I Just Took My First Bump Lesson ... This Is Why You Should, Too

[Monique]

But bump runs and natural snow are much safer, despite what many (most) people think, simply because the idiots who bomb down groomed runs irresponsibly, are unable to ski natural snow, or un-groomed runs.

I've also been saying this for years To the point where when I got back to skiing after surgery, I substituted "bumps in the corridor under the lift" for the "gentle groomers" I was supposed to be skiing. I am not a medical professional and would not recommend this for, well, anyone, but certainly not for people who aren't super comfortable in bumps - but I just found them safer. I didn't love bumps, but I knew I could ski them at a mellow pace without any greater chance of falling than I would have on a groomer - and almost no chance of being hit by another skier.

Weirdly, I seem to have made a huge leap in my bump skiing this season without any obvious cause*. But I'll take it!

* But probably all the gym time - I don't actually think it's the legs so much as the core. Decline situps and oblique twists. I suspect core strength can substitute for a pretty big number of lessons (sorry!). I'm just so much more stable in 3D / variable conditions.

 

[KevinF]

Another benefit of making yourself friends with bumps, and 3D snow in general ... right there! I used to freak out, and mostly crash when accidentally getting off the groomed surface. Now it's not ideal, but I can typically deal with it.

The speed at which you leave the groomers and enter more challenging terrain has a lot of impact (no pun intended...) on how easy the recovery is.

 

[Jerez]

Weirdly, I seem to have made a huge leap in my bump skiing this season without any obvious cause*. But I'll take it!

* But probably all the gym time - I don't actually think it's the legs so much as the core. Decline situps and oblique twists. I suspect core strength can substitute for a pretty big number of lessons (sorry!). I'm just so much more stable in 3D / variable conditions.

When my DH had surgery, it improved his bump skiing too. I attributed it, however, to his being forced to ski the bumps more slowly, with more absorption and a more gentle fluid approach. (helped my skiing too! )

 

[Mendieta]

I've also been saying this for years To the point where when I got back to skiing after surgery, I substituted "bumps in the corridor under the lift" for the "gentle groomers" I was supposed to be skiing. I am not a medical professional and would not recommend this for, well, anyone, but certainly not for people who aren't super comfortable in bumps - but I just found them safer. I didn't love bumps, but I knew I could ski them at a mellow pace without any greater chance of falling than I would have on a groomer - and almost no chance of being hit by another skier.

Weirdly, I seem to have made a huge leap in my bump skiing this season without any obvious cause*. But I'll take it!

* But probably all the gym time - I don't actually think it's the legs so much as the core. Decline situps and oblique twists. I suspect core strength can substitute for a pretty big number of lessons (sorry!). I'm just so much more stable in 3D / variable conditions.

Love it. I should have said "most people skiimg in a busy day". Most people here ski all sorts of stuff. Of course, you are the ones in here who chamged my mindset into seeing 3D snow as a playground



Which brings me to a clariication. Not that it matters. But I still suck at bumps. This is because I suck in general. But this is the yeaf of moguls for me. The two lessons I took so far were on moguls and related, rotary skills.

But, as usual, I am having a blast. Which is the only thing that matters

 

[Monique]

When my DH had surgery, it improved his bump skiing too. I attributed it, however, to his being forced to ski the bumps more slowly, with more absorption and a more gentle fluid approach. (helped my skiing too! )

Could be, but does not explain the two years between my return to skiing and this season!

 

[Monique]

Which brings me to a clariication. Not that it matters. But I still suck at bumps. This is because I suck in general. But this is the yeaf of moguls for me.

I also still suck at bumps - but I suck at a much higher level (than I used to)!

 

[TheArchitect]

I also still suck at bumps - but I suck at a much higher level (than I used to)!

I resemble that remark!

 

[jack97]

Where are people supposed to learn?

Loon did something that struck me as silly in the moment, but on reflection is a good idea. They flagged bump pitches. Not the full-on, top-to-bottom bump runs, but the ones that appear on one side of a trail, and maybe only for part of the run.

For example, there was a short pitch (like 20 bumps) on one side of a blue run, just above the flats around the lifts. One of the North Peak black runs was smooth and icy most of the way, but had a bump pitch that started about 1/3 of the way down after a cattrack. In both cases there was a green "BUMPS" panel sign, of the type usually used for "SLOW" signs.

Helps those of us who want to find them, and more importantly, minimizes complaints from people who get caught unawares.

IMO, if you want to get better in the bumps, you have to seek them out. Some places like Okemo, Sunnapee and Mnt Snow will seed bumps and their snow reports shows that the bumps are on. Other places like Pats Peak and Crotched will leave a minimum of one trail ungroomed for the season. Then there places like Mad River Glen and Wildcat where they leave the majority of trails ungroomed. The last two I know have bumps on various intermediate and expert trails. Both will not mow down the trails after a thaw/freeze cycle but will wait for new snow to fall, so you have to keep tabs on the weather to determine which is the best time to go.

 

[dbostedo]

Then there places like Mad River Glen and Wildcat where they leave the majority of trails ungroomed. The last two I know have bumps on various intermediate and expert trails.

True for MRG, but on a visit there last season, I only found one short pitch that I would consider "learning bumps". And as I'm just learning, I was looking for them. The rest of the moguled runs were above my ability to ski/practice on.

 

[jack97]

^^^ Agreed, the bumps at MRG and Wildcat can be a difficult place to learn on, sometimes its about timing. IMO, the best places to learn to ski moguls are on seeded intermediate trails. Okemo and Mnt Snow regular doe this. The former, although they are listed on black terrain, IMO are on the tame side. However they have at times changed the seeding formation to make them ski faster.

