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Moguls, the final frontier

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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
so i think moguls are the only aspect of skiing i'm not god-like at, and therefore it's time to learn to do them amazingly

im not looking to put time, effort, or training into this... i just need the esteemed scholars of NS to tell me, in TWO SENTENCES MAX, what the key to moguls is

whatever way helps you conceptualize doing moguls well, please share. thank you and i will see you on the moguls world tour
Nov 7 2013 5:10PM
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Karma_Police
Posts: 2655 - Karma: 1,628
Look 3-4 bumps ahead.

Ski more of them.
Nov 7 2013 5:13PM
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Pipe_Munky
Posts: 10888 - Karma: 2,184
absorb the front side and pump the backside...almost like a woman
Nov 7 2013 5:17PM
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3mania
Posts: 2613 - Karma: 10,361
Lead change, absorption, extension, pole plants ..
Nov 7 2013 5:26PM
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Blurst
Posts: 13577 - Karma: 10,169
butt stuff, butt stuff, butt stuff, more butt stuff, and last but not least.... butt stuff.
Nov 7 2013 5:27PM
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Download-My-Apps
Posts: 5069 - Karma: 1,017
Think of having a cup of water on your head that you can spill by staying level. On the top of the bumps you have bend, and bottom you have to extend. Unfortunately, moguls take lots and lots of practice to get good at them.
Nov 7 2013 5:27PM
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a_burger
Posts: 5235 - Karma: 20,715
this, helped me so much. it's also good if you can find some bumps on a flatter trail, unfortunately most places don't have any green trails with bumps despite it being the best place to learn them.

Also, learning in the spring helps.
Nov 7 2013 5:36PM
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throwin_steeze
Posts: 364 - Karma: 885
What are moguls?
Nov 7 2013 5:38PM
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first_rodeo
Posts: 2385 - Karma: 7,781
forget moguls i hate wearing out my legs with pumping them

FUCKING SEND IT tranny to tranny  look at the bumps like doubles or triples ( bmx mx etc )
Nov 7 2013 5:47PM
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Black-Bandanna
Posts: 6680 - Karma: 1,603
Eyes up, stay forward, high hands, knees parallel and strong. Worst possible position in moguls is backseat.
Nov 7 2013 6:04PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Do not try to carve.
Minimal edging.
Weight close to 50/50 between both feet.

2 schools of thought are active absorption (pull your legs up) vs. relaxation (relax and let the bump push your legs up). I believe in relaxation over active absorption. The best bump skiers are the ones who can relax and then quickly activate their quads to get their feet back on the ground.

More than 2 sentences. Sorry.
Nov 7 2013 6:05PM
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Mr.LemonPie
Posts: 4100 - Karma: 1,625
Anything you can do forwards, you can do backwards.
Nov 7 2013 6:08PM
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jensen
Posts: 2576 - Karma: 1,267
Good mogul skis
Nov 7 2013 6:26PM
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Karma_Police
Posts: 2655 - Karma: 1,628
You just wanted a reason to post this gif. Which is fine by me because any nic cage gif brightens my day.
Nov 7 2013 6:31PM
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Spagett+
Posts: 3499 - Karma: 14,884
I am so much better at moguls than any other type of skiing. freestyle team was tite.
Nov 7 2013 7:27PM
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dizzydizzy
Posts: 302 - Karma: 1,031
Nail these and you will be a master. Back in the day (after i'd been skiing moguls a bunch already), Tony Basile told me that Sergei Shupletsov's only advice when coaching was to stand in a perfect mogul position, forward, hands up, vision up, and absorbed to the point where your knees are at a 90 degree angle, and just focus on maintaining that position the entire run. Its now the only thing i think about when i ski bumps. prolly not the best advice for a beginner, but once it starts to click forget all the other shit and just think about maintaining a rock solid position
Nov 7 2013 7:43PM
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tsk94
Posts: 184 - Karma: 122
Look ahead, hands up, absorb.
Nov 7 2013 8:00PM
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No.Quarter
Posts: 5257 - Karma: 16,962
Always be looking ahead, keep it as flowy as possible, jump over shit.

