Tip 6  

Develop your "drifting" or Buttering of the mogul skills. A great practice drill to develop your ability to ski with a soft edge is to select a spot about 30 feet in front of you on groomed terrain and see how many turns you can make between where you are standing and the target.  If you carve your turns you will not be able to make as many turns as if you use a drifted/Buttered turn (the combination of a rotary move, turning the feet, on a flatter ski in perfect balance).  Hold a competition between you and your friends to see who can make the most number of turns between any two points.
Drifting (a.k.a. a pivot slip) is a fabulous technique for controlling your speed on any terrain, but it is particularly useful in moguls and powder. Other than balance, it is the key to mogul skiing. Drifting or Buttering the side of the bump while gently turning ones feet, left to go left, right to go right.

Tip 8
Conventional thinking says that the way you are supposed to a ski mogul run is to ski the troughs between moguls. That can be a good strategy if you are in your 20's or 30's but it is not the optimum approach if you are in your 40's, 50's or 60's. Here are two good reasons why:
First, skiing through the troughs is the second fastest route through the moguls  - just behind the Johnny Mosley "knees pumping up to the ears like pistons" down the zipper line approach - and it requires lightening fast reflexes. Second, if your mogul skiing is based upon a technique that requires fast reflexes then you run into an ever larger problem as the pitch of the hill increases because your reflexes have to be ever faster.
Skiing the troughs is not a good strategy if you are on the aging side of things with slowing reflexes.

Tip 10

This will be controversial, because it is not conventional thinking, but here we go. Determining the appropriate length of your skis has little to do with your height and weight - unless your goal is to ski fast.  If you are an aging Baby Boomer, selecting the length of your skis should be a function of two things: your age and the number of days you ski each year.  The older you are and/or the fewer number of days you ski each season are all arguments for shorter skis. Now "short" is a relative term. Skiers who used to ski on 210cm skis and who now ski on 180cm skis think they are on short skis.  But, when we say short, we mean short. If you are skiing in-bounds in a ski area, with today's ski technology, we find that there is no penalty for skiing shorter skis.  You gain much more maneuverability and because a shorter ski length typically correlates with a smaller turn radius, a shorter ski spends less time in the fall line, which means that the skier is not going as fast and, which, in turn, lowers anxiety. These are all desirable benefits if you are a Boomer skiing in moguls and powder. Let's re-calibrate your thinking about ski length.  For aging Boomers (age 50+) we are seeing great results with mid-fat skis in a 150cm - 160cm length for men and 146cm - 150cm for women.

Tip 13
Did you know that your eyes have a lot to do with your skiing?  You ski to where your eyes are looking.  If you are skiing in trees, look between the trees.  If you look at a tree the odds are that you will ski into the tree.  Likewise, if you are skiing in moguls, look at the uphill flat tops of the moguls where you want to finish your turn and where you want to start your next turn, rather than into the troughs.  If you stare at the troughs you will undoubtedly end up skiing in them ... and putting your reflexes to the test. Also look down the run, we don’t look at the hood of our car when driving, we look down the road. Same with all skiing look down the slope, look down your bump line. Before starting you run, look to the finish point and quickly work your way back to your feet. Then pick your first 5 turns, focus and once started always look 5 moguls ahead. We are looking for fewer surprises, action – reaction, cause and effect, looking ahead eliminates both.

Tip 14
9If you study mogul terrain, you realize that all moguls have flat tops (think of the flat top as a green run, a place to be balanced enabling us to turn our feet). A place to finish our turns and start new ones. And a mogul run consists on a series of flat tops, much like a staircase, which you can use to walk down the mountain. Even more to your advantage, the tops of most moguls have piles of powder on them, which represent friction, which will slow you down. This is the place you want to finish the turn gently up the hill and start the next turn by moving down the hill and turning the feet in balance. So lets recap: Flat green run mogul tops with friction in the form of a staircase going down the hill. If you turn on the tops of the moguls, drift or butter with a soft edge from one mogul top to the next, you can change the rules of the game. Your best strategy: turn on the mogul tops and stay out of the troughs. By buttering the sides of the moguls. Use this strategy turning a black or double-black mogul and powder run into a much more manageable, safe and fun experience.

