Hell yes let’s get some Big Air! Snowboarding has pushed the boundaries for getting huge amounts of hang time. These snowboard events have become part of the Winter Olympics and skiers have transitioned their competitions. These are some snowboard tips to keep you safe while catching some jumbo style points. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride teach how to improve your snowboarding skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building Rhythm, Superman Eruo Carves, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles, Active Passive Absorption, Eruo Surfer Carves, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Snowboard Responsibility Code #1, Snowboard Responsibility Code #2, Snowboard Responsibility Code #3, Responsibility Code #4 Look Uphill, Snowboard Responsibility Code # 5, #6 Obey All Signs, Snowboard Responsibility Code #7,Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles & Snowboarding Moguls.
The key to getting big air is confidence. You need speed and lots of it. It’s not always that easy. If you skateboarded, surfed, longboarded or wakeboarded then you might be able to get comfortable snowboarding quickly. You have the skills to go fast and feel comfort. Olympic athletes practice during the Summer in Park City, Utah by jumping into pools that have air bubbles. These bubbles make the water softer to land. Not everyone is at that level but you can take steps towards getting good balance on your snowboard. I’ll give some snowboard tips to help you get comfortable with speed and then air.
Keep your speed by being stacked over your snowboard and aligned. A good snowboard video to watch is Body Alignment and being comfortable in steep terrain. It will help you get you up to speed. Think about what will give you more speed. Steeper terrain and Waxing Your Snowboard will give you more velocity. Practice these body movements I’ve talked about and move into the park. You have your steep drop in and then your ramp that goes back up to kick you into the air. When I’m coaching high level students we get into bigger parks with huge features. We build up our skills in the smaller parks and use natural terrain features. You want to keep your speed on the approach so there’s enough momentum to shoot you off the ramp. Most folks miscalculate the speed and get stuck going back up. Go fast to go big!
You’ve got your speed down now and we’re going to start getting unweighted. This is about getting air safely. If you look at the shape of your jump you can skip the ramp and just hit the roller. Jump a wee bit before the apex pulling your legs upwards. This creates the feeling of being in the air but allows you to extend them back to the snow if you feel uncomfortable without a huge impact. If you just launch yourself off a kicker you could really get hurt or broken. Build up to this skill level and once you get a few feet of air off the side roller then hit the ramp. Go faster than you think. Most people underestimate their momentum and knuckle the landing. The landings are usually long allowing you to cushion if you carry more speed. Watch others or guinea pigs go off the features so you know how much speed to carry. Always scout the park before attempting so you see how big the ramps, features and landings are.
Go fast without turning for at least 10 to 30 feet going up the ramp. Bend your knees, hips and ankles to get ready to absorb. When you reach the end of the ramp stay low and pop giving you more air. Pull your legs up. If you don’t you might flap your arms around or “rolling down the windows.” Think of an airplane pulling it’s landing gear up. If you can grab your snowboard it will make you solid and balanced in the air. You can start performing tricks like grabs, spins or inverts once you feel comfortable. When you land, extend your legs down and keep your board flat. This is called “stomping your landing” because your board smacks down on the landing ramp.
I like to practice Flat Board Drills outside of the park to gain confidence. Create rhythm by Buttering and doing freestyle in flat terrain. It’s fun to have these skills in your bag of tricks and to use them whenever the opportunity presents itself. If you want to ride better and learn more snowboard freestyle drills, sign up for a lesson with me and use my online school to get you to Ride Right™! Get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/Flowing Freeride’s techniques by going back to other snowboard videos that teach how to improve your skills, improve your knowledge on equipment, safety, terrain and weather. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right! My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.