Do bumps make the man?

[Greg]

Last year on the CR opening (on a Friday) I was able to grab 37 K, probably 2 - 3 groomers in that as a warm up. After 37 K, I know I have skied, but it is no problem to get back up and do it again. The final CR run of the day (lower CR) was still choked in pow and made for a great final run with the next stop as the Tav and a Dogfishhead 60 min IPA, and then a big smile (even though I had just come from the FL hospital where my Dad was on a ventilator)

How many runs were on Castlerock that day? Hard to believe you can get 37K feet of vert at the Bush unless you're mostly riding Bravo or Gatehouse all day. A run on Castlerock takes a good 30 minutes unless there is no line and you're bombing.

 

[Skibum_dan]

There is certainly a difference between carving a turn and pushing snow. A big ol fat GS turn doesn't really have anything to do with the quick piston like movements you get in the bumps. I think many of the people who have put the time and effort into perfecting their form in a tight bump run would also be the same people who would want to get their form down solid on the groomers too, not because the technique is the same, because it isn't, but simply because of the level of attention one would have to give to the technique. Chances are, if you are the kind of skier who is willing to give your technique a lot of attention in one area, you would be willing to focus on other areas too.
I usually go up to the mountain looking for what's ripe. Fresh powder trumps all other conditions but if there is not much fresh snow, I might focus on setting my edge better on some steeps...if it's a warm spring day, the bumps are going to be the best thing to hit on the mountain most likely. But if most of the mountain is bullet proof, I'll probably shy away from the land mines, make sure my skis are sharp and go make some turns.

 

[Greg]

I did a little research. According this page, the Castlerock Double runs at 300 fpm with a line length of 4,707 feet. That's roughly a 16 minute lift ride which I guess is about right. Considering a 3-5 minute descent then you should be able to get in 3 runs per hour if the lift is ski-on. If you go from 9 am - 4 pm with no breaks, that's 21 runs at 1,670 vertical feet for a day total of just over 35K of vertical on the 'Rock! So I guess it's possible, but that's one helluva day! :-o Sounds like fun.

 

[snoseek]

My personal goal when i'm skiing is to find the best snow. while i like skiing bumps, I usually take the line on the edge of the trail (more spaced out bumps), becauase the snow is almost always better. I really love the way natural bumps ski, and get very little satisfaction from seeded bump courses, unless its corn snow. big bumps on lower hardscrabble are wicked fun when theres fresh snow.

 

[jack97]

There is certainly a difference between carving a turn and pushing snow. A big ol fat GS turn doesn't really have anything to do with the quick piston like movements you get in the bumps. I think many of the people who have put the time and effort into perfecting their form in a tight bump run would also be the same people who would want to get their form down solid on the groomers too, not because the technique is the same, because it isn't, but simply because of the level of attention one would have to give to the technique. Chances are, if you are the kind of skier who is willing to give your technique a lot of attention in one area, you would be willing to focus on other areas too.

I agree. Also, differrent movement, different muscles involved. Once I get catch my breath and give my quads a rest from the bumps. Takes little effort getting on edge and carving out some non agressive easy turns back to the lift lines.

 

[JimG.]

a bumpers non-bumping style/approach/ tehnique comes down to energy efficiency. save it for where it counts.
the thing everyone is missing is the amount of energy spent skiing bumps. Unless you have done it, you have NO IDEA what you feel like after a few zipper-line bump runs. period. sorry. but you do not know what it feels like unless you have done them.
Thats why bump contest courses are only 1000 to 1500 feet long. by the time a contestant gets to the end, they should be spent. not like a downhill run where it takes 90seconds to get drained. a bump run drains you in 25 seconds. no tuck and hold or carving, its constant, total, energy draining calorie burn where every muscle is working full bore. where your shirt is soaked at the bottom, yet its 10 degrees out. the last thing someone wants to do is carve turns on a flat after they just cooked their legs or before they cook their legs-oh yes. a good bumper knows they will cook their legs today. Save something for the next run and the next few after that.
Plus, that flat trial simply does not do anything for them anymore. why invest energy when you get little or no return?
there is a big difference between not knowing or not having the ability to do something and not WANTING to do something.

No doubt correct; after a 1000 vertical zipperline bump run I'm exhausted. But I feel the opposite about the carving on flats...to me that's relaxing and requires no energy because my skeleton is bearing all of the forces, not my muscles. So I tend to lengthen my turns and let my muscles rest that way. In the end, it's all a matter of preference.

Anyway, I was not referring to bumpers who do know how to carve but choose not to...I know plenty of skiers who just prefer short radius turns and never bother with longer turns. I was referring to good bump skiers who for whatever reason just never learned how to carve a turn. Nor do they care to.

It's all good.

 

[Greg]

I just want to ski some bumps....

 

[Skibum_dan]

..........Skiing anything right now would be nice. Bleecckkk. Why is it only Wednesday?

Think snow folks. Think snow hard!!