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Bit of advice on approach speed?

2K views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  tecknojoe 
#1 ·
So this season I'm determined to hit the bigger jumps -- 'bigger' is a relative term I guess. I'm talking 20' and up. My big problem/concern/uncertainty is about estimating approach speed so I don't knuckle out or overshoot the landing entirely. Are there any tricks, or is it just a case of getting the experience the hard way? I know about watching other riders, but it's hard to tell when I'm on the approach if I'm going the same speed as the last guy.

Anyway, any advice appreciated. Except "don't do it". Not having that.
 
#2 ·
im by no means a pro...but i would say to look at where other guys start, and pay attention to if and how many times they scrub off speed on the approach. that should give you a good idea, and then youll just have to try it out and see...but IMO, i say just go for it, chances are youll go too slow more than too fast when first trying bigger jumps...so just go for it, and dont check your speed...overshooting is not near as worse as knuckling... overshooting can suck if you WAY overshoot and land in the flat, but honestly, if its your first times hitting larger jumps, i doubt youll have that problem...speed is one of the harder barriers to break

bomb it and fly!!!
 
#3 ·
The best is to just ask someone else that is hitting the jump if you can pace then. Follow them down and the go off to the side just before the start of the ramp.
 
#5 · (Edited)
Yeah, I remember someone in the forum saying that happened to them a while back. Can't remember who. Snow got faster without him noticing, he approached too fast, missed the landing slope entirely. Eek.

Y'know, I'll probably just get used to it after a couple of solid days of jumping. I just have this morbid fear of overshooting.

Actually, what I can probably do is start from a given point on the approach slope, do no speed checking, and adjust my starting point upwards or downwards depending on results. At least that way, once I've dialed it in, I can get a feel for what the speed feels like when I hit the low point of the approach.
 
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