To me, keeping it flowy and smooth and not necessarily fast looks and feels so much better than pounding them out like a madman.
Nov 7 2013 8:07PM
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wasatch_rat
Posts: 1772 - Karma: 2,952
Only children ride in the backseat.
Nov 7 2013 8:10PM
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last_tango
Posts: 2635 - Karma: 2,665
I go by this. Its really hard to go fast when bumps have no flow, are icy as shit with crust, and straight look deadly. If you can prioritize your bump skiing to spring bumps cause those are the shit with patches of grass you got to jump over and avoid.
Nov 7 2013 8:22PM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,748
don't ski the troughs. upper body stay pointed down the fall line, good upper lower separation, hands out front, and for me it sort of helps to imagine slapping the uphill side of the mogul I want to turn around with my tails. I never skied moguls competitively, but it's just something visually that works for me. Rhythm. Ski em with someone really good at it and watch.
Nov 7 2013 10:23PM
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
sounds a lot like absorbing the kinks on a handrail, can anyone confirm or deny?

great answers
Nov 7 2013 11:11PM
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Skibumsmith
Posts: 5432 - Karma: 11,823
be like water
Nov 7 2013 11:36PM
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Mr.Huck
Posts: 6096 - Karma: 14,896
Similar, but sliding a rail and absorbing kinks means the your legs are absorbing independently. With bumps, it is more simultaneous. The reason that world cup mogul skiers keep their feet glued together, is that it's more effective to almost turn both of your legs into one leg. It also helps in the placement of your feet.

My advice is to choose your bumps wisely when you're learning. Find some big round bumps, and start making slow linked hockey stops. Try to feel where the pressure is inside your boot. For bumps you need to feel the balls of your feet and your arch. If you are doing these slow motion hockey stop turns and you feel pressure on your heels at the end of the turn, you need to get more forward. You want to be able to pivot your tails, and that is really tough if you are leaning back.

Avoid zipper lines. If you try skiing bumps that have really deep troughs, it is a lot tougher and you need to be more precise. Way easier to figure out the movements in bumps that haven't gotten shaped that way.
Nov 8 2013 12:01AM
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ThaLorax
Posts: 21083 - Karma: 8,455
.




And snowboard moguls suck. I miss skiing Moguls in Aspen in the days before they allowed knuckle draggers.
Nov 8 2013 12:27AM
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adzy
Posts: 151 - Karma: 370
Upper body straight, absorb them humps, and a shorter ski would help for learning, but its not necessary
Nov 8 2013 12:41AM
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casual
Posts: 6712 - Karma: 6,748
Obviously it isn't an exact parallel, but yeah it is similar, just the concept of absorbing impact with your legs. I'd also say it's a little like receiving a hockey puck where as you sort of "give ground" a little bit, before stopping the puck. It's a little like that. As you near the top of the bump, you extend, make contact, and instead of staying rigid and tight (where the puck would just deflect or bounce of your stick) you sort of allow your knees to bend and absorb. It's sort of a finesse, gentle movement at times, but obviously it's also very dynamic and athletic/fluid. It's feel. One of those deals where you'll get into a rhythm and make three or four really good consecutive bump turns and you won't have it locked and dialed, but you will really know how it's "supposed" to feel. Then, you'll spend forever chasing that feeling.
Nov 8 2013 12:44AM
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qeefmasterflex
Posts: 662 - Karma: 1,522
Straight. Line.
Nov 8 2013 12:47AM
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G5_KiD
Posts: 263 - Karma: 381
ride it like a wave T.A.
Nov 8 2013 12:55AM
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p-fo
Posts: 9372 - Karma: 6,155
There are a lot of things to do to get truly good at bumps, but the most important thing is learning the rhythm and timing of the pole plants. You can practice this on any random groomed run, and it should be a quick wrist flick, nothing more. You may have to modify how you hold your poles in relation to the strap in order to get the flick, but I can't really describe it or find a picture.
Nov 8 2013 12:57AM
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RubberSoul
Posts: 11249 - Karma: 14,642
seriously great answers, just what i was looking for. thanks everyone
Nov 8 2013 9:12AM
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Huck_Norris
Posts: 11487 - Karma: 18,627
Some great stuff in here. Also don't be afraid to send a bump if you are getting a little behind yourself or don't like your line now that you're down in it. That second in the air and high perspective will give you another good look and a chance to reset your body for your new line.
Nov 8 2013 9:22AM
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SFBv420.0
Posts: 2539 - Karma: 3,124
moguls
natures way of telling you you're in overskied terrain
and need to go further