 

[dbostedo]

^^^ Agreed, the bumps at MRG and Wildcat can be a difficult place to learn on, sometimes its about timing. IMO, the best places to learn to ski moguls are on seeded intermediate trails. Okemo and Mnt Snow regular doe this. The former, although they are listed on black terrain, IMO are on the tame side. However they have at times changed the seeding formation to make them ski faster.

I think, for me, to practice on, I'm really looking for bumps on green runs, or gentle blue runs. I ski bumps on steeper runs sometimes - especially if they're soft - for fun. But I'd say it's a challenge, and forces some bad habits (shopping for turns, not thinking ahead, getting on the tails, etc.)

 

[Josh Matta]

today would have been a great day to learn bump at MRG

 

[jack97]

I think, for me, to practice on, I'm really looking for bumps on green runs, or gentle blue runs. I ski bumps on steeper runs sometimes - especially if they're soft - for fun. But I'd say it's a challenge, and forces some bad habits (shopping for turns, not thinking ahead, getting on the tails, etc.)

Ski Sundown at Connecticut, they were experimenting with a couple of seeded runs, one on a gentle blue for most of the season (on good snow making season). After the adult race program, they place a run on Gunbarrel, the top 1/3 is steep but transitions to a tame pitch, people learning hop in at this section.

 

[jack97]

today would have been a great day to learn bump at MRG

That's was my thinking, Last weeks non crystalline event shrunk down the bumps but did not freeze them over. Deep troughs are nowhere to be found, just need sharp edges in places where its hard pack to hard granular. Hoping tonite's incoming will change things.

 

[dbostedo]

Ski Sundown at Connecticut, they were experimenting with a couple of seeded runs, one on a gentle blue for most of the season (on good snow making season). After the adult race program, they place a run on Gunbarrel, the top 1/3 is steep but transitions to a tame pitch, people learning hop in at this section.

Last season Whitetail put a short bump section down one side of a gentle green area. It looked nice (shape and size-wise), until I realized it was basically a curvy sheet of ice, maybe because it didn't get skied very much. I made two turns, almost fell, and exited.

 

[LiquidFeet]

I think, for me, to practice on, I'm really looking for bumps on green runs, or gentle blue runs. I ski bumps on steeper runs sometimes - especially if they're soft - for fun. But I'd say it's a challenge, and forces some bad habits (shopping for turns, not thinking ahead, getting on the tails, etc.)

Bretton Woods (New Hampshire) has tons of low pitch terrain which, when bumped up naturally, offers great beginner bump practice. I prefer natural bumps to seeded bumps for learning. The skier has more options. Right now the mountain has at least a foot of new snow, and it usually gets no wind.

--Beginner bumps are on Aggassiz, a long wide trail. Aggassiz starts out flat as a pancake, then dips slightly as a blue, and later mellows out (very mellow).
--Very easy bumps form under the Bethlehem quad right in front of the lodge, but it's a narrow run since it's a lift line with lift towers in it.
--Beginner bumps are also in the open easy glades to rider's left of the West Mountain quad; there are run-outs on both sides for when things get tough. I've taken never-ever-bumpers in there.
--"Advanced" beginner glades with bumps are to skier's left of the very long run Avalon, down low on the mountain when the pitch flattens out.
--Aggassiz is the best bump-learning terrain. That first pitch can be negotiated with side-slips if necessary.

Wildcat has tons of bumped up terrain. You can almost ski down the whole mountain on bumps. Some of those are on very mellow pitches, but not all, and you'll get stuck in difficult situations if the coverage is low.

 

[jack97]

--Aggassiz is the best bump-learning terrain. That first pitch can be negotiated with side-slips if necessary.

Wildcat has tons of bumped up terrain. You can almost ski down the whole mountain on bumps. Some of those are on very mellow pitches, but not all, and you'll get stuck in difficult situations if the coverage is low.

LF makes a good point about Bretton Woods, Aggassiz is on a gentle blue pitch and they leave it ungroomed. In addition, they have no bail out. The "glades" next to Avalon is another great beginner bump area but the entrances could be scraped up and can get slick.I think its called Wild West Glades, not to be confuse with Glade West next to Aggassiz, the latter has a steep pitch close to its entrance.

Wildcat's tame pitch from the summit, Polecat has some small section where they leave ungroom, maybe four to six bumps at most.

Another place I forgot to mention is Ragged Mnt, they have a blue glade trail called Raggae Glades, as with all glades and bumps, have to keep tabs on the recent weather to determine if the natural trails will be good.

 

[jack97]

Last season Whitetail put a short bump section down one side of a gentle green area. It looked nice (shape and size-wise), until I realized it was basically a curvy sheet of ice, maybe because it didn't get skied very much. I made two turns, almost fell, and exited.

If that curvy sheet of ice ha some texture, then slip them and if you can do that then add A&E on the next run. That's a good way to add feathering the edges and A&E into muscle memory while skiing 3D terrain.

There have been times after a ra!n event where if the steeper pitches has true ice (the grayish type), I will spend my day on the lower angle bumps.

 

[Captain Furious]

I've told the story of my ignominious ACL-tearing fall too often. Pride literally goeth before the fall.

The one condition I really think nobody needs to mess with is deep upside down snow if you can avoid it.

What is "upside down snow"?

Bill

 

[Jerez]

That's where it is soft or fluffy underneath and crunchy/frozen or heavy/wet on top. Best case, hard to turn in, worst case, dangerous.