Advanced skiier trying freeskiing

Governator

Governator

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I've been skiing for 17 years now, since I was four, so I'm a pretty good skiier in the traditional sense. I got bored just skiing down slopes last year if there wasn't pow and started getting into going off cliffs and boulders. Now I want to spend some time learning park. I figure the first thing I need to do is master switch.
So my questions are:
Are my 08/09 Gotama's pretty much good to take on rails, in the pipe and off jumps?
What's a logical progression? should i focus on mastering 1s and 3s off regular jumps and lips before going to rails and the pipe? I don't have much help from family or friends on this cause my dad is a real good skiier but is allergic to the park and none of my friends ski seriously.
 
^^word.

I'd say get comfy on some little flat boxes, and get to where you can go sideways pretty good. And also work on 1's and 3's. Then you can try rails and such, and other boxes, and more switch riding into stuff. Make sure you can hit jumps comfortably before you spin.
 
gotamas are gonna be way to wide for park, pick up a pair of narrower park sticks. learn every aspect of park, from switch riding, to jumps to rails. Work on 3s they are gonna be difficult at first but you will eventually master them, rails suck learning but we have all been there, keep it up and keep trying. welcome to NS.
 
your Gotomas might be a bit interesting in the park - with a ski width of over 100mm it's going make landing jumps a bit easier, but it might make spinning a bit harder cause you gotta swing more of a ski around.
If you can, you may want to go out and find a really cheap park ski to start learning on and go from there, I think you'll find it to be a big more enjoyable.
As far as learning Jumps before rails, that's gonna just be personal preference, but it's not completely necessary, just make sure you start small and work your way up.
Good luck, and I hope you have a blast in the park!
 
^word to that. start with flat boxes. as for jumps start doin ones and threes off everything. and when not in the park pipe or pow ski switch as much as possible cuase once youve got that down there are so many more tricks that you can master. and again welcome to ns
 
This must be the most epic first post i have ever seen.
The first thing to lean is the 180s but these are easy because you can just jump on flat ground and do a 180 no problem. But getting it on the jump is a little harder.
Watch out for the back seat it will kill you like it did me. Make sure you get a good feel for the jump before trying anything and make sure that you do not get off axis while spinning. Back seat is one of your biggest enemys and the best way to combat this is from pressing your shins against the front of your boots while poping.
I would suggest starting out on a poweder day and build a small kicker, or finding a small hump that can get you a decent amount of air time with a nice landing. Your first few tries will be a garenteed crash so do remember that.
 
all i can say is your gonna fall probably hard just get back up and keep trying best of luck also i find my arvs which arent quite as big but i find them easier to slide than skinny park skis
 
learn flat boxes and jumps first, id say try not to focus on either one too much, park is more fun (for me at least) when i feel like im strong at everything
 
i started last year i got ones and threes down and started on fives. i was lucky the first few times i tried a three i landed them and was like wow this is easy then started to get careless and got off axis. but anyway push urself to the limit without getting hurt and make sure u obey park rules dont be a gaper and if u fall get out of the landing fast for ur own sake. u will fall so dont be afraid of falling or it will happen more often
 
if your lookin for a cheap park ski just get some rossi scratch ghettos

and just go at your own rate... start out with 1's and 3's probably and just little rails and then just progress as fast as you're comfortable with
 
Get comfortable riding switch, even if you're not landing switch quite yet, it helps a lot.Just fool around on easier trails switch until you get really comfortable.
Basically I was in your situation last year.Get comfortable on flat boxes, maybe try some down boxes if you feel like you want to.and if you're really feeling ballsy one day, maybe even try the boxes unnatty or with a 270 out.
On jumps, stick mainly to the smaller ones, no use going off something huge if you don't need to.I myself started with 3's and if I had more time on the hill I would have worked towards 5's after getting comfortable landing switch from 1's.
How much you progress is really going to boil down to how much you are willing to push yourself. It is a lot easier if you can ride with someone who's going through the same things you are, or even just a hair better to urge you forward.

 
I was in the same situation as you a couple of years ago, except I was younger (12, had been skiing since I was 3)

A progression that seemed to work for me was:

1. Start out by learning 180s and basic flat and down boxes.

2. Gradually I started to take my 180s to bigger jumps, and I started hitting bigger boxes with kinks.

3. I then learned 360s and started attempting rails.

4. Next I learned 540s added a grab or two to my 360, and tried 270s on/off of boxes and 270s off of rails.

5. This year I want to learn 270s on/off of rails and switch ups on rails. Jump-wise I'd like to learn a lot more grabs with 3's and 5's, and I'd like to try some 7s. I'd also like to try a frontflip.

But just because this progression worked for me does not mean that it will necessarily be the same for you, in fact it probably won't. I've heard of some kids who have been skiing park for just as long as me and can only 360 without a grab, and other kids who have learned double backflips in their second year. It all depends on how much you will be skiing and how dedicated you are.

As far as skis go, Gotamas are not necessarily going to be that great in the park. They are fatter and heavier than a traditional park ski and are probably mounted farther back than you would want to mount a park ski anyways.

For your first park ski I would recommend the line mastermind. Its not completely symmetrical so it won't seem too weird, but you will want to mount closer to the center of the ski and it is significantly narrower than your gotamas are.

Good luck and welcome to NS!
 
definetly get some cheap park skis but seeing as you have been sking for quite a while it ahould be kinda (kinda used loosly)easy to learn. 1s 3s should be easy enough and most people in that park are nice enough to help you out if your willing to talk to strangers a little bit...even though mommy said no.
 
Yeah dude never give up if a rail is acting like a bitch get back up and show her what's up. Welcome to ns dude and have fun in teh park!
 
Much karma to all for the helpful advice. I'll be at vail/bc for 18 days around new years so hopefully I'll be stomping some ish by the end of that.
 
man just go have fun, don't focus on what tricks you need to learn, just go out and try stuff. Go in the park and watch people, get stoked and try shit. btw your 'advanced' skiing skills won't help you in the park, if anything skiing park makes you better at skiing all around since it makes you way more comfortable on your skis.
 
You shouldn't rush anything. Take it easy, and be prepared to fail.

Success comes from Attempts.

Attempts usually comes with mistakes.

As for your skis: I'm probably the 30947857th to tell you that they're pretty wide for park. Although it might not be a major problem, but IMO, you should buy yourself a cheap pair of park sticks.
 
Advanced skiing skills will definitely help in the park. And it will not make you a better skier, you have to keep up your skills to keep them. I definitely notice on some runs that I am not as forward as I should be when skiing. You gotta keep your skills going.
 
you completely missed what i said. just cause your good at skiing around your little local resort will not help you at all in the park. it may help you skiing up to the jump and up to the rails but it won't help you DO the jumps and rails. though it does go the other way, once you become good at park you become super comfortable on your skis as if there your own feet and since park takes much more skill than just normal skiing your way more comfortable doing other shit like cliffs and steeps. it's all about being comfortable on your skis man and park definately helps that more than anything else.
 
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