Moguls

In message , TCS
writes
What exactly are moguls?


See "magnate"

No, that's a thing for finding lost screws under your fridge
--
Sue ];(

"Sue" wrote in message
...
In message , TCS
writes
What exactly are moguls?


See "magnate"

No, that's a thing for finding lost screws under your fridge

Mine end up under the microwave when the refrigerator door bangs into the
kitchen counter.

Hi,
I'm in need of a bit of advice. I'm currently an intermediate who can
handle some
of the easier single diamond slopes, and who nearly killed herself on a
double. My trouble
is with the mogules. I can go off of them fine, but the landing is what
gets me. What is the
best way to land without wipeingout in the process. My skiis are
Salomons (length pr4 - whatever that translates to
Thanks,
Ninn

Hi,

This looks like a troll, anyway here goes.

Since I have recently made what feels like a bit of a breakthrough
on the bumps I feel qualified to comment.

I could make a bit of a hack at pretty much any bumps but was not
in control and my key trick was that I had a good facility for
turning in the air. This was going nowhere in terms of getting better
at bump skiing.

As a not so young in body adult learning bump skiing what has made a
difference to me follows.

I may have made some progress but it was not easy at all and took a
LONG time, so far

I don't think that many people will be able to magically "improve
their bump skiing". It's too difficult. What is needed is to develop
the necessary aspects of skiing on easy terrain and then to apply
that in the bumps.

1. Learn scraping (ie skidding but NOT edging).
Start by just turning while keeping the skis off the edge,
feel that skidding.

1b.Make sure that weight is distrubuted
on both skis. If you EVER find the inside ski coming off
of the ground you probably have a bit of a problem
and you need to fix that too. I fixed it by learning to turn
with the outside ski coming off of the ground. This taught me
to be able to change my lateral weight balance at will.
Previously I had been stuck with the weight on the outside ski.

2. Learn swivelling, I call it. Think windscreen wipers.
This is heading down the fall line (gentle slope) and rapidly
turn the skis from side to side using ONLY the legs. Don't edge.
I found this quite easy but it turned out that I was rotating
my spine at the waist. This is no use.
i.e. all the movement is in zee legs.

3. Make sure that you REALLY ARE bending/extending your legs

3b. Learn and practise compression turns.
Ski along in a normal skiing position.
Suck up legs to facilitate edge change and do turn.
Recover and do next one.

I needed an outside observer to get above working.

4. Practise the bend/stretch thing as much as you can.
I use those horrible straight icy bumpy ruts that appear
here and there.
Lift the skis over the hump and streach into the dips.
Aim to stop the skis from leaving the snow. Go faster.

When your friends are launching themselves off of jumps
try to absorb them as much as possible instead.

5. Spend time in bumps BUT if you were having fun STOP!
Don't give in the temptation to do it the way you used to.
What I did was to focus soley on
a) be absorbed on the top while turning round the shoulder.
i.e. right turn with the crest just to your right.
b) stretch down the back scraping the skis to absorb speed
c) Repeat until burnout.

6. After a quite a few weeks skiing of this, taking in whatever bumps
were there, I became frustrated at the lack of progress.
Instructors were complaining about me turning too sharply, edging
down the back...

7. I had a wee think and decided to try looking more than 1/2 a bump ahead
So: I tried being in the bottom and stretched and planning to
be in the next trough in a stretched position.
Previously I have been in the bottom planning to be on the top
and on the top planning to be in the bottom.
Eureka! I discovered that the legs "knew" exactly what to do to
get from the bottom of one grove, absorb over the top and turn,
streach down the back with scraping.

I have not had the opportunity to have an appropriate instructor
look at me since but I feel much better in those bumps.

All good advice. But to simplify:

3. Bend the knees.
3. Bend the knees.
3. Bend the knees.

You get the idea.
You're a shock absorber -- not just absorbing the bumps as they push up, but
keeping pressure down, so the car's front wheels stay on the road and you can
control the car, or so your skis stay on the snow and you can control yourself.
You have to bend more than you've ever bent before. Look at still photos of
good bump skiers: Their knees are up in their chests as they crest a bump, yet
they're extended pretty good (although with ankles still flexed and knees not
totally straight, of course) when they're in the troughs. This is you.

Don't try it in hard conditions, meaning hard conditions -- when the snow is
icy and slick (which is pretty much most of the year in the East, but some
times are worse than others.) Try it in some relatively fresh, soft snow (but
not too deep or in heavy, wet slop). You can get the feel for it before it gets
harder on steep, icy bumps. Then progress to less-ideal conditions, steeper
slopes, bigger bumps.

Another thing: When your legs start getting tired, back off until another day.
Pushing your body is ok in endurance sports, but counterproductive in bump
skiing.

Good luck. Hope it helps. Hope I get better this year, too.

"Tim Sampson" wrote in
:

Hi

What exactly are moguls?

Thanks
Tim



Bumps. Usually caused by snowboarders who sat on the trail too long and got
covered with snow.

Bruno melli wrote:

In article ,
(Dhillus) writes:

All good advice. But to simplify:


I can simplify even mo If you truly want to become efficient
in the bumps, take lessons from one of the ex competitors who
have converted to teaching. You'll learn more in a few days
than you'll ever do getting info from people trying to describe
their own technique.

bruno.


That would be the best advice I have seen yet.

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