How To Ski Moguls: 7 Essential Tips for All Skill Levels

7 Essential Tips for Skiing Moguls

1. Keep your eyes downhill: Looking ahead two or three moguls, instead of straight down at your skis, will help to anticipate the ever-changing terrain.
2. Lean forward, not back!: We get it. We all have a natural tendency to lean back when the terrain gets challenging. Doing the opposite, however, gives your body more leverage over your skis. Translation: It's easier to turn, stop, etc.
3. Use your poles: Contrary to what snowboarders believe, skiers don't carry poles around just to look silly. In mogul skiing, poles help skiers keep their weight forward and can assist in actually turning around moguls.
4. Right hand, right turn, left hand, left turn: Getting in a rhythm is what makes mogul skiing fun. Try the simple pattern of reaching out and placing the end of your right pole on the top of a mogul, then turn around the mogul. Then reach out with your left pole and place the end on the top of a mogul, then turn around it. Repeat the pattern, and notice as you start to gain speed and control through the mogul field.
5. It's okay to take breaks: Going fast is fun, but stopping in a safe and visible spot on the trail can be a valuable practice to improve at mogul skiing. Give your legs a break, and scope out the terrain in front of you. Visualize the line you would like to follow through the moguls, and then try to make it happen!
6. Bend your knees: Just like leaning backward, humans have a natural tendency to stand upright and rigid when faced with challenging ski terrain. It's just one of those things. To improve your performance, slightly bend your knees and stay limber throughout the run.
7. Follow the sun: The best time to ski moguls is when they're soft. Spring skiing makes for ideal slushy mogul bashing, but soft bumps can be found all winter long if you know where to look. Many Western ski resorts have West and Southwest facing terrain that soaks up the afternoon sun. If moguls are present, they can soften for a couple of hours, even if temperatures are below freezing.

What Are Moguls?

Moguls form naturally as skiers and snowboarders repeatedly descend the same trail. The snow they move with their skis and boards gathers in the same spots, eventually forming moguls. Moguls would form on every trail at every ski resort in the world if it wasn't for natural snow and snowcats that flatten or groom the trails on a nightly basis.

As skiers carve, scrape, slide, and turn on the same snow repeatedly, the surface tends to get slick and icy. With this in mind, moguls have a reputation of always being icy. This isn't the case, but ice can certainly cause issues during certain circumstances. A rapid change from above-freezing to below-freezing temps is a common culprit. Keep this in mind when venturing into moguls.

The Best Way To Get Better at Skiing Moguls

The best way to get better at skiing moguls is to ... ski more moguls. Learning to master this knee-aching, yet satisfying, terrain is one of those things that takes practice.

Similar to golf, mountain biking, and other frustrating activities, you will have plenty of bad days skiing moguls, but the bad runs make the good runs that much sweeter. With practice, determination, and perhaps a few falls, you'll find yourself seeking moguls rather than avoiding them.

To get the most reps, pick a trail that's easily accessible by a chairlift at your local ski resort. Set a couple of hours aside and lap that same trail as many times as you can. Try to implement the tips in this article. Your legs will hate you, but your mogul skiing skills should improve over time!

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