{"id":15943,"date":"2020-03-06T12:22:01","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T12:22:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skiinluxury.com\/blog\/?p=15943"},"modified":"2025-01-02T18:19:40","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T18:19:40","slug":"guide-to-the-snow-park","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skiinluxury.com\/blog\/guide-to-the-snow-park\/","title":{"rendered":"The Unwritten Rules: Snow Park for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"

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You’re linking turns, you’re comfortable with your speed on the slopes and you’re starting to get adventurous with a bit of air time on the lumps and bumps on the side of the piste. Let’s take the next step in progressing your skiing skills and\u00a0hit up the snow park!\u00a0It can be daunting venturing to the snow park for the first time – it can be a big,\u00a0busy and scary place. We have therefore come up with some snow park rules and guidelines for beginners that will cover safety, park etiquette and some general snow park tips to make sure you have fun and enjoy this new style of skiing that is constantly becoming more and more popular.<\/p>\n

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Where to Stop<\/h2>\n

When you’re skiing through the snow park, it can be just as much fun watching your friends do their thing whether it be landing a new trick or a spectacular wipe out. Plus it’s great to get some footage to replay at the end of the day in the bar. Whether you are watching or participating, it is vital you are aware of your surroundings in the snow park and know where you can and can’t stop. What you think is a safe distance away from potential hazards and fellow skiers\/boarders, could be exactly where someone will be landing or approaching to do a trick. It’s worth knowing that there are no rules on how people should be\u00a0approaching or landing the jumps\/rails\/boxes, which is why freestyle skiing or snowboarding is so appealing to many; it gives people the chance to get imaginative on the mountain and provides a freedom of expression. So if you need to stop on the run through the park, it is best to either stop well away from the snow park features, ideally off the side of the piste where you have a good view of others and vice versa. Alternatively, and possibly the safest option, don’t stop until you are at the bottom.<\/p>\n

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Know your Snow Park Features<\/h2>\n

Within a snow park there are lots of different features varying in shape, size and difficulty. What’s important as a beginner in the snow park is knowing what is best for you, start small and work your way up the progression ladder. Simple beginner tip in snow park, before you try anything take a test lap. Cruise through the park and assess the features, try and spot which jumps or boxes match your ability before you try them.<\/p>\n

When it comes to jumps and kickers, start with the jumps where the transition leading up to the take off is not too steep and there isn’t a massive drop after the take off. A good snow park tip\u00a0<\/span>is to start with jumps where you can ride over slowly without your skis coming off the snow at all. This will give you a good feel for how steep the jumps are whilst also gathering a understanding of how much speed you will need. Speed is key especially when you start on the larger kickers you don’t want to go too fast and over shoot the landing or too slow where you don’t even make the landing.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boxes are tremendous fun; getting the sudden change in traction under your skis or snowboard is very satisfying and exhilarating. Make sure that when you try going over a box for the first time in snow park it suits your ability. You want to look for a wide and flat box that you can ski straight onto without having to jump up at all. It is important for your first attempts to get comfortable going over the box forwards: don’t get ahead of yourself and try spinning just yet! Once you’re comfortable with your speed control and can get over safely, that’s when it gets exciting and is worth trying to go across sideways or attempting narrower and more challenging boxes.<\/p>\n

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Understand the Snow Park Etiquette<\/h2>\n

Don’t you just hate it when someone skips the queue at the bar whilst you are waiting patiently? You get the same feeling in the snow park. Before you begin your run down, at the top there will quite often be a number of skiers or boarders spread around waiting to start their run: be wary of this and respect everyone around you. Before you start your run, have a quick look around and make sure no one else was about to go at the same time and let your presence be heard. Whether this be saying out loud for all to hear “dropping in”\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>or simply making eye contact with the fellow skiers, giving a little thumbs up, and showing you are ready to go. This will all help in preventing collisions or slowing people down by getting in the way before they start their run.<\/p>\n

A key part about park etiquette is to keep the hype up! If you see someone do something impressive, whether it be a pro in the park landing a double back flip, a friend going over the box for the first time or even someone taking a fall that was slightly amusing, be sure to give a “Whoop“<\/em>, “Hoot<\/em>, “Clap”<\/em> or big old “Yeeewwwwwwwww!”. <\/em>It is all part of the fun and sharing the enjoyment of landing something new and will contribute to everyone’s progression. However, this goes without saying, if someone has gone down or taken a big fall, help them up!<\/p>\n