Common Mistakes Everyone Makes in The Park
Falling hurts, especially when it is not onto soft snow. Getting into freestyle this season? Coach Oscar Blyth covers the five most common mistakes skiers make when they first get into the park and how to avoid them: backseat riding, a poor pop, poor switch riding, lack of commitment and poor speed management.
1. Backseat Riding
How you take off dictates how you land. Backseat looks like hands down by your sides, calves pushing the back of your boots and leaning back. Stand up straight and relax into the front of your boots so your shins rest against them, then test that stance over rollers and small jumps, keeping shin pressure and hands in front through the transition. The same applies to rails, where a backseat takeoff usually means falling off early.
2. A Poor Pop
A good pop is the foundation of everything in freestyle. Being backseat, popping too hard or sinking too low to exaggerate the pop all hurt your form. Just sink into your boots and give it a quick little pop.
3. Poor Switch Riding
Over half of freestyle tricks involve taking off or landing switch. Stagger your legs, point your downhill hand behind you, turn your hips and shoulders toward it and look downhill. Practise switching sides standing still, then take big, mellow turns across a wide gentle slope. Avoid the switch snowplow and looking over your shoulder with your hands in front.
4. Lack of Commitment
Not fully committing is one of the most dangerous things you can do in the park. Going too slow, under-rotating a trick or not getting properly onto a rail are all common examples.
5. Poor Speed Management
Knowing the right speed comes with experience. Until then, watch a rider of similar size and copy their speed and line, adjusting if they land short or deep. Speed management matters even more as you step up to bigger jumps, where casing or overshooting has bigger consequences.
Keep Building Into The Season
New to park skiing? Read How Not To Be Intimidated By The Terrain Park, and sharpen your switch with The Ultimate Guide to Skiing Switch (Backwards).
Coach: Oscar Blyth
@oscarblyth