tell me stories about learning to ski bumps

[Gina23]

for me this year i have kind of learned bumps, still working though:

see my "jerks on the lift" thread around here, that was my last experience on the bumps.

anyway, 2 things that did it for me:

1) just go and keep going. is the run over? do it again. and again.
2) this was the big breakthrough: THERE IS ONLY ONE PLACE TO STOP, the top of the next bump. See it and hit it. Try to do it faster next time. It's ok if you keep stopping, I think you must learn to control your speed before linking your turns, just like you learned on groomers.

edit: this is my experience.... whether it's right or wrong doesn't matter, it works for me.

 

[MaryLou]

Second skigrl27

Her advice is what I'd suggest. You've gotta loosen up, let your legs do the pumping and your upper body should be still.

Avoid the vw-bug sized bumps, look for softies. They key is to not look right in front of you, but a couple of bumps ahead, and just let your legs do their thing - like when driving a car - you don't look down at the road in front of you, but a decent distance ahead. You need a little advance planning, or you'll have a hard time going far.

Also...give up when you don't get your rhythm. I'm a newbie here, but not to skiing, and some days I just can't get my rhythm. Some days I have it from the first run - so you have to just realize that, and take a break rather than beat yourself up when it's not going well.

I used to avoid bumps, but my now hubby forced me to face them about 20 years ago. Haven't looked back. In one way it's a bummer, because I get so bored on groomed cruisers. On those days, I prefer to ski after lunch and get the soft bumps that develop along the edges. Like others have said - once you can attack a mogul, a whole new mountain opens up to you, and you'll see all your skiing improve. And glades...noone has skiied until they've hit a soft moguled up glade...ahhh....

 

[jaydog]

What helped me the most is some advice from a thread on skiing the steeps: reach as far as you can downhill for your pole plant. One little thing, but it helped me so much.

My other most helpful assistance in moguls: I once demoed the K2 Lotta Luv. I don't know what it is about that ski, but I'd never before linked more than two or three turns in a mogul field, and haven't really since, yet with those skis I was linking turns easily the whole way down. And they weren't "bimps" either.

 

[Suzanneski]

Start learning bumps by activating your joints; first the legs(ankle, knee, hip) then move up to the spine and arms (shoulder, elbow, wrist). Play with no-mogul terrain. When you have edges of trails or rolls, get used to letting them help you change direction.

Some good advice that I received to go with this is to lift your toes in your boots to make sure that you are steering with your feet, so you can maneuver easily. Tjis also helps to get your body back in alignment.

 

[Robyn]

So, I had a bump break through yesterday. I'm not sure why as it was a tiring day with a sore knee but I seemed to get through the line without going over and killing my body the whole time. I was actually seeking out small soft bumps to work on which is probably a first in my life.

 

[marzNC]

I know there are more recent threads about bump skiing, but this one was easier to find and has some good ideas.

Here is a relatively new video by USSA (ski racing) from July 2016. Traversing across bumps is what my Massanutten coach, Walter, started out with when we got to the point of making use of the very short bump areas. Obviously much easier on a wide trail, but can be done even when only have 2-3 bumps before have to turn around to go back the other way.

 

[bounceswoosh]

<3 traversing bumps. When I'm feeling off, a couple of traverses start getting me in the groove. ... I don't do it as fast or smooth as that guy, though! (And I think the bumps are usually bigger, although they always feel bigger when you're in them ...)

Actually - is he using the bumps the way a mountain biker uses a pump track to gain energy from the troughs?

 

[deannatoby]

I thought I would never learn bumps becuase of my very late start in skiing and my love of my knees as they are. But, I had a teacher take us in during a lesson, and I quickly figured out skiing bumps keeps me warm on a single digit day in windy New England. That's something to write home about! Bumps became a goal. If I'm not in the lodge by the fire thawing, I should be on the bumps.

I started out in bumps looking rather like a pinball, ricocheting from bump to bump, kaching kaching kaching kaching! HIGH SCORE! Love pinball, but not the best bump technique.

I'm slowly learning. Slowly. But I still love it. All the comments are helpful.

I got some GREAT advice last year in Taos. Teacher said to stay tall. I was surprised at the difference. It kept my butt more forward, and it was almost as if staying tall allowed me to get some vertical lift and be light on my skis, giving me more control in turning and maneuvering. Anybody ever heard that?

