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How do I catch air?

11K views 51 replies 17 participants last post by  BigmountainVMD 
#1 ·
Hey, I'm an advanced rider just looking for some extra fun. Im just looking on advice on how to properly go off jumps and catch air as in my 4 years riding ive never done it. Skill wise I can carve down black diamonds with a fair amount of speed depending on how I'm feeling. My board is a burton custom x and I'm a fairly large rider at 6'4 250, I don't know if that would really matter. I know my board isn't really a park board I'm not looking to get crazy air or anything here, just for a little fun
 
#2 ·
Do progression exercises.

Do squats while riding at speed, to get accustomed to bending knees and keeping your board straight.
Start doing small pops in flat areas while riding at speed to get confident about landing at speed. Use your knees, not shoulders to pop.
Once you get comfy with those, try poping off a roller at speed to catch some air.
Escalate to small side hits and small kickers.

Always keep your whole body paralel with the board, when you pop. Commit to jumps, don't try to bleed off speed at the last possible second. Condition your mind to go straight 2-3 meters before the roller, and 2-3 meters after the landing.

With a stiff board like that it should feel pretty stable and a whole lot of fun.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Getting air smoothly off jumps is all about popping correctly and getting the speed right.

Start with really small jumps first (obviously).

First start by watching others hit the jump and using their hits to figure out the speed first so you can land in the sweet spot of the landing. If someone is going too slow and doesn't make the landing, take note to go faster and vice versa if someone goes too fast.

Then hit the jump once you know the speed. The first time you hit the small jump you don't have to pop as much, just concentrate on 'coasting' off the small jump to get a feel for it.

Once you're comfortable with that you can start learning to hit jumps properly by adding 'pop' to make your airtime more stable.

It's kind of complicated to explain popping technique without diagrams, so here's the blog I did that goes through the basics of popping off a jump correctly: How To 'Pop' Correctly To Improve Your Snowboard Jump Control & Balance
 
#4 ·
Go to beginner jump
Go off beginner jump
If you are really an advanced rider then you won't have trouble figuring out the details since doing jumps is a stones throw from advanced dynamic riding.
 
#9 ·
That is debatable. I could carve legit dynamic lines down black diamonds before I ever hit jumps. I could catch air off rollers, but I did it by flying mach 10 off them instead of a clean approach with a nice squat. I would say I was an advanced freerider (you could argue the lesser side of advanced) but a beginner freestyler. So yeah... get off your high horse.

Rollers are different from actual jumps, ESPECIALLY jumps with a lip on them. Everyone here is giving sound advice, and I would focus on the squat and release (Cleveland Steamer anyone?). Don't worry about trying to ollie just yet, although that will get you more air off rollers. Just work on crouching low, with your back straight and centered over the board. Start standing up straighter just before you actually want to pop and jump up (maybe a second before), as it will help you get your momentum going up and will not just be an instant POP. Just going straight crouching to instant pop may be fine if you have the strength, but I find when I try to do this, I am slower than I really should be and end up jumping late and getting less air.
 
#8 ·
Klinger's probably just being a PITA, but generally speaking most riders are intermediate. The "advanced" class (at least IMO) generally refers to really elite riders, like the ones who do videos and competitions. The rest of us mere mortals just don't qualify. (Which BTW means snowklinger is an intermediate too :cheeky4: )

Hey, I'm an advanced rider just looking for some extra fun. Im just looking on advice on how to properly go off jumps and catch air as in my 4 years riding ive never done it. Skill wise I can carve down black diamonds with a fair amount of speed depending on how I'm feeling. My board is a burton custom x and I'm a fairly large rider at 6'4 250, I don't know if that would really matter. I know my board isn't really a park board I'm not looking to get crazy air or anything here, just for a little fun
I'm probably not as comfortable on blacks as you (since we have very few on my home mountain) but I've been working on jumps. The really important thing based on my experience is to try small ones until you get the balance. There are issues of rotating forward, doing a lawn-chair, rotating to face the jump, landing heelside... You have to conquer all these before you should hit a jump big enough to injure you. THEN you have to figure out how to get the approach speed right without knuckling or overshooting. I'm still working on that.

Anyway, the point is, unless you're young and still invulnerable, take it slow and be methodical in mastering one aspect before turning it up.
 
#13 ·
Is a hardbooter that can carve circles around all of us but doesn't do jumps and would probably catch an edge attempting a 360 any less advanced? It is inappropriate to label someone as intermediate based on their freestyle skills. If that was true, then everyone I have ever coached (with the exception of a select few) would be "intermediate" and we would be working on cleaning up their carving on blue runs.

I get plenty of people claiming they are advanced, and they can carve down blacks and are looking for bump or steeps lessons.

