sunvalleylaw
Yep.
Just wrote this up to present to our Freeride Team coaches for a focus for the upcoming weekend. I write one of these about once a week during the season, not always this long. But, focused on a particular fundamental, skill, type of terrain, etc. Thought some of you might enjoy them or find them helpful. This week, bumps!
BUMP FOCUS
Hey, Freeride Coaches! Given our recent snow, and an expectation we might have some soft bumps this weekend, this week we focus on a bump progression. This is a longer tech tip, because it is broken down to help you with younger, less experienced kids, and also kids moving up the chain. So feel free to focus on the parts most applicable to where and whom you will be coaching.
Foundations: To be successful in the bumps, we need to keep that dynamic, balanced relationship between our feet and our stable upper bodies and cores. We need to progressively move in the direction of the turn with our bodies staying relaxed and stable. We use our legs to turn independently of that upper body, WHILE skiing over and managing bumpy, uneven terrain. So we need to add the ability to flex and absorb in a way that we keep moving the body where we want to go, which is into the next turn, and down the hill. Some of our younger and less experienced riders will take longer turns while managing the terrain, and the path of their bodies will be less direct down the fall line, and more in the direction of the next turn, along the skis or board. Our more advanced riders will be more direct, right down the fall line.
In either case, the motion of our bodies needs to be in the direction we are trying to go, and not falling back (often toward the end of the turn) requiring a big recovery move. To move down the run in the bumps we can propel our hips forward, we can pull our feet back, or both in combination. This is pretty similar out on the groomed. So, how do we get there with these kids? Here are some drills and tips in order of age and skills to help you out. Please note, these drills start on the flat, not even moving, and move into increasing difficulty on the groomed, BEFORE getting to the bumps. If your kids are struggling in the bumps, taking them down more of our relatively steep bump runs likely not help and will likely reinforce bad habits, including stiff outer legs and over-flexed backs (tacos), where we want them to flex the ankles to manage the terrain and forces from the turns. As always, ankles are key. If you see stiff outer legs or kids folded over at the waist, you may need to back up in terms of terrain difficulty or speed, or work on skills some more.
On the groomed static and in motion in a traverse:
Crush the front of the boots, then let them open, maintaining contact with the front of that boot.
Squirt skis fore/aft maintaining strong core. (belly button toward spine, make a cat back)
Marching in place and across the top,
Lift uphill tail keeping tip on the snow,
Tick-tock pole action/swing from the wrist. (see Deb Armstrong video below).
On the spine: (Spines are the edges of runs that have been groomed, that have a spine of snow with two sides that can be used in these drills. Very helpful in developing fall line, more straight down the hill, skiing).
Spine skiing with linked slips, Round out linked slips on the spine to the “C” shape, Outside foot to outside foot over the spine, Lift the tails/drive the tips, Pole tap on top of the spine
On the groomed in turns:
Hockey slips and linked hockey stops
Bicycle pedal turns (long/leg short leg) small/large,
Pivot slips,
Short turns outside foot to outside foot,
Short turns no poles hands forward/hands on helmet,
Turn with tail of inside ski lifted,
Javelin turn (advanced)
Hop turns
To enter the bumps, choose easier terrain. Very important. Deb Armstrong demonstrates her progression in the vid below with a kid who has some skills and shows real development. BUT, she is in Steamboat on terrain that is at most as steep as Byron’s. Our hill is mostly steeper. So, graduate the kids slowly, and when ready, maybe take a challenge lap then return to easier terrain
Choose: Byron’s laps, top of Kaitlyn’s then cutting out to the groomed, outside of guns on lower warm springs, left side of upper Warm Springs before I-80, then can start to graduate in difficulty to Hourglass, side of Flying Squirrel, Sides of Ridge/Blue Grouse, Top of Kaitlyn’s cutting over to bottom of Lefty’s where it is flatter (but generally much bigger bumps), and so on.
In this video there are great demonstrations of turn shape work, pole touch development, timing and tempo, and more. Worth the 8 minutes.
Drills in the Bumps:
Traverse the Bumps
Lift the tails/drive the tips.
Garlands in bumps, to help kids learn to move down the hill to enter the turn.
