Mediocre at park! Tips?

Cincher

Cincher

Active member
Since I can't afford to take a mountain trip this year, I set a goal to improve my skiing here in ManiSNOWba; that means stepping up my park game.

Thing is though, I'm rather average in the park at the age of 23, even though I've been on twintips for 6 years now.

Popping is one of my weak spots.

I can slide rails, but currently only if the jump's at rail height. There's a 30ft rail at Springhill that I'm scared shirtless of hitting because the jump is half the height. The fear of injury is a big demotivator for me. At the same time I hate that I can only hit 1/2 the features with confidence. So how do you pop higher? How do you hit rails with a half height jump? Or one with a gap between the rail and the jump?

I can't 360; or rather I haven't landed one yet. I can 180, but then kinda stop. I don't get how to spin while carrying enough speed to clear a jump. Do I prespin? Do I use my skis?

That's all I can think of right now, but if I can think of more I'll post it here. So really what I want from you guys is just some advice on how I can get better. I've always been two steps behind my brother and I want to close that gap.
 
topic:Cincher said:
Since I can't afford to take a mountain trip this year, I set a goal to improve my skiing here in ManiSNOWba; that means stepping up my park game.

Thing is though, I'm rather average in the park at the age of 23, even though I've been on twintips for 6 years now.

Popping is one of my weak spots.

I can slide rails, but currently only if the jump's at rail height. There's a 30ft rail at Springhill that I'm scared shirtless of hitting because the jump is half the height. The fear of injury is a big demotivator for me. At the same time I hate that I can only hit 1/2 the features with confidence. So how do you pop higher? How do you hit rails with a half height jump? Or one with a gap between the rail and the jump?

I can't 360; or rather I haven't landed one yet. I can 180, but then kinda stop. I don't get how to spin while carrying enough speed to clear a jump. Do I prespin? Do I use my skis?

That's all I can think of right now, but if I can think of more I'll post it here. So really what I want from you guys is just some advice on how I can get better. I've always been two steps behind my brother and I want to close that gap.
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it might look bigger but once you get up to it with speed its really not that bad. just do it
 
For the rails come in pretty far off to the side of the lip while carving in. Pop and you will already be turned a good amount from your carve. You can get used to the lip by just hitting the lip and not the rail (Ik its super gaper but oh well) then hit the lip and jump over the rail.
 
Just one big head game is it? It sucks that I can be such a wuss. I just don't wanna ruin my knees. Strongly considering investing in kneepads.

Seriously though would trying to flick off from my tails help get more air? My fear is I'm not gonna get high enough then catch my tips below the rail.

Wasn't there an article on body armor for skiers on the site? I can't find it.
 
topic:Cincher said:
Since I can't afford to take a mountain trip this year, I set a goal to improve my skiing here in ManiSNOWba; that means stepping up my park game.

Thing is though, I'm rather average in the park at the age of 23, even though I've been on twintips for 6 years now.

Popping is one of my weak spots.

I can slide rails, but currently only if the jump's at rail height. There's a 30ft rail at Springhill that I'm scared shirtless of hitting because the jump is half the height. The fear of injury is a big demotivator for me. At the same time I hate that I can only hit 1/2 the features with confidence. So how do you pop higher? How do you hit rails with a half height jump? Or one with a gap between the rail and the jump?

I can't 360; or rather I haven't landed one yet. I can 180, but then kinda stop. I don't get how to spin while carrying enough speed to clear a jump. Do I prespin? Do I use my skis?

That's all I can think of right now, but if I can think of more I'll post it here. So really what I want from you guys is just some advice on how I can get better. I've always been two steps behind my brother and I want to close that gap.
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The thing about lips like the one you're talking about that we generally call "urban" is that on a down rail, the place where you actually land can be much lower than the front looks. Especially if you come on with speed. Speed is key. You don't want to charge in at mach, but if you roll up at a snails pace you probably aren't going to get on top of the rail.

If you can find a rail that's in between. If there aren't any, maybe build a pvc one and set it up at your house/nearby hill with takeoffs on the side. It's a bit to get used to, but the biggest thing is just getting the courage to do it right without over thinking it. The angle you approach the rail makes a big difference when trying to get centered and slide longer rails as well.

