Everything the Instructors Never Told You About Mogul Skiing

[andyzee]

Even so, you can look at the way Dan skis and tell he rips it up in the bumps.

That's for sure!

 

[dipiro]

Thanks for giving my book a try, Goldsbar. I appreciate it.

And good skiing with you, JimG, even though Cannon offered us no bumps.

-Dan

 

[dipiro]

Even so, you can look at the way Dan skis and tell he rips it up in the bumps.

That's for sure!

Thanks, guys.

-Dan

 

[2knees]

Here's a question for ya dan. Hope you dont mind. I was skiing our local hill yesterday, pretty easy bumps not very steep. Greg took a couple of videos and i could see first hand what i had always thought. while i do keep my hands out in front for the most part, i seem to have a habit of letting them sweep past me on the plant, like i'm planting too long. This in turns forces me into the back seat a bit. any tips for breaking this habit?

 

[Greg]

Here's a question for ya dan. Hope you dont mind. I was skiing our local hill yesterday, pretty easy bumps not very steep. Greg took a couple of videos and i could see first hand what i had always thought. while i do keep my hands out in front for the most part, i seem to have a habit of letting them sweep past me on the plant, like i'm planting too long. This in turns forces me into the back seat a bit. any tips for breaking this habit?

Hope you don't mind. Here are the vids in question:

2knees vid #1 (6.6 MB MPG)
2knees vid #2 (3.6 MB MPG)

 

[JimG.]

Here's a thought I've mentioned in other posts:

Try to soften what you call a pole "plant" into what I call a pole "touch". The pole touch is that third point of contact with the snow that helps our brain read the terrain we're on. All you need is a touch.

I sometimes find myself stabbing at bumps too much also, especially when I'm in an aggressive mood. With me, it's a function of reaching out too far for the next bump, and it's usually an indicator that I'm not standing as tall as I can. So I stop and regroup, making sure I'm tall and relaxed and that my hands don't fly away from me as you mention. That in itself makes me ski bumps 100% better.

You might also want to try shorter poles; that made a BIG difference for me. I dropped from 50" poles down to 46" and have used my adjustable poles as short as 44".

 

[Greg]

You might also want to try shorter poles; that made a BIG difference for me. I dropped from 50" poles down to 46" and have used my adjustable poles as short as 44".

I dropped to 48" poles from 50" myself. I was using the 50 inchers yesterday though as I lost a basket on my new ones (K2 is sending replacement free of charge :beer. I need to lighten up on the pole plant too...

 

[2knees]

Here's a thought I've mentioned in other posts:

Try to soften what you call a pole "plant" into what I call a pole "touch". The pole touch is that third point of contact with the snow that helps our brain read the terrain we're on. All you need is a touch.

I sometimes find myself stabbing at bumps too much also, especially when I'm in an aggressive mood. With me, it's a function of reaching out too far for the next bump, and it's usually an indicator that I'm not standing as tall as I can. So I stop and regroup, making sure I'm tall and relaxed and that my hands don't fly away from me as you mention. That in itself makes me ski bumps 100% better.

You might also want to try shorter poles; that made a BIG difference for me. I dropped from 50" poles down to 46" and have used my adjustable poles as short as 44".

good points. I have a tendency to reach out myself as well as use too much force on my plant. I've always gone by the "grab below the basket, 90 degree elbow" theory with poles. Im 5'9 and use 48 inchers. Mine are bent up so it's time for new ones. I think i'll drop down and try that. thanks.

 

[Greg]

"grab below the basket, 90 degree elbow" theory with poles.

Likewise. I think that's an optimal length for groomers.

 

[JimG.]

I've always gone by the "grab below the basket, 90 degree elbow" theory with poles. Im 5'9 and use 48 inchers. Mine are bent up so it's time for new ones. I think i'll drop down and try that. thanks.

I'm 6'3" and use 46" poles. And sometimes I feel better at 44".

You need to try shorter poles; that will make a big difference for you.

