Intro to Park

What

Introduce students to the park environment for the first time along with the safety and etiquette considerations unique to this terrain.

Why

Nobody gets into park and pipe to get hurt, so as freeski instructors we have a duty of care to minimise the risks involved through both understanding and skill development. By familiarising students with the park features, signage, how to develop skills outside of the park environment and the Park SMART mentality we can establish a safety-driven framework for both our lessons and our students’ own skiing.

How

On the first trip to the park, identify signage at the entrance. Highlight how this relates to the features in this area. Before hitting the features, pre-ride the park and share information about the available jumps, boxes, rails, the type (e.g. ride on flat box, small table top jump), snow conditions and the flow from one feature to the next. This is your opportunity to communicate everything necessary about the features you intend to use to put your students’ minds at ease. Discuss the speed needed and give it a dry run skiing beside the jump or box to get an idea of how it will feel when actually skiing into/onto the feature. Identify blind spots, suitable stopping locations and open/closed hand signals to keep everyone as safe as possible when it is time to hit the features.

Skills

Outside/in is an important concept to know as both instructors and students. At all levels of freestyle there are skills that can be learned and developed on the mountain outside of the park environment. Pop, spins, switch and more can all be learned on runs, side hits and natural features. Be creative with your lesson plan and terrain use to prepare your students for the challenges park features provide without impacting other park users’ runs. Treat the mountain as the place to acquire the new skill and the park as a place to put it to the test.

ATTL

Much like the phases of a turn, ATTL is a useful way to break down the skills a skier needs to be successful on any given feature. In the same way, each step’s success is dependent upon the accuracy of the previous. Use ATTL to help your students plan their run and to check for understanding before attempting something new.

Approach – Here a skier will need to set the correct speed for the feature and make sure they are balanced and aligned with their intention. A good approach will give the skier access to the right range and intensity of the movements needed to complete the trick and reach the sweet spot of the landing.

Takeoff – The takeoff will be different from feature to feature. It is important to identify the difference in height, angle and shape and time movements accordingly. For any spin related trick (sideways on a box, 360 on a jump) rotation must be set on takeoff as by the time the skier is in the air it is too late. Success here will allow the skier a smooth, balanced trajectory through the air and enough time to complete the trick.

Trick – The stylish part of the game. The trick is the stunt the skier is trying to do. It happens from the moment the skis leave the takeoff until the skis are back on snow. The goal here is to complete the trick with good composure before landing back on the snow and to feel good doing it.

Landing – Somewhat self explanatory, the landing is when the skier touches back down on the snow. In a good landing the skier lands in the sweet spot (the steepest part of the landing) on both feet, skis parallel to the snow, facing the direction of travel either forward or switch. The force of impact will be absorbed by the whole body and the head will be up looking towards the next feature.

Terrain

Identify the areas of ATTL for each feature. Have your students describe the snow conditions, transitions, pitch and distance for each zone, highlighting how this will affect the feel and any modifications to their plan/movements they will make to counter this.

Class Handling

Efforts must be made to minimise the effect our group has on the other users of the park. Make a plan then wait in line with everyone else and, on their turn, have your students call their drops. When stopping, be well away from all features, out of the flow line and highly visible. If hiking a single feature, ski straight out before turning to avoid leaving tracks in the landing zone and hike at the very edge of the park. Remind your students of blind spots and the importance of moving out of the landing zones quickly.

The Park SMART framework provides an easy structure to both plan lessons and educate our guests around how to safely use freestyle terrain.

Start Small – If you are new to freestyle or just starting your day, begin with the fundamentals. Identify the small jumps and/or features. Warm up and develop skills outside the park.

Make a Plan – This covers both the lesson and each individual run/feature. Know the goals for each student and the group. Where can you safely start/stop? What features will you use? What skills are you focusing on? What progressional steps will you take? What will you do next if the run is successful/unsuccessful?

Always Look – Scope the park before you hit the features. Look for changes from the previous run/day. Know the blind spots and use spotters to ensure landings are clear before dropping in. Assess conditions throughout the day and plan as the snow/temperature/weather changes.

Respect – From the car park to the terrain park and everywhere in between. Respect each other, other mountain users, the flow line between features. Know the boundaries of the park area and respect the ropes, fences and signage. Make sure it is clear and call your drop before starting your run.

Take it Easy – Know your and your students’ limits, the aim is always to land on your skis. Set realistic goals and build progressions that are easy to follow. Acknowledge/celebrate successes but monitor fatigue and know when to pull back.