The Ski Co. Learning Centre online tuitional videos series dives into mogul skiing with this in depth break down of how to ski the 'Round Line' in bumps.
This is by far the best bump tutorial I’ve seen on RU-vid. I’m an experienced self taught bump skier and you have distilled the key components into clearly understandable chunks. To be a good bump skier you have to develop the muscle memory first. Without specifically articulating it you’ve provided drills to develop the key muscle muscle memory maneuvers. When I teach bumps, and when I practice at the beginning of the season, I do multiple traverses on bump fields with varying size bumps. Back forth back forth. This helps develop mm for fore and aft and compression timing. Next drill is hockey stop and swivel. I think of a mogul field as a field of breasts. Aim to hockey stop on the nipple then with tips and tails free swivel around the Areola and edge down the back side I repeat the traverse and the stop and swivel over and over. When you combine those with blocking ( square to the fall line),pole timing, and upper lower body independence it all comes together. Watching your video is exactly what you need to do. Congratulations! And the production quality is excellent as well.
@@JoshuaDuncanSmith Cancelled January because of Omicron. Heading to Aspen in early February. Are you in Niseko now? I've skied USA, Europe, Chile but not Japan... yet! I'm hoping next year if COVID quiets down. How's best to contact you for lessons?
@@dr.andrewbarnett8298 I'm currently in Italy. I might make it back to Japan next season...some things are still up in the air. email me - joshduncansmith@icloud.com is best.
I have been skiing for 50 years, and watched dozens of ski videos. This one has definitely been the most helpful to me for improving my speed control and absortion on more challenging bump runs. Thank you!!
Your search is over mogul students. This is as good as it gets. Watch it, do it, watch it again, rinse/repeat. If you can get all these elements down you will be a mogul skier. Great job!
I enjoy bump skiing, and have watched many videos, and this is definitely one of the best. In particular, the hockey stop idea was very helpful, but also the ideas about the round line to avoid the trough, and fore/aft well explained as well.
Thank you. After laying off skiing for forty years, this got me back in the bumps. Progress is slow, but there is definite progress. Atriculate, well realized piece, that I am sure has given a lot skiers a gateway back into this most enjoyable part of skiing. Brilliant presentation.
I'm going to Banff Sunshine tomorrow and will try these techniques... Just want to say my mogul skiing today was much better than the last time and I was ahead of my skiing buddy. Thanks man.
This is a great instructional video. Easily one of the best out there. Most ski instructors fail to describe proper use of the heels in the bumps but Duncan goes right there and blows the heel myth away. Nice job.
Pole plants are late causing his body to turn outside the fall line. Weight ends up back prior to turns meaning edge lose. Skis turn well outside the fall line slowing him down. Didn't listen but just watching I'm not certain he's the best to learn from. Ps, I was skiing moguls with Carmichael 30 years ago. Speed is your friend, with enough of it you can just skip across the tops, riding the chutes/trenches is slow.
Thing that helped me progress the most is the first tip. Choosing your ski path is EXTREMELY important to start flowing in moguls. Focus on your navigation and a lot of the other parts will come naturally!
Absolutely brilliant video on bump skiing. By far the best one I have seen both from a technical, content and production perspective. This is exactly how I ski and teach. Instead of bashing in the zipper line with minimal speed control and enormous strain on your body as a whole, ski the round line. Also referred to as the "alternate line". While too many skiers focus on rhythm the demonstrator in this video also adapts to the terrain. That's the key to any good skiing. Great job, reg Tom
nice to see style as an attribute. very good advice. looked like a lot of inside leg action on the flats at the end. part of the equation. i can only dream of conditions like those seen in the video. Thanks, very well done.
