seeding bumps at sundown

[bvibert]

So how was it? I would have gone, but I didn't get back from my trip until late last night.

 

[Greg]

So how was it?

Awesome!

Last Wednesday

Last night

 

[Greg]

2knees posted something similar on K-zone, but he made a good point. If you've skied Sundown recently and enjoyed the moguls on Nor'easter as much as we did, contact them and let them know:

860-379-SNOW (7669)
customerservice@skisundown.com

Maybe with enough positive feedback, they'll expand the approach!

 

[bvibert]

2knees posted something similar on K-zone, but he made a good point. If you've skied Sundown recently and enjoyed the moguls on Nor'easter as much as we did, contact them and let them know:

860-379-SNOW (7669)
customerservice@skisundown.com

Maybe with enough positive feedback, they'll expand the approach!

Good idea Greg/2knees!

You guys will be happy to know that they haven't mowed down the bumps yet. I made a very ugly attempt at them last night in front of an audience of about 20 ski patrollers waiting to practice bringing their sleds down a mogul field... :roll:

They were way to gnarly for me at this point. Though they seemed to be in pretty decent shape...

 

[Greg]

They were way to gnarly for me at this point. Though they seemed to be in pretty decent shape...

Me likes gnarley! Better get some bump practice in before we hit Huntah!!!

 

[Catul]

They were way to gnarly for me at this point. Though they seemed to be in pretty decent shape...

Heck, they were pretty gnarly when I first saw them at their original "small" size last week - now they look downright nasty!

I plan to get out there tomorrow morning, will be by myself for a couple of hours and then my wife will join me late morning for another hour or two. I think I might try the bumps, just a run or so, to see how much I get kicked around.

 

[Greg]

I still can't believe we're discussing a gnarley kick ass bump run in Connecticut....

 

[Catul]

I still can't believe we're discussing a gnarley kick ass bump run in Connecticut....

... on a hill with 600 feet of vertical and just about two ways down

 

[2knees]

my mind is running trying to get one more run out there before hunter. They were getting a bit unruly (and a total blast) on monday night. You really have to stay out of the troughs especially after the top 1/3rd. The ice and cross cut angle will really snap your skis around hard if you arent careful.

 

[Catul]

You really have to stay out of the troughs especially after the top 1/3rd. The ice and cross cut angle will really snap your skis around hard if you arent careful.

So what's the key for a bump beginner? What "line" are you looking to take on these, and where should you be looking to make your turns? You mentioned staying out of the troughs, do you turn on the bottom part of each bump?

 

[YardSaleDad]

So what's the key for a bump beginner?

I took a bump lesson first, and I am very glad I did.

 

[2knees]

You really have to stay out of the troughs especially after the top 1/3rd. The ice and cross cut angle will really snap your skis around hard if you arent careful.

So what's the key for a bump beginner? What "line" are you looking to take on these, and where should you be looking to make your turns? You mentioned staying out of the troughs, do you turn on the bottom part of each bump?

Let me qualify my answer by stating that I have a lot to learn myself and in no way do I consider myself an expert in this. I have never had a lesson so my technique and/or approach may be flawed to say the least.


In regards to these bumps, first I would stay out of the line on the skiers right if you are still learning. That one required a more straight on approach and a good deal of speed, which can be a bit intimidating if you are starting out. What I saw quite a bit of on Monday, were people coming over the initial set of bumps, right were the big snowmaking pile was and then panicking because the line became very deep with ice in between. Typically, a skier still learning bumps will slide sideways into the mogul, either falling on his side, or worse, sliding into the trough only to have it violently snap their skis back into the fall line causing the skier to sit way back and go out of control. When you run into bumps that have set up and been scraped off in between, I like to put less angle into my edge set and use the face of the next bump as my point of contact. You need to eliminate the angle of the trough essentially. To do this, I like to take a more aggressive approach, stay truer to the fall line in the angle of my edge set and to make the face of the next bump my initial point of contact. It becomes impossible to drive your tips back down the backside and “carve” to the next face. Essentially, you are looking at a series of small airs over the junk underneath you and, for lack of a better description, hopping slightly from bump to bump. The catch 22 is that this requires you to carry more speed then you may be accustomed to and the impacts/absorption become more pronounced. It is slightly unnerving the first few times but it’s a technique that, I think, can help you avoid the nastiness that forms between.

 

[Greg]

my mind is running trying to get one more run out there before hunter.

I'm going to go Friday night. Anyone else interested?

 

[Catul]

I skied at Sundown from 9 a.m. to a little before 1 p.m. today - nice conditions overall, especially the first hour or two. I enjoyed fast GS turns down Gunbarrel but you get down too quick. I decided to venture into the mogul field, why not right? Damn, those are GNARLY, and I realized just how much I suck at bumps! More power to you guys who make 20 runs down those - you're frikkin crazy!

 

[Greg]

I skied at Sundown from 9 a.m. to a little before 1 p.m. today - nice conditions overall, especially the first hour or two. I enjoyed fast GS turns down Gunbarrel but you get down too quick. I decided to venture into the mogul field, why not right? Damn, those are GNARLY, and I realized just how much I suck at bumps! More power to you guys who make 20 runs down those - you're frikkin crazy!

Meet me there tomorrow night - we'll take some bump runs together! How's Nor'easter holding up?

 

[bvibert]

I'm going to go Friday night. Anyone else interested?

Its a possibility, but I doubt it. I'll let you know if I head up.

 

[Marc]

If you guys go tomorrow, I might head out there. Assuming the bumps are worth it.

Let me know tomorrow afternoon if you guys are still planning on going.

 

[Greg]

If you guys go tomorrow, I might head out there. Assuming the bumps are worth it.

Let me know tomorrow afternoon if you guys are still planning on going.

I will. I plan on definitely going provided the moguls are still there. They were great on Sunday night and the reports are they've gotten progressively bigger this week. If you like gnarley low angle bumps, they'll be worth it!

 

[Catul]

Meet me there tomorrow night - we'll take some bump runs together! How's Nor'easter holding up?

I would, except those frikkin' things eat me up - really! I'm going to have to go to a bump camp for a week or so before I'm ready to tackle these, and I'm still working on just good skiing on "regular" trails without having big moguls thrown in. And yeah, those bumps are just as huge (if not even bigger than ever), pretty slick in the troughs as you might imagine - you'll have fun!!

 

[Greg]

I would, except those frikkin' things eat me up - really! I'm going to have to go to a bump camp for a week or so before I'm ready to tackle these, and I'm still working on just good skiing on "regular" trails without having big moguls thrown in. And yeah, those bumps are just as huge (if not even bigger than ever), pretty slick in the troughs as you might imagine - you'll have fun!!

Practice makes perfect... Plus we can always take some cruisers together too...