Nov 8 2013 9:50AM
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Iraq_Lobster
Posts: 1866 - Karma: 4,904
the key to moguls is a cocaine addiction and a bright colored one piece
Nov 8 2013 9:56AM
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Fitz_
Posts: 427 - Karma: 592
Keep your body straight and always facing down hill and really plant your poles into the next mogul ahead of you reaching for it with your pole as much as your can.
Nov 8 2013 10:01AM
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The_Polock
Posts: 345 - Karma: 1,280
Use your knees to do most of the work.  Keep  your body forward/no back seat allowed in bumps.  Look down your line.  Keep you hands out in front.  Do them over-and over-and over.
Nov 8 2013 10:14AM
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Tremblantskier
Posts: 945 - Karma: 5,423
Control your breathing and leave the fat skis at home.
Nov 8 2013 10:23AM
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NMMedia
Posts: 982 - Karma: 1,700
Knees together. The motion is like riding a bike backwards, thats how it was taught to me when I learned. Just make your legs do a motion together just like they would do if you made the pedals on a bike rotate the opposite way youd actually want to peddle
Nov 8 2013 2:12PM
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HigherGround
Posts: 3 - Karma: 13
Straight Line.
Nov 8 2013 5:26PM
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easy.steezy
Posts: 2931 - Karma: 1,056
Threads for when I have time to read. Spring skiing is the shit and learning how to destroy slush bumps will fulfill my happiness when the park is closed.
Nov 8 2013 5:51PM
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Park.
Posts: 2480 - Karma: 4,582
if you dont have your hands out in front of you then fix that as top priority. second, flex your boot the whole time and get in a lower than normal position to absorb more easily.
Nov 8 2013 6:02PM
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thedrew55
Posts: 8 - Karma: 33
i recommend against pushing down the back side. this may work for some, but without practice, it will push you into the backseat. smooth and flowy is the way to go.
Nov 8 2013 6:37PM
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YoungJ
Posts: 447 - Karma: 883
if you do a really cool spread eagle on the jumps then ur good at moguls

Nov 8 2013 8:20PM
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G_Adams
Posts: 239 - Karma: 1,350
1) Always looking at next 2-3 bumps helps me the most
2) Keeping hands out in front naturally keeps you from being backseat

Not new points but these are the 2 simple things that I go back to when I'm struggling to get a line going.
Nov 8 2013 11:31PM
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skiP.E.I.
Posts: 7822 - Karma: 21,855
Timing is really important. Pole planting helps a lot with keeping your rhythm. This is really basic, too,but alignment is really important: if you get too far back or forward, you're finished. Try to keep your toes, knees and nose in line all the time.
Nov 9 2013 1:33AM
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Montana_Hoodrat
Posts: 1953 - Karma: 1,481
unless you case it on the next one and eat shit instead.

Click for larger image
Nov 9 2013 1:44AM
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Daski
Posts: 658 - Karma: 2,348
Bomb the whole hill coming up to the mogul field, pop off the fiirst mogul, and try to clear the whole damn thing in one jump. Right?
Nov 11 2013 12:14PM
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freestyler540
Posts: 13084 - Karma: 18,731
Moguls is the lost art of skiing. I used to compete in moguls. I still ride them when I can, its kinda hard to when it snow a crap ton.
Nov 11 2013 12:20PM
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HalKK
Posts: 223 - Karma: 367
Hahah, brilliant.

On a serious note, try and keep your head at the same level all the time. As many people
Have said, absorb the front and pump the back. Just fucking go for it man, the more you ski them the better you get
Nov 11 2013 12:37PM
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forma
Posts: 114 - Karma: 22
Sounds like there are some serious mogul skiers lurking in the bushes of NS.
Nov 11 2013 5:52PM
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Jamartini
Posts: 408 - Karma: 1,663
Use your poles and stab each mogul and use it to pivot around in the ruts around each mogul
Nov 11 2013 8:12PM
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