Stealing the discussion from the snoooooze/stoke thread, i was wondering how anyone else handles bumps that have sharp angled, longer troughs. Personally, i think the best way to deal with it is to simply try to air over as much of the trough as possible and just deal with the top half or so of the next face. Trying to stay in contact throughout causes so much "whipping" of the skis when the trough and bump merge its almost impossible and certainly not fun.
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Long sharp angle troughs
- Thread starter 2knees
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SkiDork
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yup - jumping/hopping/cruising over them is prolly the best tactic
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The "top-hop" is a technique I truly struggle with, but I plan to learn this season. DiPiro's book has a lot of great info on adapting bump technique to varying or inconsistent terrain.
How about gnarley icey or hard bumps? Do you shy away from those? Not me. I tend to punish myself on gnar bumps as they really help you improve. If you can ski steep hard moguls, you can ski most any moguls. When you finally do hit that mogul field with hero bumps, you can really rock out.
How about gnarley icey or hard bumps? Do you shy away from those? Not me. I tend to punish myself on gnar bumps as they really help you improve. If you can ski steep hard moguls, you can ski most any moguls. When you finally do hit that mogul field with hero bumps, you can really rock out.
highpeaksdrifter
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Good idea, but not everybody can pull it off, especially if the bumps are on steep terrain. That technique can make speed control more difficult.
highpeaksdrifter
New member
How about gnarley icey or hard bumps? Do you shy away from those? Not me. I tend to punish myself on gnar bumps as they really help you improve. If you can ski steep hard moguls, you can ski most any moguls. When you finally do hit that mogul field with hero bumps, you can really rock out.
That's true, only the most skilled can look good skiing those icey bumps. I also think skiing them is good training.
riverc0il
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i used to look out for nasty bumps to push myself. it is sound philosophy that if you can do it slow with okay form on really nasty terrain, you can probably do something that much better on easier terrain and you will feel better and more comfortable after the punishment. but i generally only go for punishing bumps if there is nothing else of interesting terrain wise (i.e. it is the only option on the mountain besides groomers). i just got tired of the punishment, i would rather groom it all day than beat myself up in rock hard bumps.
I like to ski them switch, keeps it challenging...
not that it has worked for me yet, but a few instructors have told me that the best way to deal with deep troughs is to point the skis right into them and have the tips take the hit rather than your knees. its amazing how much flex there is even in stiff skis, making the transition from the downhill side of the bump into the flat or sometimes uphill trough more gradual. supposedly also helps with speed control.
by longer troughs do you mean sections where there is a long period between bumps which means you start picking up more speed that you want? i struggle with that quite a bit. in cases like that i have instructors recommend switching into carving mode. the instructor would use the troughs as luge course, staying in the troughs and following them like a luge rather than going in and out of the trough like one would skiing bumps. when down right, it looks very energy efficient. the key to this is looking ahead and finding the luge course. this is all theoretical to me, i have seen good skiers do it, but haven't figured out how to do it myself.
I like to ski them switch, keeps it challenging...
not that it has worked for me yet, but a few instructors have told me that the best way to deal with deep troughs is to point the skis right into them and have the tips take the hit rather than your knees. its amazing how much flex there is even in stiff skis, making the transition from the downhill side of the bump into the flat or sometimes uphill trough more gradual. supposedly also helps with speed control.
by longer troughs do you mean sections where there is a long period between bumps which means you start picking up more speed that you want? i struggle with that quite a bit. in cases like that i have instructors recommend switching into carving mode. the instructor would use the troughs as luge course, staying in the troughs and following them like a luge rather than going in and out of the trough like one would skiing bumps. when down right, it looks very energy efficient. the key to this is looking ahead and finding the luge course. this is all theoretical to me, i have seen good skiers do it, but haven't figured out how to do it myself.
Reading your post made me think of it differently. Yeah real long troughs are much more of a struggle. Interesting analogy with the luge course. Never thought of it that way but i can visualize what he's talking about.
jack97
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I would like to get better at trough hopping, one of my goals this coming season. I agree with HPD that hopping could compromise speed control at times but it is still good to have another tool under your belt if needed.
One approach I have taken on a long trough; if it is not that deep at certain places. While in my turn, I would lift the uphill ski, step out of it, then bring out my downhill ski and continue the turn. Done fast enough, it doesn’t t look like you broke your rhythm. I can even do this when the troughs look like cliffs but it becomes hard when they are deep. I usually avoid the later.
