@CindiSue, I've put my comments in
red with your post below.
The red boot with red liner is the new boot, the white boot with black liner is the old boot.
It looks like the new boot has more forward lean but not sure if that's enough to make a difference. Yes, that much extra forward lean can have an effect on your fore-aft balance. But below you explain that 4 lessons have done an amazing job of helping you get rid of the quad burn. Congrats! I'd stop worrying about the forward lean for this reason. Also, I just read above that the forward lean is adjustable. Really? Then do adjust them to be more upright and check that out. You may be surprised at the difference it makes, either good or bad. I also took a photo from the back where there appear to be adjustment screws? Is that what those are?
Now I have taken 4 classes since I wrote this post, and skied 7 times total.
I have "re-learned" how to ski at this point and my quads aren't burning anymore.
SUCCESS! (Well, they did get tired yesterday but I was skiing in a foot of new snow so that is to be expected...) I am staying
forward most of the time.
This means you are not sitting back, which might have been the source of the stressed quads. What helped me the most was a) remembering to
complete my turns,
the best ever tactic for speed control then b) keeping my
uphill ski closer to my downhill ski as the turn completes
reducing inside tip lead eliminates a common movement to the rear of the skis at the end of a turn which then causes the next turn to be started from an aft position and I go into the new turn, c) getting back into the rhythm of
upright position I'm assuming this means no longer squatted aft as the new turn starts to start the turns, d)
almost all my weight on the outside ski,
Hooray, that's a fundamental right there and e)
side bend also known as angulation, which puts weight onto that outside ski where it belongs and where it gives you more control into "c or banana shape" especially on steeper stuff
Congrats on overriding the fear- that's a big deal. All these slowed me down, gave me control, allowed me to mostly stay forward, without having to
really flex and trash those quads.
But I find it weird that I'm still skiing more slowly and still having a lot more trouble on steep slopes than I did with my old boots.
So
is it possible that I just had gotten more functional with a crappy technique, and now I'm starting over with a better technique, so anything I did before isn't relevant now? I agree with you, it's probably not the boots but the awkwardness of new skill set that is not yet fully integrated into your skiing. For example I carved well on really shallow stuff which I don't even ski anymore because we don't have any at my new mountain, but I skidded a lot on steep stuff.
Racers carve on steep stuff. That makes them go real fast, at speeds unsafe for recreational skiers. What you felt and labelled as carving probably was not technically carving. I'm not sure what you were doing, however. That instructor taught you great stuff. Can you do one more lesson to deal with your form on steeps?