I suck at park skiing and don't know how to progress

ptbsbll12

ptbsbll12

Member
I've been skiing for 4 years but havent really gotten into a ton of park, more of an all mountain skier. I wish i was better at it but all i can do now is 180, 360, slide boxes and land switch, and "attempt" basic rails. Im confident on my skis everywhere on the mountain but once I get to the park I just lose confidence. I think one of the reasons is I dont want to make a fool of myself and try new things in the park while theres a ton of people, which is all the time. Also, none of my friends ski in the park so when I do, I'm the only once who knows anything out of my friends, or I'm in there by myself, so basically I'm teaching myself. Any help or suggestions on how to get confidence and progress this season would be greatly appreciated
 
I shred by myself all the time, it can be just as fun that way, usually there are people in the park who I say whatup to but i lap alone, its good because you can fuck up and no one really sees. like guy above me said stop caring and it will come.
 
When I first started riding park I was in the same boat as you. Scared of what people will think of me. I eventually learned how to do boxes w/o any problems, but I wanted to do rails. The thing was there was only 1 terrain park run and it was right under the chairlift, so everyone was watching the people hit the rails. Finally, I was just like "fuck it", turns out this story is not going to end with me being a badass and actually landing.

I ate shit... I ate so much shit. I wasn't even remotely close to landing the trick, but the thing was... nobody laughed, mocked, pointed fingers at me. People wanted to help me, a few people on the lift asked if I was ok, and gave me some tips. I actually made a few friends. At the end of the day I'm glad I just went for it.

 
if someone makes fun of you for falling while trying to progress, then they just suck at life plain and simple...if you fall, you fall, its part of skiing and progressing, dont worry about what other people think, 9.9/10 they want you to land your trick because it will get them stoked to try something new out of their comfort zone!! honestly seeing one of my good friends slide her first box successfully was one of my favorite moments of the season and got me pumped enough to start trying surface swamps....skiings all about being stoked for one another and if your not gonna share the stoke then you suck and should go back to being an asshole and hiding behind your newschoolers account
 
This is my second year of park and before a few days ago I was in the same boat as you. Then I just said fuck it and started to hit EVERY rail in the park even if it was way above my skill level. After a few guys who are some of the best skiers at my mountain saw me fall 4 or 5 times they finally came up to me. Not to mock me or to laugh at me but to give me tips and really helped me learn how to land new tricks. Moral of the story is people are nicer than you think they are and they won't laugh at you when you fall. They'll probably help you up.
 
This. Even if you are just straight airing stuff.

People really dont care as much as you think. Skiing next to a lift can be intimidating and it can feel like people are really paying attention, but trust me they may watch but no one gives a shit. At least i dont, and normally the people that do are just insecure about their abilities.
 
try standing on them still to determine where your balance point is, then it's just to try the rail and keep trying to get a feel for it bro.

get a good pop, a stable spin then just pull your arms in as close as you can and spin the shit out of it and eventually you'll get comfortable. :)
 
I am also a beginner.

There are two things in your question ..

One is purely mental, how do you work with your mindset.

Second the pure physical, how do you work with your skills.

(and the two are of course interwoven, it's just easier to split them up).

Regarding your mindset, so it may help to ride with music, it may also be that it makes you less concentrated or overconfident, but you can try it out.

And otherwise as everyone else says.. If you do not push your boundaries you will never move them. Some of those who learn quickly are those who just "goes for it", but keep in mind that it is also a sure way to get injured if you don't have your head with you.

Try to forget what others think about you.. it's hard, but it will help. Sometimes it helps me to think that even though things can be hugely embarrassing for yourself, how many of those who see you will remember it when they are going home in the evening (and does it matter)??

It's just like Batman dog... "Why do we fall Bruce"

About the skills and tricks.. I'm not very good at all, but I can tell you what I have been working on.

Learn how to pop and work with the timing.

Learn to have controle in the air.

Learn to stomp your landing.

And for all of the above, have it feels when it is working.

Work on straight airs and straight airs with grabs, I have started with Indy, Mute, Tail Grab and Illegal Grab.

Work with boxes.. normal and switch landing. Front side switch up. Jump on from the "wrong" side, so you put your tails up (don't know the name). Front side 270 off. Back side 270 off. And so on...

And then you can try some tail kicks, that's easy and funny to do and you feel bad ass ;)

Good luck champ
 
I do that all the time. I ride with a crew of people that are 10x better than me, and I have just learned to progress at my own level and not really care. And sometimes, if I make an ass of myself, people give me tips on how to do the trick.
 
I find when I ski with people that are better than me I progress a lot quicker and also I try not to care about what others think. Hope that helps.

 
You just have to go for it and make sure you have the right mindset along with it. At least at my home mountain 9/10 times someone will give you a tip or tell you what your doing wrong if they see you constantly falling. I've met a lot of friends by hanging in the park and asking people whats up.
 
This.

Try skiing with an IDGAF attitude one day. Today I attempted a hippy killer on a flat down box for the first time and lost balance and started flailing around like I've never hit a box in my life. Next feature was a picnic box and I caught my front edge and did a front somersault and slid the picnic on my back and skied off like nothing happened. I just tend to laugh when I make funny mistakes because I know that I can do better and that I have done better. I could care less about when I crash in front of people because at least im trying new things and crashing is just a part of getting better.

