Cool bump video for a hot summer day

This go with a pro bump tip showed up on Facebook today.  I though I'd share it with you all.  

I had the opportunity to ski with Mike Hafer last winter and he is an awe inspiring skier and teacher.

If you enjoyed this like Go with a Pro on FB to get one sent to you every couple of weeks.

Center pole quad!

I love airing out bumps.

I like this video. This guy covers what is really important: control. Receiving input from the ski, understanding that input, and reacting accordingly. I can't speak to this drill but any drill that strengthens muscles, increases physiological awareness (conscious and unconscious), and focuses on control via better movement of the ski is by default going to help. Sometimes instruction misses the mark (IMO) but this hits it pretty good regardless of the drill included.

Wow I like this video too. (I have to admit that seeing that guy in the full body suit makes me feel hot!)

I've seen people do those turns in the bumps... not sure I'll ever get there but...

I saw a guy who was doing those turns and skipping a bump every so often, like getting enough air to fly over two bumps. Awesome.

Fixed the embed.  The most common problem with people embedding video is that they use the URL OF THE PAGE, not the EMBED CODE.  You need to click on the SHARE button and then click EMBED and put that code between embed tags.

Instructions here:

How to embed a video on NY Ski Forums.

That is all.

any guesses where that was filmed?

Mike is based at Northstar in Tahoe but it doesn't look like Tahoe but I have never been to Northstar.

It almost looks Midwestern to me.  The vertical does not look that big.

Thanks Z.    Watched that video a bunch earlier in season.     Try those little hops by levering off back of boot by opening the ankle.  Do no move hips back. Then its all retraction with forward moves.  The boy's in shape to get that much air on 4" rise over the flats.     Best way to practice those on dry land..  think parallel bars raise off the ground and then suck feet up.    Add legs weights...then for fun lift and rotate femurs left while retracting....extend while rotating femurs to the right.  Nice slow retractions and progressive rotary.   Then dolphin bumps become easy.....( ier)

Video was cool, but he should probably mention that this is a pretty advanced move. It's never really advisable to tell someone to "load up the tails" unless they're already starting with pretty good fore/aft balance. One of the tips you always hear for ACL safety is "don't jump unless you know how to land". Maybe they should add, "don't jump off your tails unless you know you have the ability to recenter your core over your skis".

Also, look at how close his legs are together (even on the groomer). This is tactical (better to have skis closer together in bumps because they experience the same stuff at the same time), but it's also another knee saving technique - the most common way to tear the ACL is the "phantom foot" injury with the legs apart, knees below the hips, hands behind the knees, etc. etc.

Before attempting this drill, I would make sure that I was comfortable in the air - not just taking off and landing, but adjusting my balance point while airborne (this is hard to teach and mostly just takes a lot of practice - it's a lower end version of the body awareness that park kids have in the air). I would also make sure that I was comfortable pivoting my skis using a bunch of different pivot points - under the feet, tips, and tails. Mostly because once you're in the air, you don't really want to have to worry about landing with your feet in the right position - especially when you're concentrating so hard on your fore/aft movement. Maybe you could start with the "Dolphin" part to make sure you got the balance thing covered and isolate the forward movement in the air.  Then you could add the "turn" part later.

It's hard to develop complicated ideas in a short little video segment like that, but if you really want to get more in depth, take a lesson from a PSIA Level III instructor like Coach Z at Whiteface (or me at Gore).  [/shameless plug]

I totally agree that this is an very advanced move.  I would not advise trying this in the bumps until you can first "own it" on a groomed slope.  Mike is making this drill look way easier than it really is.  You would need to be a pretty athletic skier to do this.  The purpose of the PSIA National team is to train instructors so you need to keep that in mind.  I could totally see this task being in a Level 3 certification exam or Dev team try outs.

My personal style in the bumps is to stay in contact with the snow as Mike is showing towards the end of the video.  Doing this drill helps you stay in contact with the snow by the tipping of the ski tips down the hill and into the trough.  If you like to catch more air in the bumps this drill helps you by learning how to retract your legs and moving your center of mass along with the ski tip down the hill it helps you land forward or centered and not on your tails.

I think that i now recall that Mike is a UPer from Michigan even though he now lives in Tahoe.  This might have been shot at somewhere in the U.P.  His accent is also upper midwestern.

Coach Z wrote

The purpose of the PSIA National team is to train instructors so you need to keep that in mind

Right, but the purpose of the "Go With A Pro" segments are to introduce new movement patterns to the average skier that you see on the hill. So, uhhh . . . you need to keep that in mind?  I just thought he could have used a little disclaimer at the beginning.  Or at least "Before trying this, you should be able to do this, this, and this"

I do detect a bit of a Northern Plains-type accent in his voice . . . like watching the movie Fargo

Here hereto all. Comments.   Made my night to read this stuff.      Or me at Liberty Mountain...  ;)   I would love to ski with all of you some day soon!.   Dolphin bumps..... start your workout routine now or you will be older when you do.   Back to my beer.

I can tell there are quite a few instructors on the forums.  We should have a get together ski day at WF or Gore next winter.