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I have bumps in my head...

Scruffy

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@LiquidFeet and others already laid out a good plan for you to start with so I won't suggest anything else except one small pearl wisdom: It's in the Hands as much as the feet!.
While in the bumps, ( and this includes your practice drills ) if you can't see both of your hands in your field of vision facing downhill, you are on the road to ruin. When on the groomers practicing your short bushed carve turns, practice quick wrist flick pole touches that are timed with your turns.

Oh, and edited to add: If you make it your mission to succeed in the bumps, you will. And, the rest of your skiing will improve ten fold.
 

Mike King

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This. If you practice good edgy short turns, you'll find your ability to ski bumps will improve too. Good bump skiing is edge and pressure control, very little rotary and sliding.
IMO, the big fundamental is magnitude. If you have the ability to regulate pressure via extension and flexion, then you can use edge, pressure, and/or rotary to direct your line and control your speed. If you don't, then the lack of ski/snow interaction may make those skills less accessible in parts of the turn and, as a result, you may not be able control your line and/or speed.

Mike
 

Tony S

I have a confusion to make ...
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After the new calf/knee deep fresh gets cut up head for the bumps. Head for the bumps anyway! The best skin is powder covered bumps! Full of surprises. After the stashes are plundered there is still some fresh on the weekdays in the bump runs.
:rolleyes:
 

Kneale Brownson

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The big trick to LF's great progression is to ALLOW. Allow the sideslip to occur gradually, without a bunch of tension in your legs and torso. Relax, release the edges slowly and slide to that next bump you're looking toward. Stop with an easy edge engagement. Repeat and repeat. If you can pivot slip with RELAXATION, this will be easy.
 

Tony S

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@Fuller what @LiquidFeet is talking about is like doing a one sided pivot slip without doing the pivot in the bumps. On a groomer work on doing pivot slips and it’ll come much easier in the bumps. Start with just the slipping part and when you can easily slip in a straight line facing each direction (the easy part) work on the pivot (the hard part). Pivot slips work on fore-aft balance, rotary movements and edge control which are almost all the skills needed to make a good turn in the bumps.

This is good as far as it goes. What I see when I watch skiers that are in Fuller's situation is that they can perform these moves, more or less, but are taking way more space to do them than is actually available when skiing bumps. That's why @LiquidFeet's approach is so good.

Along these lines, one thing to try, @Fuller, is to make the shortest low speed, controlled brushed turns you can on an intermediate pitch. Do this in a narrow corridor - no wider than a cat track. Pay attention to hands and pole plants, as others have said.

Now do it again, still controlled, still slow, still planting, only for each turn you did before, do TWO turns in the same space. In other words, improve your disciplined agility x 2. Once you can do this cleanly, go back to the bumps.

Have fun!
 
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Fuller

Fuller

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The big trick to LF's great progression is to ALLOW. Allow the sideslip to occur gradually, without a bunch of tension in your legs and torso. Relax, release the edges slowly and slide to that next bump you're looking toward. Stop with an easy edge engagement. Repeat and repeat. If you can pivot slip with RELAXATION, this will be easy.
This makes sense to me as I've always been kinda tight in the hips. I always strive to loosen up with all my skiing. I fought an overly wide stance issue for a couple of years until I finally felt relaxed enough to really reduce my base of support. That unlocked a lot of gains.

I'm sure I can improve but I do have reasonably quick feet when they know what to do. I think my primary issue is that even my big brain doesn't know exactly where it wants go yet. Once I can move the decision making down to my feet I have a decent set of skills to work with. The only thing I really can't do on snow is turn on my outside edges but that's another thread.

Thanks everybody.
 
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Fuller

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This. If you practice good edgy short turns, you'll find your ability to ski bumps will improve too. Good bump skiing is edge and pressure control, very little rotary and sliding.
I'm sure you are right but I think this is the Chewing Gum part of the equation. I need to learn the Walking part first.
 
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oldschoolskier

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I see bumps (and trees) as lesson in turning. When we ski normally we choose when we want to initiate the turn and we consider this skiing. When we get into bumps they for the most part determine the timing, radius and type of turn. There in lays the problem, as it well beyond what most skiers are used too or practice.

Regardless of pitch or size start slow and easy (one bump at a time if needed), let your mind and body learn how to adjust to this change, it will make you a better skier.

While bumps and trees act in a similar fashion, trees also take you out 3D style :geek:.
 

graham418

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Speaking of chewing gum, I find that chewing gum while in the bumps gives me a calm, a tranquility, so that the flow and rhythm comes more naturally. I think it is the mental distraction so you don't overthink your moves and let them come from memory.
I know a lot of people will say you should never chew gum and ski, but it works for me.
 

KevinF

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I haven't read this entire thread, but as an avid bump skier, I'll chime in with a few of my thoughts.

First, regarding confidence in bumps. You need to see bumps as opportunities. The crest of the bump provides you with a moment where your skis are supported by only a tiny amount of snow. It is very, very easy at that point to pivot your skis to whatever new direction you want. Free direction changes every couple feet. What's not to like about that?

The catch -- as your skis are mostly in the air as you go over the crest -- is that it is very, very easy to wildly overpivot as there is virtually no resistance from the snow. You can try it; just sidestep up a bump and see how easy it is to turn your skis. This is part of what @LiquidFeet and @Erik Timmerman stated earlier about the fundamentals. An overpivoted turn initiation on a groomer is no big deal in terms of the consequences. An overpivot atop a bump can easily spin you around.

There is a common lament among beginner bump skiers that "there's no room to turn". I guarantee you that there is far more room between the bumps than is commonly believed. Even in the tightest bumps I've seen there is plenty of room for a round patient turn.

Again, there is infinite technical refinement available for bump skiing, but regarding the "mind game":
1) There is more room than you think
2) Bumps provide an opportunity for easy turns.
 

LiquidFeet

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Remember back on EpicSki when people would post in a long thread saying "I just want to post in this important thread"?
Yay, bumps, indeed!
 
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Fuller

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Speaking of chewing gum, I find that chewing gum while in the bumps gives me a calm, a tranquility, so that the flow and rhythm comes more naturally. I think it is the mental distraction so you don't overthink your moves and let them come from memory.
I know a lot of people will say you should never chew gum and ski, but it works for me.

"All right men, listen up. We're here to ski bumps and chew gum and we're all out of gum so get moving!"
 

Guy in Shorts

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Warm-up on the bumps to start your day. Found it odd at the last Pugski Gathering at Mad River that most of the crew opted for a first run on the one groomed Fox trail rather then start on the tame bumps on Quacky. Makes more sense in my mind to warm-up on the bumps when that is what you get ski all day at Mad River. Break the mold, dare to be different - Start off your day moving your feet.
 

David Chaus

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Remember back on EpicSki when people would post in a long thread saying "I just want to post in this important thread"?
Yay, bumps, indeed!
I believe the correct verbiage was “I am here to post in this very important thread.” I believe the intent was usually ironic.

In contrast, I’ll add to “Yay, bumps!” I love bumps. Bumps are fun.
 

Seldomski

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Whistling can work if you are out of chewing gum. :)

Practice pivot slips and very smeary turns on groomers a narrow stance. You want to use that sort of turn in bumps with a narrow stance. If you go into the bumps thinking you can 'attack' them by really carving them up, its probably not going to end well. You are not carving them up - you are smearing icing on a cupcake or buttering warm banana bread. It's a soft and precise touch.
 

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