Youre actually wrong when it comes to the "dumb" 50 year olds who only ski groomers. Most good coaches can be anywhere from right out of college (21-22) all the way to past 60. They SHRED. The head of my old program was in a sit ski, and he fucking made that thing look easy in ANYTHING. These coaches will also stress that the mountain is the best coach. You slack on the mountain, you will never make it in a course. Terrain in the woods and even in moguls will destroy you if you have poor style. My old coach (Ben Moody for anyone who follows DH Biking), is a RIDICULOUSLY good skier. I have never seen someone shred so hard in all conditions. He loves it when we get days to just ski because he says no matter how much you like or dislike racing, all he wants is to foster a love of skiing.
And to make a point about right and wrong in racing, thats right, but its the same in freestyle. You get penalized for missing a gate in racing, in a competition for freestyle you get penalized for falling, messing up a rotation, etc. In racing everyone has their own style. Some are faster, some are slower. You guys rag on Goepper, but he can throw down. Its much like Bode when he was younger. People ragged on him, but he was SUPER fast.
Anyways, thats my stance.
