How do I ski the bumps in tele??!!

[Montana St Alum]

@Woodserson
And here all along, I was preparing for this to turn into a discussion about where to get the best cider donut. This discussion would have been a whole different type of warfare.

Carter Hill Orchard for central NH, IMO. But open to suggestions. Dare I try that VT place you mentioned?

Back to some sinful impossible telemarking the bumps:

Smoooooth.

[joeatomictoad]

Do you guys have access to real maple butter (nothing added)?

I remember having whole maple butter as a child, but was too young to really care; my mother would make a big deal of it. I was more interested in the maple candy treats.

[joeatomictoad]

Back to some sinful impossible telemarking the bumps:

The slow motion is really effective in this video. I can see...
...downhill foot moving forward = turning, and
...uphill foot moving back = pivoting.

[BennyBlanco]

Lots of good advice and reminders here. One thing I didn't see was Keep Your Head Up and look ahead. This I find helps to get in the flow, and relax. Montana does a great job of keeping his head up in that video. Nice work!

[bauerb]

just got back from skiing some newborn bumps after 7" of pow overnight. what I can add to this thread is: it matters alot how old the bumps are and what they are made of. for example, today skiing the new bumps formed from powder means you can absolutely thrash them anyway you want to. over, around, through...it doesn't matter. but, as bumps age and become larger and harder, strategy and technique matter alot

the other thing that I was reminded of today while skiing fast through bumps: my pole "plants" are not really "plants". I use my arms and poles as part of my cadence, but I don't actually ever "plant" a pole. there really isn't time to do the whole "reach, plant, pivot" thing. I reach forward, but skip the pole plant.

[joeatomictoad]

...as bumps age and become larger and harder, strategy and technique matter alot

Amen. Volkswagen-sized ice boulders... drivers wanted!
What we have depicted here is Mad River Glen... just imagine the smell of patchouli.

[bauerb]

haha. when I was a kid, on a rare late season trip to Killington, we referred to the bumps as Volkswagons. they were hard as rocks and big as cars.

[Woodserson]

the other thing that I was reminded of today while skiing fast through bumps: my pole "plants" are not really "plants". I use my arms and poles as part of my cadence, but I don't actually ever "plant" a pole. there really isn't time to do the whole "reach, plant, pivot" thing. I reach forward, but skip the pole plant.

I mean this in a kind way: You do have a weird post-turn pole plant that I never was able to figure out. I guess the above explains it.

This year I've pretty much just give up on poles. Even in the bumps. It took a few days to get my balance a little more fine tuned but then it was totally normal. Even liberating. I feel more artistic.

I was carrying poles around 90% of the time and not doing anything with them, so I said, screw it. One less thing to worry about. I use them in backcountry, trees still. Steeps where I have to make jump turns I'll probably keep them.

But overall, I am not using poles. My skiing has improved dramatically as a result as well.

[Montana St Alum]

just got back from skiing some newborn bumps after 7" of pow overnight. what I can add to this thread is: it matters alot how old the bumps are and what they are made of. for example, today skiing the new bumps formed from powder means you can absolutely thrash them anyway you want to. over, around, through...it doesn't matter. but, as bumps age and become larger and harder, strategy and technique matter alot

the other thing that I was reminded of today while skiing fast through bumps: my pole "plants" are not really "plants". I use my arms and poles as part of my cadence, but I don't actually ever "plant" a pole. there really isn't time to do the whole "reach, plant, pivot" thing. I reach forward, but skip the pole plant.

Don't you "opposite plant"? Right plant for a left turn, and vice versa? That's what it looks like in your picture. My older son does the same thing.

Of course, it's a matter of perspective as to what's "opposite'. Like the woman who calls her husband who's on his way home to warn him that there's a report of a guy driving the wrong way on the freeway.... "A guy?", he yells into the phone, "There's thousands of them"!

[joeatomictoad]

My usage of poles aren't really for cadence nor skiing around, but I use them as a reminder to keep my COG well positioned by really reaching the pole tips down the fall line... especially helpful for attacking the steeper runs and staying out of the backseat. Of course positioning CG can be done without poles, but if I have them in my hands, then I might as well use them for something.