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

[Crank]

I wasn't referring to our specific discussion regarding shopping for turns... which has a few connotations; in my vocabulary it means looking for good snow to turn in. I can see where it can be used differently though. What I was referring to was that the general discussion is all over the place regarding advanced level bump skiing, etc.

No problem with that I enjoyed much of what has been posted. I was just pointing out that there is a lot in the thread that did not seem to pertain to the first time bump lesson taker. Shopping for a turn, as in a spot where one can turn in, well who has not traversed a black mogul field looking for a way to make that turn. I used to try to teach/coach my ex sometimes. No that is not why she is my ex. OK maybe a little.
I remember telling her to try to get a rhythm going with her turns. Her reply mentioned where I could put my #%$$#% rhythm

 

[Mendieta]

hat I was referring to was that the general discussion is all over the place regarding advanced level bump skiing, etc.

Yup, I agree and I appreciate it. Let's keep in mind that we expect the reader of this thread a new bump skier.

 

[Viking9]

Crank , my beautiful bride can ski a black diamond hard park run with ease but my many attempts at getting her to ski a blue green powder run ends with me skiing away as if I don't know who that CRAZY PERSON is screaming all those curse words at !!!
( Great entertainment for those on the lift though. )

 

[KingGrump]

The Pointer Sisters - Slow Hand

 

[Monique]

The Pointer Sisters - Slow Hand

*snrk*

Crank , my beautiful bride can ski a black diamond hard park run with ease but my many attempts at getting her to ski a blue green powder run ends with me skiing away as if I don't know who that CRAZY PERSON is screaming all those curse words at !!!
( Great entertainment for those on the lift though. )

Okay -

1) Does she actually want to ski it, or is she only trying to please you?
2) If she actually wants to ski it, she should ski with an instructor who is not a spouse. 99.44% of the time, it goes way better.

 

[KingGrump]

*snrk*

Ahhh, got a bite.

Unless one is a WC bumper or young, most don't ski the fast line (zipper) in the bump. At least not well anyway. Most of us ski the slow line. Slow line in the bumps works better with slow feet. Slow and smooth feet that matches the bumps are the best. No herky jerky turns and movements. Definitely no extra energy input. Gravity is all we need. In fact usually more than enough. The less we put in, the less we have to take out and or absorb.

 

[KingGrump]

The breakthrough for the first time skier, IMHO, is understanding that you are better off climbing the bump (which will slow you down),

Terrain based learning?

 

[Viking9]

# 1 - She's been able to hang around for the last 30'years ( might actually be 29 ) because she is always trying to please me .

# 2 - I'm the only instructor she's ever had or will ever need and it shouldn't be so F----N hard to anticipate a little speed and make the G -- D--M turn , it drives me CRAZY !!

 

[KevinF]

Ahhh, got a bite.

Unless one is a WC bumper or young, most don't ski the fast line (zipper) in the bump. At least not well anyway. Most of us ski the slow line. Slow line in the bumps works better with slow feet. Slow and smooth feet that matches the bumps are the best. No herky jerky turns and movements. Definitely no extra energy input. Gravity is all we need. In fact usually more than enough. The less we put in, the less we have to take out and or absorb.

This x1000. I find that when I'm skiing bumps well that it seems to go very slowly.

Part of it I'm sure is being in the fabled "zone" (i.e., I've played tennis matches where I felt I was playing with a beach ball), but a lot of it is realizing that you have much more time and space in which to operate than you think.

 

[dbostedo]

... a lot of it is realizing that you have much more time and space in which to operate than you think.

True, but sometimes with things like that you have to push past the "everything's coming too fast" stage to get there. You can't just tell someone that they have more time than they think, and have it click IME. They kind of have to feel it or figure it out for themselves.

 

[KevinF]

True, but sometimes with things like that you have to push past the "everything's coming too fast" stage to get there. You can't just tell someone that they have more time than they think, and have it click IME. They kind of have to feel it or figure it out for themselves.

Oh, agreed on that. When it comes to me and tree skiing, I'm pretty much convinced that the trees are so close that a squirrel wouldn't fit in between them, let alone me.

 

[Andrew]

If you're ever at Northstar on a weekday, I can get you access to Hornets nest (Freestyle teams only bumps training area) if you ever want experience in a real, made for competitions (NorAm) mogul course.

 

[James]

The worst advice that I got from instructors when learning to Ski bumps was to “Dive into Danger” when I was making a turn. And my immediate response was, you want me to do what!?

Apparently this advice came across the Bering Straight thousands of years ago and has been spreading since...

However, there's a slightly more enlightened version. Got this from Bob Barnes in one of his "do nothing" clinics. I'm pretty sure one of his students at some point just screamed it out. "Dive! And have faith!"