Linked hockey stops in the bumps, to a balanced position ready to move again.
Staying (relatively) Tall and Progressive from turn to turn with the ankles, no “Tacos” folded at the waste.
“Team Turtle”, introduced to me by John Zuck a long ago when I was flailing across Upper Riv on my tails mid run nearly ever time in the vicinity of the break over to steeper portion of the run. Failure to move, causing squirting of the skis, and . . . Insta-flail. So, slow it down, and move through those linked hockey stops into slow, linked turns, looking down the run, and allow speed and tempo to build as it begins to flow.
Look further down the run and start to develop more flow.
Start to play with different lines.
MORE ADVANCED MOGUL TACTICS – FOUR DISTINCT LINES:
Rut Skiing:
The way most people think of skiing moguls. Turn shape and line determined largely by other skiers because of the shape of the rut.
Figure 8’ing:
Turn opposite of rut, utilizing the tops of the moguls. Stay on the high plain and cross at the bridges between the ruts. Smooth. Can be used with longer turn shapes.
Stuff and Step:
Utilizing the terrain and the flex of the skis to help control speed. Ski tips first into the front of the mogul, absorbing with the legs until the feet contact the mogul to keep ski/snow contact. Requries extension of the legs onto the top of the mogul, quick lead change and driving the tips onto top and other side of mogul. Often 2 turns per mogul.
Natural Mogul Fall Line Skiing:
Using all of the above tactics right down the fall line, keeping turn radius and tempo consistent, turning wherever you have to to maintain tempo and fall line. Mogul excellence.
One other video for inspiration. This was shot on our mountain in the spring of 1990, featuring coach John Zuck, and other locals Chip Deffe and Tom Shepard. Watch how they absorb the terrain and propel their bodies down the fall line, with varying combinations of propelling their hips and bodies forward and pulling their feet back and up under their hips. Watch how their heads and upper bodies stay quiet and moving down the hill. On 204-207 or so centimeter skis. Some things in skiing do not change that much.
EDIT: These are three friends of mine I met the ski season this was filmed in 1990, when I spent a "ski bum" year, got a night job, and skied every day, following these guys around to learn what they new in bumps, after growing up following racers around free skiing to learn what they knew. Cheesy music! But amazing skiing!
BUMP FOCUS
Hey, Freeride Coaches! Given our recent snow, and an expectation we might have some soft bumps this weekend, this week we focus on a bump progression. This is a longer tech tip, because it is broken down to help you with younger, less experienced kids, and also kids moving up the chain. So feel free to focus on the parts most applicable to where and whom you will be coaching.
Foundations: To be successful in the bumps, we need to keep that dynamic, balanced relationship between our feet and our stable upper bodies and cores. We need to progressively move in the direction of the turn with our bodies staying relaxed and stable. We use our legs to turn independently of that upper body, WHILE skiing over and managing bumpy, uneven terrain. So we need to add the ability to flex and absorb in a way that we keep moving the body where we want to go, which is into the next turn, and down the hill. Some of our younger and less experienced riders will take longer turns while managing the terrain, and the path of their bodies will be less direct down the fall line, and more in the direction of the next turn, along the skis or board. Our more advanced riders will be more direct, right down the fall line.
In either case, the motion of our bodies needs to be in the direction we are trying to go, and not falling back (often toward the end of the turn) requiring a big recovery move. To move down the run in the bumps we can propel our hips forward, we can pull our feet back, or both in combination. This is pretty similar out on the groomed. So, how do we get there with these kids? Here are some drills and tips in order of age and skills to help you out. Please note, these drills start on the flat, not even moving, and move into increasing difficulty on the groomed, BEFORE getting to the bumps. If your kids are struggling in the bumps, taking them down more of our relatively steep bump runs likely not help and will likely reinforce bad habits, including stiff outer legs and over-flexed backs (tacos), where we want them to flex the ankles to manage the terrain and forces from the turns. As always, ankles are key. If you see stiff outer legs or kids folded over at the waist, you may need to back up in terms of terrain difficulty or speed, or work on skills some more.
On the groomed static and in motion in a traverse:
Crush the front of the boots, then let them open, maintaining contact with the front of that boot.
