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Ideal way to tackle built-in rollers/mounds on fast groomers

speedster

Putting on skis
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When you are carving arc to arc on one ski at a time and going down fast, wide groomers, what is the best way to tackle the built in rollers / mounds on the trail?

Or perhaps, what are the two ideal ways to tackle them, one if your aim was to keep the maximum speed, and two if you wanted to keep maximum speed while being completely safe.

Do you try to finish your arcs (lower part of the C) before the crest and start the next one just before the fall off, or do you try to scrub speed with a skid or a scarce before the crest and then build it again on the way down, or do you get your skis flat then jump and land and then start carving again, or do you jump off while still carving on one ski, change edges mid-flight, and land on the other edge of the other ski?
 

Noodler

Sir Turn-a-lot
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When you are carving arc to arc on one ski at a time and going down fast, wide groomers, what is the best way to tackle the built in rollers / mounds on the trail?

Or perhaps, what are the two ideal ways to tackle them, one if your aim was to keep the maximum speed, and two if you wanted to keep maximum speed while being completely safe.

Do you try to finish your arcs (lower part of the C) before the crest and start the next one just before the fall off, or do you try to scrub speed with a skid or a scarce before the crest and then build it again on the way down, or do you get your skis flat then jump and land and then start carving again, or do you jump off while still carving on one ski, change edges mid-flight, and land on the other edge of the other ski?

Great to use to learn to flex at transition. So focus on getting a turn transition at the crest of each.
 

Chris V.

Making fresh tracks
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Truckee
Well, the goal is to have fun, so what do you consider to be the most fun at the moment? If you want to maintain maximum speed, you aim to keep in contact with the snow. Like racers, you'll use big absorbtion and extension to adapt to the terrain. Skidding to scrub speed works directly contrary to your stated objective, but if you're going too fast to make the next turn, do what you have to do. Using the crest of a roller to make a transition works great, but a positive goal is to develop the skill to absorb and extend as needed through any part of a turn. You don't want to be always shopping for turns. That works contrary to the desire to maintain flow and speed. In race courses, they don't always set gates in the spots that will promote the easiest transitions.
 

crgildart

Gravity Slave
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The Bull City
Safest way is to slow down if the other side is blind and you can't be certain someone isn't standing or sitting there, picking up a yard sale, etc.. If you have a spotter, prejumping just before the inflection point is the best way to avoid catching air and losing speed.
 

Mac

Booting up
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May 14, 2017
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I was out skiing with my 12 year old grandson two weekends ago. He is a park rat, so we spent a lot of time skiing the manmade rollers. When they are big and round, it doesn't take a lot of technique to keep up with them. But when they get sharper and closer together, they can be a little bit more of a challenge. I use a lot of flexing and extending to stay in contact with the snow. I also tend to start my turns on the tops of the rollers, similar to what you would do in moguls. You can also tend to get back on your heels a little, so I try and counter that by keeping my shoulders over my toes and keeping my hands out in front of me slightly.
Here's a tip from old friend Josh Foster that pretty much covers those bases:
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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Depends on the roller. If you cannot see what's beyond, approach so that you will be travelling perpendicular to the fall line at the top and have a peek at what's below. If it's clear turn in, if not turn up or hold up for a while. Otherwise catch some air if you want, at the expense of losing some speed, or absorb as well as possible to keep your speed up.
 

François Pugh

Skiing the powder
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If the rollers look like below, they are used for drills


For these man made features, start slow first, then increase speed; you don't want to land on the upslope/knuckle of the next feature when you take off from the first one.

Some features with the waves close together are very good for learning mogul absorption. I sometimes treat them as moguls (and sometimes that turns them into moguls:D to the dismay of the groomers - serves them right for restricting access to the mogul run to their team).
 

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