BlackBlue55

First post, so please take it easy on me

Background information:
We built a jump at an angle near 50 degrees. My approach consists of riding down the slope with my head forward, my shoulders parallel to the board, and my knees and ankles flexed. I try to avoid breaking at the waist, i.e. keeping a solid upper-lower body separation. My binding angles are: +21 (front) and -9 (back). Most of what I know about the take-off step comes from this thread: http://www.snowboardingforum.com/tip...off-jumps.html

Question:
The problem I'm having is that I don't seem to get much air off of the jump. When does one "pop" off of the transition. Do I "pop" at the exact moment when my front foot crosses the lip? Also, is the difference between "popping" and simply jumping that one flexes again in mid-air to absorb the shock of the landing? I think I might be "popping" too early.

Technine Icon

First of all when you say "popping", I am assuming that you mean ollieng(in other words using the board's flex to get more air. The best time to ollie off a jump is right at the lip(top edge of the takeoff). Too late and nothing happens, too early and you miss the "pop" that the lip gives you. There could be a few reasons as to why you are not getting much are: not enough speed, not a steep enough lip, popping too late or too early. Jumping is just going off the lip with both feet level, while "popping" is using an ollie motion to gain more air time off of the lip. In both cases, it is important to flex you knees in mid-air in order to absorb the shock of the landing. I hope that helps a little.

BlackBlue55

I'm actively choosing not to ollie off of jumps in order to master the basics first. What I'm doing now is a centered pop off of the jump (see: How to insure you have a centered stance on your snowboard | Basic step by step exercise off the toe edge | Key Aspects Coaching). Another reason is that the jump is not flat.

Currently, I don't think we have a lip. We made the jump by making a waist-high snow mound and then used our boards to smooth it. Do I have to make an actual, physical lip or is this just a technical term to reference the tip of the jump?

It did! Thanks

earl_je

unless he rides a plain rocker board, then 'popping' would be pressing both nose and tail to pop the reverse camber up..

Donutz

It sounds like you're doing things reasonably close to correct. BTW, 'pop' refers to jumping off both feet at the same time, and it's different from an ollie. The question of getting height might be because you're jumping at the wrong time, but IMO it's more likely the shape of your jump. I've been building a lot of them lately on the bunny slope on Seymour (in many shades of wrong), and I find that the amount of curve on the ramp makes a lot of difference, as does the shortness of the curve.

If you don't have a 'scoop' shape, i.e. if your ramp is just like a board set up at an angle, you won't get a lot of lift. It doesn't take much scoop shape to get good lift, and too sharp of a scoop will cause you to compress as you hit the lip and lose lift. If you have the right length and a good scoop shape, then a hop right at the lip will give you a LOT of air.

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Illegitimi non carborundum

Mountain Days: 30

BlackBlue55

I have an all-mountain freeride board (151 cm).

I'm 99% certain my camber is normal. If the board was flat on the ground, the middle of the board is the highest point.

Thanks Donutz! Now it seems much more obvious why I'm not getting any air. The jump is pretty flat with a slight curve. I'll have to go out and restructure it. Also, should I do anything special for the lip?

PanHandler

try to square it up so you have a distinctive lip that you can pop evenly off of.

Donutz

Not really. Mine just kind of drops off at the end, although as panhandler says, squaring it off so it's distinct is a good idea. The only time I have problems with my builds is when I don't have enough snow mass at the sides and at the end and it starts to compress down as I use it. The important thing is to have enough curve to toss you into the air, but a mellow enough curve so that it doesn't cause you to lose control, i.e. feel like you just hit a mogul. Takes a bit more work to make the whole structure a few feet longer to accomodate that, but it's well worth it for several hours of sweet air.

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Illegitimi non carborundum

Mountain Days: 30

init

How is popping different on a camber vs rocker deck? When your strapped in the entire base is level with the snow, so it doesnt matter.

BlackBlue55

50 degrees is the angle of the jump. The angle of the terrain is probably between 20-30 degrees (mellow), so the lack of a transition in the jump is probably the cause of the problem.

This is good to know! Now to dial in the timing...