Squirt skis fore/aft maintaining strong core. (belly button toward spine, make a cat back)
Marching in place and across the top,
Lift uphill tail keeping tip on the snow,
Tick-tock pole action/swing from the wrist. (see Deb Armstrong video below).
On the spine: (Spines are the edges of runs that have been groomed, that have a spine of snow with two sides that can be used in these drills. Very helpful in developing fall line, more straight down the hill, skiing).
Spine skiing with linked slips, Round out linked slips on the spine to the “C” shape, Outside foot to outside foot over the spine, Lift the tails/drive the tips, Pole tap on top of the spine
On the groomed in turns:
Hockey slips and linked hockey stops
Bicycle pedal turns (long/leg short leg) small/large,
Pivot slips,
Short turns outside foot to outside foot,
Short turns no poles hands forward/hands on helmet,
Turn with tail of inside ski lifted,
Javelin turn (advanced)
Hop turns
To enter the bumps, choose easier terrain. Very important. Deb Armstrong demonstrates her progression in the vid below with a kid who has some skills and shows real development. BUT, she is in Steamboat on terrain that is at most as steep as Byron’s. Our hill is mostly steeper. So, graduate the kids slowly, and when ready, maybe take a challenge lap then return to easier terrain
Choose: Byron’s laps, top of Kaitlyn’s then cutting out to the groomed, outside of guns on lower warm springs, left side of upper Warm Springs before I-80, then can start to graduate in difficulty to Hourglass, side of Flying Squirrel, Sides of Ridge/Blue Grouse, Top of Kaitlyn’s cutting over to bottom of Lefty’s where it is flatter (but generally much bigger bumps), and so on.
In this video there are great demonstrations of turn shape work, pole touch development, timing and tempo, and more. Worth the 8 minutes.
Drills in the Bumps:
Traverse the Bumps
Lift the tails/drive the tips.
Garlands in bumps, to help kids learn to move down the hill to enter the turn.
Linked hockey stops in the bumps, to a balanced position ready to move again.
Staying (relatively) Tall and Progressive from turn to turn with the ankles, no “Tacos” folded at the waste.
“Team Turtle”, introduced to me by John Zuck a long ago when I was flailing across Upper Riv on my tails mid run nearly ever time in the vicinity of the break over to steeper portion of the run. Failure to move, causing squirting of the skis, and . . . Insta-flail. So, slow it down, and move through those linked hockey stops into slow, linked turns, looking down the run, and allow speed and tempo to build as it begins to flow.
Look further down the run and start to develop more flow.
Start to play with different lines.
MORE ADVANCED MOGUL TACTICS – FOUR DISTINCT LINES:
Rut Skiing:
The way most people think of skiing moguls. Turn shape and line determined largely by other skiers because of the shape of the rut.
Figure 8’ing:
Turn opposite of rut, utilizing the tops of the moguls. Stay on the high plain and cross at the bridges between the ruts. Smooth. Can be used with longer turn shapes.
Stuff and Step:
Utilizing the terrain and the flex of the skis to help control speed. Ski tips first into the front of the mogul, absorbing with the legs until the feet contact the mogul to keep ski/snow contact. Requries extension of the legs onto the top of the mogul, quick lead change and driving the tips onto top and other side of mogul. Often 2 turns per mogul.
Natural Mogul Fall Line Skiing:
Using all of the above tactics right down the fall line, keeping turn radius and tempo consistent, turning wherever you have to to maintain tempo and fall line. Mogul excellence.
One other video for inspiration. This was shot on our mountain in the spring of 1990, featuring coach John Zuck, and other locals Chip Deffe and Tom Shepard. Watch how they absorb the terrain and propel their bodies down the fall line, with varying combinations of propelling their hips and bodies forward and pulling their feet back and up under their hips. Watch how their heads and upper bodies stay quiet and moving down the hill. On 204-207 or so centimeter skis. Some things in skiing do not change that much.
EDIT: These are three friends of mine I met the ski season this was filmed in 1990, when I spent a "ski bum" year, got a night job, and skied every day, following these guys around to learn what they new in bumps, after growing up following racers around free skiing to learn what they knew. Cheesy music! But amazing skiing!
