Mogul Fields Offer Challenge For Expert Skiers

There's just something about gliding down a mountain side that's covered with freshly packed snow that entrances millions, dragging them out of their homes in the dead of winter to don warm clothes and a pair of skis. After much practice on the bunny slopes, some great successes on the intermediate hills and a turn or two on more advanced runs, some skiers turn to mogul fields for a sense of challenge.

Considered a favorite for adrenaline junkies, mogul field skiing is not for everyone. Requiring a great deal of skill and a good understanding of on-ski navigation, mogul fields, also known as bumps, are loved by some and feared and even hated by others. But what are they?

Moguls are simply the mounds of snow left behind when skiers really beat up the same slope over and over again. Bumps are created when skiers make turns and the more bumps that are created, the more challenging the course will be. When an area is heavily laden with bumps, it's called a mogul field. The run will be in many cases virtually empty as most skiers prefer to stay away from them.

Those who love challenge, excitement and thrills, however, will brave the mogul fields and many do so without a scratch, lost lunch or even a single heart-stopping moment.

Deciding to hit the mogul fields or not is a personal choice, but it's one that should only be made by those who know their way around with a pair of skis on. The challenge is high and it's a good idea to remember that even expert skiers sometimes prefer to simply stay away from the bumps.

But if challenge is what you seek, here are some tips for mogul skiing: * Make certain you've mastered advanced ski stances such as a traverse stance. * Be familiar with how to avoid bumps that might be too difficult to navigate * Practice on small bumps before moving into entire mogul fields * Gain advanced skills through taking lessons Mogul skiing can be a fun and challenging pursuit. It's not recommended for beginners and not even for intermediate skiers in most cases. Use some common sense before trying a downhill run in to a mogul field. If you understand what you're doing and you can make your body and your skis conform, this could be the challenge of a lifetime!