Parks and Pipes and Steeze

[knotty_ski]

Anybody have any good advice on body mechanics in the parks. I try taking lessons in them but I can't show them much because I lack jibbing skills. I guess I would be most interested in advice on "landing" jumps after tricks, on rails or in the pipe.

Does anyone know what "Steeze" is?

[hamdog]

Does anyone know what "Steeze" is?

steeze is the new word the kids are using to describe style.
"nice steez" = "nice style". that's how i understand it anyways.

Anybody have any good advice on body mechanics in the parks. I try taking lessons in them but I can't show them much because I lack jibbing skills. I guess I would be most interested in advice on "landing" jumps after tricks, on rails or in the pipe.

it's all basic stuff you know that you know, it's just a matter of someone mentioning it. keep your knee's bent at all times (look like you're taking a dump). no stiff legging it, especially when landing big jumps. know your center of gravity (balance). if you're just learing the jumps and jibbing then "smart style" it. learn small and work your way up. hang out with the 10yr olds in the jib park to learn jibs. it's cool. that's what i plan on doing this year and i'm usually more than twice thier age. there always seems to be some other rider that's throwing down bigger and better than you anyways. you know a kid named Shawn White? how do you think the 20 somethings felt when he started killing them in contests? haha. compete against yourself and you'll progress much quicker than if you compare yourself to other rippers.

jumps: learn straight airs and steezed out jamie lynn methods. do them as big as you can. i've read articles in snowboard mags where they ask the pro's what the hardest trick is and they'll say "straight airs". learn numerous grabs to get to know your center of gravity for all types of tricks while floating over a 40' table or whatever you work yourself up to. straight air seatbelt grabs are super steezy and hard to do, but try one doing a frontside 180 or a late bs 180. the seatbelt grab is when you twist and grab your tail with your front hand across the front of your body. all tweeked out. i have a hard time doing backside melon 3's. there's always something you can't do. these suggestions are for snowboarding, but if you're on two planks then the whole center of gravity thing and the knees bent applies too i think.

except for the individual who posted on here not to long ago that he felt like he was peaked out at his skills of snowboarding and has gone back to skiing. save it.

[JimG.]

Thanks Hamdog...I know nothing about teaching in pipes and parks. Interesting that boarders keep the knees bent while taking/landing air. That doesn't work for skiers; we need to keep ourselves as extended as possible on takeoff and stay extended until landing so that we can absord as much as possible when the ground hits.

[Admin]

we need to keep ourselves as extended as possible on takeoff and stay extended until landing so that we can absord as much as possible when the ground hits.

Well, not entirely. Notice major cliff hucks from the old '80s and '90s ski movies where a compact form in the air was more stable. Extension would occur just prior to landing to absorb the impact.

Not that I have any personal experience, mind you, as I have a deep affinity for terra firma.

[JimG.]

Well, not entirely. Notice major cliff hucks from the old '80s and '90s ski movies where a compact form in the air was more stable. Extension would occur just prior to landing to absorb the impact.

Not that I have any personal experience, mind you, as I have a deep affinity for terra firma.

You are correct, but I was referring more to sane undertakings like taking air off a kicker on a bump course. I'm not a major cliff hucker and I wouldn't pretend to tell someone how to go about trying !

[Ryan]

Oh come on Jim.... I can just see you 15 feet in the air over a 50 ft Table... Ripping out something nuts. Speaking of nuts I saw a trick up at K that I don't know if I will ever forget. Lets see if I can spit this all out.
on twin tips mind you

It was a switch 450 disaster to a 50/50 grind to a 270 switch off the bottom of the rail.
It was insane. Take off backwards, get back to the snow backwards and do a bunch of nutty crap in beween. I would end up doing a 180 ball destroyer over that rail... use your imagination

[Tony Crocker]

My son Adam went to Mike Douglas' camp at Whistler in June 2002 at age 17. For 90+% of the participants they spent the whole six days just on 2 skills: rail slides and 360's. Adam has excellent balance and expert skiing skills, but the parks also require acrobatic skill, like gymnasts and divers.

The results: Adam can do simple straight rails, but not slanted, curved or kinked ones. He was very close on the 360's but never had a clean landing. He's bought used twin tip Salomon 1080's so he can do 180's routinely and maybe work up to the 360's eventually. With regard to straight airs Adam can go much bigger since attending that camp. Douglas taught them to extend to "pop" the takeoff but stay in the compact form while in the air to maintain stability, then extend again before the landing to absorb it.

Adam said the camp was quite physically demanding. It's 3 days on, one rest day, then 3 more days, and he definitely needed the rest day. Other instructors included Shawn Nesbitt, Sarah Burke and one of the "3 Phils" from Quebec.

[Old School Carver]

Pipe = no speed checking, straight up...straight down

Park booter = evaulate the needed velocity.
Example for a 40+ Wu-Tang Booter:
Get going in fifth gear and pull in the clutch - NO Speed checking!
2-5 feet after leaving the lip bust a move and hold it until you spot your landing. Let go to create motion in you muscles to better absorb the landing. Static=Stack!

My favorite is to say, "WEEEEEE!" while busting

[Knuckle Dragger]

Another tip for the park in terms of jibbing anyway is for a snowboard throw a 2 degree devel on your base and side edge, this will help with turning on hard snow as well as keep you from catching an edge and eating the rail. For all of you skiiers the same principle stays true a 1.5 degree bevel is what my buddy uses and he kills it in the park. Just remember to commit to the trick, no second guessing yourself at all or you under most circumstances will fall.

[chucky]

Does anyone know what "Steeze" is?

steeze is the new word the kids are using to describe style.
"nice steez" = "nice style". that's how i understand it anyways.

Very close hamdog.

"Steeze" means style with ease - as in the way good skiers/boarders make the difficult look easy.