Mogul skiing technique

check with the mags at tgr

Well, GP, if you have no interest in practicing, your best hope of looking like a pro would be to get a new outfit, hairdoo, and appropriate accessories. Then just stay in the lodge or bar, and strut and lie.

Search through the moguls for a good line. Search through the trail maps for a good run. Search through the forum for threads with mogul in the title.

Rick's right. Get yourself a nice headband, some tight trousers and a ski jumper (NEVER wear a parka), and some leg warmers. Some white rear entries, and some very very long skis with Olin or Hexel on. And some reflector sunnies with plastic frames.

You'll look great, so long as you stay away from the actual bumps.

Sorry, GP, it does appear I miss-read you. This grizzly old coach has no tolerance for apparent slackers.

Therusty offers good advice. Line selection, look ahead, good balance, flex and extend, and there's a lot of good stuff in the archives here too. Seach it, study it, and if you find something in it which you have further questions on bump the thread back up and ask.

And though I don't know what level skier you are, I also advise you to keep working hard on your balance and edge control skills outside the bumps to develop your foundational base. It really does enhance your ability to improve quickly in the bumps.

Vickey's and Extrovert at Alta (although I think the pow covered up all the bumps).

Hands forward:

I've been teaching bumps to a Dad with really good groomed form, but he's frustrated with his bumps (and other terrain). Bumps ain't easy. There's no fast easy "key' to it. It's the ultimate reveal of all your weaknesses.

First, find your ankles and USE them, big time. any bending needs to start there, not your waist.

Learn to rise up at turn initiation, or in fact whenever you can. Rise.
Learn to turn the skis fast. and rising will help that, as it flattens the skis and they turn on a dime.

forget all those rules about going around the bump etc etc. Any bit of the bump is your turning territory.
I suck in bumps because I'm scared of heights and bumps are like stools to me. So I've learned to turn twice on teh top of a bump, I've learned to zipperline and absorb, I learned Ridges and Bridges from Todd at Mt Snow, I've learned to follow the contours of the bumps from an Aussie (also at mount snow) and I've learned massively active absorption/retraction and active extension from Hugo at Thredbo (his "sucking" turns, but incredibly powerful muscle training for bumps, almost zen bump skiing, what a STAR!).

In the end, if I'm drunk or full of flu pills, the bumps are groom for me, but if the brain is active, I'm worrying and tensing the whoel way down. I really love bumps but fear them also, but boy can I teach the buggers. My students always end up better than me, because they aren't scared at the top of each damn bump!

Pivot & Sideslip

A simple start to bumps (start on little bimps) is to learn to traverse, pivot your skis side to side and be able to side slip your skis in between each pivot: then “shop & buy” the bump you want. Start on smaller bimps and traverse to the TOP of a bump you like, pivot skis the direction you want to go, turn down the bimp and sideslip for control as you need (critical you move upper body down the fall line & do not raise straight up) down the bimp , traverse and or sideslip/traverse to the next bimp to the top, pivot, turn down the fall line, and etc. Make sure you try and keep your shoulders/hands pointed somewhat towards the fall line. “Shop and buy the bump you want using this traverse sideslip pivot method. The top of the bump is easier to pivot because you only have a small amount of ski in contact with the snow.

bumps technique

I've found the 'aspen techniqe' links over at realskiers.com to have an interesting perspective - soft edge technique, skis close together, and ski the troughs. I used to ski a line straight down steep bumps, but my aging body doesn't feel like it has too many more years of that approach left in it.

I can tell you what advice to watch out for that you'll always be given in a mogul discussion:

*Make pole plants out in front out you/drive your hands forward/etc. - This advice is true but can be excecuted incorrectly (and usually is by most bump novices). Whatever you do, don't allow these techniques to make you bend forward at the waist. This will actually result in shifting your weight back to your heals. Try it at your desk! You can "flick" your poles forward with your wrist, but don't actually move/extend your arms to do so.

*Keep your weight forward - same as above. Uninformed intentions will usually actually shift your weight back.

*Keep your shins touching the front of your boots - How on earth do you do this naturally (by moving your boot back - but no one will tell you that)? Don't waste time on this one.