However, I also get people saying they are advanced and so I take them to some difficult shit and they are doing falling leaf the whole way.

Point is, there are two different realms of snowboarding. To say you are not good at one because you suck at the other is improper.

I will concede my point, in that, for every 10 riders on this site saying they are advanced and want to know what size T. Rice Pro to get, only 2 of them actually need it and ride to that level...
 
#15 ·
Lol fine, if it would make all you people happy I could consider myself an intermediate rider, I couldn't care less at all. I just didn't realize this was the skill placement forum and not the how to get better like I was asking forum, sorry fellas
 
#16 ·
Hey, the response you got was gentle!! ;) Like I said, if they'd thought yu were a "Poser" you'd have an extra orifice ripped in ya by now! ;) :laugh:

I do get the "different levels" of advanced argument. I think it seems like a pretty legitimate one as well. But short of actually being a "Pro", the insane shit some of these guy's ride,.. maybe we need an extra sub category for describing "Advanced", cuz I gotta say, unless I got good enough to pull off some of the shit these guy's do,..? I'd hesitate to ever try and describe myself as "Advanced" on this forum!

...course, I can see that opinions on this are going to differ! :) :dunno:
 
#17 ·
Yea I was just fucking with you, but going around saying "I'm an advanced rider, how do I catch air." Is just asking for it.

I don't classify myself into an ability level other than: I have the ability to enjoy the fuck out of myself out there :D.

I realize the classifications are there for getting help on the internet, but "doing black runs" only means that you maybe have passed beginnerhood.

I believe Donutz hit it on the head.
 
#23 ·
Yea I was just fucking with you, but going around saying "I'm an advanced rider, how do I catch air." Is just asking for it.
+1!!! It does come across as odd. And bigmountain, I rode with a bunch of hardbooters a few weeks ago. Lots of them can catch air even between their turns, let alone off rollers and lips. Sure they're not doing grabs or spins, but I'd say being comfortable leaving the snow for a second and returning to it is almost a pre-requisite for calling yourself "advanced".

I realize the classifications are there for getting help on the internet, but "doing black runs" only means that you maybe have passed beginnerhood.
Here's my rough guess at our little forum/internet classification:

Beginner = From brand new to able to do dynamic turns on blues, and falling leaf on anything steeper. You may hop on flat terrain to try to feel what a board is like in the air. In the park you ride over the small jumps but don't get any air, you may ride over some of the boxes.

Intermediate = Able to dynamically turn, and maybe do the occasional carve on most on-piste terrain, spend some time on moderate off-piste runs, in the park this is somebody that can hit rails and some of the smaller jumps clean

Advanced = comfortable on the board, can handle moguls, carve (not skid) any on-piste terrain, comfortable getting some air off rollers, lips, able to make it through almost all off-piste terrain although sometimes resorts to sliding down the steepest chutes, for a park rider they're doing 360s, grabs, etc. off bigger features

Expert = Enjoys all off-piste terrain, jumps off-piste, handling small cliffs, steep chutes, variable snow, can carve HARD on hardpacked snow with confidence, takes chances with bigger air on-piste, for the park rider you're executing big tricks off big jumps

Professional = You're an expert who has been lucky enough to get paid to do it, and when the camera's on you you'll drop off 20-30 foot cliffs instead of 10 footers.

just my $.02 of course! :yahoo:
 
#18 ·
I really don't want to argue anymore, I'm a fairly good rider who doesn't go off jumps because of lack of information and training. My girlfriend, who taught me how to snowboard is a ski and snowboard instructor and I've surpassed her in skill in the past year or so. I was debating becoming a board instructor myself but I thought long and hard about it and came to the realization that I really don't like people that much, so why would I want to not enjoy something that I really enjoy doing. Yeah I think there are different categories of advanced riders, not saying that I am one because god knows who will join in on the subject of improper skill placement then. I'm just trying to get at that nobody should judge people on the Internet, who cares what they consider themselves. I only came here for a bit of advice to make myself better and I got it so thank you for that.
 
#21 ·
And yes, hind sight is 20/20, now it seems a little silly to say that but I was just basing it off of the resources I had to go off of. What I should have said was I don't know the proper way to go off jumps and stuff, can you guys help. Any retard can go fast and hit a jump and crash, I was looking for pointers to avoid the latter
 
#22 ·
So, I'll help too.

There are 2 basic airs you are looking at, booters and ollies.

In order to learn these, you first should learn to pop with both feet. As you come over a nice roller or approach a steep section of run, just pop both feet into the air, don't flex the board or press or do anything but give the natural flow of the jump a little 3-6 inch pop with your knees. This is the basic mechanic of leaving the lip of a proper booter, but as Donutz said, there are several other issues like speed, setup, etc.

