The Park and Pipe are great for honing your freestyle skills but once you’ve got a ready bag of tricks and some great conditions you’re going to want to go beyond and throw down some shapes out amongst the naturally sculpted terrain of the untamed mountain.
For me there’s nothing beats ripping down a big virgin powder slope covered in natural features. I just love slashing the top of windlips, sliding the lip before driving back down then cutting up and launching out the top. Flying off rollers, dropping rock features and generally jibbing my way down a big powder run is, for me, what snowboarding is all about, this is what gets me up every winter morning and gets me out on the hill day after day.
There’s a big difference between fitting your riding into the natural terrain of the mountain and hitting rails and kickers in the park.
For a start in the park, the kickers are designed to be hit in a straight line from a set starting point and the transitions and landings are smooth and clean.
Out on the mountain (unless of course you’re shaping and hiking a one off Backcountry booter) you’ve got to adapt your riding to fit in with the flow of the constantly changing terrain and be able to assess and reassess your actions at any given moment whilst on the move.
You’re going to need to be able to read the mountains terrain real well and also bide by a few simple ‘common sense’ rules of survival.
Look before you leap! This seems obvious but its essential to know what’s in the reception area even if you’ve done the drop a dozen times before. Backcountry landings get beat up pretty quickly and as the snow gets compressed evil bomb holes appear and rocks etc can start to come through!
Make sure you know what’s under the snow pack! Again, seems obvious but I know loads of riders who’ve fallen foul of this one. Early season especially the snow pack is thin and that first powder dump doesn’t mean that everything is good underneath. Look for tell tale signs of what the terrain under the snow might be like, rocky outcrops suggest there might be boulders lurking beneath! Over enthusiastic early season bravado has been the downfall of many a would be seasonaire!
What’s supporting the snowpack? Once you’ve left the relative safety of the pistes you’re riding on a snowpack that you need to learn to understand and assess. You can transmit up to 6 times your body weight through your board during a deep powder turn and a big landing can have the same effect on the snowpack as a stick of dynamite thrown by the avalanche patrol in the early morning!
Following tracks and others riders doesn’t necessarily mean the snowpack is stable so start to look around a little yourself and learn to make your own decisions. An easy one is to look at the shape of the slope, imagine gravity s trying to pull the whole lot down the hill and try to see what is holding it in place. Does it look well supported?
Jumping off cornices can be great fun but its also a sure sign that there may be a dangerous wind slab snow layer in the landing zone, (both cornices and wind slab are formed by strong wind). Check out the angle and terrain features that are holding it in place before you leap. A concave slope might not be so bad but a steep convex slope is a no go area. (The snow on a concave slope is supported by the lesser angled snow below).
Taking drops is amazing fun and there’s nothing like the surge of adrenalin as you approach the lip and all you can see is the edge and the valley beyond. Pressure the tail, suck your feet up underneath and focus on the run out.
When you’re backed up away from the edge however you need to know just what awaits. Make sure the landing is steep enough for your reception, the snow is deep enough and your line is good. Mark the lip and the line and have someone on look out to be sure!
When you’re riding the mountain a lot of the obstacles you tackle will be hit from across the slope needing good edge control, transitions might be tight and the run outs like a battle field. Always try to land on a flat base with your board straight. Run outs are always faster than you want them to be but don’t try to loose speed too early point it, get control and then deal with slowing down or setting up for the next big thing.
Hitting kickers and drops in the backcountry isn’t without risk. Make sure you know what to do and have the means to do it if an accident occurs and an emergency situation thrusts itself upon you. Have the emergency telephone numbers for the pisters and local emergency services programmed into everyones phones as a bare minmum!
At the end of the day though this really is the Fine Art of snowboarding!
Freeriding at its best, you the mountain, the perfectly sculpted natural features and your inspiration. The mountain offers up its white canvas and you create your Art.
Go to it!
