# Bumps



## Bray (Jul 12, 2011)

Hey, this is a really basic question. I've been snowboarding twice now and capable of turning, stopping suddenly, switching, so on.. and I went down a few steep blue runs and there were a lot of bumps, I bent my knees more when I saw bumps coming up but I couldn't keep my balance. Will I eventually get use to them? Or am I doing something wrong?


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## gjsnowboarder (Sep 1, 2009)

It could be that you are flexing down to far which doesn't allow a full range of movement to absorb the bump. When riding think about your legs acting like shocks on the car. When on a flat non-bumpy road your legs are at about a middle flex just like the car shocks. Now there is a speed bump. As the wheels make contact with the bump the shocks shorten due to being pressed up toward the car. we can mimic this on the snowboard by not letting our legs be too tense and rigid, but nice and relaxed instead. we can also assist in the shortening of leg angles by pulling up our legs towards our body to be more active with absorb the bump. Now the car come to a pot hole. due to the air in the shocks the carwhell presses down to make continuous contact with the ground. On our board as we come across the back side of the bump or low points in the trail we can also press our legs down. This should help you with bumpy terrain.

To further assist more details on when it happens in relation to the slope and board is helpful. I.e. as I was riding on my toeside I hit a bump and fell on my face or whatever actually happens.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

That's a good explanation.

Using the same car shock absorber analogy, you have to remember that you're not as heavy as a car nor will your legs react as fast as a shock absorber. So, when your board starts riding up a bump, you must be somewhat more proactive in "pulling" your leg up and ,when going into the gully, more proactive in "pushing" down. It becomes second nature and the sensation is probably best described as "relaxed legs". Dropping your centre of gravity by taking a lower stance is good in that it makes it harder to lose your balance, but it isn't a substitute for working your legs.

The goal is to keep your centre of mass as "vertically quiet" as possible despite the changes in terrain under your feet.


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## crazyface (Mar 1, 2008)

Ya, you will deginitely get used to and better at riding over bumps.

I find it useful to go over bumps slightly on edge. This will make going over the bumps more predictable. If ou are slightly on edge, you will go towards the edge you are riding on in the air. If you go off a bump flat-based, you can go any direction and easily catch an edge.


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## Bones (Feb 24, 2008)

I've got another analogy.

Imagine that you're standing on top of a seesaw/teeter-totter, one foot on each side of the pivot point.

If you want to get the ends of the seesaw moving up and down, you don't sway your upper body back and forth. That will work initially, but you'll never stay on when things really get going and the ends hit the ground. You piston your legs individually and keep your centre of gravity quiet and directly above the pivot point. 

Same thing in bumps, don't ride passively and let the bumps knock your centre of mass around.


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## c0r3y.af (Oct 25, 2011)

What has been explained above is very helpful for smaller bumps and I'm sure you'll find their advice useful. I agree with riding on an edge as that makes it a little easier to sort of predict which direction the bumps will push you. 

Larger moguls are a whole 'nother story and those things kill me haha


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## Tarzanman (Dec 20, 2008)

Disclaimer: I am not good at riding bumps. At all.

Riding bumps is about the most tiring thing I can do on a snowboard. If you have ever ridden a dirt bike around an MX course, then you'll have some semblance of how much work it can be to ride those *&[email protected] things!

My *guess* is that the more adept riders choose better lines that take them around/between bumps more and launch off of the ones they ride over to minimize the amount of thigh-burn involved.

Either way, I am probably doing something wrong. It shouldn't be LESS work to pump a half-pipe than ride through some crappy moguls, should it? :dunno:


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## ShredTaos (Sep 21, 2011)

Best advise I have for bumps is to lean forward(not too much, just slightly forward of center) into the bump, and recenter and stabilize then get ready to dive into the next one. Another good point is don't ALWAYS go for the ditches, Its really best to pick a line and stick to it with confidence, and be ready to go right over the top of one if needed.


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