 

[dipiro]

Here's a question for ya dan. Hope you dont mind. I was skiing our local hill yesterday, pretty easy bumps not very steep. Greg took a couple of videos and i could see first hand what i had always thought. while i do keep my hands out in front for the most part, i seem to have a habit of letting them sweep past me on the plant, like i'm planting too long. This in turns forces me into the back seat a bit. any tips for breaking this habit?

2knees:

I couldn't get Greg's videos to work. I've got dial-up up here in the mountains and video downloads sometimes just don't happen.

Break that habit by working on your poling form on easy groomed trails. Hold your hands about shoulder-width apart, and in your lower peripheral vision as you look down the trail. Poling is done almost exclusively with the wrist, so hand-position remains almost perfectly fixed as you ski. As JimG said, poling should be just a touch, not a hard stab; and you shouldn't ever support your weight with your pole plants while skiing downhill. Once you've eliminated the dramatic hand movements on easy groomers, try to bring that nice quiet poling into the bumps. Practice, practice, practice.

Pole length: for the bumps, a good rule of thumb is one grip's length shorter than you'd ordinarily use for groomed-trail skiing.

More info about poling, hand-position and equipment in my book. Good luck!

-Dan D.

 

[2knees]

thanks for the tips. I just ordered your book from amazon.

 

[dipiro]

thanks for the tips. I just ordered your book from amazon.

Thanks for giving my book a try, 2knees. Hope you like it.
-Dan

 

[SkiDork]

I figured out something yesterday:

You know how Dan talks about the proper "TALL" stance?

Well, it works. I usually (probably defensively) come into a bump in a crouch - knees already bent. I got nothin left to absorb with.

yesterday in the trees at K, when it was tracked out and bumped, I approached the bumps VERY tall.

Guess what? It makes it MUCH easier to absorb.

A breakthrough for me!!!!

 

[skibum1321]

Since I obviously wouldn't want to have 2 different sets of poles, would I be better off with shorter poles for normal skiing or longer poles for bump skiing?

 

[SkiDork]

Since I obviously wouldn't want to have 2 different sets of poles, would I be better off with shorter poles for normal skiing or longer poles for bump skiing?

I'm 6'5" and I'm using poles that are only an inch or two longer than my wifes, who is 5'1"

I don't ever notice that they're too short.

FWIW.

 

[dipiro]

I figured out something yesterday:

You know how Dan talks about the proper "TALL" stance?

Well, it works. I usually (probably defensively) come into a bump in a crouch - knees already bent. I got nothin left to absorb with.

yesterday in the trees at K, when it was tracked out and bumped, I approached the bumps VERY tall.

Guess what? It makes it MUCH easier to absorb.

A breakthrough for me!!!!

Glad it worked for you, SkiDork!
-Dan

 

[dipiro]

Since I obviously wouldn't want to have 2 different sets of poles, would I be better off with shorter poles for normal skiing or longer poles for bump skiing?

Skibum1321,

You could try adjustable, telescoping poles, or just experiment with different lengths. Maybe go a bit shorter if you spend more time in bumps, a bit longer if you're usually on groomers.

-Dan

 

[awf170]

Just a suggestion. But why don't you guys have a day at wildcat in april for bump skiing. Wildcat in april for bumps is amazing.

 

[kingslug]

Here's my question about learning the bumps. Jim G. gave me some advice that I think will help me in the moguls. Make more turns. I ski like a downhiller, very fast with few turns to scrub off speed, change line, etc. I noticed that he, Gregg and Pat are alway turning. Me, I just shoot down the hill. When I try to do a tight mogul course my legs don't want to turn that much. It's like they are saying " Were not ready to turn yet". This throws me off the course. The question is, do I have to change the way I ski to develop the muscle memory to do the bumps correctly. This would be a big change for me. Out west the areas are so vast that I feel the need to go fast just to get around. Plus powder skiing requires speed. Turning that much is also exhausting. Opinions?
P.S. I think this is one of Bode Millers slalom problems. He's very good in the speed events but has let his slalom technique go. I don't think his legs want to turn like they used to.