How To Hit Jumps On Skis Many would agree that hitting jumps on skis and getting that nice hang time in the air is the best thing about skiing. I know I feel that way at least! But hitting jumps on skis can be scary at first, and it can be quite hard to begin with if you don’t know how to get started. But that’s why you are here reading this, right? To change all that and start hitting those jumps on skis!
Time to get the fun going and learn how to hit the jumps on skis! And if you haven’t geared up with awesome snow gear yet, check out our ski jackets and ski pants to hit the slopes and kickers with ultimate style!
Why practice technique
If you approach a jump or a kick with enough speed, you will be able to get airtime without any technique at all. But with a little bit of technique and timing you will get a lot more airtime and a lot more control at the same time, worth it right? So if you are willing to put in a little work before hitting the jumps on skis, you will be able to progress faster and jump higher with more control. So let’s dig into how you should get started to hit jumps on skis!
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It all starts with a Pop. This is the technique you will learn today which will make you able to hit jumps of all sizes and add all the grabs and tricks you can imagine. A pop is basically similar to a normal jump you would do standing still, jumping straight up. But since we have skis, ski boots and speed towards a kicker we need to practice timing and technique to be able to apply this to hitting kickers.
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How to pop in a jump When you approach the kicker, bend your knees slightly. But make sure to not lean backwards This can give you faulty balance and to much back tilt in the air. Which will make for a bad landing. It is all about timing. When your toes are leaving the kicker, your legs should be completely extended. This will not only give your more height, but also make sure that you get a bit of forward lean. Which will make your landing easier.
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Practice the pop before hitting jumpsÂ
Now when you know what a pop is, let’s practice it before we even hit the jumps. Begin with finding a flat surface where you can practice to pop with your skis and ski boots on while standing still. Start from a standing position. Bend your legs slightly, keep your arms a bit in front of your body. Jump up from the bent position with as much power you can, until your legs are completely straight, squeeze your butt and let the momentum lift you off the ground.
Now when you are able to jump with your skis on standing still it is time to practice the timing of the jump before we take it to the kicker. Just be a bit patient, not long now before its time to hit the actual jumps! As mentioned earlier, your legs should be completely straight just as your toes leave the kicker. And keep in mind, we are talking about your toes and not the front of your skis.
To practice this you should find a gentle slope where you can draw lines in the snow. Start going down the slope and do the same procedure as you practiced standing still but now with a little bit of speed. Just as your toes cross the line you draw in the snow, that is the moment you should have fully extended legs and lift off the ground.
So start bending your legs before the line so you have time to pop with just the perfect timing. Timing can take a few tries to nail, and a whole lot of practice to get perfect. Make sure to give it as many tries you need in order to time the pop good every time before you take it to the kicker. In this video from stompittutorials.com you can follow the progress from practicing pop without skis to hit bigger jumps. Many of the steps mentioned in this article is also showed in the video.
Good to think about Make sure that you have your arms in front of you the whole time. Also note that your skis should be completely lifted off the ground. No dragging tails which is quite common in the beginning. If your tails are dragging, solve this by putting more power in to your pop and make sure that your legs are fully extended when you lift off.
Now when you are able to time your jump, and pop enough to lift completely off the ground it’s time to hit some small jumps.
Jumping small kickers and side hits Side hits are a great way to get started, not only are they usually quite small and gentle to jump from, but you can find a lot of them throughout almost every resort. You can also go straight for the kickers if there are small kicks and jumps in the park of your resort.
Now it is time to drill! Give the side hits and small kickers a lot of jumps, make sure that you are able to time your pop every jump.
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You should land with a slight forward lean and with your full ski touching the snow at the same time. You should not land on your tails or nose. If this happens, practice the timing of your jump more and make sure that your legs are fully extended when you leave the kicker. If you are not able to reach the landing, take a bit more speed.
Time for bigger jumps when you have drilled a lot of small jumps and side hits to the point that you feel confident and nail the timing every jump, it is time to take it to the bigger jumps! Wop wop! Going for bigger kickers can feel scary at first, but the landings are usually more comfortable then small jumps. So do not hesitate and do not go to slow. Then you just do the precise same thing you practiced on the small jumps. But in the air, you can also tuck a little bit. This will give you better balance in the air and practicing getting this right from the start will ensure that you are in a better position for grabs and tricks later on in your skiing career.
How to add grabs to your jumps As you get confident doing straight jumps, it is time to add some grabs for style and smoother looks.
How to do a Mute grab Mute grab is an easy trick to add a lot of style to your jumps! Start practicing this on medium jumps so that you have a bit of time in the air to work with.
After you pop, lift your left ski high. Reach down with your right hand and grab the outside of your left ski. You should grab just in front of the bindings. Release the grab before it is time to land. To do this grab, leave your poles. As you get more confident with the mute grab you can start doing it with your poles as well.
When you are at the point of adding grabs to your jumps, well done! Congratulations! You just took the first steps of your freestyle skiing career. Heck yeah! To read the original article visit: https://www.ridestore.com/mag/how-to-hit-jumps-on-skis /