Snow Skills

Skiing moguls requires a separation of upper and lower body movements in order to stay balanced in uneven terrain.  Those movements are twisting movements and identifying which twisting movements are good ones will help you ski moguls.

There are many types of Twisting and it can be either good or bad. Good twisting consists of turning the legs and feet from the hips down or basically everything below your waist. Bad twisting includes turning movements of the body, shoulders, and arms or basically everything higher than your waist. With your waist as the separation point, the lower body’s job is to create balance from good twisting while the upper body stays relatively quiet.

To improve your mogul skiing, develop a sense of good twisting versus bad by practicing side slip turns. On a wide, easy trail, side slip slowly in a parallel stance, with the skis across gravity. After about 30 feet, release your edges, turn your legs down into gravity, and re-engage your edges to face the other way. When you change direction, focusing on swinging your skis with your legs such that your body turns less than your ski tips. Practice sets of 10 turns, and strive to make the turns symmetrical and even.

In the moguls, use gravity as the measuring point for good vs. bad twisting.  If the zipper on your jacket stays with the tips of your skis, you’re twisting your upper body as much as your legs:  that’s bad twisting.  If the swing range of your ski tips is more than your zipper, you’ve got upper and lower body separation and will be able to stay balanced in the moguls.