Last winter in Taos the bumps were like plastic. Snow in Taos stopped in late February, and after that it was blaring sunshine during the day and freezing temps at night with no grooming. If not plastic, granite would be a good description. It was hard to find bumps appropriate for our lessons.

 

[heather matthews]

My local hill has the tiniest little bump run at the side of one of the pistes and this year I have skied down it so many times and although it isnt pretty it is so much better than early season.They have become fun and challenging and I have gone to them when they are icy,chalky,powdery or slushy.They are my new best friends.And for the first time I'm beginning to really start to understand my body's movements and have a vocabulary that lets me articulate what should be and what shouldn't and how the shouldn'ts can be turned into shoulds. And our season only has 3 weeks left.It's not fair!!!

 

[Skisailor]

I got some GREAT advice last year in Taos. Teacher said to stay tall. I was surprised at the difference. It kept my butt more forward, and it was almost as if staying tall allowed me to get some vertical lift and be light on my skis, giving me more control in turning and maneuvering. Anybody ever heard that?

Yes! And that is some really good advice! It's a natural tendency to want to crouch whenever we encounter terrain that challenges us. But staying tall is the way to go because it helps to keep our weight centered over the balls of our feet where it belongs.

In bumps, try to stay tall most of the time and flex only to absorb terrain as necessary. Then don't forget that re-extension as the bump falls away! As we head down the back or side of a mogul it is critical to continue to remain perpendicular to our skis by sending out center of mass forward as the ski tips start to tilt downward. This raises the ski tails and keeps them from hanging up on the bump. Remember - WE go first and the skis come along. Don't let those skis go first and take you for a ride!

The drill of traversing to practice flexion and extension is generally fine but I do disagree with some of the info presented in that particular video. And I have to admit - I was cringing as they were showing zipper line, competition mogul skiing in a "learn how to ski bumps video". Really? I don't think the vast majority of recreational skiers aspire (or need) to ski bumps that way. It's a very targeted technique which uses limited rotation and is designed for max speed. It's not applicable or necessary for mastering recreational bump skiing, IMHO. So get those images out of your head!

 

[snow addict]

Always tall and proud in bumps Well, everywhere really... But bumps will kick you if you are not sooner than other terrain. Less tiring too.

 

[Skisailor]

Always tall and proud in bumps Well, everywhere really... But bumps will kick you if you are not sooner than other terrain. Less tiring too.

Yup. Tall everywhere! Sound advice.

 

[deannatoby]

Good grief, snow addict. Your picture/avatar/whatever it's called is amazing! Unbelievable!

You look like your standing tall, too. :-D

 

[bounceswoosh]

I thought I would never learn bumps becuase of my very late start in skiing and my love of my knees as they are.

I knew a guy in his 80s who skied double black bumps. Slowly, quite elegantly. I hold this as my goal. By the time I'm 80, assuming health is good, I should be able to ski even steep bumps smoothly and in control. And ... no time like the present to practice!

 

[W8N2SKI]

I knew a guy in his 80s who skied double black bumps. Slowly, quite elegantly. I hold this as my goal. By the time I'm 80, assuming health is good, I should be able to ski even steep bumps smoothly and in control. And ... no time like the present to practice!

Oh good. I think I'll need 30 years. BTW, I assume he's using high-end mogul skis in the video? They look awfully skinny to me.

 

[Gloria]

Yes! And that is some really good advice! It's a natural tendency to want to crouch whenever we encounter terrain that challenges us. But staying tall is the way to go because it helps to keep our weight centered over the balls of our feet where it belongs.

In bumps, try to stay tall most of the time and flex only to absorb terrain as necessary. Then don't forget that re-extension as the bump falls away! As we head down the back or side of a mogul it is critical to continue to remain perpendicular to our skis by sending out center of mass forward as the ski tips start to tilt downward. This raises the ski tails and keeps them from hanging up on the bump. Remember - WE go first and the skis come along. Don't let those skis go first and take you for a ride!

