Recreational Sustainable Mogul style?

[Scruffy]

Unfortunately there's no shortcut; you have to put the time in the bumps to feel comfortable in them. If you're defensive in the bumps ( as you've said ^ ), then you're fighting them and you are going to tire yourself out. You have it much easier in the west than we do here in the east; true icy bumps can be a bitch to learn on. Go play in a soft mogul field and keep skiing it over and over. Start traversing through the field and work on flex and extending, edging and slipping skills. Two, three turns on each bump, ski every part of every bump. Take your time. Keep yourself in an athletic stance and Play with speed control. Keep traversing and slowly add less traverse and more fall line. Find where your weakness is and work on that. Ski alone once in a while and just play in the bumps all day. Ski them as slowly as you can sometimes and then as fast as you dare. Ski a few bumps in a line and then stop, take stock and repeat. Stay relaxed and if something hurts, don't do that, there are plenty of techniques, try something different. There are lots of drills you can do outside of the bumps and a lot of them have been posted at pugski in various bump threads. Practice quick short turns ( tick toc turns - 2 turns per second ). Practice short turns in a flexed stance, a tall stance. etc... Hit every skier made pile of snow on the groomed runs.

 

[Josh Matta]

Yeah I have skied with Reilly more than anyone in this board, when he is freeskiing all day long his bump skiing is much softer than those videos.

 

[LouD-Truckee]

bumps are your friends.....
the other Andy....
the young Lou....
old Lou....

 

[Plai]

Guys, again.... Let's educate rather than just make blanket personal statements.

there are plenty of techniques, try something different.

Please add to the list of expressed techniques.

 

[Noodler]

Just say no to vertical video...

 

[Plai]

bumps are your friends.....

Please help me out. Is there a statement/technique that should be gleaned from the videos?

 

[LouD-Truckee]

Please help me out. Is there a statement/technique that should be gleaned from the videos?

more an approach.... or attitude.... embrace the bump....

 

[tball]

This thread is for recreational sustainable bump skiing.

You can ski a more direct zipper line recreationally and sustainably. Lots of recreational bump skiers and former comp bump skiers do so every day. They just need to slow down to make it sustainable. Same technique, just slower speed.

Here's a nice example with some tips:


@Plai there are many different lines you can ski through bumps. All can be skied recreationally. Learn only one if you like, but better to learn them all then pick the best line that fits the situation and your mood.

 

[Coach13]

Yeah I have skied with Reilly more than anyone in this board, when he is freeskiing all day long his bump skiing is much softer than those videos.

I don’t know Reilly’s skiing at all and he’s obviously talented but in an around about way you hit on what comes to my mind everytime I watch most bump videos. My 1st thought is I could never ski bumps like that. Their legs look like pistons with the speed they are extending and retracting while navigating the bumps and it looks like it would be super hard on their back and knees. Yet when I’m out skiing and I see a skilled skier navigating the bumps they look smooth and relaxed flowing down the hill like water down the slope and I think it looks like something they could do all day and something I could learn to do.

 

[cosmoliu]

I find most of the videos posted in the latter pages of this thread aspirational- great technique and beautiful skiing, but representing more the end result for the request voiced in the OP rather than the journey. In all of this, I find the visual image in Josh's Slow Line Fast video in Post #2 the most useful. I have Chuck Martin's video set. I have read Dan DiPiro's book at least a half dozen times. Both are very inspiring. That said, @Scruffy 's Post #61 is perhaps most on point: There is no substitute for mileage in the bumps. Just take as many pearls from this thread as possible and play with them endlessly in the bumps. The hope is that some combination of comp style and side slippy old fart style will make sense for each of our own individual needs, including age and physical fitness. Clearly, skiing bumps like Chuck Martin, or even the Comet Cats is beyond what I will ever achieve. At my age, that ship has definitely already sailed. But I continue to read every bump thread that appears on PugSki in the hopes that I will glean yet one more pointer which will make my next bump run just a little bit better.

 

[KevinF]

I've always enjoyed this JF video as a visual example of how I'd like to ski moguls:

It looks very "soft" (i.e., without the massive absorption / extension often seen in high-end bump skiing videos). I also like how later in the video he demonstrates what appears to be the exact same turn on a groomer.

 

[skier]

Here's my version of sustainable, recreational mogul skiing out with the family. It's on blue/black which is a great way to get started. Don't make fun of my pink pants. I suppose if I skied with more efficiency I wouldn't ask for a sit rest.

 

[tromano]

Good thread.

To me the key is just skiing smooth and making lots of turns. For a long time I just skied the green line and cut off the tops of my turns.