Tip 15
When you are skiing on groomed runs use that time to practice skiing moguls.  Pick a clump of snow, two crossed ski lines in the snow or a windblown leaf sitting on the snow and pretend that it is a "virtual" mogul.  Drift to the location of the "virtual" mogul, make your turn and then locate the next "virtual" mogul.  It is a great way to keep from getting bored on the groomers and it will greatly improve your Balance, turning of the feet and gently edge control skills. Also try picking a point in the snow down the hill, or a tree, etc. the spot you are standing at is “A”, the point down the hill is “B”. Draw an imaginary line connecting them. Then pick a corridor wide in which to ski, 10,15,20 feet. Your line is the cent of the corridor, every time you cross it finish you turn and start your new turn, same as moguls.

Tip 16
Do you ever find yourself having to stop in order to regain speed control after just 4 or 5 turns in a mogul run?  If so, stop and look back at your ski tracks.  If you see two sharp parallel lines in the snow it means that you were carving or using a “Z” turn.  And, if you were carving, that is most likely the primary reason you ended up on the "edge of crazy". No hard edging or pushing of the hips in the bumps, butter those bumps like a piece of toast and turn your feet. The reason speed increases is the radius of your skis cannot make a turn sharp enough to go around a mogul on edge. Soften the edges, buttering the side of the bump, the skis are able to make that short turn around the bumps. Carving promotes speed and it is the polar opposite technique that you want to use in bumps. To maintain speed control in moguls you want to have less of an edge angle and allow yourself to drift down the fall line. The bottom line:  looking back at your ski tracks will tell you whether you are carving or drifting.

Tip 17

In our Mogul Tip series we talk a lot about the importance of a "drift" or "drifting" or buttering to control speed in the bumps.  So, what exactly is the definition of a drift? A drift occurs when you use a combination of rotation (steering the skis perpendicular or higher to the fall line with your feet) and  almost no edging (using less edge angle - which creates lateral movement - in order to create friction) for the purpose of reducing, or better controlling speed.  In general, the higher your tips are above the fall line and the less edge angle you use, the slower your speed will be.  This is probably the most effective way to control speed in moguls because, when done properly (1) it allows you to control your speed without the need for fast reflexes and (2) because the technique is independent of reflex speed it is equally effective regardless of the steepness of the mogul run allowing you to stay in better core balance. A drift will produce the maximum in speed control when a greater percentage of your momentum is moving laterally rather than moving forward.  By definition, if 51% of your momentum is moving forward then you are likely carving and we want to avoid carving.  So, flatten your skis and/or steer your ski tips higher in the fall line to make sure that 51% or more of your momentum is drifting laterally DOWN the fall line toward the location where you intend to make your next turn.  This gives you the ability to increase or decrease your speed just by making small and subtle adjustments to your edge angles.

Tip 18
If you stand on the side of a ski run and watch skiers coming down the hill you will notice that a large percentage of skiers have a ski lead . . . that is to say that the uphill ski is ahead of (leads) the downhill ski as the skis cross the fall line. In days of yesteryear when we used straight skis, this was a desirable technique because this ski lead causes the hips to be countered so that the hips are facing more downhill than the direction of ski travel. This disparity between the hips and the direction of ski travel aided ski rotation and helped the initiation of turns. Today's shaped skis are designed to turn merely by tipping the skis on edge and riding the natural arc of the turn. Because of the ski design, less rotational force is required to initiate each turn. Consequently, a lead change is not an essential element of a turn. In fact, on shaped skis it is more desirable to have your hips more square to the direction of travel and your ski tips to be more equal throughout the turn. A lead change creates two problems that are undesirable in moguls and powder. First, it is an inherently less stable position to have the uphill ski ahead of the downhill ski versus having your feet and skis side-by-side. Second, if your uphill ski is leading your downhill ski, the act of stepping to, and balancing on the uphill ski requires a much larger physical move of the torso to get balanced over the uphill ski. That extra movement makes it more difficult to keep a quiet upper body and to stay in balance. The bottom line: If your feet are side-by-side the re-balance to the uphill ski can happen more quietly, with less chance of becoming unbalanced.

Tip 19
Conventional wisdom says that that one should avoid skiing into clumps of snow because you could catch and edge and/or get tripped up. However, clumps of snow represent friction and friction is your friend because friction helps slow you down.  I actively seek out clumps of snow and frequently use the clumps as the location of where I make my next turn. If you carve at high speed into a clump of snow your feet will rapidly slow down and you run the risk of having your torso continue at a high rate of speed - which will quickly result in you becoming out of balance. However, if you ski into a clump of snow using soft edges (a low edge angle soft edges) you can quickly moderate your edge angles to keep your center of mass over your  feet and to stay centered and balanced. Also tighten your core muscles upon hitting the clump. When you do that it helps you master the mountain. Seek clumps of snow out and use them to control your speed and to give yourself an advantage.

