Why Bump?

[JD]

Never really understood the draw. Can someone explain it to me?
My analogy would be bumps are like the MTB trails in NJ. Fun and challenging because they are so played out and eroded. Once I realized what singletrack could be, I never really wanted to go ride the eroded mess. when I see a trail all bumped, or a tree run for that matter, I think...that's hammered, time to move on...what's the draw?

 

[Marc]

Like sex, military combat and high stakes casino gambling (not my examples but it sounds good) skiing bumps, backcountry skiing and alpinism can not be explained. One must experience them to understand.

 

[RustyK]

Never really understood the draw. Can someone explain it to me?
My analogy would be bumps are like the MTB trails in NJ. Fun and challenging because they are so played out and eroded. Once I realized what singletrack could be, I never really wanted to go ride the eroded mess. when I see a trail all bumped, or a tree run for that matter, I think...that's hammered, time to move on...what's the draw?

I agree. You should move on and save them for me!

 

[Marc]

Just out of curiosity Rusty, you're not the bike mechanic that raced in a 24 hour MTB race with Team Pig Iron a few years ago in Ashford, CT are you?

 

[JD]

Makes me think of PLINKO from the price is right when I see folks bumping.

 

[deadheadskier]

For me personally, I think it's a product of my ski upbringing. I skied Okemo 50+ times a year from the time I was 10 until I was 18. I skied a few other mountains each year, but never up in northern Vermont until I was 20 and moved to Stowe.

There's no such thing as powder at Okemo. They groom the hell out of the place the second they get a chance, so unless you are skiing during the storm, forget about it. Even at that, they don't get much natural. I had twice as many powder days in my first winter in Stowe as I did in my entire ski life prior.

So....what was I to do? Groomers got boring quickly outside of some of the big rollers you could get big air off of. There really was no such thing as a park in the late 80's, early 90's. Resorts had half pipes, but skiers weren't allowed in them. So....I fell in love with skiing bumps.

I still do love bumps, but yes would prefer a smooth run through the pow in the woods. The problem is, I now live in Maine and ski primarily at Sunday River where, like Okemo, there is little to no powder. So...I'm back to skiing bumps and digging it, well except for my lower back yesterday after my first day out and not being in good shape.

 

[highpeaksdrifter]

It’s more challenging and a better workout IMO. That said, anytime I can get fresh I could care less about bumps.

 

[andyzee]

Just out of curiosity Rusty, you're not the bike mechanic that raced in a 24 hour MTB race with Team Pig Iron a few years ago in Ashford, CT are you?

I'd be suprised if Rusty can drive a car most of the time, let alone a mt bike Boy sure can ski though:

 

[Marc]

Hmph... must have been a different Rusty.

 

[JD]

Defintely makes good skiers. And I like Plinko.

 

[56fish]

:beer:

Serenity & Ego.

Bumps...bumps in trees....require elevated skills to enjoy.

Cuts down on the crowds.

Sel(56)fish.

:beer:

 

[St. Jerry]

Part of being a well-rounded skier.

 

[JimG.]

If I lived from the MRV north I might feel like you do...but I would still love bumps.

It's easy to say you don't care for bumps when you have tree/OB/powder options regularly. There are others in this forum who say the same thing.

That's not the case at Hunter.

So I ski bumps as often as possible to make skiing fun and challenging. And those bumps keep me frosty and in shape for when the snow does fall or I do go to the MRV and north.

That said, you will not find me skiing bumps too often when there is powder and trees to ski or hike to.

 

[Greg]

Never really understood the draw. Can someone explain it to me?

Bumps are rather addicting for me. It's a constant struggle to improve and the progress, while slow at times, is very rewarding. The first time you stick a line top-to-bottom, the first time you feel A&E, once you trust yourself to look 3 or 4 bumps ahead, etc. are all "ah-ha" moments that feel awesome. I equate them to the first time you successfully linked arcing turns. Good A&E has that same brief period of weightlessness. It's definitely not something I nail each run which is why I keep going back. If you haven't progressed to a certain level of bump skiing, you simply won't "get it".

It takes a bit of dedication to learn to ski bumps and the bumps (pun intended) and bruises early on can be discouraging. That's part of why it's so enjoyable once you can navigate down a run with some semblance of skill; you sometimes think you're never going to get there. Still, you're never 100% happy with your run; sort of the curse of bump skiing.

While probably the most demanding work-out you can have on skis, the challenge is equally as mental as it is physical which is another draw. Finally, as a somewhat geographically challenged Northeast skier, I don't have the luxury of scoring untracked lines in the woods all that often. Bumps are always around. If it's dumping, or a powder day, I find myself in the woods more and more, and the skills I've learned skiing bumps are pretty helpful there.

 

[Greg]

If I lived from the MRV north I might feel like you do...but I would still love bumps.

It's easy to say you don't care for bumps when you have tree/OB/powder options regularly. There are others in this forum who say the same thing.

That's not the case at Hunter.

So I ski bumps as often as possible to make skiing fun and challenging. And those bumps keep me frosty and in shape for when the snow does fall or I do go to the MRV and north.

That said, you will not find me skiing bumps too often when there is powder and trees to ski or hike to.

Finally, as a somewhat geographically challenged Northeast skier, I don't have the luxury of scoring untracked lines in the woods all that often. Bumps are always around. If it's dumping, or a powder day, I find myself in the woods more and more, and the skills I've learned skiing bumps are pretty helpful there.

Funny how we were saying almost the same thing at the same time... :lol:

 

[2knees]

the feeling from maintaining a tight line at speed is one i get from no other aspect of skiing.

 

[JD]

I'm down.

 

[PA Ridge Racer]

I really don't see the draw, but thats probably because I'm bad at them I do believe like others have mentioned that it does take an extra level of skill to ski them flawlessly. I'm working on them but I would rather be on a different surface, not necessarily a groomer, but just a plain old ungroomed surface after snowfall is nice. But like Greg had mentioned, when I do get down a bumped up trail unscathed there is that sense of accomplishment which is nice and keeps you coming back for more.

 

[riverc0il]

It’s more challenging and a better workout IMO. That said, anytime I can get fresh I could care less about bumps.

What the man said! Beats the heck out of a groomer, builds muscle, makes technique errors more glaring, etc. but when there is fresh, bumps definitely mean "played out, look else where for the good stuff."

 

[Marc]

While probably the most demanding work-out you can have on skis, the challenge is equally as mental as it is physical which is another draw.

Skinning?