Check your speed.	Point your skis downhill.	Let your skis run.

Compression turns help to smooth out the effects of violent rises and falls in the terrain, and are a valuable addition to your skier's tool-kit. But on their own, they will not transform your bump skiing: you also need to modify your path through the moguls.

As you pass over the crest of a bump, there is a limit to the power with which you can re-extend. You cannot guarantee that your edges will work effectively on the downhill side of every mogul. All too often, trying to apply your edges results in an uncontrollable skid down the flank of the mogul and into the trough. You must learn instead to stay off your edges on the flank of the mogul, turning only when the terrain provides you with something against which to bank your skis.

Eliminating The Sideslip

In order to ski this route, first learn to check your speed against the front of a mogul. Select a mogul on an easy slope and perform a pre-turn against its uphill side, planting your pole on its crest. Progressively exaggerate the preturn, until you are checking strongly on the front of the bump.

Once you have your speed under control, try letting your skis point straight downhill as they pass over the crest of the mogul. Don't steer, just relax and let them accelerate. Only when you reach the front of the next mogul, and the terrain comes up to meet you, do you steer your skis into another quick check. Repeat the whole process and get into a rhythm: check and run; check and run.

Lining Up

Any mogul slope with a large number of good skiers should develop regular moguls with obvious lines to ski.

The Road Less Travelled

[All Photos: ifyouski.com] Look ahead, not at your skis!

Even among expert skiers or experienced alpine racers, a remarkably small proportion is truly skilled at picking their path through a mogul field. That is why you often hear excuses about skis being too long for the moguls. Remember the following points:

• Use the fronts of the moguls. Let your skis bank against the bump as you finish the turn, instead of skidding down the flank on your edges.
• If you lose your rhythm, point your tips down the fall line to the front of the next mogul, where you can check your speed.
• Look ahead. You should always have a general idea of your route through a mogul field before you push off. Plan the first four or five turns, then keep looking ahead at least one or two turns.