Don’t fear the bumps.
When I learned how to ski again, after a 10 year hiatus, you couldn’t have paid for my après tab to get me to try bump skiing. A good ski day for me was cruising groomers, a long lunch, and nice weather. Eventually though, I started to feel like I wanted to explore a little more of the mountain. Disappointingly, every time I gave it a go, it absolutely wrecked me. I would slowly, and tragically, zig zag my way down the run. I avoided lift line bumps at all cost, in an effort to keep my dirty secret from the rest of the mountain: I had no clue how to ski bumps.
After spending lift rides watching skiers dance their way down steep mogul lines, I decided to commit myself to a season of learning how to be a better bump skier. For every groomed cruiser lap, I would attempt one bump lap. At first, this was self-induced punishment. I only got more questions than answers. How could you possibly link turns together? Do you ski on the tops, or through the inconsistent valleys between them? How do piles of fluffy snow get transformed into giant frozen haystacks? Most importantly, how do people make this look so easy?
Turns out, practice makes perfect (or at least, better).
I wish I had a Bump Skiing 101 guide to share with you all, but I’m afraid the short answer for me was simply practice. It took lots of falls and plenty of patience (with myself and from my generous ski crew). After a few months though, I realized a shocking turn of events: I actually love bumps. For me, it’s where I can find the most flow. You don’t have to dodge obstacles in tight trees, or feel racers skirt too close to you on groomers. With bump skiing, I feel like I can actually find rhythm between my turns.
Not to mention, the burn! Oh that sweet, sweet burn that comes from trying to stick to a line from top to bottom, then feeling like Jello as you stumble your way back to the lift. I love a good challenge, and one of my favorite things about bumps is that you never know what you are going to get. It might have looked good from the lift, but once you get down there, it can be a whole different world. Needing to adjust my skiing for what the terrain is demanding is such a fun puzzle.
All this to say, I’m certainly not the strongest bump skier around. My technique is incredibly average, if not a little sloppy. But that doesn’t mean I can’t thoroughly enjoy spending time getting worked by those long bump runs. Greater skill does not equal greater fun, which is something I think we sometimes forget with our outdoor pursuits.
Long story short: do what you makes you stoked.
I know I’m maybe in the minority when it comes to seeking out mogul runs lap after lap. What I love about skiing is the variety to choose from for what you’re going to do that day, no matter where you spend your time. Sometimes you want to push the limits of what you can do, and other times you just want to cruise around on snow. Some days you’ll want more adrenaline, and other days maybe you’ll have more parking lot hot dogs and snacks than you did laps. It’s all about what makes things fun.
So if you’ve been hesitant to try some of that new terrain, whether it be the park, trees, bumps, or even just some steeper terrain, I’d say just go for it. You don’t need to be the best skier on the mountain to have a good time.
Looking for a new setup to make those bumps a little more fun? Check out our top picks for 2022 skis.
