Technical differences between skiing bumps and glades?

[SkiFanE]

I have too much muscle memory that drives my skiing, so I can't analyze this too much. But here in NE (since I never get out west to the nice perfectly spaced huge bumped up bowls), it's January and at my home mountain, there's been a rare bump line for me to ski. I'm either hugging side of trail for scraped off goodies lol, or getting whatever may be untouched by groomers in grass, rocks wherever. So to me...trees with bumps and bumps on a slope are usually the same to me...I'm just so focused a few bumps ahead, and whether it's a person, a tree, a rock, a snow gun, sheet of ice...it's an object I need to get around...and I adjust my turn accordingly. I can't remember the last time I got 10 smooth bumps in a row with some type of rhythm. Makes for a dull day anyway, no?!

 

[goldsbar]

#1. I don't think modern skis have anything to do with it.
#2. This guy is using hip angulation as well. It's NOT all about the knees. In my book, anytime the center of mass moves out from over the bindings and the upper body is still upright, you are using hip angulation.
#3. Look at the huge motion of extension and absorbtion even on the flat. You better believe there is some major weighting/unweighting going on.
#4. This guy illustrates what is called "the virtual mogul". From maximum extension in the sharp high G arc of the turn, you keep the upper body mass still and suck your legs up under you and extend them out the other side. It feels like you are bringing them up and over a bump, but there is no bump there. Because your upper body is lower to the snow in the turn, and you keep your upper body at the same elevation, ie there is no head bobbing, your legs must compress and shorten to have the space to slide them across. This is the virtual bump. You are compressing to move your skis across a flat space.

Moral: Just because you don't see it, doesn't mean it isn't going on.

Winner! First thing I thought of was this guy is feeling a huge "virtual bump" and is doing a ton of unweighting. See Ron LeMaster's book if you're really interested.

As for the OP. Most moguls, I might try to hit them as fast as possible. After many years of skiing, I've had enough just misses in trees when a snow goblin reaches up and grabs my ski (branch, etc.) resulting in my head landing inches away from a 24" trunk.

 

[TropicTundR]

This guy is on open terrain, with no significantly "shaved-off" sections. He has probably skied this section millions of times.

 

[4aprice]

One thing I have trouble with is sight. I like my mogul fields bathed in sunlight. Flat light or shadows make me pull up and it affects my skiing. In the trees the visability is better and I'm much more comfortable as the definition of any bumps is much clearer.

Alex

Lake Hopatcong, NJ