What's your strategy for skiing bumps/moguls?

[Abol98]

why do a lot of these new threads seem like DSM alii or something?

Oy. Good thing I can easily slather my keyboard in off-brand hand sanitizer.

[bodywhomper]

Isn’t there a video somewhere of a mag (huckwheat?) skiing a bump run at snowbird on big skis?

[Percy Rideout]

Seeing the line is as important as technique. Follow someone good.

[EWG]

Seeing the line is as important as technique. Follow someone good.

This is true, but why does this remind me of this scene:

"Your left arm is straight, but you're not keeping your head down. Always try to hit through the ball."

"I've got to work on my game."

"No, no, no. Don't think of it as work. The whole point is just to enjoy yourself."

[N1CK.]

Series of linked recoveries at high speed.


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what an excellent metaphor for life.

[joecoffee]

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...hool-Bump-Fags ..

Shoulders square to the fall line, stay mostly forward with possible exception in unweight, shoot for skipping around the tops of the bumps with the occasional troughride.

Thanks for the link and advice. I wanted this thread to talk about bump skiing technique, whereas that thread appeared to me as an homage to bump skiing and the good 'ol days.

[I've seen black diamonds!]

I think stance matters more than line choice. Look at the upper body on the skiers in the video. So quiet, even when they're hauling through big bumps. Line choice doesn't matter if can't keep your torso steady and pointed downhill. I think a good way to find that balanced, compact, centered stance is to go straight through smaller low angle bumps. Try to "look" like the skiers in the vid from the waist up while absorbing with your legs. When you find a position you can maintain start mixing in some pivoting and carving.

[CnRzG]

When I was in race camp at Stowe... in the freaking 80's... the coach taught us that one of the keys is to lift up your tails as you crest the bumps.

[evasive_MT]

I’m no expert and only recently learned to enjoy bump even as a jong.

Two drills helped: pivot slips and hokey stops. Go down first bump and make a hokey stop. Pivot slip to/around another bump, go down, hokey stop. Repeat and try to find a rhythm by looking for your next turn.

Also, buy red skis.

You do the hokey pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about

[EWG]

You do the hokey pokey
And you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about

God I hope that's not what it's all about.

[Ottime]

Not a bump skier. My closest ski to a bump ski is an OG 186 Legend Pro. While I’m kind of in the avoid them crowd, there are times it is the best skiing on the hill. I found pitch makes a difference. While it is hard to find, moderate pitched bump runs that require a commitment (like due to early season conditions you can’t escape through some trees to a groomer or easier run) offer the best bumps to learn on. You want the bumps to be made by people who ski bumps well and Ke’e the tips in the fall line. Due to a moderate pitch it is easier to scrub speed on your turns.

I play it like chess. Three to five turns ahead. I’ll ski the same line repeatedly to get my flow. And then try to zen ski it.

I had a bunch of fun on chair 11 at Kirkwood during the drought. The only groomer did not connect to three bump runs that formed. They are typically just groomers and the upper portion is fairly low angle. You could cruise through there and really ski the bumps fast and aggressively. As the pitch steeped through what is typically a race course it was just steep enough to make solid bumps across the slope. Low snow coverage kept those who would short turn their bumps away and these perfect lines developed.

Would repeat (fixed grip lift was whelp) until tired and then you go to another lift and rail groomers for a few runs and then return.

Also, I just follow my 9 year old these days.

[GoldMember]

Quiet upper body, eyes four turns ahead picking your line, not looking down. Hands in front, shoulders square to the horizon, press the tongues of your boots, absorb the terrain with your knees, tail-wash your skis for speed control, drive your ski tips. All the action, other than pole plants, should be below the waist. Pole plants are just wrist-flicks, not some exaggerated arm movement like milking a giraffe. Stay off the tops unless you're airing, don't get stuck in the troughs. Try to hit the front quadrant/side of the mogul shoulder. This also helps in speed control. Learn to develop your line and a rhythm at slower speeds, work on that, and speed will come as you get better and more confident. Lastly, as Shera said (welcome back!), sack up. Go ski bumps, try things, fall, learn from it, and keep working on it. Next lastly, in case I missed, keep a quiet upper body and work your body from the waist down.

