Moguls ...Then / Now

[Not Sure]

Any other old people out there remember what moguls used to look like . Is there a big difference and why ? Ski shape ,Boarders ?

 

[keyser soze]

Husband/wife combo in our ski club are very competitive in this event and the wife won it recently, maybe the 2018 in the 2nd video. Pretty sure that is them talking to each other at 6:36. We skied with them this year and they are both effortless going through the bumps. I follow their line for about 2 turns and then am all over the place.

 

[kingslug]

I hit moguls all the time whenever possible..or I get bored. But..I don't like nailing a zipper line as its punishing. I take the schmear approach which has me wander to whatever line allows the least resistance. At the end of the day I don't feel a thing.. a guy I ski with on the other hand is in pain for days after bashing the line. This works great on super steep stuff.

 

[machski]

I'd it's a machine set line I can ski the zipper line as the spacing is near perfect. In skier formed bumps, it gets painful trying to hold a zipper line for long as the bumps are all shapes and sizes. Normal bumps I rely more on smear as well but usually try to pick a line and stay in it till I get bounced out. Natural fields seem more space often than 20 years ago to me. Probably ski shapes and widths plus the occasional snowboards vs the old narrow sticks.

 

[Not Sure]

Husband/wife combo in our ski club are very competitive in this event and the wife won it recently, maybe the 2018 in the 2nd video. Pretty sure that is them talking to each other at 6:36. We skied with them this year and they are both effortless going through the bumps. I follow their line for about 2 turns and then am all over the place.

Dream wife LOL

A friend of mine I’m sure is in one of those videos somewhere , I learned a lot from him over the years.

I think I came across a Jim G cameo in one of the old bear mountain challenge videos.

 

[keyser soze]

She is very easy on the eyes and seems like a terrific person to boot, so yeah.

 

[deadheadskier]

Some people make a big deal about the difference between bumps today and years ago. I personally don't feel the difference in mogul form is as great as people make it out to be. They did tend to be a bit more football shaped years ago compared to today. I'd say that certainly has to do with shorter skis and how that has changed how people ski them. People on longer skis years ago ran them straighter with a lot less snow contact. Shorter skis allow you to maintain more snow contact with rounder turns. It's more smooth and less jarring. Edges are more involved in speed control today than in the past where you just slammed into the bump to slow down. The result is often more "walled" up bumps when a line gets skied in deep. That's the primary difference.

Ultimately it takes good bump skiers and snow to have good bumps. Places with good bump skiers and better weather still have very good moguls. Sugarbush, Killington, etc.

 

[dblskifanatic]

This is a funny debate and has come up repeatedly over the years here and in other forums. I cannot say I recall any difference from year to year. I know there is a difference from East to West. The freeze that happens here in the east tends to define a lot since the softer snow gets pushed away faster. Where back west, they stay soft. I did not ski a lot of bumps in the east unless there was fresh snow. Skied more bumps out west and learned a lot. I have a tendency to follow my skis and pick the bumps that appear to have a better shape that I like and ski the troughs to the side of a bump to create my turn. As a result I ski all over the run which does not help those above me. I am also not a ski bumps all day skier - like to mix things up!

I agree with DHS - longer skis of yesterday vs shorter skis today have made a difference but I could not pin point it.

Always wished that I could be one of those top of the bump skiers that haul ass through bumps. I have seen several at Killington in the Spring on SS. Tried it a few times and get about three bumps in then chaos ensues.

 

[kingslug]

Theres also a big difference between bump runs. I put them in 2 categories. Simple manmade fall line, either wide or narrow, and natural terrain areas. I prefer the natural as its more interesting. Old Superstar at K is a good one. Whirlaway and Goat at Stowe are cool. I can go faster in the natural ones for some reason.

 

[Funky_Catskills]

Any other old people out there remember what moguls used to look like . Is there a big difference and why ? Ski shape ,Boarders ?

Long skis carved up the bumps in the 90s... I used to cruise through Superstar bumps with 210s.....

 

[Not Sure]

I guess the walled up moguls DHS mentions is what I miss . I can recall being at the bottom of a mogul run and seeing little kids disappear from view LOL .