The best way I can explain to ollie off a roller is to put some pressure towards your front foot as you approach, then right as you are ready to use that tail flex, you roll your weight a bit back as you initiate the ollie. You can ollie without this, but you can really boost it and get all the snap out of your board this way. Just remember that as you go into the air and land that you want to be center weighted.
 
#24 ·
Thanks klinger, what I wanted to know is would it be better to "pop" or Ollie off of jumps as a beginner park rider and with your help I've figured it out. I retract my former statement of you being a troll, I hope my new internet friend will forgive me( see I can use sarcasm too:laugh:)
 
#25 ·
When on natural lips or actual jumps in the park, don't ollie, this will really fuck you up.

First you just wanna hit it at the right speed and just ride over it, nothing fancy. Later as you get comfy with the approach and speed, yea both feet pop.

Fuck you I am so a troll :tongue4:
 
#26 ·
Yeah, I would agree with those classifications for the forum, but they are not real world expectations. I just really disagree with the consideration of ones freestyle ability when determining their freeride ability (small pops in between turns aside.) Just cause we are snowboarders, does not mean we need to ride rails to be considered legit (maybe on this forum though.)

It also varies from mountain to mountain. I am comfortable teaching so-called "advanced" lessons at my home mountain in Maine, but would I do the same in Colorado or Utah? Hells no! I would be teaching intermediate lessons at the max.

You go to ANY mountain, and I am willing to bet that with the advanced or expert ski lessons, very few of them take freestyle ability (rails, boxes, booters) in to consideration unless asked for specifically. Why should we?

Is a NASCAR driver any less of an advanced driver because he couldn't be a beast on an jeep filled, off road, mud covered, hill-climb course? I think not.
 
#46 ·
Yeah, I would agree with those classifications for the forum, but they are not real world expectations. I just really disagree with the consideration of ones freestyle ability when determining their freeride ability (small pops in between turns aside.) Just cause we are snowboarders, does not mean we need to ride rails to be considered legit (maybe on this forum though.)
The freeride and freestyle paths are different enough in AASI`s eyes to warrant a distinction between the two disciplines. A person can very much be an advanced or even expert rider yet be a total freestyle park beginner.:thumbsup:
Agree 100%, I should have been more clear in my ability level description post. When I said "park rider" I was trying to insinuate that freeriding/freestyle are two different disciplines. I would rate myself as an advanced freerider trying to become an expert, but an intermediate park rider at best.

On the other hand I've boarded with guys that can pull 720s off big kickers but have trouble keeping up with me on a groomed black, and got visibly nervous standing at the top of a 45 deg chute!

I think that's the great thing about boarding, unless you're pulling off massive air, and are able to handle the steepest of the steep and gnarly, there's always room to get better. :yahoo:
 
#27 ·
Okay I reinstate my previously retracted statement about you klinger, I'm glad too, I wouldn't be able to be internet friends with someone who doesn't like to troll like myself. Maybe we should exchange YouTube account names and then we could troll snowboard videos together and say hateful things to them!! And your example there is excellent, you deserve a slow clap emoticon :eusa_clap:
 
#28 ·
Don't overthink it. It's a similar motion to how you would jump off your feet without a snowboard. Bend your knees, then extend upwards and leave the ground with a extra force/thrust from your legs right as you lose contact with the ground(lip of the jump).

It should be a smooth motion, bend the knees during the approach (to generate power), slowly straighten the knees and rise up as you ride up the jump (turn that power into upwards momentum) and then pop. I would recommend skipping the actual popping motion and just ride off the jump at first. If your holding your speed instead of scrubbing during the approach you should get a little bit of air just riding over the jump, which will help you get familiar with the process and get your timing down.

The other part about jumping is you want to be riding relatively straight while engaging a slight edge angle so you are not completely flat based. If you're carving blacks like you say then this shouldn't be too foreign of a concept. This will allow you to jump off both your heel (this will feel a little unnatural at first) and toe edge.
 
#29 ·
The other part about jumping is you want to be riding relatively straight while engaging a slight edge angle so you are not completely flat based. If you're carving blacks like you say then this shouldn't be too foreign of a concept. This will allow you to jump off both your heel (this will feel a little unnatural at first) and toe edge.
Wouldn't this be for spins only?
 
#38 · (Edited)
Unless I'm attempting a spin, I launch off a flat base. Can't speak for anybody else...

This is actually a half decent video at beginner jumps. One of the keys I found to learning is around 3:00 into the video. All the guys going over that small jump bring their legs up in the air like they're going for a grab. This is crucial instead of staying straight legged in the air. Imagine a pit of zombies below you and you have to bring your board up to clear them all!!!

 
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