improves their skiing. I am certainly a strong fan. It was worth every cent I paid for it. Thanks for inventing such a fantastic gizmo.

Dennis

For several of my clients the ski coach has turned out to be a great biofeedback device for them to understand counterbalancing.  It seems to be especially useful in people who have difficulty sensing where their shoulders are tipping in relation to their feet.  Also has aided some with the timing and coordinating of upper/lower body. 

The patroller who has one wears it almost daily.  I’m going to ski with him next week and so will get a good chance to see how it's helped, but just observing from the lift he is much better dynamically balanced than before.

If all goes as normal our ski season will be over at the end of this month.  We got some fresh stuff yesterday, about 3-4 inches wet, but still very nice to play in.

Hope you are having a good season. 

Kris

Hi Chris,

I have been using the Ski Coach.  It gets my endorsement, an excellent teaching aid.  I have offered it to the Red Mountain Ski instructors as well.
Regards,

Mark
Canadian Ski Quest Ltd.

Hi Chris

I have been using the ski coach and with great results.   I have used it on advanced/expert skiers and within 2 runs they are usually successful.  I have also used it on intermediate skiers that have no angulation and again within a couple of runs they are successful.

Kathy

Hi Chris,

Things are going very well this season.  I have had great success in using the Ski Coach in actual practicum.  The clients that have used this training device have corrected a number of skiing issues and I am very pleased with the response from my clients that have had an opportunity to use it.  I would recommend ski schools across the country utilize this tool for the benefit of all their clientele and staff.

Cindy Bogach

Chris,

The device is awesome! We have had some great results.

Bridget

Chris,

I tried The Ski Coach yesterday and today. IT WORKS! I'm leery of most gizmos, but this one is like having Rich Messer whispering into my ear every turn, "REACH FARTHER DOWN HILL." (Rich is a super guy and fantabulous ski coach who gives skiing tips at the top of his lungs*.)

Really, it worked for me. I've had the habit for many, many years of leaning back into the hill. Of course, when the skiing gets tough my skis wash out. Coaches and instructors have all told me to lean away from the hill. Harald told me to reach out with my pole so the tip was way downhill and about 2" above the snow. That works great when I'm thinking of it, but I have a lot to keep in mind to ski right, and thinking of more than one thing at a time is a strain. Using the Ski Coach worked to get my upper body more downhill and my hips more uphill as they should be. If I didn't hear the clank, I knew I was back at my bad old habits. If I heard the clank just before the next turn, I knew I was doing better but still not right. If I heard the clank at the right point during the turn, depending on the turn radius and the hill's pitch, the turns were sweet.

The Ski Coach made the most difference just where it is needed most...on steeps. We had two days of great powder at Crystal, snowed all day Thursday, and sunny, cold, & drier Friday, and I skied much better than I had been doing.

Now,   a plug for the PMTS All-Mountain Camp. It worked GREAT for me. Four full days of skiing with the best ski coaches I've ever met, Harald and Rich, and I am skiing better than I ever guessed I'd be able to ski. I'm a natural klutz, and I really like the way I ski now.

*At the All-Mountain camp, Rich said that he hoped we didn't mind if he yelled at us. I told him that I was used to it...I'm married.

Ken

Chris

I think this is a great tool!  Listening to your skiing is such a cool thing.it really helps over-thinkers let go of thought!

Jenn

Hi Chris,

Thank you for your instructor lesson in Lake Louise. Your ski coach is a great device. Heli-skiing was very good for the early season. In my group were 5 guys from Alaska with a high skiing level and we had much fun.

A good friend of mine is coach at the ski instructor training in my province Styria. He is also lector at the University for sport inGraz and responsible for ski trainings for high school classes. I’ll show and give him the ski coach in the next days.

Happy Christmas and a great new year.

Dr Robert Pratte

Hi Chris, thank you for your time on snow showing me the progression you have been using.

In my opinion, all of your tactics work very well.  Any exercise that creates awareness of balancing against the outside ski will work, however, the dragging poles, hands on outside knee are basic and easy to achieve.  What I like the most is how you introduce the exercise into the guest’s skiing and then use the ski coach as reinforcement.  This type of audio feedback will certainly be valuable to the guest long after they have left their ski pro.  Once our guests understand what they should be doing to achieve lateral balance, the ski coach makes them aware if they are doing it or not.

It’s a great tool, and I would be happy to endorse the product.

Warren

Chris,

I used the Ski Coach today for a few hours. It’s a great tool. If you have any question about your counter balancing I'd suggest it. I also think it will work well when working with your friends. Counter balance is such a tough thing for so many people to understand. Two thumbs up!

Max_501

Chris,

I purchased the ski coach earlier this year and am pretty enthusiastic about it. Today I demonstrated it at Sugar Bowl. I asked Mike Iman the head of the ski school if I could demonstrate it to him or one of his instructors. He had me demonstrate it to Bob Thomas, one of his top instructors. Bob actually put it on for one run. He stated it solves the problem on getting people to balance on their stance ski by providing instant feed back.

Bob said he would give a favorable report to Mike Iman. Sugar Bowl is near Truckee California. Mike's phone number is (530) 426 6772. For Email, try moutainsports@sugarbowl.com.