My most favorite part of skiing was to air out in the bumps like in the first video , the walled up bumps only required altering a turn slightly to hit the top . Risk part of risk/reward was low as you weren’t going all that fast.
Bumps these days don’t seem to have the same amplitude or maybe aren’t allowed to build up as high. I get that a lot of snow is required so the troughs don’t melt out in the sun .

 

[deadheadskier]

I actually was referring to modern moguls being more walled up. What I mean by that is where back in the day bumps were more football shaped with the tips of the football/mogul pointing up and down hill, the more modern bump turns create almost the opposite affect with the Football/mogul pointing across the hill. It's because modern bump turns involve more carving and the skis getting more perpendicular to the hill vs running straighter like years ago.

This might also have to do with why bumps don't seem to get as big? Once lines get "walled out" they aren't as enjoyable to ski, so resorts tend to mow them down and start over.

This is especially pronounced with seeded bumps vs natural. The attached picture of a course shows the football more pointing across the hill vs the other picture of more natural bumps with the footballs pointing down the hill.

 

[kingslug]

fat skis...just float over them.

 

[ss20]

You can fake good carving
You can fake good powder skiing
Heck, you can fake park skiing if you've got big enough nads

You can't fake good mogul skiing. There's bad, there's good, and there's actually good.

I too, can do about 5 moguls worth of solid bump skiing before I get tossed out or out-of-rythem. This year I've really been working on it though. A great tip I got was to aim your pole plant on the backside of the mogul, rather than on top. That gets your body more forward. Has worked very well for me. My timing is so much better now than 3 years ago and that alone has done wonders for me.

 

[skithetrees]

Best mogul skiing tips I got in a lesson years ago:

1) don’t crash into the bumps. think of your skis like chocolate sauce flowing through the bumps rather than a speed boat skipping off of them

2) lift your heels up (but not off the ground) and drive your ski tips down the back side of the bump. Someone downhill of you shouldn’t be seeing the underside of your skis.

I ski the zipper line more often than not, depending how tired I am in the day. How much speed I check in between depends on steepness of the trail. I check a lot more speed on goniff than I would on outer limits or self’s choice

 

[kingslug]

And there is my prob..driving them down the hill when its super steep..too much speed..Thats when I start cutting across the hill.

 

[Domeskier]

And there is my prob..driving them down the hill when its super steep..too much speed..Thats when I start cutting across the hill.

The driving metaphor can be misleading. For speed control in steeps bumps, you want to get your skis back in contact with the snow and your feet under your hips as quickly as you can after making your turn (whether by lifting your heals or pulling back your feet or whatever way of thinking about it works best for you). Once you're back in contact with the snow with your feet properly positioned, you can control your speed in steep bumps by skidding down the back side of the mogul. Driving the skis down the mogul doesn't necessarily mean letting them rip. It means being in control of them, which can only happen when they are in contact with the snow and you are in the right (stacked) position.

 

[Teleskier]

A nice unexpected surprise... I enjoyed hearing that Puhdy's song again, along with the skiing, thanks...

 

[Bumpsis]

deadheadskier put the finger on the pulse here: "This might also have to do with why bumps don't seem to get as big? Once lines get "walled out" they aren't as enjoyable to ski, so resorts tend to mow them down and start over."

Mogul shapes have changed to the point that they are no longer enjoyable to ski, at least by my standards. Also, although I have no issues with snowboarders but moguls made by a snowboard are just to weird to ski. My timing and rhythm is totally off and even if there is no ice in between moguls, it's just really difficult to keep a line. At best, I'll connect a few turns and then have to change a line.
I used to love skiing moguls. I was never really good, but had a few good years when at least it felt like I had control and some style. Alas, that was when skis were "straight" and long. I'm 5'6" and my 195cm volkls were just fine for weaving a nice line down Liftline at Mad River.
Yeah, being older has probably something to do with this issue...

 

[JimG.]

I think I came across a Jim G cameo in one of the old bear mountain challenge videos.

No doubt especially in the early 90's.