Freestyle Training

R

Robsthename

New member
I'm a 34 year old intermediate/expert skiier. I'm very interested in developing my freestyle skills ( jumps and rails ). I can hit medium jumps, but not with full confidence and have not performed any tricks. I'm starting to practice 180s, as welll as the rails but I'm horrible at both. That said, what NH or VT mountain would offer good instruction for me? I did a 'Sick Trick' Session at Gunstock awhile back and was not overly thrilled. Lastly, what off-mountain training would you recommend to help in the parks?
 
youre the man

gunstock is horrible for most things so dont go there again

i would go somewhere like cranmore or waterville they both have smaller parks and features and are super fun.
 
besides a high school ski academy or summer camps out west you really won't recieve any good formal instructions on the east coast. Just watch alot of videos, study what they're doing, go to the mountain and try it. it's mostly guess and check when your first starting anyways.
 
I would recommend hitting up grommit @ Carinthia (Mount Snow, VT), as the small features will give you a chance to get comfortable with 180s and rails. Also, they offer freestyle lessons there so you can get some tips to perfect your technique.
 
for off mountain training running will keep you in shape for hiking the park. start off slow (run 2 days) then add a 3rd getting up to around 10-15 miles a week. Full circuit training will help get you in shape (if you're not already) legs, abs, arms are all important. Not only will it make you stronger but it will help prevent injury as well. You don't have to turn into a jock but you'll notice a difference in your skiing as you get in better shape. Yoga is good as well to keep you calm and limber as you attack the features in the park.
Of course nothing beats hitting the terrain park as often as you can.
just my thoughts.
 
I feel like any mountain you go to there is going to be some type of park which will fit what you say you're abilities are, and honestly the best way to improve is to find some people to ski with. Skiing with friends makes it a lot more fun and gives a lot of friendly competition, and you learn a lot more.
 
Go to Lake Placid water ramps in the summer. The coaching there is super and you'll learn all the jump tricks safely plus learn how to train on trampoline. There will be a lot of high school age kids there but the coaches are very supportive of older skiers as well. You can get the info on how to sign up by going to the orda.org website and getting the phone number. orda = olympic regional development association. When you're in the park if you see someone who looks really good, tell them you're trying to learn and would they mind giving you some pointers. Most kids who ski park really love the park and like to share what they know with others.
 
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