Mature bumps!

[jack97]

I sometimes like throwing in a second turn on an elongated bump just to keep a rhythm going. And Dan DiPiro talks about turning twice on a bump in his book Everything The Instructors Never Told You About Mogul Skiing.

Mogul turn porn.... some of the sickest sequences I've seen, starting at 7:50.

 

[François Pugh]

Great thread!

I love a good zipper line, but the funny thing is I rarely see them. So, I have also grown to love goofy bumps!

When I changed my home Mountain from Mary Jane to Copper almost 20 years ago one of the huge negatives was the crappy bump lines at Copper compared to Mary Jane. So many of Copper's bump runs have goofy fall lines, trees, and rocks so good zipper lines don’t form. The bowls, steeps, and variety drew me to Copper, and there are a couple nice more traditional bump runs.

It took me years but I grew to really enjoy Copper's screwed up bump lines. They add a fun and interesting challenge to each run as you try to pick your way down the best line on the fly. I think this requires just about every trick in the book and to know where to use them.

I also think lots of mileage on these runs has made me a much better overall skier then if I just spent time in perfect zipper lines.

So, here's a long-ass POV video of me skiing at Copper last month. It shows three goofy bump runs and one more traditional. I'm not sure how to classify the lines and turns nor am I saying this is the best way to ski goofy bumps. It's just what I enjoy and works for me. Feel free to comment or pick apart if you like.

(0:50-4:30): The super fun goofy bump runs in Resolution. There’s an inch of new snow on top of very variable spring conditions with a winter underlying surface at the top and seriously refrozen at the bottom. I left the natural sound so you can hear the change in the surface conditions.

(6:35-7:00) iDropper for comparison is an easy more traditional bump run that has more zipper like lines.

Thanks for the vicarious skiing. If you don't mind saying, what model and year are those Blizzards?

 

[cosmoliu]

Mogul turn porn.... some of the sickest sequences I've seen, starting at 7:50.

Fantastic video!

Reminds me of a short mantra I try to repeat when I'm in motion: "Head Up, Hands Up, Tips On The Snow". When I'm flailing, usually one or more of those isn't working.

 

[tball]

Thanks for the vicarious skiing. If you don't mind saying, what model and year are those Blizzards?

Gladly! They are 2014 Blizzard 8.5 Ti's.

Might as well do a mini review. I grew to love those skis and they have been a lot more versatile than I expected. I got them primarily as something that I can ski groomers with my kiddos and then sneak off for a couple of laps on my own. I ended up liking them enough all over the mountain that I took them out even skiing solo off-piste all day as in that video. Even more surprising since they are relatively short at 174 cm. I'm about 175 lb at 5 feet 10 in.

Where those Blizzards shined was the prior month on that same terrain before the sun was high enough to start creating spring conditions. They were phenomenal in the steep chalk and firm winter bumps. Those skis made low tide skiing so much fun it put a huge smile on my face in relatively crappy conditions. Once the sun was high enough to create spring conditions, though, I think something from the all-mountain category like a Kendo or Brahma would do much better in the crud and heavier snow. The edge hold of those more front side oriented skis was fantastic on the refrozen spring bumps, though.

I'd love to hear if anybody has suggestions for a replacement that I might find in the clearance aisle. The Blizzard Quatro's that is the updated version of that ski don't seem to have many fans.

I don't know if this is an example of there being so many great skis out there you can almost pick anything to ski the whole mountain. Or on the flip side, it's tough to find the right ski for all the conditions and terrain we see when adding the requirement of being a good bump ski too. Maybe a little bit of both?

Edit: here's a little video showing the conditions where I really love those Blizzards:

 

[OldSchool47]

Mogul turn porn.... some of the sickest sequences I've seen, starting at 7:50.

How I want to ski when I grow up.

 

[tball]

How I want to ski when I grow up.

Easy! Train with John Smart at bump camp this summer.
http://www.momentumskicamps.com/about/message-john-smart/

 

[karlo]

The edge hold of those more front side oriented skis was fantastic on the refrozen spring bumps, though.

