Mogul Skiing Technique Guide
Arm Position and Pole Plants

     Another key aspect of quality mogul skiing is the positioning of your arms and your pole plants. When you're skiing moguls, you want to keep your hands in front of you as though you are carrying a tray, about shoulder length apart. As you ski, you want your hands to keep driving you forward. Don't let them drop to your sides or get lazy. Keep them out in front and about shoulder width apart, much like you would in your normal alpine skiing form.

     Pole planting in the moguls is all about timing and a light touch. The pole should never be used as a weight support during a turn. In fact, if you are poling properly, it is simply a matter of a flick of the wrist. All the while, your arms/shoulders should remain quiet with the rest of your upper body.

     Consider the picture below. My hands are out in front, my left pole plant for the current turn is almost complete (looks like a planted a bit early, though!), and my right hand is pushing forward, leading me into my next turn and my next plant.

     I have no specific drills to offer. However, just practice by skiing slowly enough at first to really make sure that pole plant happens just at the right time and on the right spot. Patience is key. Slowly increase your speed as you get used to this poling. Soon it will become second nature like many of the other mogul skiing concepts. Practice makes perfect!

     As you ski the moguls, your pole plants should be on the backside (downhill side) of each mogul. Patience truly is a virtue when discussing mogul poling. You don't want to plant on the face (front) of the mogul. This will get you off balance, pull your arms behind you as you absorb and advance toward the next bump, and thus will create problems with your turn timing. You don't want to plant on top of the mogul, because this will force you to reach up and will also pull your arm back behind you (see right image above). You want to aim for a spot around the center of the downhill side of the bump. Many bump skiers (even good ones) have trouble waiting for the right moment to pole plant. It is very important that you be ever patient and wait for the moment when you can effortlessly plant on that downhill side. This will act, then, as your pivot point for the next turn and allow you to plant with a very light touch and a simple wrist movement. Again... do not lean your weight into your pole plant. It is not a speed controller.

     The images below demonstrate proper pole plant placement. The image on the left shows the (beautiful) line being skied. The red dots in the photo on the right show approximately where the pole plants should happen:

     The first two images below demonstrate excellent mogul poling. Bryan Seastead (left) and Aaron Peets (middle) are holding their hands in front, reaching forward leading into the next bump, and are planting on the downhill side of the mogul. The image on the right is me executing horrible mogul poling! My hands are too close in to my chest, and I planted on the uphill side of the mogul. Read on to see why this is incorrect.

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