Open Question: What do ski racers learn?

OK. It seems like a lot of racers and freeskiing competitors nowadays know very little about the technical aspects of the gear they use. Back in the days when I raced, things like DIN, boot sizes, proper weights and heights for what ski sizes we used, waxing, types of wax, etc. etc. were things we just learned. Either our coaches told us this stuff or we learned it on our own somehow. Are these things still taught to racers nowadays or is the focus simply on racing skills and techniques? This is something I've noticed over the past few years...I'm just curious.