This is an excellent, excellent video on how to ski bumps. And Joshua is a super excellent bump skier ( as are all those Rookie Academy/Projected Production guys-Paul Lorenz, Reilly McGlashan, Tom Gellie and JF Beaulieu. See also Richi Berger.) However, if you are an intermediate or "advanced" skier who's having trouble with bumps, I would highly recommend that when you are skiing groomed runs, you learn how to do, and then practice practice practice, a short turn with speed control. Practice any type of short turn-from a full on "pure carved" short turn, to a "steered carve" short turn, to a "short swing" turn ( windshield wiper turn), where your upper body continues to face more or less straight downhill while you actively turn/tip your feet and legs to get that turn to happen. In other words, one thing Joshua doesn't mention here is that he has tremendously good upper body-lower body "separation" or independence in the plane of movement in which rotary or turning/twistng/steering movements occur, ( i.e., "table top" plane), and it is that separation or independence of the upper body and legs/feet , among all the other things he talks about, that plays probably the most critical role in how he is able to ski the bumps so well. For example, watch when he does the hockey stop drill. If you hit pause at the moment he comes to a dead stop, you will see that his upper body ends up slightly "counter" to the direction of his skis, i.e., his upper body is facing somewhat downhill while his skis are across the hill. This results from the fact that the part of his body he employed in order to make that turn to a hockey stop was his feet and legs NOT his torso, arms, shoulders, hips, etc. When your upper body is slightly countered and you start a new turn, the skis will come directly downhill all on their own as soon as you release the edges; if you start that new turn and if your upper body is not countered at all (which is how it will be if you used your upper body to do your previous turn instead of your feet and legs), i.e. ,if you are starting every turn by twisting your shoulders, arms, torso or some other part of your upper body instead of turning and/or tipping with your feet and legs, then, as soon as you finish that first turn, you will end up facing the side of the run instead of downhill, and you will have a lot of trouble getting that second turn started, and you won't be able to "flow" down the hill like Joshua does. In short, if you don't already have decent upper body-lower body independence/separation in the table top plane, you will have a lot of difficulty in bumps. So, practice a lot of short turns on groomed runs, with speed control, where you keep your upper body facing down the fall line and turn with your feet and legs, not some part of your upper body! ( I'm reasonably sure Joshua probably has a video somewhere on upper body/lower body separation ( in the both the table top plane, as well as the "lateral" or side to side plane). But judging from some of the comments on here I'm a little alarmed that a lot of skiers are going to try all the stuff Joshua mentions on here without first developing enough upper body lower body independence/ separation.)
Awesome tutorial. Really appreciate the footage, the sectional breakdowns and slowmo sequences Will be using and watcbing this before each ski outing as I pursue finding the control and continuity of form. Thanks.
Best bump tutorial out there. I was interested in Joshuas hand position when pole planting. He keeps his palms facing up. Most noticeable during the hokey stop section, but he almost always does this. So I tried it out and , although I cant explain it, it helps. Im a really lousy bump skier. Controling speed is always a problem. But for some reason this simple trick helps.
Definitely a very informative video with great skiing to aspire to! Line selection and the timing of flexion and extension are things I really worked on this past season so it is really helpful to see it explained and demonstrated so well.
Great skiers are legion. The subset who also make really helpful instructional videos are much more rare. You are doing a superb job--thanks for sharing your insights!
I just want to say that your style of instruction is amazing. Too many mogul videos verbalize some of these but then just show the skier ripping down the slope. Or some draw it out on paper and then show the skier again on the slope. By explaining the theory (maybe I'm biased since I am a scientist) and THEN showing snapshots of it in action makes one internalize it. Anyways, keep doing these videos, these (this and the powder one) are some of the best videos to watch to for beginners and advanced skiers alike!
This is by far the best video for mogul skiing I've ever watched on RU-vid. I've been struggling with moguls for years and your explanation is easy to understand and practical to try out, TONs of thanks!
@@JoshuaDuncanSmith Sorry for the late response, I finally got the chance to try it out yesterday. And I can't say I am a mogul expert now, but I'm definitely better/improved than before. My experience (sorry for my poor English skills): 1- Hockey stop on top of the mogul helped me control the rhythm and gain confidence during practice ( so I don't have to fell too many times.) 2 - The round line makes it easier than rush into the bottom then bumped out, I got more time/space to do speed/direction control, (But sometimes the bump shape/distance/condition just doesn't let you pick round line ) 3rd one is what I still need to work on, absorb, it looks so easy in the video but when you are in between huge icy bumps, steep, at speed... it's very hard to absorb 100% without losing control of speed and direction. But I totally agree the idea in your video, the fundamental idea is there, I just need more practice to adapt it to the terrain condition Over all, it's the best how-to-mogul video out there!!!
@@martinzhang3857 that’s great you’ve had some success with your bumps skiing. I totally agree sometimes the bumps themselves don’t allow you to choose your line you are more along for the ride. Just keep your eyes pealed for an opportunity to adjust the line back to one that allows you to stay in control. All the best!
Great. I've been skiing for 30 years in the Northeast and now live in the Rockies and not use to powder or bumps. These tips are easy to understand and can't wait to put to practice next time I am out on the slopes.
Hi Candice, sorry for not replying sooner. I was busy with the holidays. I’m glad you enjoyed the tip videos. I should have more coming out this season. Happy new year
Lol how are you not used to bumps in the northeast? I ski out west and it’s like effortless to ski bumps cuz I’m so used to the frozen moguls out East.
Great great video for advanced skiers. You can top the tops, ride the troughs, or ski the backsides... each is a great yet different way of skiing bumps. This is great for teaching how to ride the troughs. Poles aren't for slowing or stopping though. I'd never say that a pole plant provides 5% stopping power. Poles shouldn't be used for stopping. Pole plants are best used to provide a pivot point for each turn. That said, this vid earned a sub.