 
This.

exactly this. if you laugh as you ski awau, you feel so much better. even if its a fake laugh. just laugh as you ski away from a fall, or flailing landing.
 
^ I am about the same ability as you from what it sounds like. I dont care what people say about me anymore at all. Today at whiteface, I was falling a shitload but I was trying everything. It made me feel really good when I got some rails. Plus the airbag, never been on one before, but it was so sick and insanely fun.
 
I'm a beginner as well (2nd season) but I find a helpful to bring a flask full of whisky with me. You'll not be giving a fuck in no time and it will help you get past some of the mental blocks of trying a new trick.

I have no idea how fast I am "supposed to progress." I don't get out as often as I like, but if I come back either learning something new or just being better/more comfortable at landing a trick, skiing switch, etc. than I think it was a productive day.
 
Dude I'm right there with you. I only get about 6ish days a season with school and $$ (or lack thereof), so I tend to use that as an excuse not to push myself.

Tomorrow is my first time out of the season. Seeing as how all my ski friends are from college and are home for break (and across the country) I usually ski by myself. Definitely grab some music and just huck it. How many of these people are you going to ever see again AND how many of them will remember your fall? Can you even remember the falls you see on a daily basis in the park? Just focus in on the feature and zone everyone else out.
 
even then eating shit is funny, not embarassing. as long as i'm not really going for a certain trick i laugh my ass off at how stupid my falls are
 
this thread got be super stoked to ski tomorrow.

advice to OP is skiing is about having fun not doing cool tricks to impress people. learn to laugh off your falls and progress when you feel comfortable. If you're trying to get front 2s out of a rail and everyone else is doing super feds dont worry about it, just be stoked when you get your front 2 and keep progressing at your own pace.
 
Regarding the music thing -- I feel like I am going to break my iPod or headphones with the amount of falls I take in a typical day skiing park. How do you not break your shit when you guys are skiing? By not falling?
 
to go over 360 try turning your torso and hands counterclockwise for a spin to the right and clockwise for a spin to the left. if you are falling on boxes keep a good stance starting out and try to detune your skis under ur bindings with a gummy stone.
 
No matter how hard I fall I try to laugh only because it helps take away immediate pain and then if you're cool enough when you fall youll have some bumps n bruises. Bitches love bumps n bruises.

but in all seriousness I learn the most when I ski alone sometimes because I can just throw on the tunes real loud and just kinda focus in on what I want to do. Whenever I listen to music I look at a park completely differently sometimes and just try and visualize how a song would flow to a cool edit or something.
 
ski with peoplebetter than you, youll progress so much quicker, i mostly ski with older kids now because they are better than me.
 
I bought a ipod nano 5th gen specifically for skiing, its thin as hell and very durable...if i do end up braking it i wont feel bad because they are relatively cheep
 
I've had and still sometimes have the same exact problem. The only thing that really helps me is either being with a big group of friends or waiting til everyone leaves and theres only just you and/or a few noobs there, then I have the balls to do more and not be as embarrassed.

 
To build your confidence up, you might try a sick backyard setup that you can just session on your own if you have the resources. But really, like others said, get over worrying about looking like a fool and just focus on having fun and progressing.
 
You just gotta say fuck it and try stuff, even if you know your gunna fall. But if you dont want to fall make sure you know what your going to do. Think every action of the trick over in your head and actualy execute them. if taht maes sense
 
Yah wat everyone is saying try shit with givin a fuck usually you'll get props for it and we all the gay kids that hang out in the park that don't try shit then complain they aren't progressing just saying
 
Do on thing a day that scares the shit out of you on skis.

For me, blind switch ups, switch rodeos/corks or anything that i've never done before only because i was scared. If I master one of those things once a day i go up, i just start to progress the shit out of skiing. And that's what you have to do.

Visualize the trick 1st person, then see your self doing it in 3rd person, then get in the mind state that you can do it and whalla you have done it.
 
Tips for Success

1.Try it on a airbag

2.Listen to music to pump u up

3.Visualize it the day before and keep it in the back of ur head to the point where he bugs u out and u have to do it.

4.Watch other people do it

5.Have friends to motivate u

6.No pain no game

7.You know you want to do it at some point so just get it over with.
 
this, i often find i can't learn anything without other people around to push me. i get really stoked seeing anyone try stuff in the park and that gives me the nerve and energy to try new things
 
for some reason shitty conditions make me really enjoy trying new shit in the park. days when there's low visibility and tons of ice i buckle down and bang out new stuff so i can enjoy throwing tricks later without falling
 
thats sweet. I find I only push myself to try new tricks when its either soft snow or sunny out.

although icy days are perfect for practicing rail tricks, and staying off those jumps for a while to rest the shins.
 
What I find helps with progression is just to narrow in on one feature and just try to SLAY that one feature for like 2 hours.

did that the other day and learned a bunch of new tricks.

just repeated hits do wonders, so just do that and don't be scared of falling because everyone falls
 
or pick a small line and try to hit each feature with trick that pushes your comfort level just a little. working on consistency really helps me to get comfortable throwing a new trick
 
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