Warning: Bumpy words ahead, Moguls Week is Here

By: Aaron Robbins

When it comes to skiing moguls there’s only two types of people. Those who love them and those who wish ski moguls would die a most horrible death. Those who have mastered the necessary blend of chaos and skill

required to ski moguls seem to genuinely love them. Perhaps it’s because they’ve put in the time required to ski gracefully where most others can’t. Perhaps it’s because they’re all off their rockers. For the rest of us, one trip down a steep mogul field is usually all it takes to swear them off forever. The problem I’ve found is most intermediate skiers attempt to ski moguls the same way they ski every other run. Varying speeds, varying turn size and long traverses work well on your average groomed blue but try that stuff in a mogul field and you’ll end up like our current president, stuck in the middle with no exit plan.

I can remember clearly my first experience with Lake Tahoe moguls. It was on a run called Waterfall at Boreal Ski Resort. Waterfall is a short moderately steep black that is clearly visible from the chair lift. There’s always a dozen or so people stopped all over the run who, like chess players, are strategically thinking out their next two turns. In my head I can remember thinking I would cruise right by them. Wrong. As we skied up to the run it looked a little steeper then it had from the lift. I decided to give it a go anyway starting with a nice long traverse across the entire field of moguls. Like most people who employ this techique I was hoping a good turning spot would present itself during my traverse. Unfortunately it didn’t and a forced turn near a tree led to a fall which ended with me sliding over the top of a mogul slowly coming to rest with my legs crossed and skis pointed uphill from my body. The last thing I remember about that day was the sound of clapping coming from someone on the chair.

Welcome to Blog Tahoe’s Mogul Week.

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