Three Mogul Myths

Because mogul skiing is not well understood by the general skiing masses, it’s surrounded by myths. Here’s my first blog attempt to debunk three of these myths. If you think of mogul myths I’ve missed, be sure to leave a comment and explain.

Mogul Myth 1:
Mogul skiers are naturally good athletes with fast feet and no fear, but they aren’t good technical skiers.

Myth 1 Debunked:

• Good mogul skiers are every bit as technically proficient as good alpine racers and instructors. Mogul skiers don’t lack technique. They use mogul technique, which is different from racing technique.
• Good mogul skiers are nearly always good all-mountain skiers who know how to ski powder, trees and steeps, and how to carve a turn on groomed terrain.
  
• As for fear: Skiers aren't good in the moguls because they lack fear. They lack fear (or their fear isn't as easily triggered) because they're good in the moguls.

Mogul Myth 2:
Mogul skiing is dangerous and especially bad for your knees.

Myth 2 Debunked:

• When it’s done with the right technique, mogul skiing is not half as dangerous as most skiers believe. I’ve recently heard of a sports medicine specialist who says she sees more ACL tears in alpine racers than in mogul skiers. This might be due to a stabilizing lateral strength that mogul skiers develop in their knees, a strength that might be less well developed in the knees of alpine racers.
• Good absorption and extension technique can make a mogul run feel smoother (less impact, less injury) than a jog on a hard road.
• As compared to groomed, high-speed thoroughfares, mogul trails probably see fewer person-to-person collisions.
• High-speed collisions with trees seem to be rare among mogul skiers, and more common among groomed-trail speedsters.

Mogul Myth 3:
There’s no single correct way to ski moguls; there are lots of different ways.

Myth 3 Debunked:
So long as you don’t crash into me, I don’t care if you ski moguls backwards on cafeteria trays. If, however, you want to ski moguls with maximum smoothness, fluidity, efficiency, control, comfort and confidence, and with minimum punishment to your body, there is in fact a single correct way to do this, and it is the way that mogul competitors ski. Over many years, competitive bump skiing has identified and refined the correct techniques for the bumps. Examine the skills of skiers who argue otherwise and you'll inevitably find that these skiers are unfamiliar with, or unable to execute, these bump techniques.

-dd