Latest posts for the topic "Moguls"

Moguls

Simon T — GMT

Can anyone offer me some good advice on mastering moguls? I've skied all my life and get down anything else pretty easily but I have had little experience on the bumps and find myself losing control quickly. Any tips would be appreciated! Cheers, S

Re:Moguls

powderhound — GMT

Hi Simon, There's some video and good advice from Warren Smith on How to Ski Moguls here on j2ski. I'm no expert in the bumps but the initial challenge for me was to really loosen up the edge grip (compared to piste skiing) and let the skis skid / drift a bit more to kill the speed. I'm still pants though... :cry: Powderhound

Re:Moguls

Simon T — GMT

Many thanks. I think that's my problem ie skiing moguls like I ski on normal piste. I think my skis are to far apart and I try to edge rather than skid off the back of the bumps. I'll see how I get on with more skidding... S

Re:Moguls

Snowcheeks — GMT

Simon T wrote:

Many thanks. I think that's my problem ie skiing moguls like I ski on normal piste. I think my skis are to far apart and I try to edge rather than skid off the back of the bumps. I'll see how I get on with more skidding... S

This is a good question. I never know whether to ski round the things or over them. Should you turn on the tops of them or in the gaps between? I've just come back from a week in Alpe d'Huez where, because it had not snowed properly since early December, a lot of pistes were closed and what ones were open were well used by too many people, not all of them very good I have to say, and this is what churns the slopes up into mogul fields quicker than anything. Our son solved the problem by just skiing straight down over them! A technique not for the faint hearted, but 7 year olds have no fear.

Re:Moguls

pavelski — GMT

I read a saying in another site about this topic and am passing along to you all. " I thought I was an expert skier, but the moguls prove I am not" This saying is so on the mark, because in moguls you can not cheat. If you have any flaws in;weight transfer, edge sets, pressure control,body rotation, fear, etc... it will show. If you have no idea what those terms mean, start learning the correct efficient skiing technique. You must practice all basic techniques, and master them BEFORE attempting any mogul runs. Reading some of the comments above, indicates some confusion. Typically moguls are formed with; hard ice type surface in the downward slope section, the valley ( between two moguls) is typically ice also and the upper sections are soft due to skiers "skidding" down moguls. The tops are all soft! The following are skills you must master BEFORE you try to ski even small moguls; 1. Soft quick edges sets. Typically intermediate skiers have a "hard" edge set in which they lay all their weight and pressure on one ski! This is called among ski instructors as the "do or die" technique. Poor, ineffective and potentially dangerous. You should ski "as if skiing on eggs" ready to change weight or pressure from one ski to another ski in a milli-second. 2. Weigth/Pressure control. In mogul field you are very much like in the ocean with waves. The angle of attack varies based on the form of mogul. You must adjust your weight/pressure on skis IN RELATION to mogul. You must have a dynamic posture. Learn to feel skis turn on easy runs. Experiment weight change on easy run , by putting pressure on skis before a turn, after a turn and during a turn. You will learn to "feel" ski biting, slipping and skidding. 3. Skidding There is a debate ( which has lasted for 30 years) on this topic. A frenchman by the name Joubert wrote a classic book on "modern ski technique" in which he discusses a technique for skidding. This was written in the 1960"s. With modern skis, you should not skid ( dérapage)!!! All effective skiers have learnd that when you skid, you have lost control of ski. Like in a car that is on ice, you do not jam brakes since you will "drift" with no control. Rather you learn to be "soft" with pedal and allow car to follow trajectory and driver "with gentle brake pedal" and soft steering gets car back on road! I can not stress how important it is NOT to skid ever,,,,even more in moguls. I know some ski instructors and even some ski instruction sites promote this skidding. I do not! I realize the many responses I will get and let me tell all of you that I do "skid" but it is when; I am studying a race course, when I am filming skier, when I am in very steep chute that also is narrow. Never but never do I "skid" in moguls or open ski runs. 4. Few skiers care about their edges. If there is one type of skiing that requires sharp edges it is in moguls. 90% of male skiers that want to learn to ski moguls have to go to ski shop and get edges sharpened at 3 degrees side and 1 degree base. I will never teach any skier who has poor tuned ski! Notice that I have yet not talked about how to ski the moguls yet. All I have addressed are the prerequisites for this type of skiing. Typically, ( assuming a skier is fit and skis are tuned) I will spend two days on "easy" run practicing; -weigth transfer -Pressure control -rapid SL turns on at 2m interval I will never teach some skier to go to moguls unless these three techniques are mastered at all speeds! Nothing is free in skiing and there are no short cuts. If you wish to learn to ski moguls, it can be done in one week but you must master basis first! Once you do ski a moguls run, you can ski anything. I mean ski,,,,,not slide, not roll, not walk, not traverse a mogul run. It is called the moment of truth. You can not hide your poor techniques! You have mastered or not the basic skiing techniques! Hope this will motivate you to take 1 hour per ski day to practice just one skiing technique. One hour per day!

