From Ye Olde School Whinery: What Ever Happened to Moguls?
Well, nothing actually. Other than changing shape over the years as skis have become shorter, they’re still alive and well and flourishing at most ski resorts, thank you very much.
So why is it that the modern skiing establishment would lead you think that moguls don’t matter anymore? And by this, I mean the notable lack of attention from magazines, movies, ski marketers, and designers. Well, I think moguls do matter and not only are these guys missing the boat here, but it’s doing us all a disservice in the process.
Moguls still matter because, without grooming, they happen to be on about every ski run with enough pitch and skiers to form them. Given enough time, this creates moguls on most all expert runs. At my home resort, even the tree runs start to get bumped out after a few days without fresh snow.
SKI Magazine’s 2014 Buyer’s Guide only mentions the word “bump” or “mogul” in less than half of their front-side ski reviews. And I take issue with combining Quickness and Bumps as a single category. While stiffness and high side-cut can create a lightning bolt on groomers, it can also make for a hooky buckin’ bronco in the bumps. At best, true mogul performance is treated as an afterthought.
I’m not saying that a ski shouldn’t be designed for all-mountain conditions, just that moguls are a big part of those conditions and should, therefore, be an important consideration. A common recurring thread on many ski community web forums is “What is a good all-mountian ski that does well in the moguls?”
Even a SKI Magazine poll once said 35% of skiers want to improve their bump technique more than any other aspect of their skiing. The lack of effective mogul skiing technique is undoubtedly the biggest barrier for skiers afraid to tackle expert terrain. This fear of moving up to the next level and experiencing more of what the sport has to offer stymies commitment and represents a real barrier to the health and growth of the industry.
Back in the ‘70s heyday of freestyle skiing it was totally about moguls. One of the most important categories of any ski review was its mogul performance. I remember going from the Olin MkIV, to the K2 255 soft, to the Head Yahoo, to The Ski in search of the perfect noodle. And noodly they were too. As a testament, even modern competition mogul skis aren’t too much different than these predecessors. But like any pure specialty skis, they are great in their element, but somewhat lacking in solid all-mountain performance.
So reality dictates skiing a mix of everything a mountain can throw at you. The All-Mountain design or “one ski quiver” has been a great direction for our sport. But love’em or hate’em, let’s admit that moguls are a big part of the mountain and we need a specifically designed modern technology all-mountain ski that is purposely bump friendly. The venerable Dynastar Legend 8000 was a great example. It was a tremendous success for years due to the fact that it ![moguls[1] (2)](https://desertsnowjunkies.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/moguls1-2.jpg)
struck that magic combination of great carving ability, all-mountain effectiveness, and bump friendliness. And this is an example of decade old technology. What could they come up with today? As a matter of fact, some of the new innovations like early rise tips and turned up tails may be quite beneficial in the bumps.
So today we end up with some skis that by quirk of design just happen to be pretty decent in the bumps. But since it won’t be overtly advertised, you’d better start Googling or scour the web forums to find out which ones they are. How about (re)recognizing the importance of mogul skiing as a part of the daily mountain experience and actually designing and marketing a ski toward this end? Call me crazy, but I just might go out and buy it!
But who am I other than your mainstream, middle-aged, mostly inbounds, magazine article reading, media watching, always worried about how I look under the lift, consumer with some disposable income?
Okay, rant over, but I’m still a bit bepuzzled. Exactly when and why did our ever ubiquitous moguls come to lose their mojo with “The Man”? When did reality become irrelevant?
Discussion (14) ¬
John,
The ski instructing, manufacturing, advertising, and publications establishment has always held moguls at arm’s length. But mogul enthusiasts are still out there.
In 2005, frustrated with the bologna the PSIA was passing off as good mogul skiing, I published a how-to mogul skiing book. It has sold steadily ever since. Just enjoyed my ninth Christmas book sales surge. It’s a little niche, and it doesn’t get much attention, but the mogul skiing community is out there.
Dan DiPiro
author of “Everything the Instructors Never Told You about Mogul Skiing”
“It’s a little niche, and it doesn’t get much attention, but the mogul skiing community is out there”.
Thanks Dan, My point is that aside from this small niche of hard corps mogul skiers exists the reality that nearly every skier tackling expert terrain will have to deal with them on a regular basis. So why is the establishment “holding them at arms length”?
You might want to check out realskiers.com… among other mogul-centric features is a 9 part series on how to ski bumps by Hall of Famer John Clendenin, whom Jonny Moseley considers to be the inspiration for modern mogul skiing. Before condemning “all” of the industry, be sure to find out what’s out there!
And you, Peter, might check out the articles on my old mogul skiing blog www.mogulskiing.blogspot.com. Those are “out there” too. And yet, still, my blog, my book, and your “realskiers.com” do not constitute the mainstream skiing establishment I condemn.
