[Photo: ifyouski.com] As you hit each mogul use your hips, knees and ankles to absorb it and keep your arms in front of you at all times. Your centre of mass should follow a straight line.

As you approach the crest of each mogul, intense pressure builds under your skis. When they pass over the mogul, this pressure is released and your skis may even lose contact with the snow. This causes great difficulty as you try to turn and control your speed. The solution lies in absorption.

By allowing your legs to flex under you as you ski over each mogul, you reduce the pressure between your skis and the snow. Once your skis have passed over the crest, extend your legs strongly, maintaining contact with the snow.

Exercise

Practise this next time you find yourself in an easy mogul field with a good safe run-out area. As you reach the last few bumps, let your skis run straight down the fall line. Keep your head and upper body calm while using your legs to smooth out the moguls. Allowing the moguls to flex your legs is fine, but you need to push down actively into the troughs to keep your skis on the snow. Notice how the force on your skis is also smoothed out.

Another good way to practise this is to traverse at a moderate speed or perform giant slalom turns through a mogul field (making sure first, of course, that the path is clear).

Keep your upper body from rising and falling as you pass over the moguls, and push your arms forwards as you absorb the bumps.

Tip

Your upper body must remain calm throughout, letting your legs absorb the mogul under you. Don't let yourself fold forwards from the waist.