Re:Moguls

ben76 — GMT

pavelski wrote:

I can not stress how important it is NOT to skid ever,,,,even more in moguls. I know some ski instructors and even some ski instruction sites promote this skidding. I do not!

what do you do, carve through the mogul fields then??? either that or engage you edges immediately after pivotting your skis? would be an interesting sight!

Re:Moguls for Ben

pavelski — GMT

There is not one technique for skiing moguls. I will try to offer several options, but first what I tried to convey in the first string is NOT to attempt moguls if you have not mastered the basics! You will just "pick up" poor skiing habits which will haunt you for years! Assuming you can; set edges, control pressure to skis,adjust weight distribution here are some skiing options in moguls; 1. If new snow or loose snow on moguls DO NOT ski into the valleys but set edges at top of moguls and land at flank of next mogul. Allow ski to ride up to loose snow! 2. Take fall line direct (straight down) and set edges ( very lightly) at flanks of each mogul as monsieur Jean-Luc Brassard would do, flexing legs at each edge set. 3. Ski the trail edges where moguls are smaller and less ice. Allow ski to carve into the flank of the mogul and set edges very hard at end of turn turn which will be near top of lower mogul. 4. If very hard and icy conditions, turn and pivot at TOP of each mogul and allow skis to turn down upper mogul ( with very soft edges), then at lower mogul set edges harder as you come up lower mogul. Ending with hard edge set just before you pivot at top. Repeat process! 5. My very favorite technique is in Spring when moguls get bigger but softer. Most skiers still use the "herd" technique which is follow tracks of other skiers into valleys. As result valleys get narrower,moguls get steeper flanks. The secret is that the tops are very soft with wet snow. Great landing zone. Small yes, but just enough space to land, set edge and rotate ski in one flowing motion. Now you can appreciate all that "practice" on easy slopes. Where it is steeper this technique is easier, but the mental factor ( yes again that voice in your head gets louder). This is when you have to "prove" to yourself that you want it! Do not even look at valleys! Focus on the soft tops and flow from top to top of moguls. As you land you will slow down due to soft loose snow, dot not set very hard edge, just direct ski to next top! You will notice that ski "burst" through the soft snow creating a "volcano" effect as you pass from one top to next top! Hope this helps!

Re:Moguls

ben76 — GMT

Snowcheeks wrote:

[This is a good question. I never know whether to ski round the things or over them. Should you turn on the tops of them or in the gaps between?

turn on the top (sort of), ideally you should turn on the uphill side of the mogul (plant pole on downhill side) and slide down the down hill side of the mogul steering your skis to the next mogul. one of the hardest parts of mogul skiing is choosing an appropriate fall line and moguls to turn on, when I get clients to follow my tracks directly (about 1 turn behind me) they find that they can suddenly ski moguls much better than they thought!

Ben's comments

pavelski — GMT

You are so right. Following a more experienced skier helps. There is no "evident" line or correct path in moguls so by following some person is much better. Happy teaching Ben. Pavel

Re:Moguls

Simon T — GMT

Thanks everyone - that gives me plenty to think about. :D

Re:Moguls

mykski — GMT

I read this forum last night and the posts from Pavelski did the trick. Just worked on my short turns all the way to the mogul piste today! Yeasterday I was struggling ..today was much better! Many thanks! Opened my eyes to the fact that I CAN do it..if only I new what to practice!

Re:Moguls

pavelski — GMT

Myski, Again you confirm that skiing successfully starts in the head. Often I ask myself why this person does so well and another does not. It is in the belief that you can do it! How you do it, you do not know but you believe in yourself! I truly believe in the "modeling" or mentor approach in learning. When one sees another doing some skiing, you can not help but accept that it is possible! Then you "follow" in the tracks of the better skier trying to "copy" his or her style! My skiing style in moguls is "active" and aggressive thus I never slide down a mogul. To me that is a "tacit acceptance" that the mountain has got you! Plus it creates more ice and deeper moguls for others. I would rather fall trying, than slide down a moguls field. Only you at the bottom of the run can say if you let the run win out!

