Mogul technique: Extension

[Marc]

For some people, me included, the fun is figuring out how to do something at a high level. No competition, just the process of discovering the technique or "thing" it takes to finally do something well without thinking about it, and discovering something in yourself along the way.

Like a burrito?

 

[Creakyknees]

Like I said, there is no consistency. I strive for shin pressure, but often times I'm pretty evenly centered in the boot, and of course there are some times when you start to feel the back of the cuff. Like 2knees said, that's bad and time for a major readjustment.

Most people will say shin pressure; that is only part of the correct answer.............
The problem with shin pressure is most people will lean into the front of the boot causing them to be on their toes, being on your toes is not good. You should have light shin contact. A good way to see if you are in a good balance athletic stance; open the buckles of your boots stand with knees bent and vision up. If you are in a good stance you will not be able to wiggle your toes. If you are on your heels the toes will wiggle.

I like to tell people to have heel contact, not the bottom of the heel but between the upper part of your heel and the achilles tendon of your foot. If you think of bringing your heel into the back of your boot as you come over the bump this will get your skis knees and hips in the correct position.

Think as if your upper body is going normal speed and your knees, ankles, boots, and skis are going in reverse as you come down the backside of the bump. I'm sure you have heard this before it's like back pedaling a bike.

I know you don't want to hear this; you need to practice this on the flats, and yes you can practice A&E on the flats.

Drill to practice: make short turns on an intermediate slope as you finish one turn and start the next quickly bring back your skis under your body and feel the upper heel pressure. Most people at first will stand tall (not good) as they try and quickly bring back their feet, keep in mind you should always have the knees bent while conducting this exercise. You should feel the pressure on both the upper part of the heel and tongue. After doing this for a while you can traverse across a mogul field practice this drill while turning on top of a few bumps. While conducting this exercise the tails of the skis could come off the snow, this is not a bad thing. This is the feeling we are trying to achieve getting our skis under our body and always having the shovel of the ski in contact with the snow. It's much better than having the tails in contact with the snow and not the shovel.
If you do this all day correctly you will feel sore in the upper part of the heel.

Don't think about just shin pressure think about UPPER HEEL PRESSURE.

Remember always have fun.:lol:

 

[Greg]

Most people will say shin pressure; that is only part of the correct answer.............
The problem with shin pressure is most people will lean into the front of the boot causing them to be on their toes, being on your toes is not good. You should have light shin contact. A good way to see if you are in a good balance athletic stance; open the buckles of your boots stand with knees bent and vision up. If you are in a good stance you will not be able to wiggle your toes. If you are on your heels the toes will wiggle.

I like to tell people to have heel contact, not the bottom of the heel but between the upper part of your heel and the achilles tendon of your foot. If you think of bringing your heel into the back of your boot as you come over the bump this will get your skis knees and hips in the correct position.

Think as if your upper body is going normal speed and your knees, ankles, boots, and skis are going in reverse as you come down the backside of the bump. I'm sure you have heard this before it's like back pedaling a bike.

I know you don't want to hear this; you need to practice this on the flats, and yes you can practice A&E on the flats.

Drill to practice: make short turns on an intermediate slope as you finish one turn and start the next quickly bring back your skis under your body and feel the upper heel pressure. Most people at first will stand tall (not good) as they try and quickly bring back their feet, keep in mind you should always have the knees bent while conducting this exercise. You should feel the pressure on both the upper part of the heel and tongue. After doing this for a while you can traverse across a mogul field practice this drill while turning on top of a few bumps. While conducting this exercise the tails of the skis could come off the snow, this is not a bad thing. This is the feeling we are trying to achieve getting our skis under our body and always having the shovel of the ski in contact with the snow. It's much better than having the tails in contact with the snow and not the shovel.
If you do this all day correctly you will feel sore in the upper part of the heel.

Don't think about just shin pressure think about UPPER HEEL PRESSURE.

Remember always have fun.:lol:

Great read and it really helps visualize things. I've heard the back pedaling analogy too. I also know exactly what you mean about lifting the tails of the skis off the snow and usually can pull it off and practice that a lot of the flats. I like thinking about it as upper heel pressure. Makes sense.

 

[Creakyknees]

I have taken a few golf lessons from a few different instructors. It's interesting to me that you could have three different instructors explain the same thing in three different ways but only one will really click. That's why some people have a better understanding when I say heel pressure in lieu of shin pressure. Everyone has a different thought process. :idea:

Greg,
What nights do you guys ski at Sundown or is it different every week????. If I can coordinate with the family I'm thinking about going up.

 

[bvibert]

Greg,
What nights do you guys ski at Sundown or is it different every week????. If I can coordinate with the family I'm thinking about going up.

The standard night is supposed to be Wednesdays, but it's jumped around a bunch this year.

