Skiing is Believing – More Moguls!

\”Life is like a mogul lesson – when there are bumps on the hill, keep your eyes looking ahead, find your path, turn to keep things smooth and absorb the terrain as you go!\” 

– Nancy Cook, PSIA Level 3 Ski Instructor at Stowe Mtn Resort 

Photos above to get you in the ski mode. Skiing Outer Limits at Killington in the early 90s as a ski patroller with members of the US Olympic Team was the beginning of my passion for moguls. To this day I can pivot with the best of them! Flash forward to today, watching my son ski race, skiing Snowbird every spring with my sweet husband and our whole family that I lovingly call \”Team Cook\” is what keeps that passion alive.

My PSIA Level 3 teaching notes on ways to teach moguls shared below. It has been 6 years since I took these notes as I was prepping for level 3 certification, and I have learned even more since this time. Sharing this as we get into that time of year when it is time to ski the bumps in the spring time and prep for our Snowbird trip! Always good to get out there and learn the new ways and refresh the old ways and see what still works! 

Progression 1: Pivot Slips

Movements/ Skills: Edging and Rotation 

1. Start with edging: 
2. Demonstrate edging with hands placed on the inside and outside of the knees
3. Press on leg to tip knees in toward the slope and pressure out and away to release the ski
4. Side slips with sharp edging to emphasize movement
5. Make sure to try both sides
6. Evaluation – fore/aft balance (feedback on stance – shin/back angle – pressure on cuff/shin of the boot. Etc)
7. Draw a straight line to show path of travel 
8. Emphasize open stance (explain) – eyes on the target, shoulders facing down the hill, hips perpendicular – (show with pole on hip and other pole showing direction

Progression 2: Hop Turns

Movements / Skills: Rotation & Edging & Pressure Control

1. Hop
2. Hop & Twist with Stationary hips (Open stance)
3. Skis on Hop / Twist (appropriate low end terrain) 
4. Add pole plant to stabilize upper body and emphasize countered relationship 
5. Hop Turns: Progressively increase pitch of terrain
6. Hop to Shape short radius turns – emphasize leg rotation 
7. Short radius turns 
8. This can progress to advanced jumping off moguls to learn to absorb on landing.

Summary – Upper/lower body separation is emphasized through this progression. This is successful with athletic skiers and can be modified with pivot slips in place of  hop turns for various levels of ability and strength 

Use this progression for clients who have challenges with closing up in their stance. Pole plant will emphasize countered position and will help transition to next turn. 

Progression 3: Moguls – Hockey Stops

Movements: Edging & Rotation 

1. Rotation demo with foot out of toe piece emphasizing rotation with hand on leg showing rotation of leg in front of body. Check hips so that hips are staying open or staying still. 
2. Hockey stop on top of mogul – emphasize open balanced stance  
3. FEEDBACK: look at fore aft and open stance
4. 2-3 bumps – spread out and try skill
5. Add pole plant to emphasize opened balanced stance.
6. Add slide –  Hockey SLIDE down the bump  
7. Make sure you are turning both slides – look at the navigation of where you will turn and incorporate the hockey slide to control your speed. Be sure to keep incorporating the pole plant to emphasize the countered position. 
8. Navigate ‘zipper” line to link turns with open balanced stance  Use the wall to control speed

Summary: Teaching rotation and edging in moguls will help clients navigate and perform effectively in the moguls who have difficulty maneuvering in the bumps and exhibit a closed stance and difficulty transitioning turn to turn. 

Progression 4: Moguls – Home Plates

Movements: Pressure Control & Rotation 

1. Raise leg and absorb bump with the leg Bicycle movement pattern
2. Baseball plate image of where to enter the mogul and exit (diagonal backside of bump is the exit)
3.  Expand creative teaching image
4. Rotary – get on bump and demo how feet can turn. Show ease of rotation
5. Absorb bumps for 3 time flow 

What is your favorite terrain to ski? If skiing is something you want to try I encourage you to take a lesson at your local mountain or come visit us at Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont! Team Cook in our 7th year teaching at Stowe!