Mogul Madness and How I Learned To Love Killington's Bumps

I recently had the opportunity to talk with Ed Robicheau, Adult Program Manager at Killington Ski Resort in Vermont about the increasing number of "how to" articles I have come across concerning skiing in moguls. It seems every issue of the major ski publications and a lot of the video self-help marketing material that comes my way has somebody’s latest secret technique to make all skiers float effortlessly through the most foreboding mogul field. I asked Ed what he thought of the usefulness of all these explanations. Interestingly, he felt that for the most part the professionals writing the how tos and skiing in the videos had legitimate tips to offer.

However, Robicheau emphasized perfecting the basic techniques needed for mogul skiing. Time in the bumps is the only way to achieve that effortless mogul skiing all advanced skiers strive for. He added that skiing in the moguls with a professional will decrease the learning time to master mogul strategies. If the attention to mogul technique is so important I asked Ed what is best way to get these skills and make them stick. Without hesitation he told me to “live in the moguls for a couple of days with a pro and practice technique in the bumps – big ones and small ones."

In other words, if you want to learn French go to France and speak it. If you really want to ski better in moguls you should commit the time to do it in a mogul camp or clinic. I decided to do just that and signed up for a two day mogul camp at Killington, one of several they put on during the season. Read about my experience at mogul camp.