 

[campgottagopee]

Haven't taken the time to read all post's so maybe someone's touched on this---2 things that have helped me are looking AT LEAST 3 turns/bumps ahead (will halp you stand tall) and think of turning down the backside of the bump and not in the trough. That's all I gots

 

[Greg]

What nights do you guys ski at Sundown or is it different every week????. If I can coordinate with the family I'm thinking about going up.

Keep an eye on the T&E forum. It's usually no secret when we're meeting up. Give it a few weeks until Gunbarrel is set up and skiing well.

 

[SkiDork]

Greg - I was talking about this with one of the other dads from the B team yesterday. He said he was watching Donna Weinbrecht coach the girls on OL, and she was yelling at them to do repetitive drills with all sorts of active leg up/leg down stuff involved. Its definitely not something that just comes naturally according to her...

Now granted, you're not gonna always have a coach of her caliber around to help with the finer technique points. But I think maybe hiring Evan Dybvig for 1/2 day might be just what the Dr. ordered for your extension woes...

 

[sankaty]

I have no idea if this is helpful for others, but I have a drill that I do if I'm having a bad run in the bumps.

I think of the extension/retraction motion of not just an up and down motion, but also a slight forward/backward motion. I push my skis down and forward into the trough (but never so far forward that my weight is any further back than center), and then when I slide up to the crest, I aggressively pull my feet up and back (I think of pulling my heels to my butt instead of knees to chest), and pitch my shoulders forward over the crest, and then immediately extend down and forward into the next trough. The trick to the drill is to do this so aggressively that my skis pop up into the air during the retraction *except* for the shovels, which are always in contact with the snow. During the this retraction, I feel as though I'm pulling my skis back up the mountain and momentarily arresting my downward progress (obviously, not really). Obviously, it's not necessary to use the exaggerated motion all the time (It's hard for me to sustain, anyway), but I use it to remind me of the proper motion. This drill, combined with proper pole planting, is key for me.

Another way to think of this is that I envision my body as a vertical see-saw with my hips as the fulcrum. My feet go forward into the troughs and my shoulders go forward on the crests. In reality, my body is actually staying relatively quiet, with the perceived rocking being mostly a counter to the opposing rhythm of the bumps.

I'd be amazed if this actually makes sense to anyone else, but it works for me.

 

[thorski]

I have no idea if this is helpful for others, but I have a drill that I do if I'm having a bad run in the bumps.

I think of the extension/retraction motion of not just an up and down motion, but also a slight forward/backward motion. I push my skis down and forward into the trough (but never so far forward that my weight is any further back than center), and then when I slide up to the crest, I aggressively pull my feet up and back (I think of pulling my heels to my butt instead of knees to chest), and pitch my shoulders forward over the crest, and then immediately extend down and forward into the next trough. The trick to the drill is to do this so aggressively that my skis pop up into the air during the retraction *except* for the shovels, which are always in contact with the snow. During the this retraction, I feel as though I'm pulling my skis back up the mountain and momentarily arresting my downward progress (obviously, not really). Obviously, it's not necessary to use the exaggerated motion all the time (It's hard for me to sustain, anyway), but I use it to remind me of the proper motion. This drill, combined with proper pole planting, is key for me.

Another way to think of this is that I envision my body as a vertical see-saw with my hips as the fulcrum. My feet go forward into the troughs and my shoulders go forward on the crests. In reality, my body is actually staying relatively quiet, with the perceived rocking being mostly a counter to the opposing rhythm of the bumps.

I'd be amazed if this actually makes sense to anyone else, but it works for me.

sankaty: Do the chickens have large talons?
thorski: Do they have what?
sankaty: Large talons.
thorski: I don't understand a word you just said.

yes a little Napoleon Dynamite was needed, Just Shut up and ski.

 

[SKidds]

sankaty's advice jives with CreakyKnees.......same general idea. Sankaty's pulling back of the feet (heel to butt motion) will achive Creakyknees heel/achilles pressure (as the feet travel back and up). Seems to me you guys are saying the same thing. Makes sense and is good advice. It's not all about absorbing at the knees. The motion you guys are talking about serves to drive the tips of the skis down the front of the next mogul after you absorb in the trough, keeps your skis in contact with the snow, and keeps you under control. I shut up and ski too often, and I should practice this technique in the bumps more often......at least for a couple of turns before I let loose the mind and the skis.

 

[bvibert]

I'd be amazed if this actually makes sense to anyone else, but it works for me.

I think I understand what you're saying. It sounds very much like some of the things that I've been working on this season.

 

[Beetlenut]

I'd be amazed if this actually makes sense to anyone else, but it works for me.

yes a little Napoleon Dynamite was needed, Just Shut up and ski.

I think that made sense, and I like the see-saw analogy and pitching forward with your shoulders. I'm leaving in two hours to try it out all weekend. A little thinking about what your trying to do sometimes helps get stuff done!