Yeah, probably doesn't help.

It is probably the issue, (committing to go downhill,) which most prevents people from advancing and which causes all sorts of negative habits. On "steeps" (could be a green) young kids can get incredibly good, because they're flexible and low to the ground, at sitting back near their tails in a wedge and somehow getting the skis around. No committment to go downhill. It's very hard to break that habit.

Adults can't achieve that level of body contortion. But the desire to remain uphill leads to similar negative movements they're just more rigid and not as sophisticated. Plus there will never be any flow or rhythm. -Which makes things easier.
That's the start of shopping though. Shopping is expensive! It never helps, always costs you more in energy and frankly, options. Switching lines is not shopping, it's seeing what you want in another aiske and buying it.

However, a great drill (which I'm sure has come up in this thread) is to purposefully traverse a bump run. But you have to do so assertively - absorb the uphill parts and push your feet down for the downhill parts. It gets you used to the motion. Even now, if I'm not feeling a bump run, doing a few of these (with a nice clean turn on either side) before trying to really go downhill is a huge help.

Bizarrely, I have trouble with that. I can absorb when actually skiing them but doing an absorption traverse drill I get gunked up. It's weird.

 

[Chris Walker]

Speaking of going to your first bump lesson, I'm planning on going to a Bob's Bump Jamboree some time this year, probably Feb. 25th. This will be my first bump lesson.

If any other Pugs want to join, that might be neat.

 

[Monique]

But the desire to remain uphill leads to similar negative movements they're just mire rigig and not as sophisticated.

Try as I might, I can't interpret this. My best guess is "mirroring"?

Bizarrely, I have trouble with that. I can absorb when actually skiing them but doing an absorption traverse drill I get gunked up. It's weird.

Well, less momentum.

 

[James]

Try as I might, I can't interpret this. My best guess is "mirroring"?



Well, less momentum.

Ha yeah, it's "more rigid".

The other is a timing thing, brain stoppage. You're right, with downhill momentum my brain seems to work. Absent that it's not making the connections. Maybe this season I'll try to fix it.

Absorbing also involves the opposite, extending. Can't have just one. Some people like to think extend into the trough. In general though, beginning bump akiers have very little absorption. It's also preemptive-you have to start before you're there. It's also active, not just letting your feet come up, you pull them up. Part of the preemptive/active system is your vision. Seeing what's coming and where you're going. That's a skill too.

Donna Weinbrecht used to talk anout the hardest thing coming back from a year plus off from injury was her vision. In that comp world it's seeing 15 -20 bumps ahead. Which is crazy.

Just start with one. What's really key is when you're in the bump/turn, you see where you're coming out and going to. Similar to trees- once you've started the turn around the tree look for the next space you're going into between the next trees. You're looking at path, not trees.

There are so many situations, and everything constantly varies so one really needs to practice. Keeping speed down is key for learning bump skiing. If you have to, stop, reset, then start again.

 

[wyowindrunner]

Speaking of going to your first bump lesson, I'm planning on going to a Bob's Bump Jamboree some time this year, probably Feb. 25th. This will be my first bump lesson.

Did this a few years back- had a really good time! Wasn't my first bump lessons, but it was fun- had 6-8" of new the night before. Out house is a LONG way down. We did it close to the end of the day, when the legs don't have much left!

 

[mdf]

So does Bob Barnes or Bob Barnes have a middle initial? It's so confusing...

 

[James]

So does Bob Barnes or Bob Barnes have a middle initial? It's so confusing...

They might but he never uses it so I don't know. The Bob Barnes here, and Aspen Highlands, went to Colby in Maine. The other Bob Barnes, of Winter Park, went to school in NY. (Don't know where)

 

[Philpug]

[ADMIN HAT ON]Guys.... @tball. @graham418 @Josh Matta and others...

Please look at the forum we are in..."New to Skiing", now look at the title of this thread..."...FIRST bump lesson", there is no need to get into high level mogul conversation here. There is the instruction forum for that. We also need to consider forum conversation etiquette 101...when you are answering a question (or replying in a thread), you are not only answering the person asking the question, but the hundreds and thousands of readers lurking or looking at the thread. So the conversation and specifically the tone in this thread had gotten way above "New to Skiing" and Beginner Bumps. At this point, the thread is overwhelming for that new skier to read and could scare them away from the site, which we find unacceptable. We are not saying the content is not good (some of the tone actually is not good and that will be addressed directly with those individuals) but we will be doing a "clean up in Aisle 4" and move some of the advanced content to the regular Instruction forum. In the meantime we are going to close the thread and reopen it when it is all cleaned up. Thank you for understanding and patience until that happens.

Philpug

[/ADMIN HAT OFF]