[2FUNKY]

I love a good soft spring slushy bump run. Growing up skiing Tahoe/Bachelor we couldn’t wait for spring bump season. So fun having a crew of rippers chasing each other down a bump line hearing your buddy yelling to speed up as he’s right on your tails or visa-versa. Sadly very few around here can ski for shit so a good bump line is a unicorn. Due to that my bump protocol is to zipper the short sweet line then air out to the mellow side then zipper another when it shows itself, air, rinse and repeat.
Shoulders square, eyes four turns down the hill, hands out front, shins firmly in tongue on boot. Absorb with knees/lower body, keep upper body quiet, pole plants are flicks of the wrist. Turns are on the front side of the mogul while pressing tips down the back side and slip the tails to control speed.

[Jack Burton]

the key to skiing these things is to go to panic then back off

[grrrmountainman]

I’m no expert and only recently learned to enjoy bump even as a jong.

Two drills helped: pivot slips and hokey stops. Go down first bump and make a hokey stop. Pivot slip to/around another bump, go down, hokey stop. Repeat and try to find a rhythm by looking for your next turn. Also, buy red skis.

I thrive on the hokey stop.. you do the hokey pokey and turn yourself around. Perfect bump skiing technique! That's what it's all about.

but seriously, the hockey stop using the bump , pole plant, pivot is key and as others have said, slow to start and just focus on a rhythm. rhymes for later.

dammit. evasive_MT beat me to it.

[AK47bp]

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[Benny Profane]

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I'm waiting for Candide's video.

[Sirshredalot]

Bumps are God's way of telling you there's too many skiers on the mountain.

It's not that you suck at skiing moguls - you suck at skiing. The moguls just prove it.

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[bodywhomper]

I learned to ski bumps pretty well (early high school, late 80’s, so cal, mammoth, and a warm spring break in aspen) before I learned to ski heavy deep maritime fresh snow. I applied the dynamics of absorption and unweighting learned from bump bashing to “figure” out how to ski deep snow. For me, that style of powder skiing has the same dynamics as the bashing style of bump skiing.

I find several quick laps of bump lines to be a good warm-up. Friends and I used to do it off the wildcat chair at Alta and the lower parks of Lincoln mountain at mammoth while waiting for chair 22 to open.

[bodywhomper]

Isn’t there a video somewhere of a mag (huckwheat?) skiing a bump run at snowbird on big skis?

my brain is getting softer and smoother, but i found the video. The whole thing is a classic, but the sequence with the great bump line skiing starts at 2:48

[Mofro261]

Double, double, triple, double, double, triple, double, double, double.

It's a strategy.

[TurxSki]

...I'm not a seasoned bump skier, my legs are always sore after making it down a steep mogul pitch (back-seat?), and I'm trying to get better...

>> Hang on...
How many days do you *typically* ski in a season?
Did you learn skiing as an adult?

You hafta go at least once a week. More would be better.

I like skiing bumps now. Started learning as an old man.
As said, it is often the best skiing at resort.
A bit of a workout, sweating by the bottom. It's a great feeling when the swing and angulation all mesh together.
Hockey stop training is key. Upper body kinda aggressive. Don't fly off top of bumps, push tips down into troughs.
Generally have more fun skiing tops of bumps, sorta thing. Mostly "shop for turns".
Only time get close to zipper line, is in spring, with corny hero snow.
Spring is great time for bump skiing, imho.

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[joecoffee]

my brain is getting softer and smoother, but i found the video. The whole thing is a classic, but the sequence with the great bump line skiing starts at 2:48

"Whoa" ~ Neo from the Matrix

[GoldMember]

That's actually the usual result of my strategy: Straighlining.Cracked a couple ribs that way once. But it works like 99% of the time.

^^ It's the one percent that sucks.

[rideit]

My strategy is to just ski Targhee and the Backcountry.
And the Village for an hour on 12” + days.