Tip 20
Most skiers believe that you are always supposed to ski in a forward direction.  I spend a great deal of my time alternating between skiing forward, sideways and backward.  The direction you ski doesn't really matter as long as you remain in balance.  By using a flatter ski (smaller edge angle on the snow) I can drift sideways.  Or I can point my ski tips high in the fall line which will cause me to ski backward.  Why would I do this?  To control both my speed and direction in order to make a turn at a precise point in the snow.  This gives me a degree of precision that enables me to turn exactly wherever I desire in mogul or powder terrain. The only direction you should always be moving is down the mountain, moving into every turn. Flow like water.

Tip 21
Do you prefer tired arms ... or tired legs?  In order to stay centered and  Core balanced over your base of support (your feet) you need to keep both of your arms up, elbows on front of the rib cage and quiet (free of excessive movement). Now flex your angels having your shin gently touching the tongue of your boot with consistent light pressure. Connect you elbow and you angels with an imaginary metal pole. You move your angels, your elbows follow and move the elbows the angels flex.  If you don't, you will likely sit back and your center of your core mass will be behind your feet also eliminating proper angles of the body.  In that back position the only thing you have to hold you upright is your quads and the tails of the skis and every muscle in your body, tough to ski that way all day.

Tip 22
Most skiers incorrectly believe that they need substantial forward momentum in order to initiate a turn. Not true. You can easily make a turn from a dead stop merely by flattening your skis on the snow and by extending your legs and torso into the direction of the turn that you want to make. I like to imagine and feel myself gently falling down the mountain into each turn over my inside (Left to go left, right to go right) little toe,  Knee and Core along with feeling the same Conner of my boots tongue on same side. When you discover that you can make a turn without a lot of forward momentum, your anxiety drops, you become more relaxed and you will make more patient turns - which facilitates your ability to stay in balance ... particularly in the bumps.

Tip 23
A major obstacle to better skiing occurs when a skier initiates a turn with a stem (slides the tail of the uphill ski out to get a head start on making the turn or also known as bracing).  If you stem your turns you will forever be a terminal intermediate skier. And if you stem your turns in moguls and powder it creates instability and a risk of crossing your ski tips. To understand whether or not you’re stemming in your turns, at the beginning of your turn your legs will separate and skis will form a wedge. To prevent stemming your turns, always begin each turn by pressuring, and balancing on, the uphill ski prior to initiating any rotary movement to begin the turn.  Simply turning the inside foot. Left to go Left, Right to go Right, it is our natural move when it comes to turning while walking, running. Stemming or bracing will throw directly into a wedge; put you very out of balance, late on every turn, creating speed in the moguls.

Tip 25
It takes a sequence of 5 events to make a balanced and well-controlled turn. To better understand the events we are de-composing the sequence into discrete steps.  However, don't take this discreteness too literally because, in reality, the five steps will blend together.

  

(1) finish the prior turn - typically this means that ski tips will need to be slightly up the hill slowing your speed sufficiently to the point where you believe that you can make a patient, relaxed, unrushed turn. Don't initiate a new turn until you have achieved this.  In moguls this may mean that you need to substantially slow your speed before starting the next turn.

 

(2) Do not start the next turn if you are not centered and re-balanced. The majority of your weight (70+%) should now be on the uphill ski.

  

(3) Extend (legs extend tall) and at the same time - keeping your balance and weight on the uphill ski - move your torso down the hill in the direction of the new turn over the little toe, while starting to turn your feet in the direction of that new turn.

  

(4) Wait and let gravity initiate the turn.  Gently turn the inside foot Do not force the turn. Maintain the same pressure throughout the entire turn Keep your upper body, arms and hands quiet, elbows gently in front of the ribs.

