3 tips for skiing moguls

Knees absorbing, heart racing, adrenaline pumping. You continue to accelerate through the moguls with feelings of excitement mixed with fear. Fleeting thoughts race through your mind between turns. ‘Should I be going this fast? Am I getting too back seat?’ Here are 3 key tips to help you improve whether or not you are a seasoned mogul veteran who loves to ski zipper lines down Mach 1.

1. Aggressive vision:

Make sure to keep your eyes up and looking down the hill when skiing moguls. Typically you want to focus 6-8 moguls ahead. You may be saying, ‘Well, that doesn’t make sense. How will I know when to absorb?’ Anticipation is the answer. The same concept applies while driving a car. You look a certain distance ahead and not directly at the hood. This principle will not only help you in the moguls but anywhere your skis decide to take you.

2. Forward tip pressure:

This simple piece of advice generalizes to all terrain and there are many ways it is visualized. A fantastic analogy is to pretend you are riding a bicycle backwards with two feet at the same time. As you come up to the front of the mogul you will absorb. This is where you are getting to the top of the pedals on your “bike” and your weight is midfoot. After you absorb, you pull your legs back under your body and drive your tips as if you are pushing down on the bike pedals. If this doesn’t make sense, close your eyes and think about riding a bike backwards with your feet side by side.

 

3. Hands in front:

Keep your hands shoulder width apart and in front of you. Pretend you are carrying a tray and flick your wrist to pole plant on the mogul. Reach over the top of the mogul and do your best to plant on the backside. This will help pull your chest and hips forward. When your hands are in the appropriate position, your body naturally follows suit.

Breck has some fantastic mogul runs to test your new knowledge. Crescendo on Peak 8 is a great blue run with consistent moguls and is currently open. To get there take the Colorado SuperChair then take Springmeier down to Crescendo, which will be on your left hand side. If you have little experience with mogul skiing, take it slowly at first and use these tips to focus on your body position.

–Michael Suleiman