The drill of traversing to practice flexion and extension is generally fine but I do disagree with some of the info presented in that particular video. And I have to admit - I was cringing as they were showing zipper line, competition mogul skiing in a "learn how to ski bumps video". Really? I don't think the vast majority of recreational skiers aspire (or need) to ski bumps that way. It's a very targeted technique which uses limited rotation and is designed for max speed. It's not applicable or necessary for mastering recreational bump skiing, IMHO. So get those images out of your head!

It's an optical illusion. Competitive bump technique is pretty spot on to what you said except they turn on a different part of the bump. There is rotation but you can only see it on most courses on the top section before the first jump or from side views. Hence the knee patches, so the judges can see better what's going on.

 

[Skisailor]

It's an optical illusion. Competitive bump technique is pretty spot on to what you said except they turn on a different part of the bump. There is rotation but you can only see it on most courses on the top section before the first jump or from side views. Hence the knee patches, so the judges can see better what's going on.

I really have to disagree. There's a ton that is different about that technique for skiing bumps than what I think is more relevant to the average recreational skier. Just my opinion of course.

First of all - They ski the zipper line! That's huge. They mostly turn on different parts of the bump. Yes, there is rotation. But their skis do not come more than 30 degrees or so out of the fall line - which makes sense because they want speed! It's a big part of their overall score.

They also ski with vertical backs and knees pumping - NOT what I would recommend for recreational skiers. More flexion at the hip allows us more rotational range of motion (because it allows maximum lengthening of the sartorious muscle). But they ski with vertical backs and can get away with it because they are using so much less rotation out of the fall line. And despite what the video says - knee injuries amongst competition mogul skiers are common. That technique is not friendly to the knees or forgiving of mistakes, IMHO.

It's not that there is nothing at all in common with what I said in my earlier post, but there is a huge difference between what they are doing and what
competent, even masterful, recreational bump skiing is all about.

Again - just my opinion.

 

[Gloria]

Knee injuries are usually a result of jump landings. I've seen lots of different back angles and degrees of rotation though. I've seen skiers that look like they are nearly straight lining but when you watch them from the side they are skidding their turns. There isn't alot of bump skiing left and they did use to favor a pivot turn, so it's hard to really know exactly what they are doing.

 

[COchick]

I'm not by any means a great bump skier, but I'm improving steadily. I no longer freak out, anyway. I took a bumps lesson last year - or maybe the year before? Anyway, in that lesson, which was great, we tried three different techniques on the same run which I thought was immeasurably helpful. The one thing that stuck with me after that class was that I wasn't using the flat of my ski enough... I was so used to concentrating on edges, but in the bumps it was a recipe for disaster for me and before you knew it I'd be traversing the slope or recklessly charging through the troughs. Once I really started using the flats of my skis to sort of slide up onto the banks/sides of the bumps, it got so much better. Suffice it to say that didn't work every time, with every style of bump or degrees of pitch, but it was a technique that really carried me through improving in the trees as well. I hope to take another bumps lesson on my next trip and really bust to the next level.

 

[bounceswoosh]

I'm not by any means a great bump skier, but I'm improving steadily. I no longer freak out, anyway. I took a bumps lesson last year - or maybe the year before? Anyway, in that lesson, which was great, we tried three different techniques on the same run which I thought was immeasurably helpful. The one thing that stuck with me after that class was that I wasn't using the flat of my ski enough... I was so used to concentrating on edges, but in the bumps it was a recipe for disaster for me and before you knew it I'd be traversing the slope or recklessly charging through the troughs. Once I really started using the flats of my skis to sort of slide up onto the banks/sides of the bumps, it got so much better. Suffice it to say that didn't work every time, with every style of bump or degrees of pitch, but it was a technique that really carried me through improving in the trees as well. I hope to take another bumps lesson on my next trip and really bust to the next level.

An interesting experiment with this is to play with what happens when you aren't in an aggressive position. I did this a bit in lessons last season. Skiers use their edges to go fast, as in carving. Most people don't want to go faster in bumps! Now play with an aggressive position vs a backseat position, or even just a more neutral position. When you're aggressively attacking the mountain, you're on top of your skis, and they will stay flat if you want them that way. Now try getting back a little. Your skis will shoot out from under you. And when they're out from under you, they get on edge. Now you're going fast ... and your skis are ahead of you, where you can't control them.

I found it eye-opening.