# Mogul riding



## Technine Icon (Jan 15, 2009)

Mogul riding is without a doubt the hardest thing to do on a snowboard(especially if it's super icy). The best advice I can give u is to keep your knees bent and stay losse so that you can absorb the shock from hitting each mogul. In order to do it correctly ur going to have to defenitly switch from edge to edge very quickly. As far a picking a line, I would suggest always looking ahead to the next dip between moguls and figuring out wether to stay on your edge or switch to the other edge. U shouldn't lean forward because when u hit a mogul it will slow u down and cause yuou to fall forward. However u also shouldn't lean back because that will make ur edge much less effective. U want to focus on staying centered. The worst part about riding moguls is going over one, getting a little air and all of the sudden u are totally out of control. Try not to do this but if it does happen the only thing that u can really do is dig ur edge and try to slow your self down and quickly find another good line.


----------



## Technine Icon (Jan 15, 2009)

mpdsnowman said:


> Its for skiers not snowboarders:laugh:


Yeah. I'm sorry to break it to u man, but ur not gonna get much respect if u ride moguls. But fuck it, who cares what anyone thinks.


----------



## Guest (Jan 28, 2009)

i hate moguls and i avoid them whenever possible


----------



## Guest (Jan 28, 2009)

my advice would be to pick a line going down the side of the run, where there are no moguls!


----------



## killclimbz (Aug 10, 2007)

You want to get to that untracked powder at a resort in the West? Better learn how to ride moguls. It's not that hard. If you can't surf the troughs, just pound over them and use the trough on the backside. It takes practice and time, but you'll get better out of them. One or twice a year I blow all the skiers off of runs like Drunken Frenchmen or Outhouse at the Jane. Last thing they expect to see is a boarder blow by them. Overall, I think moguls are pretty lame and a lot of work, but it's a handy skill.


----------



## Guest (Jan 28, 2009)

only time I have ever rode moguls was natural moguls to get to a run. They are stupid, but I have seen some pretty sick spread eagles and back scratchers:dunno:


----------



## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I like moguls, but they're tiring and to be had when the snow is good. Can't say I blow through them anything like a skier pumpin the bumps. I don't pick a line down the hill but just look a bump two or three ahead looking for good terrain/snow to work. It also helped me to do ground spins (both ways) through the bumps and develop independent leg movements.


----------



## Gnarly (Mar 12, 2008)

One of my favorite things to do on a board is hit the moguls. I make sure I get in lots of bump runs anytime I go up riding. And, like has been said, mogul runs are where all the untracked pow is usually.

Biggest thing you have to remember is to keep loose and keep your knees bent. Personally, I try to go in between the moguls, but if I get messed up on my line, my legs are bent and loose enough to absorb if I need to pound over the troughs for a few seconds to regain my line/rythem. I tend to not go on the edges of the run because that's where the stuff is always skied off/boarded off and bare...Or has DEEP troughs.

Best feeling in the world is to kick the skiers asses down a mogul run (something I can routinely do unless they're damn good). So while it may not look at sick as doing a 3, 5, or 7, it is sure to get people's attention if you're good at it...Especially if you can combine moguls and doing 1's or 3's in/out of the mogul fields. Fun times! My goal for this year is to get so good at switch riding that I can pound the moguls switch without any problem.


----------



## max_tm (Dec 7, 2008)

A big thing for me in my mogul riding was to *not* try and keep in the troughs: Try to make nice symmetrical heel side and toeside turns and navigate the moguls as they come. With really solid independent leg movement over each mogul this works very well (although it's super tiring). Also, the optimal way to turn in mogul riding is down-unweighted sliding turns (there are threads in the forum that describe what I mean by this), but it's probably better to lay off on that if it's not something that you've got a grasp of on groomers.


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2009)

I worked on the moguls today at Alpine lift due to high winds at Copper. I was trying to concentrate on staying soft (knees bent) and realized that I was turning to sharply instead of banking on the mogul sides. I also realized that I seemed to be pushing with my back foot after doing my heel turns, therefore just cutting across and up the mogul insead of letting the board go more down the fall line and turning on the next mogul side. Once I figured out that I was riding "uphill" across the mogul. It seemed to help to turn sooner and keep the board heading more downhill than cutting across. Toe turn sides are no problem in going downhill, guess I'm still to upright and not fully committed to head down hill on a heel turn side. Thanks for all advice. I love riding in the bumps and it looks great when a boarder bounces turn them with grace.


----------



## 1stTrack (Dec 7, 2008)

sdqj27 said:


> Does anyone have any suggestions on picking the line? I seem to be able to slarve thru a few troughs but then get pushed up and over the next one and thrown totally out of a line. Maybe I'm not turning quick enough or even alittle scared to let the board slarve thru to bled off some speed.


Picking a line through a mogul field can be tough. You have to concentrate, try to plan a couple turns ahead and pick the mogul trough (or peak) where you want to turn. I like to try and run the troughs, but it can be hard on steep, big moguls. On really big moguls I'll often make my turn at the top of the mogul where there is room to swing the board without hitting another mogul with the tip or tail, then I'll slide down the downhill side of the mogul and setup for the next turn. The faster your downhill speed, the faster you must get your board turned at the top of the mogul.

Whatever the case, I think moguls are good practice for steeps as steeps inevitably get bumped out.


----------



## max_tm (Dec 7, 2008)

Watch that back hand SnoWolf :cheeky4:.


----------



## Guest (Jan 29, 2009)

I love blowing by skiiers on moguls and watching them go....wtf??! Of course, I can't match the really fast ones, but the vast majority are no problem. Keep working on it and pretty soon instead of avoiding an entire section of the mountain, you'll find yourself choosing the bumpy runs over the "go really fast because it's boring" ones.

A couple tips, based on what I tend to do on moguls:

1. You'll have to be very, very aggressive with your carving. At some points it will feel natural, at others you will definitely have to "force" it.

2. Use the jump-edgeswitch frequently. It's energy intensive, but it feels great and can give you very precise cornering. I find it somewhat easier to do from my toe side to heel side, but use it both ways.

3. Aim to turn around the "back end" of a bump. I see a lot of people trying to go around a bump and then hit the bottom of their board on the near side of the next bump - this is a good way to loose snow contact and fall. Stick your board to the bump you are on and turn while hugging its far side - you'll slip off it into the trough but that's ok.

4. Eventually, find a rhythm depending on the size of the bumps. Meaning, pick how many bumps you will cross before you turn to the next edge. Tiny bumps, I ignore they even exist. Small bumps, I might carve every bump - denoted "1, 1, 1, 1". Bigger or irregular bumps, it might be more like "1, 1, 2, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1".

Hope that helps!


----------



## AZred60 (Jan 15, 2008)

i love moguls...like alot of people have been saying, no one expects you to be good at them on a board. its been pretty well summed up on this thread, but i always lighten my feet a bit up when i'm turning, just to help get the board around. im almost doing a little hop, maily with my back leg. you just really gotta pump the legs. other than that just practice them like anything else. start on a shallower pitch and then go steeper. i always look ahead about 2-3 turns to pick out my line. it helps with turning, because you really have to start your turn before you get to it.


----------



## Technine Icon (Jan 15, 2009)

Holy Shit Snowolf!! Your the man!! U always go above and beyond the call of duty. Lol.


----------