For the 360, I would wind up. Especially if you're doing it on a small jump. Make sure to turn your head. Sort of like an owl. Try and turn your head around for the 360. Your body follows your head. Prespin, then when you swing your arms past, pop as they go past you and turn your head with them. Hold your arms and head to the side until you can see the landing at 270.

If you're having problems getting the last 90, hold it longer or get a little more height. 360, and 540 are the hardest ones to learn.

How big is the jump? Is your spin issue related to your comfort spinning that jump? We had pretty small shitty jumps we built when I learned but I've noticed that sometimes if a jump is bigger than what somebody is comfortable with they may not initiate a trick the same as they would on a smaller jump. In that case you could have a ton of airtime, but if you don't spin it correctly it won't get you there.

Try spinning on the ground a bit. Sometimes getting a feel for it on smaller cut ups is good. You might be able to get it around. We'll probably see some differing opinions on that but IMO, if something is low consequence you're more likely to commit to it.

Everyone's different, that's my 2 cents. I'm pretty mediocre at skiing at this point honestly. Actually I'm beyond mediocre, I'm pretty bad. I need to get out more this year.
 
13628001:Cincher said:
Just one big head game is it? It sucks that I can be such a wuss. I just don't wanna ruin my knees. Strongly considering investing in kneepads.

Seriously though would trying to flick off from my tails help get more air? My fear is I'm not gonna get high enough then catch my tips below the rail.

Wasn't there an article on body armor for skiers on the site? I can't find it.
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kneepads would not protect you at all.

legit all you have to do is just jump and turn 90 degrees. dont turn before you get high enough, thats like the only way to catch your tips. any lip in a terrain park is probably pretty mellow and you never really have to jump that high unless you're trying a 2 on or something.
 
Seems like everybody gets caught up in being the very best at skiing to swell their ego. Have to remember this is all for fun, you will progress at your own rate. Not getting paid to ski so enjoy it.
 
13628059:CheeF said:
Seems like everybody gets caught up in being the very best at skiing to swell their ego. Have to remember this is all for fun, you will progress at your own rate. Not getting paid to ski so enjoy it.
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I think what he means is he's hit the ceiling for having fun at what he can do so he wants to progress and that's what he considers fun. I'm the same way. I'm very goal oriented when I ski park and want to get certain things and that's how I have fun. I still enjoy it if I don't get said trick, but I definitely set goals and strive to get there because I'm bored where I am currently
 
13628001:Cincher said:
Just one big head game is it? It sucks that I can be such a wuss. I just don't wanna ruin my knees. Strongly considering investing in kneepads.

Seriously though would trying to flick off from my tails help get more air? My fear is I'm not gonna get high enough then catch my tips below the rail.

Wasn't there an article on body armor for skiers on the site? I can't find it.
Click to expand...

Olliing onto the rail will definetly help, just lean back and then push your weight up and forward. Since I guess speed won't really help geting over you mental block just try approaching the rail at a regular speed and maybe even try to side jump the rail to see if you get enough air. If you don't either ollie even harder or take a bit more speed . There isn't reallly anything to worry about once you got it.
 
At this stage of the game, I don't think you need to be thinking about an ollie on to a rail. I practically never ollie onto a rail. I probably nollie more than I ollie. Speed is your issue without a doubt.
 
13628001:Cincher said:
Just one big head game is it? It sucks that I can be such a wuss. I just don't wanna ruin my knees. Strongly considering investing in kneepads.

Seriously though would trying to flick off from my tails help get more air? My fear is I'm not gonna get high enough then catch my tips below the rail.

Wasn't there an article on body armor for skiers on the site? I can't find it.
Click to expand...

Yeah man unfortunately that's just the nature of our sport. We get injured but we keep doin it because we love it. I don't think body armor would do much for you my man, injury comes from awkward falls more so than sheer impact especially when it comes to rails
 
Thanks guys. The mental blocks always the hardest for me to overcome. Sometimes I fail hilariously before I start to give it a little more effort. Sometimes I find I work better under pressure, like when I'm trying to film myself. Music helps me too. If I get some footage of myself I would love to post it here and get some feedback so I know if I need to improve on something.
 
practice popping as much as you can on flat. If you see an ice chunk or anything else on the ground, jump over it. Do pops to 180 on the ground. For sliding rails, be sure to keep your eyes on the end of the rail. For 360s, having a good pop is very important, as is spotting your landing, so keep looking over your leading shoulder until you see the landing come around. Before you go for a 3, visualize it from a watcher's perspective and from your own perspective in the air. Doing 360s without your skis on will help a lot too.
 
