Bump it Up at Loon Mountain!
Skiing moguls can add a new excitement to your day on Loon Mountain’s slopes. If it’s your first time or a seasoned veteran in a mogul field, I offer these simple tips.
First for your warm up, find an isolated bump and practice absorbing the terrain by allowing your ankles, knees, hips, and spine to flex evenly as you ride over top. As you continue to the backside of the bump, extend your legs in order to keep your skis on the ground. Imagine a slinky going down stairs. The slinky will get longer as it goes down to the next step, shorter when it lands. The absorption of the bump will control your speed and allow you to maintain your balance.
Now you are ready to enter the mogul field. If this is your first time, traverse the moguls absorbing (flexing) and lengthening (extending) your ankles, knees, hips, and spine evenly over each bump. Turn around and traverse the other way. Next time through, stall out on top of the last mogul (you should be completely flexed), pivot your skis in the new direction and extend your legs once again on the backside. Congratulations! You have made your first turn in the moguls. Gradually shorten your traverse until you are turning on every bump.
If you are that seasoned veteran, use the same technique only stay in the zipper line! That’s the straight line down in between the bumps. The challenge is to maintain your balance and speed control, as this is a much faster way though the moguls. This is just one technique and there are as many different ways to ski the moguls as there are mogul fields. Bump it up with any number of our qualified instructors in either a private lesson or in one of Loon’s Bump Workshops.
See you on the slopes!
Lauren O’Reilly
Training Manager
Loon Mountain Snowsports
Ice is Nice
By Lauren O’Reilly
Every truly devoted skier will at some point encounter the slippery surface we all call ice. However, with the proper skills, even the occasional skier can safely navigate the less than preferred polished surface. A light touch and a balanced stance will work just fine. It doesn’t hurt to have your equipment tuned with polished edges either. Maintain even short to medium radius turns, making sure you curve back up hill after every turn. Skidding is a tactic well-practiced. Just like driving a car on an icy road, approach every turn slow and allow the skis to move forward as they slightly skid around the curve. Take every turn in this fashion and you will find yourself maintaining control and gaining the confidence you need to enjoy this ever-changing mountain environment.
Ski and Snowboard Quick Tips: Mastering the Bumps
Thank you to everyone who participated in our recent survey, asking Loon skiers and snowboarders your biggest barriers to improving your on-hill moves. Based on your feedback, we’re launching a new series with quick ski and snowboard tips to address your biggest challenges to improvement, and we’re starting with the most-requested topic – mastering bump skiing.
The bumps are really starting to build, and Loon Mountain has some of the best mogul skiing among New Hampshire ski resorts. Skiing moguls can add a new dimension (bumpy one, that is) to your day on the slopes. Try these quick tips that will introduce you the techniques needed to master the bumps.
First, find a mogul field or other terrain features to play on. Here at Loon, you can usually find mogul fields on Flume, Rumrunner and Rolling Bear. For first timers, I suggest either the bottom portion of the bumps on Flume or Rumrunner. Both trails have escape routes back to the groomed terrain.
The main focus here is to introduce you to the variable surface while you remain balanced over your feet. Ski over an isolated mogul and practice absorbing the terrain by allowing your ankles, knees, hips, and spine to flex as you ride over the top of the bump. As you continue to the back side of the bump, extend your legs to keep your skis on the ground. Imagine a slinky going down stairs. The slinky will get longer as it goes down to the next step, shorter when it lands.
Traverse the mogul field and, as you go over each bump, absorb (flex) as you go over the top, and lengthen (extend) on the back side of each bump. Turn around and traverse in the other direction.
The next time through, stall out on top of the last mogul (you should be completely flexed), pivot your skis in the new direction, and extend your legs once again on the back side. Congratulations! You have made your first turn in the moguls. Gradually shorten your traverse until you are turning on every bump.
This is just the beginning! There are as many ways to ski the moguls as there are mogul fields. Bump it up with any number of Loon Mountain’s qualified snowsports instructors in either a private ski lesson or in one of our bumps workshops.
See you on the slopes!
Lauren O’Reilly
Technical Director
Loon Mountain Snowsports