Lately I like to start with a few of the dolphin style turns to get going and then ski more in the blue line. Mix it up it's fun.

 

[KingGrump]

I find most of the videos posted in the latter pages of this thread aspirational- great technique and beautiful skiing, but representing more the end result for the request voiced in the OP rather than the journey. In all of this, I find the visual image in Josh's Slow Line Fast video in Post #2 the most useful. I have Chuck Martin's video set. I have read Dan DiPiro's book at least a half dozen times. Both are very inspiring. That said, @Scruffy 's Post #61 is perhaps most on point: There is no substitute for mileage in the bumps. Just take as many pearls from this thread as possible and play with them endlessly in the bumps. The hope is that some combination of comp style and side slippy old fart style will make sense for each of our own individual needs, including age and physical fitness. Clearly, skiing bumps like Chuck Martin, or even the Comet Cats is beyond what I will ever achieve. At my age, that ship has definitely already sailed. But I continue to read every bump thread that appears on PugSki in the hopes that I will glean yet one more pointer which will make my next bump run just a little bit better.

There are lots of different factors that make up "sustainable" bump skiing.
Age, fitness and experience are just the start of the list.
What is sustainable is totally different between a 20 something and a fifty something.
Let's not even take up the difference between a 20 years old competition bumper and a 50 years old weekend warrior.

It's nice to dream. But know thyself. Live in the real world and stay off the injury list.

 

[SSSdave]

Enjoying watching all the videos. Lots of good advice here and there.

Notice how smooth and relaxed some of the skiers are descending fall lines obviously not expending that much effort and that is why they can go through such long lines. One evolves to that level usually only by putting in lots of mogul skiing time over many years so that one's body reacts automatically to what the visual eyes are seeing as there really is not time between the continuous dynamic turns even when done slower for much else. From turn to turn one's form, position, and direction are flowing out automatically from myriad similar brain muscle memory turns. And that is why the inexperienced often will ski just a few bumps, picking up too much speed, and have to awkwardly bail because their mind does not have such memories and muscles don't know the feelings. From turn to turn is about continuously laying down sort of the same dynamic turns, using the same muscles, the same form, over and over and over with just minor variations, that is a rhythm once in a groove is easier to continue feeling and repeating. Being in the zone is an awesome pinball feeling.

And for the inexperienced, much better to learn doing so on lower gradients where one will have more time. Sometimes will hear the inexperienced say they don't have trouble in the lower gradient small bumps so are looking for advice when it gets steeper and more shaped. But then when they descend the easier bumps, they do not look at all like smooth experienced bump skiers when they are descending those same easy moguls.

 

[Seldomski]

Still a novice here... what I have been told echoes what else is in this thread- comments below are a way to get there, not the end goal.

1. Start with narrow stance brushed/drifted turns on groomer (blue/green). Smooth movements, good hand position.
2. Take this same turn to EASY bumps. Do one turn, drift to a stop. Ski as slow as possible (but still parallel).
3. Stop in the ideal turn start position.
4. When you are in ideal turn start position, make the next turn.
5. Now end each turn with some drifting. Make the next turn when you are in ideal turn start stance. Turn "when you are ready".

What I have heard is there is little point in making the next turn from an awkward start. When just learning, you will likely lack recovery skills needed. As you work on this you will progress and eventually become able to end each turn with less drifting and end in the stance that is ideal for the next turn. When this happens, you can start to make the next turn at will, instead of drifting/sliding multiple bumps while rebalancing. So some turn shopping is needed for the novice. This should disappear on the easier bumps before you go to something more challenging if skill progression is the aim.

Goal is to make each turn in the easier bumps perfectly before going to harder terrain. As it gets steeper, some new tactics are needed (ie skiing the Taos way mentioned prior).

 

[Josh Matta]

Here's my version of sustainable, recreational mogul skiing out with the family. It's on blue/black which is a great way to get started. Don't make fun of my pink pants. I suppose if I skied with more efficiency I wouldn't ask for a sit rest.

your lack of pole strap useage takes your upper body way out of alignment on every single pole plant.

 

[Chris V.]

your lack of pole strap useage takes your upper body way out of alignment on every single pole plant.

Not disagreeing, just want to understand--why would it have that effect?

 

[Chris V.]

Still a novice here... what I have been told echoes what else is in this thread- comments below are a way to get there, not the end goal.

Develop bombproof short turns on moderately steep groomers. REALLY short turns, finishing at or beyond perpindicular to the fall line. Then develop huge flexion at the end of each of these turns. Ends up being a lot like bumps.

 

[Core2]

Do butters across the top of the moguls at warp speed then you don't have to worry about going between them and you will look really cool.