BLACK TRAIL SKILLS
BLIND JUMPS When you’re riding a jump with a blind take-off, where you can’t see the landing before you’re on the lip, you need to look for it as soon as you can (having made sure to check the jump out on foot first). On the jump pictured here, the landing isn’t actually visible until after you’ve taken off. That means you need to be looking down quite a lot, trying to spot the point where you want to touch down.
90 MOUNTAIN BIKING SKILLS
NOSE IN As you start to come down, shift your weight forwards to dip the nose of the bike into the landing. Keep your eyes focused on the landing until you’re confident of where you’re going.
TO U C H D O W N As you come in to land, bend your legs and arms to soften the impact. Allow your hips to move down and back – you don’t want to be leaning forward when you’re trying to slow down after landing, or you’ll have no grip or stability. Once your wheels are on the ground, drop your heels, especially if it’s a rough landing.
