How to Ski a Mogul
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How to Ski a Mogul
You are poised at the top of the run, goggles in place, poles in hand; the air is crisp and you stare down the mountain, mentally planning your run. You notice a series of small bumps known as moguls, from the German word mugl, meaning small hill.
There are two schools of thought on how to skiing moguls. The Olympian skier carries his body as vertically as possible; speed is the most important element. His body carves tight twisted turns off the front trough of the bump, using the bumps as a mechanism of speed control. Skiing moguls was added to the official Olympic program at the 1992 games in Albertville.
The other school of thought on how to skiing moguls comes from the Professional Ski Instructors of America (PSIA). In this method, the skier rides around the front trough and up onto the back crest of the mogul, then pumps off the back side of the mogul in whichever direction allows easy transfer to the next mogul. The turning mechanism is the extension and retraction of the legs rather than a twisting of the hips, putting less strain on the knees.
Are you ready now that you know a bit about skiing moguls? Be careful of the corduroy (grooves made by snow grooming machines) and good luck catching air!