Moguls

Simon T — GMT

Well I've just come back from Verbier and feel (at last) I've really made a break through with moguls. Thanks to everyone for their tips. Having my skis much closer together made a huge difference. It's almost impossible to pivot over the moguls when the skis are too wide apart. Simple I know but no one had pointed this out to me before. Once I got this it meant putting in very quick, controlled turns much easier. Edging softly down the front/side of each mogul really controlled the speed and, towards the end, I felt that it didn't really matter how steep the run was or how high/irregular the moguls were. Cheers everyone. S

Re:Moguls

mykski — GMT

Hi ...since my last post on 19th Feb I have been skiing pretty much solidly on this huge steep and long mogul mountain here in Switzerland. Two days ago, however, I had a pain in my left foot, on the outside on the bony part. Usually any pain, in my foot would go after the first run but this pain stayed all day. When I took my sock off there was a hard bony lump and bruising all around this. What has happened to my foot?? How long will it take to heal?? Any ideas appreciated!!

Re:Moguls

lovethepiste — GMT

pavelski wrote:

3. Skidding There is a debate ( which has lasted for 30 years) on this topic. A frenchman by the name Joubert wrote a classic book on "modern ski technique" in which he discusses a technique for skidding. This was written in the 1960"s. With modern skis, you should not skid ( dérapage)!!! All effective skiers have learnd that when you skid, you have lost control of ski. Like in a car that is on ice, you do not jam brakes since you will "drift" with no control. Rather you learn to be "soft" with pedal and allow car to follow trajectory and driver "with gentle brake pedal" and soft steering gets car back on road! I can not stress how important it is NOT to skid ever,,,,even more in moguls. I know some ski instructors and even some ski instruction sites promote this skidding. I do not! Hope this will motivate you to take 1 hour per ski day to practice just one skiing technique. One hour per day!

Glad someone has said this, the number of people you see skiding down slopes let alone mogules is amazing. If you are skidding, you turning on the flats of your skis, get on your bloody edges thats what they are there for. The reason why people skid is because they arent very good at points one and two made by pavelski People say they hate, moguls all the time. You start to love them when you can do them; just like anything takes practise; always good to follow the style of better skiers aswell.

Re:Moguls

Tom from Austria — GMT

Hey, moguls must be loved from the very beginning. Stop calculating and trading with them, let them embrace you ..

Re:Moguls

Jan I Stenmark — GMT

Hey people, DO NOT LISTEN to Pavel, he spreads confussion and misinformation about moguls. He will try very hard to make you think about techniques, methods & approaches - Why? Because he doesn't think you are ready for the real truth! ... and what is the truth? Know the leeks - Do this and you will never again ask about technique again! The answer is here, if you know where to seek it! But beware your life will change ... Proceed with caution! Jan

Re:Moguls

Admin — GMT

Jan I Stenmark wrote:

Know the leeks

Is this something to do with thick onion skins? Oh no, wrong thread...

Leeks or Finding the child in you!

pavelski — GMT

Ha the Leek story!!! I really have to be careful what I say on the net,,,,,it stays in cyber space for people to pick up! I had forgotten that Leek Story!!! Great memories! The essence to all of this is; forget all the mental gymnastics and just let the "child" in you come out! Enjoy your exploration in the moguls! If you are overwhelmed,, perhaps it is time to get back to basics,,,,then have another go at the leeks!!!! Is it not wonderful to see children enjoy and learn about skiing without all sorts of "technical" issues!!! Jan, did your mother know you did all those "strange" moves with poles!!!! ....and one day some young lad will "explore" the net and see that picture! Is that dad!!!!!!! hummmmm!!!! Cyberspace is forever!!!!!

Re:Moguls

Jan I Stenmark — GMT

Pavel, I spent my childhood wishing to stay indoors and play quiet games but my mother insisted that I go out and risk my neck undertaking evermore dangerous sports, being an unloved child can be a real trial! … but back to the thread I think the Leeks can be found here http://www.j2ski.com/ski-chat-forum/posts/list/2088.page I found myself choking up as I read it – Thanks Pav 8) Jan

Re:Moguls

pavelski — GMT

Damm, I was hoping that this messages was hidden somewhere in the site vaults! Now everyone is going to read it and next time I ski with my sons they will "rebuke" me for having spoken about family issues! PS....let us keep this among ourselves....

Re:Moguls

ellistine — GMT

I thought everybody knew about the Leeks :D

Re:Moguls

Admin — GMT

Oh those leeks... :lol: I told a similar, lengthy, story to the five-year-old daughter of a friend of mine over lunch once; all about how the moguls were where French sausages lived... she listened politely all the way through before turning to her Dad and saying "He's talking a load of rubbish - and he can't ski in moguls either". To cap it all she then told me that Santa doesn't exist! Kids today...