Thank you for the sub and the comment. When I refer to the pole plant being used as 5% of stopping power, I am talking about applying this in the hockey stop drill, not when free skiing in the bumps. Next time I will make the information clearer. Thanks
@@JoshuaDuncanSmith Ah. Understood. Great vid. The best bump tip anyone had ever given me was 'where' on the bump to plant my pole and to reach for that plant. It felt unnatural until it didn't. And after that, balance and timing was much easier. Thanks boss. Keep up the great work. After 3 acl's, a pcl, and an mcl, I don't bump much anymore, but if there's a line under a lift.... I can't help it but to hotdog and showoff at least a lil. LoL. Cheers!
Really nice skiing. Liked everything u had to say except one thing. Most recreational skiers have a tendency to over edge the ski in bumps preventing them from sliding/smearing the tail of the skis around far enough to get a good speed check. So by talking about early edging I think for many this could lead to continued challenges with speed control and finding it hard to stay in the zipper line. Alternatively, if u coach skiers to keep their skis a little closer together but with their knees apart (feeling slightly bowlegged) this will lead to a lower edge angle for the outside/downhill ski and keep the inside ski on it's outside/uphill edge promoting nice smeared/skidded turns ... and great speed control.
The issue you refer to is one of creating a pivot point somewhere on the shovels of the skis. This results in the tails being unweighted throughout the majority of the turn creating an uncontrolled pivot of the skis to an edge. One reason is the intention of the skier to press shins into the cuffs of the boots and move forward continuously. These are good intentions but the execution is generally misunderstood by recreational skiers and not a few instructors. Duncan does a nice job of addressing this in the fore/aft section of the clip by describing the proper use of leg extension into the face of the upcoming bump and making first contact at the heels. He follows up by describing the ‘fore’ actions of the movement. I teach this as a dolphin type action, an action that maximizes ski contact with the bump and thus ski performance. If a skier doesn’t know how to properly use their heels in the bumps then they are not going to have a good time.
@@peteyndebs Actually I wasn't referring to fore/aft pressure control in my post ... it was about edging. My comment was directed more to intermediate skiers and I suspect your comment is for more advanced skiers. The intermediate skier is still overcoming fear and tends to be in the back seat at turn initiation and "tries" to control their speed by straightening their outside leg using the edge of their outside ski as a brake. This intermediate skier has not yet learned how to skid/smear their turns as Josh does so beautifully in his video. For this level of skier it can help to talk about keeping your skis flatter in the bumps to avoid applying too much edge to soon in the turn.
@@robinwhitelaw2986 well now, this video seems aimed at more advanced skiers who want to add polish and style to their mogul skiing. Edging skills are an important part of that, don’t you think?
As a beginning bump skier I agree with Robin about over edging at turn initiation. I always feel the need to control speed in bumps which makes me try to edge too hard. Joshua's excellent advice about treating each turn as a hockey stop addresses this nicely. It took me a while to learn that a hockey stop is done on a flat ski to start. Also I am curious about Joshua's pole plant. He holds his palm up and out a little. I tried this in the bumps, and although I cant explain why, it felt right.
Great video! Best footage for those of us who are so visual, what a great job... put on some mellow music and just watch these skiers! I would love to know for that skiing what skis are being used.... I hear so many options..... would enjoy a real world example from skiers like that!
excellent video! Been skiing bumps for a long time and your tips will be helpful next time on the slopes. I'm a tall guy so not best suited for moguls but they sure are fun.
This is how to ski bumps with style: grow up skiing daily in a competitive environment. Anyway, that is what about 98.5% of us did. In other words, in less than 10 minutes, this video covers all the knowledge required to learn the bumps but it will be the athletic development over many seasons of daily skiing to make it work. Yet these programs and instructors sell their services to those who are well past the opportunity to ski at the level to which they are being sold. That said, youth sells, especially at its fleeting stages.
Great video for the American West. Recurring theme is that you need the downhill side of the bump. In the East, that downhill side usually becomes over-carved and over-steep by defensive, scrape-y intermediates. If you want to be helpful, then mention that no one can ski bumps with steep downhill sides and icy, over-skied troughs. Part of the encouraging message should be that, yes, skiing bumps is delightful, but also it's not your shortcoming if 100 trough-loving intermediate skiers (who treat the moguls as slalom flags) came before you. No one can ski that sigmoid path that is more reamed out than a colonoscopy prep. Hey, how about a video of those over-carved moguls that no one can ski? We've all seen them. We've tried. It's no fun. What I meant to say was that I enjoyed the video with a thought that some ideas might be addressed in a future video.