Tip 29
Pick A Focus. Good skiing requires good underlying skiing fundamentals.  And, the best way to develop good fundamentals is to periodically work on improving or fine-tuning your basic skiing skills. ( Balance, Turning feet, Tipping feet, Pressure). On the first couple of runs each day it is a good idea to start out by focusing on one or more key skills. Always start with Balance, along with what are your feet doing related to Pressure on the snow. Then turning the inside foot, then finally tipping the same foot

Tip 30 

Do you know where your hands are? We regularly observe that a large percentage of skiers ski with their hands close to their hips.  This has a negative effect on your skiing and will result in an out-of-balance condition. Our goal is always be balanced and ski on our skeleton. Not muscles and tendons. If you ski with your hands on, or near, your hips it has a tendency to put your balance point on your heels ... or even farther back - an undesirable condition know as being "in the back seat".  If you are "in the back seat" you may be upright but, most likely, your calf's will be leaning against the back of your boot cuffs and you will be out-of-balance. And, skiing in an out-of-balance position is not a good strategy for remaining upright when skiing moguls - or on any other terrain, for that matter. To avoid this problem, make sure that your elbows are slightly in front of your ribs, hands and arms in comfortable spot, extended in front of you at all times. The rule of thumb: elbows in front of ribs and hands wider than elbows. At all times. Create the balance needed to be an athletic skier.

Tip 31 
One problem that many mogul skiers experience is getting caught in the "back seat" (e.g. being too far back on their skis).  This causes two problems: (1) It becomes difficult to initiate turns. And (2) your quads burn because they are forced to support most of your body weight. And, that is a highway to fatigue. Here is a good mogul skiing tip for staying out of the "back seat". This simple technique will enable you to initiate turns easier and avoid tired legs. Hold your ski poles in front of you and roll both hands so that your knuckles are facing down towards the snow. This will move you forward and put pressure on the balls of your feet. That will make it easier to initiate turns and your skeleton, rather than your quads, will be supporting your body weight. Try this technique the next time you are trying to master the moguls ... or skiing on any terrain, for that matter.

Tip 32
There has been a huge emphasis on carving in the ski industry over the past 15 years. However, good skiers don't carve all the time. In fact, skiers who carve all the time are very one-dimensional and find that carving limits their skiing experience to groomed runs. Really good skiers use a wide range of edge angles appropriate for what they are trying to do.  They learn to use the full range of edge angles from a very high edge angle (carve) to a very low edge angle (flat ski).  That makes for a much more versatile skier. Remember, (1) carving originated as a racing technique designed to increase speed and (2) racers race on flat snow surfaces. Since carving increases your speed it is probably not a good idea to use this technique in the bumps. To become a better all-around skier learn to ski using the full range of edge angles that you have available to you.  Practice your drifting/Buttering (low edge angle) skills. Terrain dictates the use of edge angle. As the terrain changes, so does your edge angles. Different tactics for different terrain. Never ski everything the same way.

Tip 33
Do you find it hard to ski and does your anxiety go up when you are skiing in flat light?  Or in heavy snow? Or in white-out blizzard conditions? If so, consider this tip:  ski next to trees and avoid wide open treeless spaces. When you ski adjacent to groupings of trees the trees actually create shadow detail on the snow which improves your visibility in all hard-to-see conditions

Tip 34

An amazingly large number of skiers think that the way you are supposed to a ski mogul run is to ski the troughs between moguls. That can be a good strategy if you are in your 20's or 30's but it is not the optimum approach if you are in your 40's, 50's or 60's. Here are two good reasons why: First, skiing through the troughs is the second fastest route through the moguls  - just behind the Johnny Mosley "knees pumping up to the ears like pistons" down the zipper line approach - and it requires lightening fast reflexes. Second, if you use a technique that requires fast reflexes you run into an ever larger problem as the pitch of the hill increases because your reflexes have to be ever faster. Skiing the troughs is not a good strategy if you are an aging senior skier with slowing reflexes. Try around the moguls or Bank turns

Tip 38

As we previously discussed, it is essential to make a commitment to each new turn with your hips, torso and hands at turn initiation if you want to stay balanced over your feet throughout the turn. The commit move is triggered by a leg extension.  But, the goal is not to extend up vertically, but rather across the hill in the direction of the new turn.

How do you do that? Try extending only the uphill leg rather than extending both legs simultaneously. When you extend both legs your movement tends to be vertical and not in the direction of the new turn.  When you extend only the uphill leg your movement tends to be more horizontal in the direction of the new turn.

