I Just Took My First Bump Lesson ... This Is Why You Should, Too

[KingGrump]

Don't get the ski patrol reference. Seems it would be the exact opposite.

If the bumps that I am referring to are "friends", it's kind of weird that nobody skis them.

P.S. I enjoy a good bump run as much as the next guy - just not the VW size.

This is Slim Slidell at work. His office is at the top of chair 2 at Taos. He is pretty reliable. He shows up to work most days.

Most skiers carries way too much speed for the level of control they exhibit on steep groom runs. When I say steep, I am talking about winch cat territory. A mishap often results in a long high speed slide that shall require a text book execution of the self arrest procedure. Not a pretty picture. The bumps actually slows the fallen skier's progress down the hill. The often multiple impacts into the bumps actually bleeds off tons of excess energy.

The bumps at Taos are VW bus sized more often than not. Just need a different skill set to enjoy them. Hence the Taos ski week.

Edit to add: There are skiers enjoying those bumps. They seldom linger on them. That's how good bumps are formed - by skier and not by grooming.

 

[Mendieta]

Most skiers carries way too much speed for the level of control they exhibit on steep groom runs. When I say steep, I am talking about winch cat territory.

Yup. How many inbound ski casualties come from people going out of control in a bump run? Very few as far as I know. Most of the time is someone going way too fast on a groomed run (not necessarily too steep), losing control, and hitting, either another person or an object (tree/etc).

Now, let's go back to the main topic of this article, which is learning bumps from the (relative) beginner perspective, and going beyond feeling intimidated, and having fun with bumps. Steep frozen bumps of the size of a car are not a place to start Even though @Scotty I. didn't put it exactly in those terms, and I don't mean to misquote him, it's a good thing to keep in mind.

Thank you for all the feedback! Keep it coming, particularly useful tips for beginners/intermediates.

I would love to see instructors comment on the type of skills developed while learning bumps. I think every aspect gets emphasized, and more critical to get right (as pointed in the Article, but also alluded by @KingGrump and others above). Flexion/extension is one: you can ski a groomer without doing either, pretty much standing tall and rigid (I know that all too well, sigh). You will survive it unless you catch too much speed But in bumps, you simply can't do that. You will need to relax that stance in order to absorb the bumps. This will carry back to much better groomer skiing, Anyways, much better to hear instructors talking about this kind of stuff

 

[at_nyc]

Simple. To quote a well-known statement:

"It's not you don't know how to ski bumps. It's you don't know how to ski, and the bumps prove it!"

My take on beginner/early intermediate learning to ski bumps is to get the reality check on how much they DON'T KNOW how to ski! That's pretty darn valuable!

 

[at_nyc]

"There is good snow, and then there is snow that is good for you"

I ENJOY skiing good snow.

Skiing snow that's "good for me", in implies it'll help make me better. Except, I don't always care about getting "better", just care about ENJOYING the skiing. .

Needless to say, everyone has a different balance between the two.

 

[KevinF]

Regarding the size of moguls. I've never seen bumps that are anywhere close to the mythical "car sized" mogul. I had started a discussion on Epic at one point regarding mogul size; if I recall, the consensus was to get really really big moguls, you need some special circumstances (a lot of soft snow and a narrow corridor so that all the skier traffic gets funneled into just a few lines).

At any rate. I skied the ones pictured above on Stowe's Starr many times last season. They definitely got large, but to me, large vs. small moguls isn't so much the determining factor as it is the shape of the moguls. Round bumps are easier to ski then those awful V-shaped bumps.

As mentioned at the start of the thread, bump skiing becomes easier when you see opportunities and not obstacles. Friendly shaped bumps provide more opportunities then crappy shaped bumps do. The size of the bumps is kind of a "meh" to me, but I've long been a bump addict.

 

[Mendieta]

"There is good snow, and then there is snow that is good for you"

I ENJOY skiing good snow.

Skiing snow that's "good for me", in implies it'll help make me better. Except, I don't always care about getting "better", just care about ENJOYING the skiing. .

Needless to say, everyone has a different balance between the two.

Exactly my case, I enjoy both. One of the runs I enjoyed the most this year was the race hill on Sugar Bowl when it was open to the public. Amazing. And probably Stein's Way, another groomer, at DV. But near the top have also been some bump runs. One was at Mt Rose, I think Macho Bowl. Spring bumps. So, yeah, nothing wrong with either.

 

[Philpug]

This is from The "Magic Moguls' at Northstar from a few seasons back. This is an ideal training ground for someone looking to advance their mogul skills.

 

[mdf]

Regarding the size of moguls. I've never seen bumps that are anywhere close to the mythical "car sized" mogul.

I have, but they are not common.

In the early days of Outer Limits at Killington (1980s) , before they had a winch cat, they could not groom it and the moguls grew all season. They really did get to that mythical size. The first time I skied it, I fell on every single mogul. At the bottom, I went into the lodge. A backwoodsy-looking dude sitting eating lunch next to the window said "Nice run, man."

The bumps still get pretty big, but not quite that big, in the late spring with soft, well-packing snow and minimal grooming.

 

[Large Squirrel]

I have, but they are not common.