I look to forces my tips into the holes ahead of me to force a hard rounded turn, aggression to the max is required in that you force your self hard down into the fall line and down the hill. Push hard down the hill, it’s the least natural thing you can do. The more aggression the better, it requires super confidence but it works. Upper body forward push is key head up no bobbling of the head is required by standing up super high with chin as high as possible. Belive me.
Good video! Pronation and supination are movements of the foot in closed chain mode, i.e. when there is weight on both feet. Eversion and inversion are the active movements in open chain mode, I.e. when floating unweighted between apexes... although the difference between these two is not that clear...
Great explanation of bumps skiing. Just saw your video with Tom Gellie. Is there any chance you can demo some of the key tips in there, like for instance Takao Murayama's hip twist?
Great video Josh. Very clear instructions. Bumps one of my weaknesses, so can’t wait to try these tips😜. Have now subscribed to watch more videos…unfortunately nearly end of season here🤷♂️😢….Maybe get to Japan again though. ⛷😍 Where do you teach Northern Winter?
Hello Joshua, enjoy the videos and practice your tips. I am a bit confused regarding ski stiffness in the bumps and how that type of ski should be used? Many instructors seem to agree a narrow waisted ski is preferable to wider waisted ski in the bumps. (Narrow under 78 mm ). Most frontside skis are 78 mm or narrower but stiff as well. What makes a ski preform in the bumps? Does stiffness matter? Does shape matter?
Really nice video! You really described the whole process very well. Staying long in the trough is what I will be thinking over and over. TIme to practice!!
@@JoshuaDuncanSmith great vid, I play this every night before I go skiing to help me visualize myself going through the bumps. On the pole length, I’m 176cm tall with 125mm poles, are those too long for me? Or do you have different pole lengths for different circumstances?
@@americozuzunaga188 I mainly use a 112 length pole if I was training bumps full time I would probably go slightly shorter. I would say a 125 is quite long for you in the bumps. Try and 120 or 115 see how that goes.
Great Video - I have a question about the fore and aft. You mention dorsiflexion at the move of working the tips back down the bump... Do you actually mean plantarflexion? or am I misunderstanding the movement.
Hi Neal, I mean dorsiflexion. Using dorsiflexion will close the ankle joint and on the knoll of the bump it will get the tips to shoot down the back of the bump. Plantarflexion will cause the ankle joint to open inside the boot and then as you ski down the back of the bump you will be out of balance toward the tail of the ski. Hope that makes sense.
Honestly what ever ski you feel most comfortable on is best for developing your bumps skiing. If you are in the market for something new then I would recommend any ski thats under 72mm wide. Fat skis make it difficult to accuratly edge the skis without putting lots of pressure on your knees.
I’m guessing you back the buckle tension off to reduce the flex for bumps or have you removed the rear bolt or rivet…you are a sponsored skier curious as to why do you not have a softer flex boot for moguIs/all men..I am in a dilemma right now after using a softer flex boot ( I use a 140 flex wc boot)…noticeably better for mogul/all mtn skiing..am not at your level b any means but am at the higher end..no one has really done a REAL presentation on boot flex does and donts…Riley did a presentation on boot flex reduction via the buckles..I tried it and the boots are a handful in certain conditions,namely large bumps..it’s like hitting a wall with your shins..any suggestions would be appreciated
I actually just use the same buckle set up for all of my performance skiing both on and off piste. I think the hard thing with a boots do's and dont's presentationis everyone is so different and boot set up is all about feel, the boots really need to be set up specifically to the skier. When it comes to making the boot softer for teaching I will lengthen the buckle from its position to allow for a sofer f/a feel in the cuff.
Hi Joshua, I have a question (and I hope it touches a point that's relevant to other fans of yours as well). When skiing the bumps (Eastern Canada icy bumps), I'm unable to maintain a narrow stance. I just can't keep the skis and or the knees together and I end up with a stance that's way too wide. What best advice or best exercise would you suggest? Thanks, Robert
Skiing icy bumps can definitely be a challenge. To keep my legs together I would think about firing the adductor muscles in the legs to pull them together then think about keeping that outside foot pulled in underneath me. If the legs get wide it’s most likely due to an extension of the outside leg away from you to get edge but it seems like your edge isn’t gripping?? So if you keep the foot underneath you and roll the legs inside the turn to get edge, maybe that might help.
@@JoshuaDuncanSmith Hi Joshua. I finally got the chance to put your advice into practice and it worked perfectly. I've kept my outside ski well under me (stayed compact, in other words) and that solved the problem of my stance widening over the bump. I don't know how to express the extend of my gratitude but, man, how helpful you have been. A million thanks.
