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Everything the Instructors Never Told You About Mogul Skiing

Greg

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JimG. said:
Sky, check this out:

http://forums.alpinezone.com/viewtopic.php?t=5521&highlight=dipiro

This book is well written and rock solid.
I was going to mention this as well. Super easy read. My only comment is it seems to be geared towards the already advanced groomer skier looking to bash the zipperline. However, I do feel a lot of DiPro's techniques could be adapted to more conservative bump skiing.
 

Sky

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JimG. said:
My book is meant to equip expert skiers

I saw this thread. Thanks Jim....greatly appreciated.

The quote above is from the review in your "link". I suppose I should read the book and see what's in there. I absolutely "drink" the AMS book. As an old hoopster...the drills are just what I was looking for. The language (emphasis on a "toolbox", a word I use myself in my work) just fits my style.

As for watching and emulating HPD...congrats. Sometimes I can do that. More frequently, I need to know the "why" behind something so I can address the answer with my own abilities/limitations without busting some portion of the "what's required" envelope.

My first experience with a succesful "how to" book was fly fishing. Casting. Nailed it. The AMS book is really fun to read. I'll give this other reference a shot pre-season.

Sorry to hear the stands get the mag before subscribers! I definitely thought it was the other way around! ALways figured that was one of the benefits of subscribing.
 

JimG.

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Sky521 said:
JimG. said:
My book is meant to equip expert skiers

I saw this thread. Thanks Jim....greatly appreciated.

The quote above is from the review in your "link". I suppose I should read the book and see what's in there.

I used to coach 7-11 year olds on how to learn to ski bumps. I used many of the same drills as in Dan's book. This is good stuff for anyone who is a strong intermediate who is looking to LEARN to ski bumps.

No doubt Dan is also catering to those who want to become competitive bumpers, but as Greg mentioned above the techniques can be toned down for the less skilled athlete.
 

Sky

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No doubt Dan is also catering to those who want to become competitive bumpers, but as Greg mentioned above the techniques can be toned down for the less skilled athlete.

OK, thanks. I'll check it out.

Borders? Or on-line via Dan's site? I'll check the top of the thread...I'm sure it's posted.
 

dipiro

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New mogul-skiing book

Hello all,

Dan here... author of Everything the Instructors Never Told You About Mogul Skiing.

About my target audience and zipperline skiing: Yes, the book is meant for fit, groomed-trail experts -- that is, skiers who can handle groomed expert trails, and who aren't, for example, extremely overweight or nursing an injury. "Fit experts" might be as young as 10 years or as old as 65. I've had success teaching mogul techniques throughout this age range.

Zipperline skiing is easier than most skiers think. Because mogul techniques are not widely known among the skiing masses, most people jump into the zipperline equipped with only groomed-trail, racing-based techniques, and these skiers are consequently knocked around. This has given the zipperline a formidable reputation, but it's not warranted. With the right techniques, the average fit expert can ski the zipperline with comfort and confidence. (I've written about this on my blog.)

In addition to needing proper mogul technique (those techniques that mogul competitors and coaches have identified and refined over the last 30+ years), the aspiring bumper needs to learn on graduated terrain. You start with mogul training on the flats, then you graduate to gently-sloped trails with short sections of small moguls. And so on. You don't jump right into the zipperline of a 29-degree World-Cup course. You start small and work your way up. By the way, most accomplished mogul skiers spend plenty of time training on the groomers. Finland's World-Cuppers, for example, are very into flats training. I, too, am a big proponent of flats training... it hones the technique and safely warms up the old bones and muscles (I'm 40).

-dd

P.S. Jim and Greg, glad you guys like the book.
 

Greg

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Re: New mogul-skiing book

dipiro said:
P.S. Jim and Greg, glad you guys like the book.
Welcome Dan! Glad you signed up. Please stick around and contribute here. We've got a great community of Northeast skiers!
 

Marc

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Wow, a hearty and sincere welcome to the boards...

Not sure if I have welcoming priveledges yet myself since I've only been around for a month, but nonetheless.

I started learning moguls last year but didn't have enough slope time to really work on my technique. I started on steep groomers/PP with the short linked turns.

I went down some bumps throughout the early season (dec - jan) but chronic poor conditions and inconsistancy prevented much learning.

I did most of my improving in the bumps in the woods, it really forced me to keep my head up and focusing 3 or 4 bumps a head (because I wished not to have a close encounter with an eastern hemlock).

Watching other people I found was helping me as well. My 2 biggest self diagnosed problems are not looking ahead and sitting back on my tails. They seem to be common problems though.
 

dipiro

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Marc said:
My 2 biggest self diagnosed problems are not looking ahead and sitting back on my tails. They seem to be common problems though.

Yes, Marc... common problems for aspiring bumpers. They're also problems that you can remedy with some simple groomed-trail drills.
 

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Yeah, a lot of me sitting on my tails comes from fitness issues for me.

I spend all summer developing cycling legs that are built for continuous 4 hour cardiovascular effort, not 75% intensity intervals essentially. I'm better built for endurance activities anyway. So when I start feeling burn I start getting lazy and lean back. At least that problem has a simple solution. It's not like it is some psychological block that prevents me from changing form.
 

Greg

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Marc - pick up Dan's book. It'll be probably the best 11 bucks you could ever spend to help you improve. I'm only about halfway through it, but Dan's drills are great. It's an easy read and very useful for anyone looking to really bash the bumps. I'm looking forward to applying some of his techniques this season.
 

dipiro

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Marc said:
Yeah, a lot of me sitting on my tails comes from fitness issues for me. I spend all summer developing cycling legs that are built for continuous 4 hour cardiovascular effort...

Four-hour rides? Wow. Sounds like you're in plenty good-enough shape... excellent shape. Sounds like a posture-adjustment thing to me, Marc, not a fitness issue.
 

Marc

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Hey look, Amazon is more expensive... big surprise...


And maybe it's posture, but I'm still not sure. I should be mountain biking more as that seems to be universally accepted as better cross training for alpine than road cycling.

But I use what feels like the right form for as long as my legs can stand the burn. What I really should be doing more this time of year on the road bike are short steep climbs and sprints to build my lactate threshold.

Technique on both skis and the bike becomes so much easier to develop when you can take the fitness factor out.
 

dipiro

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Marc said:
Technique on both skis and the bike becomes so much easier to develop when you can take the fitness factor out.

Yup, fitness is totally key. ...for preventing injuries, too, of course.

I road ride, run trails, and fiddle a bit with plyometrics (a.k.a. hopping around the gym, den, living room, etc).
 
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