The best way is to get a friend to coach you at this point. Take someone that knows their shit and that is willing to show you the moves and tell you how to improve. They are hard to find, but they are out there.

Other that recommending a park course session to have an instructor show you tricks, I would recommend filming your stuff, watching it on slow motion and compare your footage with a pro's footage. You can see, in a detailed step by step, what you are doing right and wrong.

Sometimes good vibes in the park will help you progress at a faster rate. Having a bunch of people session can help.
 
13628070:Aharrelson358 said:
I think what he means is he's hit the ceiling for having fun at what he can do so he wants to progress and that's what he considers fun. I'm the same way. I'm very goal oriented when I ski park and want to get certain things and that's how I have fun. I still enjoy it if I don't get said trick, but I definitely set goals and strive to get there because I'm bored where I am currently
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You know what's up my man. Ive been skiing in Manitoba for a decade, and there's only so much fun/challenging things to do before you get bored. Park is the last frontier so to speak, beyond mountain trips of which I can't afford to take this year. Super bummed too, as this has been the best winter in 4 years. Shouganai, eh? Can't be helped.

So yeah, me setting goals/challenges to improve in the park is about me trying have fun more than ego.
 
Update:

814722.jpeg

Sorry about the quality, i took this on my phone.

I'm trying to do this 30' rail but I can't hop on to it. Or rather I know I can, but I'm having a mental block. The rail sticking up like that keeps psyching me out. I'm trying to hop on from the side, left foot forward, but my right foot doesnt get up high enough, and I don't do it. I'll graze it wi Tried to hop on center, afraid to catch tail, didn't do it. It's frustrating the hell out of me. If it were level I'd have no problems though...

I'm gonna cut the ramp down to my 8' backyard box to try and practice, so I can get over this mental barrier. I kind of get performance anxiety when I'm trying new stuff, and people are watching. Besides that, I dunno. It's the kind of problem only I can solve, which is why it's so frustrating.
 
Practice going off the lip and popping above the rail, then you know how much pop you need to get on the rail.
 
Do a bunch of 180s over the rail. Not too fast, but fast enough that it's not scary for you. If you can 180 over it you can 90 onto it. Does that make sense? I used to do 180s over rails when learning 270s from the side and I think it helps get over mental blocks.
 
Dislocated my pinky two days ago on a jump, not sure how, but I did. Im probably worse at park than you, some many call me a gaper. Don't really care. But I feel you, I have the same mental block issue. I have it in all sports too, especially tennis. From that I've learned to trust your skill, and work up to it as everyone says.
 
topic:Cincher said:
Since I can't afford to take a mountain trip this year, I set a goal to improve my skiing here in ManiSNOWba; that means stepping up my park game.

Thing is though, I'm rather average in the park at the age of 23, even though I've been on twintips for 6 years now.

Popping is one of my weak spots.

I can slide rails, but currently only if the jump's at rail height. There's a 30ft rail at Springhill that I'm scared shirtless of hitting because the jump is half the height. The fear of injury is a big demotivator for me. At the same time I hate that I can only hit 1/2 the features with confidence. So how do you pop higher? How do you hit rails with a half height jump? Or one with a gap between the rail and the jump?

I can't 360; or rather I haven't landed one yet. I can 180, but then kinda stop. I don't get how to spin while carrying enough speed to clear a jump. Do I prespin? Do I use my skis?

That's all I can think of right now, but if I can think of more I'll post it here. So really what I want from you guys is just some advice on how I can get better. I've always been two steps behind my brother and I want to close that gap.
Click to expand...

Im not very good at park either and when I get siked out about a rail I normally just don't do right away and do some easier rails to boost my confidence then go in for lunch or take a break and when I come back out I normally have a "fuck it" moment and just do it and normally I do it fine. Hope this helps a little.
 
Just practice jumping onto ride on rails, like ride up to a ride on rail and pop up and start to spin and pull up your knees a little and then extend you legs and land 90 on the rail. This helped me get used to jumping onto rails. For 3's just learn them on side hits and then take them to park jumps and once you can do the jump confidentiality send a 3 just commit to it and you should land it. My biggest thin is not overthinking stuff when I roll into a featured idk if you do the same thing but try to roll in only thinking of you stomping the trick
 
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