John, re. your original post -- I couldn't agree more.
As a general comment, folks on this forum are very focused on technique -- PMTS, Clendenin stuff, etc. -- but that talk seems to be mostly focused on hard snow skiing / carving, with a smattering of all-mtn. stuff like crud and bumps. The finest, most subtle moves of hips, knees, ankles, toes are dissected and analyzed and discussed at length. However, correct me if I'm wrong, those discussions don't really seem to be happening around powder skiing. I'm curious why? Do not enough of us ski powder to make for lively discussions? Or does the advent of rockered skis, together with the trend to much wider skis, make it so easy that good skill, technique and form are not that important any more? Rocker + Fat Ski = Easy-Peasy?
Seems to me that before the rocker thing became The Latest Thing, people with even a modicum of skill were skiing powder just fine. For decades. In leather boots and cable bindings and narrow straight wooden varnished skis. My father grew up in Germany, and every winter went ski touring in the Alps and Carpathian Mtns. with just that kind of kit. A knapsack on his back, he skied from village to village and stayed in little inns. He didn't need rocker and 115 mm skis to ski powder. Just the right technique and the guts to get out there and just ski and enjoy the amazing mountain scenery.
Just a little perspective to liven things up here....
Cheers,
Svend