Getting into park

Waldo.

Waldo.

New member
so i've been skiing for a few years now and have gotten pretty comfortable on my skiis, however all i've done is all mountain and small jumps on the sides of runs. but for years i've wanted to get into park skiing, so I was wondering if anyone has any good tips or tricks for a park newbie getting comfortable with tricks, getting air and park etiquette n what not. any advice is much appreciated
 
move to the midwest and ski exclusively rope tow lol. but in seriousness, just get into the park consistently and work on the basics first: 180, 360, 50 50 on box, slide sideways on box, sideways on tube and slide sideways on rail.
 
14615478:Dlonetti said:
move to the midwest and ski exclusively rope tow lol. but in seriousness, just get into the park consistently and work on the basics first: 180, 360, 50 50 on box, slide sideways on box, sideways on tube and slide sideways on rail.
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Yo ong rope tow and Midwest top tier
 
i must’ve been possessed when i said that, what i meant to tell you was to get big pants, a random old xxl tshirt with a long sleeve underneath, baseball hat and sunglasses, and gardening gloves and then you will be really good
 
14615492:bootspace said:
i must’ve been possessed when i said that, what i meant to tell you was to get big pants, a random old xxl tshirt with a long sleeve underneath, baseball hat and sunglasses, and gardening gloves and then you will be really good
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Cant forget the unbuckled full tilts and abused 189 wets
 
If you're gonna start sliding rails DETUNE YOUR EDGES underfoot. Too many noobs in the park catching their edge and eat shit.

tut for doing it:
=557s

also get twin tips if you don't have any yet.

**This post was edited on Jun 17th 2024 at 2:58:20am
 
Don’t be afraid to fall. Big misconception for newer park riders that people will laugh or make fun of them if they fall or some shit. Totally not the case. Eating shit and learning is highly encouraged. Then people will be even more stoked when you finally do the thing you were going for.

also some random ones regarding etiquette:

-don’t cut people off, look uphill before you drop. If you do happen to cut someone off (happens all the time) just say my bad and you’ll usually get a “you’re good!” Someone could horribly cut me off or some shit and if they just apologize or whatever I’ll never get mad (respect gets respect)

-if you fall and aren’t seriously injured try to get out of the landing asap. Especially if you lose a ski. Frustrates me when people don’t get out of the way first before they click back into their ski.
 
welcome! :) lots of good mentions already

specifically on learning how to slide boxes/rails: an athletic stance w/ your feet shoulder-width apart gives you more room for error as you find your balance. Most people I see whose feet slip out from under them have their feet together. This sounds obvious but maybe easier said than done?

learning the fundamentals & entering the scene is magic. good luck!
 
topic:Waldo. said:
so i've been skiing for a few years now and have gotten pretty comfortable on my skiis, however all i've done is all mountain and small jumps on the sides of runs. but for years i've wanted to get into park skiing, so I was wondering if anyone has any good tips or tricks for a park newbie getting comfortable with tricks, getting air and park etiquette n what not. any advice is much appreciated
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hiking rails and dont worry about what others think
 
also try flip tricks on jumps on soft days, cat tracks don't give enough clearance

14615512:quintcork said:
If you're gonna start sliding rails DETUNE YOUR EDGES underfoot. Too many noobs in the park catching their edge and eat shit.

tut for doing it:
=557s

also get twin tips if you don't have any yet.

**This post was edited on Jun 17th 2024 at 2:58:20am
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Honestly now is as good as time as any. Both the obvious of getting into it asap to learn, but also lots of smaller parks and people learning. If you have any friends into park that can help. Or talk to some people hitting similar stuff to you. Like if you're hiking a feature together maybe spin some laps together. Def helps to have some people around you of a similar ability level to keep things fun. Doesn't hurt to ski with some better people to motivate you to progress and give you some tips.

Def push yourself to learn but don't go too hard. You aren't going to get really good your first day in the park. It takes time to build the muscle memory and confidence. Trying to keep learning but don't get too crazy. Work your way up. Even though small rails and jumps might not seem as cool, it's way easier to build skills on the smaller stuff and then move up. It's possible to YOLO and start hitting bigger shit, but def can be risky.

Just have fun. That's the most important thing. Look at other skiers for motivation but don't stress where you're at. Even the best skiers in the park were all in your shoes at some point. If you have fun and keep skiing park, you'll progress. Take the little wins and don't stress it.

Good luck out there!
 
I've only been skiing park regularly for a few seasons, so this is super relatable. Biggest thing I learned is really master the basics and not skip to advanced stuff too quickly. Sending new shit is fun and has its place, but taking your time to perfect "easy" tricks will actually help you get better faster. For example, get your 180's super dialed instead of sending jank 360's all the time. Amateurs train until they get it right, pros train until they cannot get it wrong typa thing.
 
I think all of the advice in this thread is solid. A few things to keep in mind when sliding your first box or rail sideways: As mentioned before, your feet should be shoulder width apart. The other two important things are to fully commit and to make sure that you're fully sideways. Whenever I see people fall when learning rails/boxes, almost 100% of the time it's because they failed to do one of those 3 things. Falling is inevitable but you can avoid a lot of crashes when learning by making sure that you fully commit whenever you're trying a new trick/feature that's within your skill level. It will be tough to learn at first but one good thing about park skiing is that a lot of the skills are transferrable, at least in some ways. Hitting rails will force you to pop while maintaining your balance, which will be invaluable for learning jump tricks.
 
Here's some tips that helped me learn park basics.

First off: You're gonna fall. Alot. It's part of the game. Just take it in stride and laugh it off. Also don't get caught up in thinking that there's a certain order for learning tricks, try to do what you can envision yourself doing. Try to visualize it in your head.

-When learning rails: Detune underfoot, and start on a low, small one. Round, flat... doesn't matter. Hop on back foot first, then set the front foot. It feels weird at first but it's the proper way. Front foot on first leaves your back ski vulnerable to clipping the rail which will screw you royally! Once you got that down, STOP LOOKING AT YOUR FEET! Focus on the end of the rail, or straight past it. Trust that you will slide all the way thru. If you start on a small rail, there isn't any real risk of injury, so just keep sending it. Also, its ok to start learning with the straddle stance (rail aimed in between legs) as opposed to urban on, or "from the side".

-When learning jumps: always tilt your noses up and land tails first. Think of your tails as landing gear on a plane.

-When learning spins: Remember that your body will always follow where your eyes are. So turn your head like an owl, looking into the rotation and you'll spot the landing before your lower half even gets there.

-Helmet every time. Park skiing happens fast, and so do the accidents. So get used to wearing one now, that way when you're trying bigger tricks one day, it's not uncomfortable to you. My Giro Ledge saved my life this year. I hit a 30ft gap and hit a tree before I could even slow down. I hit so hard I saw dead relatives lol... Broke a rib, bruised my entire side but no concussion. So helmet is a must.

Feel free to DM me with any questions regarding Tips, Gear, whatever. Best of luck homie
 
So many great tips on here already. Something that helps me during the summer months is watching lots of youtube/IG clips of skiers that I like. I make a list of specific tricks from those clips that I can do some variation of on the features my local ski hill has. Personally, I spend so much time thinking about tricks that I want to learn, then when the time finally comes and I am back on snow, I forget the list. I don't use it as a hard fast list of things I must learn, rather as a source of inspiration for when I am hiking a rail alone. Lastly, its already been said but its worth saying again, don't take your self too seriously and remember to have fun. The process takes time, and a strong foundation will take you a long ways.
 
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