tlake2568

Hey Guys,

Wanted to get some feedback on your thoughts of proper procedures approaching a kicker, and getting that POP off the jump, and how you maintain control in the air...
More of an open forum rather than asking for a HOW_TO.

-Tim

snowklinger

This



And This

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is it late october yet?

Donutz

1. Approach the ramp in a downhill trajectory, with no regard for safety.
2. Catch an edge just at the lowest point in the approach
3. Fly forward head first, burying your head and shoulders to about mid-shoulder.
4. For extra steeze points, bone your entire body on impact so that it extends rigidly up from the snow at an angle, before relaxing and letting yourself fall to earth.
5. If desired, you can hold up a cartoon sign that says "Medic" at this point.

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Illegitimi non carborundum

Mountain Days: 30

Jed

This is a really complex and vague question. Approaching a jump, popping and aerial control are 3 separate areas that you can literally write an essay for each topic.

Also, what are you trying to do? A spin of some sort or just a straight air?

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Ryan_T

This is how I normally do it.

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Ryan - flickr

Shred&Butter

It's different depending on what you want to do but generally for me if I want to just fly straight off a kicker I carve until my speed is comfortable, approach slightly on my toe edge and once I'm at the kicker I flatten the board and pop an ollie.

Don't go too fast - It's better to roll over the top first time than get tons of air and fall. From a beginner's point of view it's important to keep your shoulders completely square and lead with your front arm otherwise you'll go into a 180 and land on your ass. Also popping the board at the top of the jump makes me feel more in control and because I've initiated the jump movement it means my body is prepared for flight so I have more time to think about the landing.

Oh and stay loose. It tends to lower the risk of the flail reaction.

gakbar22

You don't mention your experience level but I can tell you what worked for me.

For me there were a couple of key things.

1) try to limit your speed checks as you approach the kicker. It's easier said then done. You want to carry speed into a jump to catch air. How much speed you carry depends on your confidence. I tried to pick one kicker and own it. It was a bump really but I hit it 10 times in one day, each time doing my best to hit it with more speed then the time before.

2) be stable.

If you ride up the kicker correcting, adjusting and moving around youll have a bad approach, a bad take off and the landing will rely on luck . Don't rely on luck. As you approach the kicker get lower to the board, into a comfy stance and let your momentum do the work. Even if you're going kinda sorta slow, if don't absorb the kicker using your legs you can catch some air.

3) be stable in the air

Remember what I said about a stable approach? It was my key to a stable air. Your body should be quiet. Casual. Relaxed.

When I'm in the air I'm in the same crouch I was in when I approached the kicker.

3) land easy

Even if you land on the knuckle, try to land on your back foot first. Meaning as I come down I extend my back leg down so that the back of m board will touch down first. Like an airplane lands on its back wheels and then the nose comes down... Same thing w a board. It hurts to land both feet at the same time.

I taught myself how to keep my body quiet in the air by jumping natural terrain. When it's flat and then suddenly steep again. Id carry some speed into the flat and just hop up. I wouldn't get very high but I'm moving forward fast enough that the ground kinda drops away. You have to land it back foot first anyway.

I know i didn't answer your question about popping... I'm still figuring that out myself. I'd suggest learning to be stable in the air before trying to work in how to max it out.

Hope this helps! Hopefully someone will correct me and -I'll- learn something too!

Frozen

Jesus loooool.

To the op you cant really control yourself in the air. Most of what you do when jumping happens on the jump face. I like to pop off both feet cause I think it's pretty easy and when I ollie off a jump shit seems to go all haywire. As far as approach goes I will speed check a few times just because. Speed is probably the trickiest part of hitting bigger jumps but in my opinion coming in hotter is way better than coming in slow. You're first and second time you might die crashing but when you finally land it its so awesome. And when you get better you land it your first time fairly often.

Donutz

I agree with Frozen, I'm way more comfortable with a two-foot pop rather than an (attempted) ollie. Approach speed is the factor I'm having the most trouble with, because I have a deathly fear of overshooting, so I tend to over-brake. This year I'm going to do this to get used to the proper speed:

1) Pick a specific jump.
2) Pick a point on the approach slope just above even with the top of the jump.
3) Start from that point, from a dead stop. Don't speed check.
4) Probably knuckle it.
5) Start from a few feet farther up.

Repeat 4 and 5 until I find a good starting point. Then do that a number of times until I get used to the speed. I really can't see any dependable way to do it otherwise. Trial and error just doesn't work for me because of my overshooting phobia.

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Illegitimi non carborundum

Mountain Days: 30

Frozen

I forgot to mention your tounge is gonna be wagging back in forth in your mouth like fucking crazy when you are screaming bloody murder and your arms are gonna be waving all over. That was me when I landed my first big jump anyway.