# Is it possible to snowboard moguls more effieciently?



## exaliate (9 mo ago)

I'm currently a 13y old, and I snowboard moguls just fine. My current strategy is going in the gully between each mogul, consistently doing sharp turns. Although it may be at a consistent speed, it is also very energy-consuming. But recently I've been considering competing in the Gunbarrel 25 in a few years. Currently, I don't know how to go down moguls in a quicker manner. Any tips or strategies?


----------



## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

Welcome! I'm probably much bigger than you are and ride 160+ boards, so the gully strategy doesn't really work for me. It's probably also not the fastest - going over the top of moguls gives you more options to pick your line and turn. If you're riding moguls alone it might be a different story where you can treat it like a banked slalom course, but with other people on a mogul run the fastest, most efficient way down is when you're able to be flexible with your turn choices and avoid slower people.

The easiest time I've had on moguls was on a very short (151cm) flexible park board, so it's kind of cheating but turning that board in moguls was much less effort than the larger slopestyle twins I normally ride.

On my normal boards I ride over the top of moguls as much as possible. That gets difficult when they're 3 feet tall and icy, but I've asked and nobody seems to be able to do that well.


----------



## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

I also like to ride the mogul tops. I use a turn style where I get my weight forward and allow my back foot to float and dance around. As you crest over a mogul, lean forward and let your back foot become weightless. Swivel around and set the next edge. It's kinda like a hop turn. I can shred regular moguls this way.


----------



## Etienne (Apr 2, 2021)

It's going to be exhausting whatsoever. Going in the gully is the most natural way and probably the most energy efficient. Then you can start going bit straighter in the gullyonly using a small part to "bank" your turns. Then start jumping-pumping the ones that aren't doesn't make good turns. You can try double/triple one, turn, double again. You have to find a find a line

Whatever the strategy is, looking far ahead is super important (for everything that requires speed by the way). You have to find a line where you have a good mix of jumping/skipping and small turns, to find the right balance between speed and control.


----------



## Craig64 (Jul 16, 2015)

Avoid them.


----------



## snowman55 (Feb 17, 2012)




----------



## Scalpelman (Dec 5, 2017)

snowman55 said:


>


Love it. Lessons from our forefathers. Just bomb em’!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

To the OP, in case it's not clear, that radical video is a spoof on 80's instructional videos and you really shouldn't just straightline moguls if you don't want to get wrecked.


----------



## exaliate (9 mo ago)

snowman55 said:


>


Mogul lines may not be consistent, so just straight lining could ramp you off a mogul if you aren't ready.


----------



## exaliate (9 mo ago)

WigMar said:


> I also like to ride the mogul tops. I use a turn style where I get my weight forward and allow my back foot to float and dance around. As you crest over a mogul, lean forward and let your back foot become weightless. Swivel around and set the next edge. It's kinda like a hop turn. I can shred regular moguls this way.


So a bit like forced sharp turns where you don't actually turn but hop so your back foot changes position?


----------



## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

I find moguls a lot of fun (unlike most snowboarders, apparently) but I'm still learning. The biggest problem I have is inconsistency in my heelside and toeside turns, and I think that's something you have to watch for. I do toesides by riding up the upper side of the mogul, up-unweighting in the process, and swiveling as I go over the top where only the middle of my board is touching the snow. Heelsides I do more in the valley between moguls. I'm not sure if this is actually _bad, _but I don't like technical incorrectness like that.

The two most important points, I think, are: 1) as mentioned above, always be looking ahead and planning your attack, and 2) don't let yourself get backseat, or you're dead.


----------



## WigMar (Mar 17, 2019)

exaliate said:


> So a bit like forced sharp turns where you don't actually turn but hop so your back foot changes position?


Yeah, kinda. Malcom Moore goes into better detail than I could in this retraction turns video. There's an element of sucking your legs up so you're weightless enough to make a really fast edge change with authority and grip. You throw the board around under you while keeping your center of mass pretty centered. I like the technique when I'm carving as well, but to me it feels more like pushing the board forward and sucking it back up under you.


----------



## bob2356 (Jul 13, 2012)

WigMar said:


> Yeah, kinda. Malcom Moore goes into better detail than I could in this retraction turns video. There's an element of sucking your legs up so you're weightless enough to make a really fast edge change with authority and grip. You throw the board around under you while keeping your center of mass pretty centered. I like the technique when I'm carving as well, but to me it feels more like pushing the board forward and sucking it back up under you.


Pretty good summation. I've done a LOT of moguls both on skis and board. Watch good mogul skiers some time. Their turns are also a hop and pop. The basic turn on either is dive the nose, load the edge hard, then pop off the tail diving the nose back in as everything unweights. Upper body should stay very still and face down the hill. You need to be really aggresive about driving you weight down hill. 

It's all off the hips and knees. You really need to throw the board out to the sides and get a good dig on the edge with pretty high angulation to check speed. You really need to suck and extend the knees. You almost feel like you are just swinging the back foot way out to each side then planing it once the momentum is going. Takes time to get used to really sucking the board up under you way out of sight on toe side. Most boarders take a stronger heel side with weaker toe side turns in the moguls and eventually get stuck on heel side.

I'm a big guy riding a 165 so troughs simply aren't an option for me. After a lot of experimentation I've found narrow stance with way forward bindings at 3025 are the best set up for me in moguls. Yea that sound counter intuitive. Shallow binding angles like 10/5 or less don't let me drive the weight into the edge and I find a wide stance makes it hard to roll through your knees and hips quickly. Just my preference, but I've also raced in hard boots at 45/40 so I know forward angles pretty well. . .

BTW. Mogul turns are also the hot ticket through any kind of crud or chopped up garbage snow as well as trees. Being able to dive the nose then drive hard through the edge will let you power right through the junk like its powder (ok not exactly like powder). Lets you have fun where most people are flaying and bailing. Weight forward and attack hard. I actually seek crud out at times.


----------



## Demi9OD (Dec 23, 2014)

Anyone think a K2 Party Platter would make a good mogul board? Sometimes I just want to explore the whole mountain and the shortest board I own is my 157 Surfari. Figure the PP would be flexible enough and wide enough at 147 to do just about anything. Plus I've got 50 to spend at backcountry and it's on sale.


----------



## Teebian (Dec 18, 2021)

exaliate said:


> I'm currently a 13y old, and I snowboard moguls just fine. My current strategy is going in the gully between each mogul, consistently doing sharp turns. Although it may be at a consistent speed, it is also very energy-consuming. But recently I've been considering competing in the Gunbarrel 25 in a few years. Currently, I don't know how to go down moguls in a quicker manner. Any tips or strategies?


Just don’t. Who purposefully goes through a mogul field? Skiers, that’s who 🤢.


----------