After you extend your uphill leg, and as you enter and cross the fall line, keep the previously uphill (now outside or downhill leg) extended - flexing at the ankle to absorb pressure - and soften your inside leg. When it is time to make your next turn, extend the uphill leg and repeat the pattern. Think of this movement pattern as pedaling, as if you were riding a bike.  Each leg alternates from being the long leg to becoming the short leg. This movement pattern will help you make a commitment to your turns. Once you’ve master the above, start thinking about both thighs moving together in the same direction of the extension above.

Tip 40

Beware - Moguls Create High Edge Angles.
Have you ever wondered why you tend to rocket out of control when skiing bumps? Here is one possible explanation.
Mogul terrain naturally creates high edge angles between your skis and the snow. This high edge angle causes your skis to carve. And, carving produce speed - which is your enemy in the bumps - unless you are young and possess lightening-fast reflexes.
Merely standing vertically with their skis on the face of a mogul - making no attempt to create an edge angle on the snow - just naturally creates high edge angles without even trying.

If you don't consciously and intentionally reduce your edge angles when skiing moguls then you run the risk of carving in the bumps - which is like stepping on the accelerator pedal while driving on a bumpy road. And this combination of speed from carving, coupled with the  3-dimensional mogul terrain, will likely increase your anxiety and challenge your reflex speed.
The way to avoid this problem, and to better control your speed when skiing moguls, is to intentionally use a lower edge angle on your skis by drifting your turns rather than carving your turns. Butter your turns, soft edges or drift through the turn.

If you don't consciously and intentionally reduce your edge angles when skiing moguls then you run the risk of carving in the bumps - which is like stepping on the accelerator pedal while driving on a bumpy road. And this combination of speed from carving, coupled with the  3-dimensional mogul terrain, will likely increase your anxiety and challenge your reflex speed.
The way to avoid this problem, and to better control your speed when skiing moguls, is to intentionally use a lower edge angle on your skis by drifting your turns rather than carving your turns. Butter your turns, soft edges or drift through the turn.

 

Tip 41
If you want to confidently ski moguls or powder it is essential to know how to control your speed. Do you know the two primary ways to keep your speed under control?
First, learn to complete - or finish - your turns. That is, continue to progressively turn your skis  perpendicular, or more, across the fall line until you decelerate. The faster you turn or steer your skis and the higher (relative to the fall line) you steer your skis the slower you will ski.
Second, soften, or lessen, the edge angle between the skis and the snow so that you create lateral slippage while turning. This lateral slippage creates friction which slows you down. Think about spreading peanut butter when you look back at your tracks in the snow.
The combination of these two factors - finishing your turns and softening your edges - will enable you to control your speed on any terrain.

Tip 42
The width of the corridor you elect to ski within a mogul run is an important factor that influences your speed. If you ski a narrow corridor - e.g. only one or two moguls wide - your skis will spend more time in the fall line and therefore you will ski faster. If you ski a wide corridor - e.g. four to six moguls wide - your skis will spend more time out of the fall line and therefore you will ski a slower route. How you decide on the width of the corridor you will ski should be determined by a number of factors including: the steepness of the mogul run, the size and shape of the moguls, the snow conditions, flatness of light, overall visibility level, your skiing ability, your physical condition, your confidence level at the moment, your age, your history of injuries, your current fatigue level, etc. The bottom line: before you ski a mogul run, think about the width of the corridor you intend to ski in ... because it has consequences that will impact your skiing speed and resulting anxiety level. Skiing with in a chosen corridor also allows you to focus on the moguls directly in your line. Stay in this corridor, don’t shop for bumps to turn on, commit to your line, takes a lot of confusing out of the game.

Tip 43

The "Big Gulp" often occurs when you stand at the top of a mogul run and look at a series of ugly, deep troughs in front of you. But, it's a bad idea to stare at the troughs for a number of reasons. 

First, it will likely raise your anxiety level. 

Second, but most important, since you will always ski to where your eyes are looking - by focusing on the troughs - you are almost guaranteed to ski into them. And, that is exactly where you don't want to be unless your goal is to make a very aggressive high speed line through the bumps. Instead, focus your eyes on the sides of the moguls above the troughs and you will find it much easier to navigate a bump run with good speed control.  

Tip 46

When you find yourself skiing too fast - and thinking "YIKES!" - is your first thought to quickly make a turn in order to slow yourself down? If so, you may want to reconsider this immediate life-saving reaction. 

Why? 