Sugar Bowl is usually open till Easter Sunday. I hope you don't mind my taking these liberties. I was at Sugar Bowl last week and this instructor was giving a lesson to five girls about how to use counter moves to turn on the flat. When I do this on the flat with the ski coach, I get a click each time I change edges. The instructor proceeded to lead the group down the trail and not one girl turned the entire way. I thought to myself, "this is ridiculous".

I am confident that the use of the ski coach would improve ski instruction at Sugar Bowl and I hope this demonstration leads to that goal.

Phil Nachtsheim

Hello Chris,

The SKI COACH made me realize that the angle of my body was incorrect to the angle of the slope. Once I had got the SKI COACH actually working it made my turning better, which made it easier to get down the piste.

My comments: It gave me a better angle to the slope and once I had heard the ball roll over to the other side I could prepare myself for the next turn.

Andrew probably got more out of the SKI COACH than any lessons he has had!

All the best

Rachel

Hello Chris,

My experience with the "Ski Coach" was a favorable one this winter.

I was able to help students better through the auditory response given by Ski Coach. It allowed students to associate correct body position with the positive "click" sound made when achieving a strong lateral balance against the outside ski.

Students did not find the Ski Coach to be obtrusive or cumbersome.  I would be happy to endorse the use of Ski Coach as a highly effective ski teaching aid.

Sincerely,

Guy Paulsen

Hi Chris,

Really pleased to have got your reply.  Really sad to be back here in the  UK and at work!

Holiday was great and am now having to put up with all my friends departing on their skiing holidays.  Had a very nice late offer from my friends to go and share their chalet in La Plagne, France on the 18th March - can't tell you how tempted I am!

I have been promoting SKI COACH to all my skiing buds and one of them is Hopefully taking to France with him.  While we were in Banff our friends were in Ferine and they saw a few of your SKI COACH in operation!  I personally think it helped me so much.  Instead of feeling very alone after Ski School I had something that I could concentrate on rather than feel nervous about where I was skiing.  I will use it without question every time I ski.  Jack wants to join a local Boarding club so I will use on the slopes there too.

Paula

Hi Neil/Chris,

How are you?  Hope you and your family are doing well.  Just a quick
note to thank you for your excellent Instruction during my recent holiday.  I thoroughly enjoyed working with the group and I am sure you and Chris are on to a winner with the excellent Ski Coach trainer. The ' CLICK' will get the balance right for everyone on the slopes.  Hopefully the snow is still as good as when I was there a few weeks ago and everyone is having fun.

I am looking forward to trying to get out again next year, although I have to wait and see when my winter leave will be. Have e-mailed Polly/ Iain and Dave as it would be nice if we were out around the same time next year.

Gary

Chris,

Works great! Tried my self and with my private student.

It helped my student to concentrate on two things at same time- feet movements and upper body counter.

Instant feedback- would recommend buying.

When skiing with “ski coach” my self found it very helpful in black and D black runs. On steep terrain I have tendency to lean toward the slope in top part of the turn. With this device I was able to perform instant adjustments of my upper body counter. As a result, smooth “one shot” runs top to bottom on most difficult terrains.

Slava
PMTS Instructor – Green

Hi Chris,

Both Jim and I wanted to thank you for putting yourself out last week to show us The Ski Coach! Both of us were very impressed, and I certainly feel it’s a great training aid, I feel my skiing has improved no end!

Kindest Regards

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the opportunity to experience the Ski Coach first hand.  In the limited time that we spent using it the other day, I could quickly see how effective it would be to help develop more effective lateral balance with all levels of skiers.   I think that as long as the Pros using it understand that it doesn't replace good assessment & development it will certainly be a very useful tool for a Pro to have in situations where you are trying to develop angulation.  In addition, I found very interesting how you could use it to develop a better awareness of lateral balance in different phases of the turn.

I hope this helps you out Chris. Thanks

Mark Ridgely
Director
Lake Louise Ski & Snowboard School

Hi Chris,

Thanks for your New Year greeting. I have had great success with the Ski Coach both with my wife (a progressing intermediate) and my 7 year old son (3rd season on skis).  I have been trying to impart some PMTS principles to both this season. I was amazed to see our boy correct obviously incorrect upper body awareness with the help of the Ski Coach after only a few runs. Once he seemed to recognize the correct balancing of upper body, I took it off him and he continued broadly in a correct position. The feedback from my wife was equally positive.......but that's a longer story!! I think when used in combination with awareness of other key PMTS principles, the Ski Coach can be a great tool. I wish you much success with it; congratulations!

Best regards,
Gene

Chris,

Excellent  device. Well made and ordering was easy and mine arrived in 2 days. My High C is moved up considerably from the feedback I am getting.

Much success with your fine product, "Coach"

Belskifast

Hi Chris,

So about the SKI COACH; I loved it! The product is simple to use and the design is unobtrusive. When I used the SKI COACH... I was able to translate the abstract concept of how my body should be positioned in relation to the hill into concrete awareness and control of my movements. The SKI COACH provided immediate and kinesthetic feedback about what I was doing right and what I was doing wrong.  I’m not quite sure how to say this but I like that the product can be used outside of the lesson environment it’s like having your own personal instructor skiing with you in a more natural and dynamic environment.

Gail