5 Tricks You Can Do Anywhere On The Mountain
The lifts are about to spin, and you don't need a terrain park to start learning freestyle. These five tricks work on cat tracks, rollers, side hits and flat sections anywhere on the mountain. They're a great first step if you're new to freestyle, or a fun refresher for your first days back on snow.
1. J-Spin
Dig one ski tip into the snow while your other ski keeps sliding, and the tip will spin you around. Oscar uses his weaker foot as the digging foot and keeps his strong foot sliding. Get comfy with the motion a few times on the flat, then go into it slowly. Keep your speed low, as it can get sketchy if you come in fast. It's a perfect way to make a cat track more fun.
2. Shifty
Pop like you normally would, then shift your skis to one side in the air and bring them back before you land. Before taking it to a side hit, practise hop turns on flat ground to get used to the shifty motion. Keep your arms out and engage your core, and your legs will follow.
3. Nollie
Inspired by skateboarding, a nollie is an ollie where you pop off your ski tips instead of your tails. Start on a flat spot, using your poles to hold yourself still, and practise rocking forward onto your tips, then popping out of it. Once that feels good, try it without poles. Next, find a lip, like the edge of a cat track, and tilt forward to feel the motion without speed. When you add speed, go slow and don't overdo the pop, or you might dig your tips into the snow.
4. Surface Spin
This one needs more edge control than it looks, so make sure you're comfortable rolling your edges first. As you come around, your downhill edge becomes your uphill edge, so shift your weight at the 180 to avoid catching an edge. Practise both directions so you're comfy spinning either way. The better you get, the more subtle and smooth it becomes.
5. Bonk
Find a sign, bamboo pole or tree with a nice lip in front of it, and tap it lightly with your tails. Start by riding past slowly and tapping it with one ski to feel what contact is like. Once that feels natural, use the lip to get some air, add a shifty and tap with the back of your skis. Tapping with your tips is possible too, but it takes more control in the air.
Keep Building Into The Season
Ready to take these skills into the park? Read How Not To Be Intimidated By The Terrain Park, or go deeper on pops with our Nollie tutorial. Want to train before the snow falls? Work on your balance at home with the Balance Bar, and practise your air awareness on a trampoline with DOLLO Tramp Skis.
Coach: Oscar Blyth
@oscarblyth