Because when you initiate a new turn your skis will enter the fall line and will initially accelerate. Net result: your speed will increase.
Your best strategy, if skiing too fast for your comfort level, is not to make a new turn but rather to do the opposite by progressively steering your skis up the hill until you decelerate and slow down. Wait until you have slowed down before you make a new turn.
You will find this tip to be particularly valuable when skiing in 3-dimensional mogul and powder terrain.

Tip 47

Every mogul run is different. Your skiing experience on any given mogul run will vary by the size of the moguls, the shape of the moguls, the distance between moguls, the size of the troughs, the overall steepness of the mogul run, the amount of snow on the moguls, the hardness or softness of the snow, the direction the mogul run faces (North, South, East or West), the weather conditions (sunny or cloud cover) and the time of day you ski the mogul run as it relates to the position of the sun. Because of these factors you will be more successful in skiing a mogul run if you feel out the mogul run - and get a sense of both the speed and rhythm that is most appropriate for the current mogul run terrain conditions - before you just jump in and start skiing.

The best way to do that is to start each mogul run by slowly drifting the first few turns.  This will enable you to get a quick reading of the conditions and then dial in your pace (speed) and optimum tactics (green line, blue line, black line). 

The bottom line: since every mogul run is different you will have more success if you first assess, and then adjust, your skiing approach to the current conditions on each mogul run.

The D.I.R.T. model says it all in Mogul skiing: Duration, Intensity, Rate, Timing of your turn and the skiing you are doing, remember the terrain dictates your DIRT!

Tip 49
As you've read in many of our tips, the BumpBusters program focuses on teaching you balance and control while skiing. Those same concepts apply to your fitness program. If you don't have good balance and control in a gym, it will really show up once you get on unstable three dimensional terrain.
Doing a simple daily warm-up routine before you hit the slopes will get your body warmed up and ready to ski. Something as simple as a hip circle exercise activates the synovial fluid in your hip joints, lubricating the joints and getting them ready to fire when you are stepping and turning down a mogul field. The same concept applies to your back to protect your discs. And a few simple balance exercises will pay off on the mountain when you encounter unexpected clumps of snow. Invest in doing everything you can to get your body ready for a great ski season. 

Tip 50

Many mogul skiing lessons emphasize that mastering "flexion", "extension" and "absorption" movements are an essential prerequisite to good mogul skiing. While basic "flexion", "extension" and "absorption" movements are obviously necessary for skiing on any terrain we do not share the opinion that your ability to master these skills is the major determining factor in your ability to ski the bumps.
Why? The answer is that "flexion", "extension" and "absorption" movements become more important the faster and more aggressively you ski a mogul run. Conversely, "flexion", "extension" and "absorption" movements become less important the slower and less aggressively you ski a mogul run. BumpBusters techniques enable you to maintain a balanced, centered stance and avoid being launched (the goal of "flexion", "extension" and "absorption" movements) by using proper routes and wider skiing corridors in combination with less edge angle (drifting) to maintain speed control. 

Tip 51
Proper hand position is extremely important to maintaining a centered and balanced stance when you ski either groomed runs or bumps.  That is why we have covered this topic several times in our tips. In previous tips we have discussed the importance of (1) hands wider than elbows and elbows in front of your rib cage and (2) rolling your knuckles toward the snow as two techniques to keep you from skiing in the "back seat". In this tip we introduce another key technique to facilitate a centered stance. And that is to check whether or not you can see both of your hands in your peripheral vision at all times when skiing. If the answer is yes then the odds are that your hands are forward, at the right height and not contributing to your center of mass being in the "back seat". The next time you are out on the slopes make a few runs and test yourself to see if you can see both hands in your peripheral vision while skiing. It is an important prerequisite to staying centered while skiing 3-dimensional mogul and powder terrain.

Tip 52
When you are standing at the top of a mogul run it is not unusual to experience increased anxiety as you begin to think about starting your run. That nervousness, however, often causes you to begin your mogul run by rushing your turns and skiing fast. If you start out too fast then your run will be rushed, it will be more difficult to maintain your balance and you will most likely end up muscling your way down the run and relying on your reflex speed to maintain control. It is important to keep in mind that the first two or three turns of a mogul run will set the pace for the entire run. So, begin your mogul run slowly, think about making relaxed and slow turns and concentrate on developing a fluid and controlled pace. You'll have more fun and it will be less fatiguing. Take a quick look at your run from bottom up to your feet. Then look down and memorize the first 3-5 turns, set yourself up for success, get into your flow early.