In the early days of Outer Limits at Killington (1980s) , before they had a winch cat, they could not groom it and the moguls grew all season. They really did get to that mythical size. The first time I skied it, I fell on every single mogul. At the bottom, I went into the lodge. A backwoodsy-looking dude sitting eating lunch next to the window said "Nice run, man."

The bumps still get pretty big, but not quite that big, in the late spring with soft, well-packing snow and minimal grooming.

last season I skied outer limits for the first time and it was bumped up: wasn't a fan. it was top to bottom "v" shaped bumps...yuk. just need to get better at dealing with those steep vertical uphill faces I suppose.

 

[Monique]

Oh, one thought -

At Breck, there's a little bump practice area on the side of a mellow blue trail. I'm not 100% sure if you're supposed to ski it if you're not in a lesson group ... but the thing is, it's not actually a series of true bumps. It's a carefully manicured double line of equally sized offset squares, so that the left square starts halfway down the right square.

This is an excellent place to practice the "zipper line." You ski in the line between the two squares. It's hard for me to picture right now (maybe someone has a picture?) or to describe, but it allows you to ski straight down the fall line and practice turning in that between space. It's perfectly predictable and on a very gentle slope - really a green in that section.

There may be something like that at other resorts.

 

[mdf]

last season I skied outer limits for the first time and it was bumped up: wasn't a fan. it was top to bottom "v" shaped bumps...yuk. just need to get better at dealing with those steep vertical uphill faces I suppose.

What time of year? In the modern world of frequent grooming and over-terrained heel pushers, Outer Limits is usually pretty lousy mid-season. Killington is a whole different beast () in the late Spring.

 

[Large Squirrel]

What time of year? In the modern world of frequent grooming and over-terrained heel pushers, Outer Limits is usually pretty lousy mid-season. Killington is a whole different beast () in the late Spring.

we were there mid-march. I was so bummed too b/c OL is supposed to be the holy grail of bump skiing, and it really wasn't. I thought there were better bumps on cascade/double dipper.

 

[AmyPJ]

Bumps are largely psychological. if you can relax,, match angles and look ahead,(not at your feet) its all downhill from there.

Hmmm, so many parallels to mountain biking!

 

[jack97]

we were there mid-march. I was so bummed too b/c OL is supposed to be the holy grail of bump skiing, and it really wasn't. I thought there were better bumps on cascade/double dipper.

No surprise. OL lets it bump up on the sides and they are exposed to the elements, rain and wind. Hence they tend to get frozen by March when natural snow dies down. That said, the tracks left behind as made by the whims and fancy of the skier or rider that last skied them, only spring temps allow them to be soften and rehaped.

There are a couple of places in the Northeast where the operators through out the season will touch up frozen bumps with man made, Sunapee, Pat's Peak and Sundown (yes.... Connecticut). Other places will let moguls form in a medium wide trail within a gully with lots of tree cover. I tend to find the latter trails the best in terms of maintaining the mogul shapes, they tend not have a groomed bail out. People going in can maintain a nice smooth shape.

 

[Crank]

Wow I have not skied Killington in a long time. I have never seen Outer Limits groomed. And last time I skied it it was spring and the moguls in the middle of OL were pretty close to VW Bug size.

 

[TheArchitect]

This is from The "Magic Moguls' at Northstar from a few seasons back. This is an ideal training ground for someone looking to advance their mogul skills.
View attachment 30360 View attachment 30361 View attachment 30362 View attachment 30363 View attachment 30364 View attachment 30365 View attachment 30366

Those look awesome. I just wish we got more of those here in the east rather that the the tightly spaced, icy ones we usually get. Chin Clip kicked my ass a couple years ago but last year I had a blast on Alf's High Rustler. Both had good sized bumps but the shape and size of them were very different.

I've been working very hard on my mogul skiing for the last couple years and I'm probably due for a lesson.

 

[4ster]

This is from The "Magic Moguls' at Northstar from a few seasons back. This is an ideal training ground for someone looking to advance their mogul skills.
View attachment 30360 View attachment 30361 View attachment 30362 View attachment 30363 View attachment 30364 View attachment 30365 View attachment 30366

Wow, so glad to see N* still has these features! They were one of the first. IIRC, they go back as far as the 80's or early 90's. Had a memorable breakthrough day with some ladies during a LII prep clinic on those bumps. Best learning tool ever!

I luv slush bumps!

 

[green26]

I've told the story of my ignominious ACL-tearing fall too often. Pride literally goeth before the fall.

The one condition I really think nobody needs to mess with is deep upside down snow if you can avoid it.

Curious - what is deep upside down snow please?

I have a new acl too - well, I think 7-8 years old. It's stronger than ever. I hope you have the same experience.

 

[4ster]

Curious - what is deep upside down snow please?

An upside down snowpack occurs when cold dry snow is buried with heavier wetter snow on top. In the backcountry this set up is a red flag for avalanche hazard.
Also, would be extra touchy to ski.

 

[Monique]

Curious - what is deep upside down snow please?

I have a new acl too - well, I think 7-8 years old. It's stronger than ever. I hope you have the same experience.

An upside down snowpack occurs when cold dry snow is buried with heavier wetter snow on top. In the backcountry this set up is a red flag for avalanche hazard.
Also, would be extra touchy to ski.

Thank you, @green26 !

What 4ster said. In my experience, upside down is not just as described, but often an inconsistent, pockety texture.