WOW!! this is getting to be a lot to think about in a turn that is over in one second give or take. there are many good things here in this thread of how to OVERthink a turn. in the world of ZO the only way that a skier advances down the course/rope is by working with the boat. Counter rotation can be simplified so much more! Its purpose is to keep the rope "tight" through your pre turn and apex so you know when it is time to make your move back in. normally when i first see someone "thinking about countering" they are actually doing it too much. most of what happens in the turn should actually feel pretty natural. the ski was made to turn, some better than others but the main point is our place of "work" is directly behind the boat. what 99% of top skiers and coaches are going to tell you to be is "down the line" or "moving with the boat" in some sort of way. it could be by being "open," looking at the pylon in the boat with your shoulders facing it the entire way across or "closed," by having the leading shoulder a little lower and "away" from the boat. either way you you NATURALLY ski you should be "tuned in" to where the boat is at all times. in the turn the only way you know where that boat is, is by "feeling" it IN the rope. So, only counter enough to feel the rope. the more you move your shoulders out the more you have to move them back in, and in my experience any extra movement outside can be translated to bad movement. if you have to turn your shoulders 90 degrees to the boat to feel the rope through the turn then you would most definitely be "out of the pull zone" so you HAVE to turn your shoulders too much, break your core connecting, move to the back heel through the back hip, get tip rise, slack and a $100 chiropractor bill to follow that new $1500 ski :) so like i said above all of the things that i have read here are GREAT things to know and play with, they will all help you to understand what helps you be the best skier you can be, having the most fun of your life in the process. but when any or all of these become the main focus, just remember how you get out to the turn in the first place.