I'd love to hear if anybody has suggestions for a replacement

By front side, I suppose you mean the 8.5 Ti? Those happen to be my favorite skis as well. I discovered them as a rental ski at Tahoe, and they were superb in 7" powder at Heavenly and Kirkwood. And, before it snowed, they were also amazing on bullet proof ice. Plus, I love the bigger radius, 19.5, on my 174's, same as yours! So, when I got home, I bought a pair. At 174, they can maneuver playfully in tighter moguls and trees. Big turns on hardpack or ice, no problem. But, yes, had to start thinking of a replacement. My choice, the Brahma's, last year's version, but this year's has excellent reviews.

End of last season, I demo'd them on a frozen over alpine and sub-alpine at Blackcomb. Amazing. So sweet that I could still be playful on rock solid bumps, as well as arc nice medium turns, I don't know what it's called, on frozen over fields of tracked up snow, so solid, no spray, except maybe chunks of ice. Though I didn't have a chance to ski them in powder or soft packed powder, I could feel they would be great, as they are reputed to be. I got the 180's. But they ski short, as they have more rocker than the 8.5 Ti's.

I demo'd the Bonfides at Blackcomb too. Also amazing on ice, but big turns. Bought them too. I've also skied them in Spring conditions, the Eastern melting ice kind. Slushy on top, kinda hard below. If you want to fly from big arc to big arc, like a monkey swinging from branch to branch, through wet heavy slush, even bumped, these are it.

Of the two, which is the better replacement of the 8.5 Ti? The Brahma. Demo it. And, I think last year's model will come the closest. 180, that skis shorter, and 19 radius. This year's, less rocker, so probably skis longer, but has shorter radius, 17, so probably evens out.

 

[tball]

Thanks, @karlo ! Did you try the Latigo? Do you teach on your Brahmas? The other duty for these skis Is groomers with my kiddos. Ether seems a safe choice but I've never seen a Latigo demo.

 

[karlo]

Did you try the Latigo? Do you teach on your Brahmas?

No, I have not tried the Latigos. And, no, I use neither the 8.5 Ti's nor the Brahmas for teaching. I teach kids. For that, I use a pair of Scott Flyairs, (174?). I want the kids seeing me carve, even at slow speeds, which can be done with the other two, but just more tiresome. For more advanced kids, on black or double black, I use my old Volkl RTM 84's, which are my rock skis. They are the rock that kids occasionally ski over. They even have a patch on the topsheet

 

[tball]

Sorry for the diversion. Back to mature bumps!

I think this video is a good example showing both mature and, um, middle-aged bumps on the same day at Mary Jane.


The first minute is a north-facing run on the front side of Mary Jane with firm late winter snow. Notice the smooth troughs where you can ski where water would flow with relatively low impact.

After 1:00 is Mary Jane's backside with what I think is a pretty good example of mature bumps for around here. @CalG are these anything like what you referenced in your OP?

The backside runs at MJ face east and go through freeze-thaw much earlier in the season. Unlike the front side, the back side also has various obstacles and strange fall lines resulting in goofy bumps. So these are both goofy and mature in my estimation

Around 1:28 I think I throw in an extra turn on the tops. And, at 2:00 I'm distracted skiing and stupidly hit a rock and end up turning everywhere possible to keep from going down.

 

[Guy in Shorts]

Some of the biggest most mature bumps of the season on Skyehawk Headwall to kick off May. This baby drops off 8 or 9 feet from the crest. My buddy stands a solid six feet tall. Bumps got a tad smaller as "The Hammer" followed us down next pounding these bumps into submission proving yet again that he is worthy of his moniker.

Big Bump

1May

 

[Scruffy]

I was there last Friday. Skyhawk was the bomb, much preferred to SuperStar Head wall. That cliff your buddy was fun to hop.

 

[tball]

Video! We need a video of somebody skiing those monsters!

 

[jack97]

Here's the Hammer starting at :32 and later going thru steep drops.


Not a recent vid but great mogul skiing.... the bumps are rather large. And it shows yet another way to ski "mature bumps", the skiers are skiing direct and skimming across to the next shoulder. This is something competitive mogul skiing doesn't do because you get more turn point when you apply equal pressure on the absorption and extension part of the bump.