One approach I have taken on a long trough; if it is not that deep at certain places. While in my turn, I would lift the uphill ski, step out of it, then bring out my downhill ski and continue the turn. Done fast enough, it doesn’t t look like you broke your rhythm. I can even do this when the troughs look like cliffs but it becomes hard when they are deep. I usually avoid the later.
jack97
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I was initially hesitant on posting this, its something I’m still working on…..
If the long troughs are wide enough, a firm edge set at the end of the turns should control your speed and direction so that you can ski slightly higher in the troughs. Also, I am working on getting on edge sooner when going from the backside to frontside of the bumps, something Chuck Martin mentioned in his Mogul Logic video, he said laying the skis flat would pick up too much speed.
Thinking about this is getting me stoked!
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All this discussion on the fine details of skiing various shaped bumps is interesting. I'm still just trying to figure out how to ski vanilla bumps consistently well.. :lol:
SkiDork
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I still prefer to refer to these things as _trenches_ instead of _troughs_
sledhaulingmedic
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That's similar to why I bang my head against the wall: It feels SOOOOO good when I stop!
Pushing yourself (within reason) is the best way to improve. Ski "Dark Wizard" a few times and "Intimidator" starts to look like a snow field!
dipiro
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Irregular troughs
Hey guys,
It’s really tough to describe line-choice in writing alone. I’ll try to add one little piece, though, and maybe it’ll be of some use. I like Jack97’s comment above. This thread is, of course, about skiing irregular, skier-made bumps (as opposed to skiing a machine-made or “skied-in” mogul course of perfect left-rights), and in irregular bumps it’s vital to maintain your regular turning rhythm, to NOT let the terrain dictate your rhythm, but to dictate it yourself.
You can work on this skill on a groomer: get a regular rhythm going in your head (turn-turn-turn-turn…) and ski to it. Don’t deviate from it, no matter what little bumps or irregularities the trail throws at you. As you get good at maintaining your own turning rhythm, take this skill onto progressively bumpier terrain.
A second point: learn proper absorption and extension techniques and, once you get good at these skills, test the outer bounds of what these skills can do for you. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to smooth out nasty, ragged, irregular troughs with good, forceful, assertive absorption and extension. When you can absorb and extend well, you don't so often need to air it out (trough-hop).
Have fun!
-Dan
Hey guys,
It’s really tough to describe line-choice in writing alone. I’ll try to add one little piece, though, and maybe it’ll be of some use. I like Jack97’s comment above. This thread is, of course, about skiing irregular, skier-made bumps (as opposed to skiing a machine-made or “skied-in” mogul course of perfect left-rights), and in irregular bumps it’s vital to maintain your regular turning rhythm, to NOT let the terrain dictate your rhythm, but to dictate it yourself.
You can work on this skill on a groomer: get a regular rhythm going in your head (turn-turn-turn-turn…) and ski to it. Don’t deviate from it, no matter what little bumps or irregularities the trail throws at you. As you get good at maintaining your own turning rhythm, take this skill onto progressively bumpier terrain.
A second point: learn proper absorption and extension techniques and, once you get good at these skills, test the outer bounds of what these skills can do for you. You’ll be surprised by how easy it is to smooth out nasty, ragged, irregular troughs with good, forceful, assertive absorption and extension. When you can absorb and extend well, you don't so often need to air it out (trough-hop).
Have fun!
-Dan
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Dan's the man. Welcome back!
Agreed, I hope we hear more from you again this year!
I hope he makes an az outing. :wink:
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JimG. and Dan skied together at Cannon, I believe. Maybe Dan will come down to ski Nor'easter...
:lol:Maybe Dan will come down to ski Nor'easter...
slummin it, so to speak. greg, work those contacts and get 'em from the sundeck down. Those things, even though they started out manmade, you could see the beatings they took from all the beginner bumpers that ran through them. There is more to learn from that then when they were uniform and mellow.
As i mentioned to you before, I'm gonna take my camcorder with me and get a couple of runs each time i make a wednesday hookup. see if any of this reading ie dans book, the thread on here, can pay dividends.
Speaking of Dan's book, I've been looking for mine to get ready for the season but I can't find it! :angry:
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