I’m aware of John C’s teaching, thank you. When he was thinking of doing a book, back in ’06 or so, he contacted me to pick my brain about mine.
Dan DiPiro
Mr. DiPirio, Your book freed me from the overcrowded groomers and unlocked the lion’s share of beautiful big mountain terrain. Recommended reading for anyone who ever struggled in the bumps.
One factor in the decline of moguls is the rise of snowboards. They cut (destroy) a very different pattern. This makes skiing moguls with rhythm far more difficult and unpleasant, not to mention having to dodge boarders sliding straight down the mogul field.
From email reply:
Greetings from a Mexico City layover.
If I maybe so bold sir… One of the great marketing bedrocks of the ski industry is the notion that without a specific arrow the Indian can not hunt. How convenient when the assertion is made by the entity that produces supply. Under developed Indians with disposable income abound and thus an industry is elevated…
It is acknowledged just as you have stated, that roll specific skis excel in their disciplines and that a well armed Indian can dramatically increase his killing efficiency with advanced arms. Its no secrete that I am a first rate gear whore who loves to hunt… I digress.
Overall, It remains and will be so for all time, that mastery in any one mountain discipline is squarely in the hands of the Indian and not his arrows…
Any ski can “ski” in any condition in a fashion but nothing can make you turn properly if you can not do so.
True it can be easier to be the master of ones domain with a proper tool but it is the skier that must deploy proper technique first… The ski is an accessory.
Perhaps the ski industry has quietly acknowledged that a mogul ski can’t miracle someone into a proper turn. Moguls are one of the environments where poor initiation, improper weighting and the absence of completion and or poor body mechanics will render one useless. Conditional snow does the same; in particular “crud”. Ergo the vast majority of enthusiasts seek the false comforts of mild pitch man maintained surfaces that do not punish poor technique. Sadly our friends and peers are only half living in this regard. Being able to move at will through the mountain with no regard to the surface or pitch (even if you have preferences) is pure freedom and makes the sport intoxicating.
In closing, mastery of the bumps requires no special tool unless you wish to compete. It requires mastery of your domain.
Moreover, I think the buzz words today are “back and side country” and the illusion of the bump ski has been simply reborn into a sea of other quasi roll specific arrows for TODAYS hungry Indian. More subterfuge! Turn! Be free!!!!
There are no bumps you see. No back or side country… You must turn where you turn because you are… Your skis can not grant you enlightenment.
My advice to the struggling or developing skier is to “free your mind.”. It’s one mountain… Master the turn… Seek to be colorblind when viewing a trail map and reject the grooming report for it is a false panacea! Develop an eye for natural terrain features that blend with your style and ski your face off whenever possible.
Most importantly, if you find yourself struggling in your travels, seek not a gear head in the local shop but an instructor at the local resort. When this is not possible ski with better skiers than yourself and observe and imitate…
Who needs bump skis anyway?
Evans
In the 70’s, while in school at the University of Utah, my favorite bump ski was a pair of 223cm Lange downhills. Even flex, relatively soft, and you only had to turn every third bump or so!
Just a quick shoutout to anybody listening in the ski manufacturing industry. I don’t think it’s a mystery why Hart sells out its entire run of specialty mogul skis every year and now Scott’s “The Ski” (closest an all-mountain ski has been targeted to moguls) is the same. Seriously! There is such market potential here!
I’ve been wondering this for years, and I think the most plausible answer lies in answering the question: “Why are so few intermediate runs left ungroomed, so as to become nice bump runs?”
Answer: Follow the money. Because the owner of the business believes the customer doesn’t want to ski them.
Why does the customer not want to ski them? I’m not certain, here are some guesses.
Skiing moguls requires much more skill than simply carving turns on flat snow. Thus, they confront “not so good” skiers with the fact that they are “not so good’ whereas on the flat stuff most folks can look good / ski fast.
And perhaps as the average age of skiers has risen, the average skier is less interested in skiing bumps?
And finally, not related to skiing at all…. if you are a snowboarder, bumps are pretty annoying, unless you are really, really good.
BTW, I ski a K2 Cabrawler, which I love. It’s a dedicated mogul ski, which does well enough on the rest of the mountain….that is….on non good powder days.
Shmdoug, all great points. Thank you.
As to industry marketing, I think abandoning the importance of moguls which every intermediate skier and above will encounter, is a mistake.
As to your first question, I’ve found that grooming policies vary greatly from mountain to mountain. At my home mountain Breckenridge, they definitely overgroom, while our neighbor Keystone has some of the best bumps runs you’ll find anywhere and a lot of it. Both owned by Vail Resorts, so not sure who drives these policies.
Hey could you post the mountains from where those pictures are from?
I think first pic is Swiss wall Avoriaz