Slopegroomer.com

Which technique are you using to build seeded bumps with a Snow Cat? Which works the best?

Sorry, I have to say I am ignorant of the term "seeded". If this is what you mean...I help build a bump course here for USAA comps, but after the course and pitch are laid out flat, I just track it all up to "sugar snow" with the winch. The coaches lay out the bumps and the kids ski it, ski it, ski it, ski it. A perfect bump course, there you have it.

Not sure if thats what you were after?

Here's how Sunapee does it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fth44N-3P0


We don't seed bumps unless we have a comp. Natural bumps are 100x better, as long as you have good skiers on your hill. We've got tons of good bumps, all natural. No need for seeding.

Patrick Torsell wrote:Here's how Sunapee does it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fth44N-3P0


We don't seed bumps unless we have a comp. Natural bumps are 100x better, as long as you have good skiers on your hill. We've got tons of good bumps, all natural. No need for seeding.

I've seen it done both ways. Cutting in bumps down hill, which i prefer, and some push piles up to set bumps. Seeded bump runs if done correctly gives a nice true line to take. Yes natural bump trails are the best i agree, but for teaching to ski bumps seeded bumps work very well and can be placed in any area you want.

Interesting wiki on building bump courses:

http://wiki.fisski.com/index.php/Develo ... uls_Course

Patrick Torsell wrote:Interesting wiki on building bump courses:

http://wiki.fisski.com/index.php/Develo ... uls_Course

Nice you found it. That was the way I was taught how to build them. They come out really nice, but there is a lot of hand work to finish them and side slipping. If done in the right conditions its a lot easier. The area I work at they want the groomed after with the tiller. It fills in the troughs to them and flattens them out. I've had to experiment to get them to work. They don't look as nice at first, but when skied out they are not too bad. More areas should have bumps for skiers. Seeded bumps can be placed any where you want them. Areas build terrain parks, why not bumps on certain trails. I like to see bumped trails under lifelines so the guest riding up can view this art of skiing. I still agree natural bumps are the best, but to get customers into bumps seeded bumps are the way to get them started.

I believe there's a time and a place for seeded bumps. Smaller ski areas with little expert traffic, for example, will rarely if ever get natural bumps, because the skiers don't link quick turns which make the bumps. Or, in areas with little or no natural snowfall, it is often difficult to get nice bumps from man-made snow. In these cases, seeding moguls is an excellent tool. Also, on very low-angle terrain where moguls wouldn't normally form, seeding a couple lines would make a nice learning area.

However, wherever possible, moguls ought be natural. That's a huge part of what real freestyle mogul skiing is about. A natural mogul field, with a few odd-shaped or out-of-place bumps is a fun challenge for those of us who live and breath moguls. And if your skier base is accomplished enough, you end up with excellent lines anyway. How about these natural bumps at Mary Jane:




Or these, in my backyard at Sugarbush Mt. Ellen:




And this is how we do it

I have to go to up north...