Why tree/glade skiers rule over bump skiers

[NHpowderhound]

I am not an instructor. I am not an author. But in my years of skiing I have noticed something. The folks that ski in the woods are hands down the best skiers on the hill. Any skier that can rip a tight line in the woods can also rip mouguls but mougul skiers cant always rip the trees. Unless there is alot of fresh snow, most tree skiing IS mougul skiing, just with trees in the middle of your line .
Just my opinion. Lets here yours!
((*
*))NHPH

[riverc0il]

I think the best skiers are able to ski any line any where on the mountain and do it with some style and grace. That is my continuing goal. You won't reach that goal without skiing the trees, that is for sure! Trees are a great place to apply bump technique since tree runs are so often bumped, as NHPH mentioned. But I NEVER see any one in the trees skiing like a pro bumper down a zipper line course. There is a radically different approach with so many additional variables and consistantly changing lines. Bump technique is essential, but tree sense, line finding, intuition, and excellent coordination are more important. Not superior to general bump skiing, but certainly upping the ante.

[Patrick]

Racers are the best skiers on the hill.

They always ski on ice and can turn on a dime.

Tree and moguls skiers are lost on the icy stuff.

Once you can ski steep groomed icy course, snow, powder, bumps and trees are a piece of cake.

NHPH, I'm afraid you don't know what you started.

To be all inclusive in this discussion, you could also say that Easterners rule over Westerners.

Let's the games begin.

[riverc0il]

Patrick raises a good point, in relation to my previous post, and that would be that an all mountain skier that can ski everything with ease and good form could also rip a race course, in addition to the bumps, trees, steeps, terrain features, narrow chutes, etc.

[NHpowderhound]

Patrick wrote

NHPH, I'm afraid you don't know what you started.

Lets all play nice now!
((*
*))NHPH

[Dan DiPiro]

Great racers are great skiers. Great tree-skiers are great skiers. Great bumpers are great skiers.

I most admire skiers who surprise me by venturing outside the category into which I tend to put them. I remember seeing old film footage of the Mahre brothers, years ago, messing around in powder. One of them launched off a ledge and threw a huge, slow helicopter, as well as any freestyler could ever have done it. I was shocked.

A great mogul skier I knew back in the 80s is, today, a dominant racer in USSA masters events. Skiing beyond those categories, those boundaries, always impresses me the most.

-Dan

[Tony Crocker]

It is obvious to me why Patrick's opinion is what it is. He was race trained, and he has translated the skills to steep, powder, trees, etc. quite easily. I have seen other racers who don't look that great off the groomed though.

If forced to make a choice I think I'd go with NHPH. You can knock over or uproot a gate. Trees are less forgiving; you WILL make your turn in the right place OR ELSE!

[Patrick]

It is obvious to me why Patrick's opinion is what it is. He was race trained, and he has translated the skills to steep, powder, trees, etc. quite easily.

We'll I was sort of kidding when I made that statement. Dan was talking about great racers, THAT I was not.

Actually my racing career only started when I was an adult and started College (CEGEP in Quebec). I was a freeskiing kid, however running gates did improve my skiing.

Great racers are great skiers. Great tree-skiers are great skiers. Great bumpers are great skiers.

I most admire skiers who surprise me by venturing outside the category into which I tend to put them.

I also race Masters and we have a few racers that we're competitive (ex-national?) Ski jumper (not aerial) and they are better than I am. I would tend to agree with Dan that anyone great on skis, regardless being Racers, Bumpers, Jumpers and probably Cross-Country skiers would adapt easily. Yeck, there's even a guy that ski ballet who 10 years older than I am and I have a hard time beating him.

However I think that the most important component is mileage. The ski ballet guy did freestyle as a skibum out West and competed that the same time as Wayne Wong.

A lot of my arguments would be similar as what I said in this discussion about kids.

HOWEVER, I totally agree with Jim and my friend Lucky on this. Mileage is the number one thing, not lessons or racing. Okay. skills might improve faster in a race program, however the real danger is that the interest and burn-out factor after many years is high.
(...)
A race program is great to improve skills, but on the long run I don't necessarily think it's best if they lose interest in skiing as adults.

[riverc0il]

did a post or two get removed from this thread, or is it just my imagination?

[Patrick]

did a post or two get removed from this thread, or is it just my imagination?

Oh Oh...

Not only here, but in the Serre Chevalier discussion also.

[Admin]

You know, I was thinking the same thing so I explored a bit further. What I've found is explained here:

http://www.firsttracksonline.com/boards ... php?t=2261

[JimG.]

did a post or two get removed from this thread, or is it just my imagination?

Yup...and all I did was agree with Dan and say whatever the discipline you're talking about, great skiing is great skiing.

And then my post disappeared.

[joegm]

it's funny reading takes on techniques from people who don't know what they are talking about

it's even funnier seeing it on video --- skip to about 6:50 time wise in the video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qH5Cpr3Kc0

this clip gets side splitting laughter at it from people in whistler at the bump camps... i mean knee slapping , gut busting laughter... how could such a talented skier be so far off the mark is the most asked question