Zipper line moguls with Bobby Aldighieri via Deb Armstrong's YTube channel

[jack97]

Great content from B Aldighieri on skiing the "zipper line". Interesting video perspective with Armstrong shooting from behind.

 

[Roundturns]

Good stuff!

 

[FlyingAce]

I kept running into Deb Armstrong today at Taos! Absolutely no one realized there was an Olympic gold medalist skiing among them! And a snowboarder got very close while cutting her off...

 

[Plai]

I just cross posted same in the take thread.
+1 on good stuff. It clears up a few things for me.

 

[applecart]

I kept running into Deb Armstrong today at Taos! Absolutely no one realized there was an Olympic gold medalist skiing among them! And a snowboarder got very close while cutting her off...

She’s teaching at Women’s Ski Week starting this Sunday.

 

[jack97]

There are so many great tips in this vid especially for newbies who want to get better in the bumps. Although Aldighieri initially talk about weight transfer and absorption, there is so much more going on to ski the direct/zipper line efficiently. Back at 3:10, he looks to be going in slow motion but what he is doing is smearing his turns and getting the foot across the hill, all the while timing his absorption. And yes, that trail had snow piles that moved, the concept still applies and works when the bumps are hard granular.

The only time these techniques breaks down is when there's large ice sections in between the bumps.... I mean the stuff that looks grayish....

 

[SSSdave]

Indeed there is much more going on including subtleties of line that mogul skiers select in automatic sub awareness visual ways that tend to be vaguely described in anything one is likely to find on the web..

Unfortunately much like the earlier thread video with Deb A, the cloudy flat light conditions made it difficult to see mogul shapes they were skiing through. As a photographer, I won't bother to carry my tiny digital camera on skiing days without at least some sunny periods as resulting images or videos show little slope detail. With our eyes while standing on such slopes even though visuals are somewhat flat, we can see much more than a digital camera sensor can capture. Likewise on sunny days, there is an optimal period depending on slope orientation plus sun angle when best definition and surface textures will result.

I am at this point in the winter season, interested in doing a few bump skiing videos during optimal light conditions here in Tahoe on Little Dipper at Heavenly, so any others here that have an interest, PM me.

 

[Baldrick]

About 10 days ago I watched a lady at Sun Peaks ski 5th Ave. zipper line very slowly and with great form & control. Big bumps BTW. Looked like she was on a similar ski to what Bobby recommends here.
Something to aspire to even as a 64 yr old.

 

[jzmtl]

I thought it was amazing that she can hold a camera so steady while following a zipperline down bumps.

 

[CS2-6]

Fantastic, thanks for the video, Jack. For me, this was the exact definition of "Recreational Sustainable mogul style"

Everything was gold, except for the ski recommendations. >68 <99mm encompasses probably 90% of the skis on the market.

 

[Erik Timmerman]

I kinda wish they'd done that on a sunny day so you could see the bumps better on the follow cams. That looked pretty vague.

 

[Jersey Skier]

I'd like to see something similar filmed on jagged East Coast icy bumps that I seem to encounter. Or soft bumps with solid ice between the bumps...

 

[Crank]

I'd like to see something similar filmed on jagged East Coast icy bumps that I seem to encounter. Or soft bumps with solid ice between the bumps...

You have a point there. We were just out in Steamboat 2 weeks ago skiing those soft, round, evenly spaced hero moguls.

 

[jack97]

I'd like to see something similar filmed on jagged East Coast icy bumps that I seem to encounter. Or soft bumps with solid ice between the bumps...

Vid below is using the same techniques but on North East hard granular bumps. If there's real ice or boilerplate in between the bumps then some refinements have to be made.

 

[jack97]

Everything was gold, except for the ski recommendations. >68 <99mm encompasses probably 90% of the skis on the market.

I can understand why he said that. Most do not know if they should commit to a true mogul ski, so getting something skinny like a SL or a short GS ski makes sense. IMO, once you experience making that direct line, even for a short section, you will know if you want to commit. When that happened to me, I knew I want in with the mogul skis and cabrio boots. I made my biggest breakthrough moments on moguls skis because of the inherent flex pattern and the quick edge to edge that a narrow ski allows.

 

[Plai]

Another mogul video from Deb

 

[karlo]

I thought it was amazing that she can hold a camera so steady while following a zipperline down bumps.

It’s called optical stabilization. Does wonders. Check it out.

oh, and the OS of the new Sony RX100 VII is supposed to be amazing, even if it crops some of the frame to achieve it

 

[SSSdave]

Would like to own that new $1.2 Sony 4k video 8x camera but it is a bit bulky for a pocket and too heavy at 11.5 ounces to be an everyday ski pocket camera. The best tool though if one purposely takes it out occasionally onto slopes for skiing videos. Instead on sunny days I always carry a pocket sized 5 ounce $160 Canon ELPH190 2k video 10x with much less effective resolution and basic level optical stabilization.

 

[jack97]

Another mogul video from Deb

This is another gem. I try to live in in judgment free zone however, my favorite hills have some of the best moguls trails under the lift line, the trees have a way of protecting them from the wind. I can see how well some can ski the moguls by how they approach the field via the flat terrain. It has been said by many coaches that what you do in flats will be brought into the moguls, this applies to both the good and the bad. Some would go so far as to diagnose the problem you have in the moguls by seeing you do certain drills in the flat. Essentially, you have to own those fundamentals to the point they become instinctive because the moguls will becoming at you fast.

 

[SSSdave]

I liked this later BA video sequence better that also has better light. He is obviously demoing how to go through those bumps in control at slower speed that I tend to find more fun. Also back out on the groomed, his short dynamic turning is so much like I tend to do all over. One comment he didn't make is that when one can do so efficiently, the level of exertion is much less than what average skiers expects and is much visceral bouncing fun. And that shows when one can ski long distances with only modest effort on groomed using the reverse camber rebound energy off the ski flex complemented by gravity and momentum.