Mogul technique: Extension

[gladerider]

Ack! I was just thinking about whacking off another inch. Maybe I won't until I get this extension thing sorted out.

i dont know about longer poles. mine are cut 3 or 5 inches shorter than normal. the longer your poles, either earlier turn initiation or higher your hands position would need to be?

just out of curiosity, when you pole-check, which part of the bump do you plant your pole? mid-front? top? mid/top-back? i've heard different philosophy on this and i think depending on where you plant your bodys' crouching might chnage. front planter tend to reach in and bend while back planters stand up more up right because they simply check rather than full force planting. i know of one school that preaches back planting and that is summer camp at whistler.

 

[sLoPeS]

Greg-

i think u are skiing the bumps pretty nice. u are just about at that "rip-a-ble" level. u can definitely stand up some more. try to stand very tall at the "top of the gate". chin up and legs nice and loose. once u get hunched over, it is difficult to recover (it can be done, but u really gotta thrash a bump to get back to square one). there are points where u legs are fully extended, you need to slow down a bit and wait for the mogul to come to u. i would ditch the flat bumps and work on ur technique in some bumps with a pitch. by the time you gain enough speed, its over. id say ski everyday and you will progress, but u already do that. u need to go where the good bumpers are (ie. k, bush, mrg, etc). its hard to get good when u are the only one out there. the best advice is watching good mogul skiers. last weekend we were doing some rapid fires down vertigo, you prolly wouldnt have left that run all day. ill second the longer polls, but dont go too long or you will be losing more than you will be gaining. just my 2cents, come up to ktown on a spring bump day and ill ski bumps all day with ya.

<-----we dont got this over at kzone!

 

[Paul]

Ack! I was just thinking about whacking off another inch. Maybe I won't until I get this extension thing sorted out.

Yeah...um....

 

[Greg]

Yeah...um....

:lol: Hilarious. nice catch!

 

[Paul]

:lol: Hilarious. nice catch!

Jus' doin' my jorb...

 

[bvibert]

Believe it or not try longer poles. It is a very good excercise to get you taller. I do it all the time.

I've been wondering if my excessively short poles are at least partial blame for my crouching, I guess that might be the case.

 

[2knees]

The first thing i think you need to do is step back a second and take a look at where you've come from. In 3 years you've made a boatload of progress. Improvements come in big chunks in the beginning and gradually become more subtle and more difficult to realize as you improve. the learning curve steepens dramatically. Once you get your mind around the fact that its NOT easy and you wont continue to make the large strides you've become accustomed to in the past, its easier to mentally accept and realize any slight improvements you may get.

As far as your extension, its really a product of your stance. You know you need to stand up taller, but once a trail gets steeper, you fall back to what you know. I wouldnt take anything from the runs down exhibition and try to apply that to real mogul skiing. Its just not applicable and i think you may be fooling yourself by saying that you "get it" skiing those. You look more upright because the trail is practically flat.

This is my advice to you. First, relax and enjoy the times you get out until gunny is setup. Dont waste your time trying to "fix" anything on those ice bumps we've all been enjoying all year. Its just too much to deal with trying to survive them. The next warm sunny day we get, go out there and push yourself. You cant extend or absorb enough with your current stance to push your speed up faster. Try it and you will crash. However, once you get the actual feeling of crashing because you cant take on the next bump, you will naturally make corrections to fix it. Its like anything. You do something wrong, you analyze what you did and you determine what is needed to correct the problem.

I know this sounds stupid, but instead of listening to a bunch of people on the internet with all kinds of technical advice, listen to your own body. But if you dont get out of your comfort zone, you'll never know what needs to be corrected to make that your next comfort zone. I have tons of things to work on but i can offer you this. Follow my line, at my speed, the next time we ski. Not that i'm a great bumper but I do carry a bit more speed then you and i do stand up a little taller.

thats my humble opinion on the matter.

 

[SKidds]

But if you dont get out of your comfort zone, you'll never know what needs to be corrected to make that your next comfort zone. I have tons of things to work on but i can offer you this. Follow my line, at my speed, the next time we ski. Not that i'm a great bumper but I do carry a bit more speed then you and i do stand up a little taller.

Back to that whole 'do you ski differently in a group' question. Well, maybe sometimes you need to. You're good, but push yourself to keep up in the bumps with the next guy better than you up the ladder. Let it fly, and see what happens.............

Someone wrote a book once called Danger in the Comfort Zone, and it's true. Sometimes staying in that zone holds us back. That said, it's hard to get outside that familiar zone.

