Sample: Skiing Moguls

Sample extracted Lesson #6 of Skills of the Expert Skier

Lesson #6: Moguls 101

Short-Radius Parallel Turns

Now that you've been introduced to the short-radius turn at the end of the hop maneuver, let's take it a step further and do two complete short-radius parallel turns from scratch. In a short-radius turn, you need to both increase the pressure on the skis and actively steer your skis toward the next turn.

The ability to make short turns and stay in control depends on how well you can steer, edge, and pressure your skis. In this section, you'll work on strengthening this set of skills. For the following maneuver pick a slope with a gentle pitch. A green run will do!

To prepare for short-radius skiing:

1. Start with your skis parallel and about 6 inches apart.
2. Place your hands out in front to keep your weight forward.
3. Bend slightly at the knees to establish a good athletic stance.
4. Rock forward and backward until you find your balance point in the fore-aft plane.

To ski two short-radius turns:

1. Push off with both poles.
2. Set an edge early on both skis to the same angle with the snow.
3. Put more pressure on the uphill ski throughout the turn.
4. Flex into the hill, but keep a quiet upper body.
5. Roll your ankles when you're across the fall line and extend upward to initiate the turn.
6. Set an edge on both skis to the same angle with the snow.
7. Put more pressure on the uphill ski throughout the turn.
8. Flex into the hill.
9. Roll your ankles when you're across the fall line and extend up into the next turn.

There you have it, two complete short-radius turns. Practice skiing just two turns at a time until you learn the mechanics. I know there's a lot to remember, but with time and mileage the maneuver will soon become automatic. You'll be edging, flexing, rolling, and extending without even knowing it.

Instructor's Note: When you roll your ankles while crossing the fall line, you are actually completing one turn and initiating another turn. In addition, when you roll your ankles you make a quick transition from flexion to extension. This transition serves as a pressure control switch. You apply pressure to your skis when you flex into the hill, then you un-weight both skis and release pressure when you roll your ankles, and you reapply even greater pressure to your skis when you extend upward.

Shaped Skis and Soft Boots

The above procedure was adjusted to compensate for the recent advances in ski equipment, namely, shaped skis and softer boots. Today's shaped skis are made to turn, and are designed to work together. Parallel skiing used to mean keeping both skis pointed in the same direction. Today, with shaped skis, parallel skiing means keeping both skis pointed in the same direction and keeping both skis at the same angle to the surface of the snow.

Furthermore, with the advent of shaped skis, subtle foot-and-ankle steering has almost replaced the need to apply strong forward pressure to the tips of the skis. To compensate, boot manufacturers began to make boots with more natural flex built right into the design. The result is a softer more comfortable boot, with better handling characteristics.

Shaped skis afford a synergy that did not exist with straight skis. Now all of the movements required by the skier are localized in one small area. Force is transmitted in rapid succession from the ankles to the boots to the bindings and to the edges in the middle of the side-cuts. It is little wonder shaped skis turn so quickly with a minimum of effort on the part of the skier.

Skiing Gentle Bump Runs

Another major advantage of mastering the short-radius turn and being able to link short-radius turns from top to bottom is that you also learn how to control the amount of pressure to put on your skis, as well as when to apply a hard edge. When to apply pressure and when to ease up, are the essential skills you need to maintain a comfortable speed in a mogul field. The idea is to ski safely and in control.

Tactic: Choosing a Bump Run for Your Skill Level: If you are new to bump skiing in general, and the short-radius turn in particular, it's best to leave your ego at home and learn good mogul skiing techniques on terrain that's easy. The gentle bump run would be best for you at this time. Why?

If you try to attack a steep mogul field with a gung-ho attitude, no bump experience, no line, no technique, weak-legged, and all tensed up, you'll crash and burn, more often than not. Your stance will be too tall, and you'll probably be sitting back on your heels, which means you'll gain too much speed, and then ski out of control.

In the context of the Skills of the Expert Skier and this lesson, a gentle bump run is defined as a slope with a pitch of 30 degrees or less where the bumps are smaller in size and distributed equally. The moguls are not tightly packed nor are they loosely arranged.

On the other hand, if you're a master of the short-radius turn and have skied moguls on intermediate bump runs for two or three years, then you should proceed to the next lesson. Lesson #7: Moguls and the Expert Skier deals with steeper bump runs where the pitch is between 30 and 40 degrees. Here, the moguls may be tightly packed, equally distributed, or loosely arranged.

Let's ski some bump runs!

To prepare to ski a gentle bump run:

1. Start with your skis parallel and about 6 inches apart.
2. Place your hands out in front to position your poles.
3. Bend slightly at the knees to establish a good athletic stance.
4. Rock forward and backward until you find your balance point in the fore-aft plane.

To ski a gentle bump run:

1. Push off gently with your poles.
2. Make at least two or three short turns before you reach the first bump.
3. Set an edge on both skis against the base on the front side of the first bump.
4. Plant your pole firmly on the same bump.
5. Flex hard into the bump putting more pressure on the uphill ski.
6. Shift your weight across your skis as you enter the trough.
7. Release your edges and extend your legs to drive your skip tips back down.
8. Steer both skis into the fall line toward the next bump.
9. Set an edge on both skis near the base on the front side of the second bump.
10. Plant your pole firmly on the same bump.
11. Flex hard into the bump putting more pressure on the uphill ski.
12. Shift your weight across your skis as you enter the trough.
13. Release your edges and extend your legs to drive your skip tips back down.
14. Steer both skis into the fall line toward the third bump.
15. Continue skiing bumps to the bottom.

There you have it! Let's dissect this bump procedure and examine it step-by-step. If you understand the technical aspects, you'll gain a better appreciation for the mechanics of the maneuver.

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