Snowboarding Forum - Snowboard Enthusiast Forums banner

Help with jumps

7K views 39 replies 13 participants last post by  Soggysnow 
#1 ·
Here is a short clip of my first attempts at jumping. I would like to iron out some of my bad habits. I've been following slyders jumping thread. I've also watched the snowboarding addiction intro to jumping and Snowwolfs jumping vid.

From what I see I need to work on:
1)Hitting the jumps with a little more speed
2)Hitting the jumps in a more athletic position
3)Pop off the lip
4)The times I did pull my legs up, I think i miss timed my landing and still landed straight legged.
5)quite my upper body.

It appears I need to work on all of ATML. Do you guys see anything else that I need to work on? Does it appear my shoulders are open or closed?

 
#2 ·
Just general advice because I think all the shoulder stuff makes people overthink is that you need to keep your weight a little more centered. Also if you just suck up your knees when you come off the jump and bring them down when you land I think it will help.
 
#3 · (Edited)
As far as washing out on your tail landing:
It is very easy to leave the lip of the jump with your weight in the backseat, especially if you are sketching even a little as you begin to get air, and is really really bad. Keep your weight centered, and don't be afraid to feel extra pressure on your front leg as it goes up the transition of the jump, this can even give the sensation of having your weight slightly forward.

Honestly those jumps are really small, and you can learn everything that you are trying to accomplish on those jumps, anywhere on the mountain. Side hits, rollers, ollie off the knuckle of bigger jumps, you can easily replicate the "air time" of these beginner jumps.

Not to chastise you for going small, I'm very slow and methodical with my own progression and do not hit big features by any means. The point is simply that all of the "technique" that is explained on the SA videos is going to make ALOT more sense in body feel as you execute it on a larger jump, rather than hitting a jump whose transisition is only 4 feet long. For example, mimicking the approach kinetics explained in the SA videos, especially regarding pop as you bend into the setup and pop off the lip, the timing changes drastically between a proper "kicker" that has a 20-40 foot setup, even for smaller jumps, compared to these ones you are hitting (if you start bending your knees when you hit the "setup" of these smaller jumps, the tip of your board is already off the lip and your timing is fucked).

Make sense? Just own those jumps in the video, pretend they are just natural features, confidence is your best weapon.
 
#11 · (Edited)
First off a quick review of ATML with specific attention to your approach. If you approach is unstable, everything else is going to suffer. For the most part this looks good except that you seem to consistently ride in a countered stance ( you twist at the waist and ride facing forward). Work at riding in better alignment in all if your riding; keep hips and shoulders aligned with board more and turn just your head to look forward.
I have always thought my stance looked a little weird. Would this cause my front leg to be straighter than my back leg? In some of the videos of my riding my front leg is noticeably straighter than my back leg. Is there anything I can do that will force me to use the proper alignment?
 
#12 ·
that jump looks horrific... why is the jump so small, the knuckle so incredibly long and the landing so incredibly small?
 
#13 ·
that's why I was comparing these jumps to side hits, rollers and natural features. At this stage in the OP's progression, the air and lack of quality in the jumps themselves are something you can get just by improving your all mountain riding while by ollieing and getting used to leaving the ground, being in the air, and landing.

You would realize, like Snowolf has mentioned, your countered stance will fight you even with "all-mountain" riding and becoming a better, more disciplined rider on the whole hill is going to really be what helps you move to the next level with jumps.
 
#14 ·
These jumps won't help you learn you gotta be a freak and then some to reach some of those landings..As people said keep your weight centered. Every little bump on the snow you should pop off when you're riding to get a feel for it. Let your knees go a little when you land - they are your cushion. If you land straight legged you'll just fall. And finally as Snowolf said always go for a grab if possible. It keeps your arms from flailing and helps you maintain stability in the air
 
#16 ·
don't forget to build up your confidence man! focus and commit to the jump! when you over-think things you start throwing your body's alignment all off. Read what everyone has posted, visualize yourself doing it in your mind, and then when you're actually on the mountain, trust yourself and just go for it!
 
#17 ·
Ok, I was at Devil's Head both Saturday and Sunday this weekend.... First off, the only jumps at the entire resort are on this run (and the little divergent runs at the bottom), so there really isn't any other option if the OP is trying to learn only at this mountain. Second, those jumps were absolutely awful. They're almost completely ice, first of all. Bailing is not fun, in fact it's downright painful. It's also painful if you land on the flat without bailing. The landing is SO far away from the kicker that you literally can't speed check at all in order to hit the landing. I only saw one or two guys hitting the landings all weekend and it was clear they weren't beginners. Personally, I just skipped the kickers and practiced ollie-ing off the landings after the kickers. I was able to get a decent 5-6 feet of air just doing that and it helps you get used to the feeling of being in the air and landing.
 
#21 · (Edited)
I live real close to Alpine. My boys got gift card for lift ticket for Christmas so were gonna make the trip. They may not have the best park, it's usually good. This weather has been bad for everyone. The runs there are much longer then Alpine. It's a great day trip for my son and me.
Plus it's 3 hour drive for me to Chestnut and that is the same drive for me to go to Granite Peak and would rather go there, actually we are as soon as boy gets his cast off.
 
#23 ·
I was talking about Devils Head, and it is usually a very good hill, with good park. Conditions got better here this weekend as we had snow and since Wed many resorts were making snow again with the very cold nights.

I haven't been there this year I just know many of our hills struggled to get the parks good we had a lot of high temps, rain, and generally bad weather that wasn't conducive to good park conditions.
 
#25 ·
S'all good gets confusing following all the posts at times.
Who's talking about what, where is where.
Chestnut did look cool from the website but again just to far for me to go when Granite Peak is the same distance and better park and elevations that are larger than the Michigan UP
 
#34 · (Edited)
For those who care...

I go to Chestnut every Friday night since it's now my closest Park. I've also been to Devil's Head hundreds of times. IMO Chestnut is better for park with the Farside and Devil's Head has much longer and better runs but almost no park features. Chestnut runs are extremely short, like 30 seconds down. They are steeper (especially the blacks, which are steeper than anything at Devil's Head) but they usually have terrible snow - either really icy or full of skier moguls. Chestnut has a better view from the top if that's something you care about. The view when you get to the top of Devil's Head is literally snowy cornfields (both at the top and bottom of the hill). Devil's Head has a lot more trees and a little better seclusion between runs, whereas Chestnut is basically just a free-for-all snow field with a few tiny pockets of trees. Neither have a good lodge but Chestnut has the slight edge.

Also, yes the "black diamond" and "double black diamond" is all relative to the mountain out here in the midwest. At Devil's Head the double black is really the same (actually less) than the blacks at Chestnut, but because they use circle, square, diamond, double diamond, you get a better idea of what skill level to expect on each hill. At chestnut, blue square could mean flat or steep, it really depends on the run.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top