I almost posted this thought in that silly thread where the Old School dude riding a 32mm sidecut claims to be skiing straight boards, and how equipment doesn't matter........but equipment can make difference. Yes, ultimately it is much more about the skier than the ski, as new fangled equipment won't make anyone an expert. However, when I purchased the K2 Apache's I have now (at way below retail) they allowed me to confidently push the envelope, progressively getting more and more speed and a level of carving on the steeps that used to be way beyond my comfort zone on my old Fours.

 

[powhunter]

I Have a long way to go, but how I understand it is...you cannot absorb unless your extended..That saying you should push down on the backside of the bump setting yourself up to absorb the next one...Try hitting a few bumps straight on (not worrying about turning) the ex bumps would be good for doing this drill!!

steveo

 

[jack97]

I Have a long way to go, but how I understand it is...you cannot absorb unless your extended..That saying you should push down on the backside of the bump setting yourself up to absorb the next one...Try hitting a few bumps straight on (not worrying about turning) the ex bumps would be good for doing this drill!!

steveo

this ^^^^^^


and since i added my 2 cents, another thing. Last time I saw vid of you in the flats, you still have that hunch, that tells me you not pressuring the shins enuf.

One thing to try is skiing with a slight arch at the back (opposite of hunching) when making short turns in the flats. One thing that helped me was a back brace.... not for the support but as a way to tell whether I was not hunched over. If the back is straight, you can feel the brace flushed to the back. I though it might more user friendly than wear a Styrofoam block on the upper torso.

 

[2knees]

Try hitting a few bumps straight on (not worrying about turning) the ex bumps would be good for doing this drill!!

lol, i hit them all straight on yesterday. once. that was interesting.

 

[Highway Star]

How can you absorb without first extending?

 

[bvibert]

lol, i hit them all straight on yesterday. once. that was interesting.

Yes, it was.

 

[bigbog]

....too bad...

I need two ACL grafts before I start working on extension. I have enough instability fully extended that I can't use that technique or I'll be on crutches for a month until the swelling goes down.

..Ah Geoff, ..don't know what sweet crud you'll be missin'...:roll:

Greg,
Myself..still a hacker..words about Relaxation..that's what it's all about. Back in mid-to-late 90s..when I didn't even attempt anything but beginner bump trails, Moseley was at SR...think it was the bump weekend. Heard that...and being out early...knew it was someone not native to SR in front of me. Read a bump-technique article just before the Olympics, sketches and pics of him ...practically straight upright before hitting the first bump..and then almost same @bottom of troughs for that split second..and loose all the way down ...and Yeah, there in front of me was that posture, only with the true to life physical movements...so loose and relaxed..unreal. Like most all great bumpers...if he were to have had a third arm/hand...could've held a coffee in it and wouldn't have spilled hardly a drop...;-) Anyways...after getting down to Barker Deck..via the easiest trail down..and got to bottom to recognize him from front/side...yeah it was Johnny(sp?) alright.

 

[mondeo]

Your mondeo's brother? cool. Great skier


sorry mondeo, that was too easy :lol:

Hey, if you hadn't said something, I would've.

I know, work on the flats.

How are you supposed to work A&E on the flats? Traverses, man, traverses! Temptor's a bit too narrow for it, but traverse across a bump run, and only use A&E. Helps you get a feel for the motion.

But extending may not be the issue. Could be your home posture. You are the King! Stand tall. That is flats work.

 

[jack97]

But extending may not be the issue. Could be your home posture. You are the King! Stand tall. That is flats work.

yep, that's why people should get vid of themselves in the flats. If you're crouching in the flats then the home position needs working on.

 

[2knees]

Here are 3 pics. all three from basically the same spot on the run. I cant be sure the lines were the same for everyone but you can get an idea of what is going on for 180, 181, Greg and i threw myself in too. I hope that isnt too presumptious cause i dont put myself anywhere near their level. but you can see clearly the ass needs to move forward bro.


181, the winner

Greg

180

Me

oh, and i'll never get worried about folding at the waist anymore. I was breaking down a few other people and came across this beauty. :lol:

 

[Creakyknees]

lol, i hit them all straight on yesterday. once. that was interesting.

Please stop saying hitting them straight on. We do not use our skis to hit anything intentionally; we use our skis to, carve, smear, skid, and slip, not hit.:smash:

Greg, answer this, what part of the ski boots interior do you feel contact or pressure when you are going from the top of the mogul down the backside?:lol:

 

[mondeo]

oh, and i'll never get worried about folding at the waist anymore. I was breaking down a few other people and came across this beauty. :lol:

I've seen worse.

You should see the video I made of myself from earlier in the year.

 

[2knees]

Greg, answer this, what part of the ski boots interior do you feel contact or pressure when you are going from the top of the mogul down the backside?:lol:

thats a great question. My first alarm bell is cuff pressure on the calf. Immediately know what is going wrong.