If he's training according to Pavel's techniques, his lowering of the weight could be to get him used to 350 lbs on his back. Maybe he routinely pulls 3g's on a GS or downhill turn.

If this is the case, he is absolutely avoiding trauma. He's training his nerves to recruit enough muscle fibers, and his body to generate enough tension to handle the load. He's probably working on his breathing, too. By avoiding muscle trauma, he could actually repeat and build on the training in another few hours.

But there could be a whole 'nother explanation for the exercise: he will routinely get crushed by turns and landings, but the very last thing Bode Miller will ever do on a ski course (literally) is to explode out of his tuck position going 80 mph.