So what do you do?

*Balance naturally, don't try any crazy positions
*Use your legs as shock absorbers. Practice this on individual easy bumps out in the open. As your skis hit the bump, allow your knees to drive up towards your body. Push down on your skis as you go over the bump. Picture a car over a bump - the car (your upper body) stays still but the wheels (your legs) move up and down.
*Start on low angle, small, soft bumps to build confidence. Much, much easier than hard, icy, steep bumps.

Glen,

I find that the biggest issue with bumps is maintaining firm ski/snow contact (pressure) on the back sides of the bumps. In Ant's reply, she states to rise whenever possible. I disagree pretty strongly with that, because if you follow that advice, you'll launch yourself off every bump you contact, and end up on you backside.

The trick to maintaining edge pressure on the backs of the bumps, is being low/retracted/compressed as the skis crest over the bump so that you can drive the tips of the skis down the back of the bump. For a lot of people, the simple thought of driving the ski tips down the back of the bump will improve their bumps skiing a good amount.

As you drive the tips down the backs of the bumps, the skis should be on edge and forcefully turning you across the fall line.

One exercise I'll do with students is grab some small sticks out of the woods, and place them just in front of the tops of the bumps, perpendicular to the direction of travel. Then, I'll ask them to ski over the bump but don't let the ski (just the part under the boot) touch the stick. This forces you to forcefully retract just as you are about to crest the bump. As your weight sarts to fall, you are coming down the back side of the bump and you'll have a lot of pressure on the snow on the back of the bump.

Keep your CM turning and not going straight down the fall line. hit the fronts of the bumps at and angle, force the tips down the back of the bumps and exit the bump facing across the hill in the opposite direction that you started (turn around the bump, about 3/4 of the way up the bump).

This, however, will not have you looking like a pro mogul skier, but will have you skiing bumps the way they are supposed to be skied. If you want to look like you are on the pro tour, point the skis straingt down the hill, lean back and slap the tops of the bumps as you skim over them. Be sure to load up on the Advil before you head down the hill, though, and make sure your medical insurance is paid up.

Can I buy some of your youth? Please, pretty please with cream and sugar on top?

The best way to bump like a rock star is to spend a week training with rock stars. John Smart runs the best mogul camp anywhere.

http://www.momentumskicamps.com/adul...dult_index.php

-T

Pierre, admit it. You sometimes bust loose with a comp zipperline style at the end of a run.

Glenplake,
Start skiing the bumps softly and slowely, no hitting the bumps. Learn to do retraction turns on groomers, then learn to retract over a bump, from there, learn to do retraction turns over the bumps-- easier said than done, so some quality lessons with quality practice = fun and good bump skiing.

RW

Only when bumped into the "Hey Guys Watch This" frame of mind by some youthful little bastad.

Don't know about that, but a lot of Americans go to this camp. Are you banned from crossing the border?

the best piece of advice I ever got was to picture pedaling a bike backwards. That is the motion your legs should make. Other than that keep your hands forward, shoulders back and don't overbend at the waist and drive yoour tips into the troughs.

Competitive bump skiers may look like they are leaing back but they definately are not. They are so far forward it looks like they are leaning back. If you look closely their skis barely leave the snow. It is actually quite amazing.

I tried this out yesterday skiing at Blue Knob. It was amazing how much that technique helped me out. Specifically in terrain that I can't really describe as a normal mogul field. It was really a collection of bumps ranging in size between car tires and a small house with no consistency which certainly made it a challenge to find a line. I was able to ski better, with more consistency, and with more rythm thanks to this tip.

 

Glue your feet together, plant your pole late, and most of all get on some low angle runs where speed control does not matter and point your skis.

I certainly don't know how to ski moguls, but if anybody is reading this for tips about hanging out at the lodge looking cool, make sure to either don't bring skis, or bring a broken pair.  Either way claim you busted them up on the double diamond earlier (gives you clout and prevents anyone from calling you on your skills).

 

Aside from practice & lessons doing drills to improve your skiing skills will improve your skiing.