Find a Stump, or Build a Jump

by Catherine Clune

During this rough time for our economy, the cost of a day trip to the snow is often out of the question. Even if you have been able to collect the money, you end up on a crowded hill with all of the other weekenders. The snow turns to mashed potatoes before you have been able to eat your very average $12 hamburger. You go to get in line and spend a half an hour waiting to sit on a chair while it only takes you a couple minutes to get back down and do it again. As if all of this isn’t enough to make your day, there is a guarantee of a constant back up on each element of the park. There is only one solution to this frustration most people experience, even after paying all that money. Ditch the resort and work on creating your own personal park wonderland right in your backyard.

It seems like the effort put into shoveling and packing your own jump would be hard work, but there are many times where this can really pay off. There are a few essential tips that will make your first experience turn into a tradition.

1) Always make sure your hill is close enough to your starting point otherwise you won’t want to walk there on a powder day. (Missing a powder day because your lazy is a big mistake!)

2) Find a few friends to help shovel and pack down the jump, because it is never as fun riding by your self.

3) It is always a good idea to pack down your jump and only hit it a couple times the first day. This way you will have a nice ice pack under the future snow and your landing won’t be as easily torn up.

4) Many times you will find you can’t gain enough speed in some spots to hit an element you have created. In this case you can usually make a series of up and down rollers to give you have a chance to pump up some speed.

5) Many times there are jumps formed in the forest by trees or other natural elements, which can give you a good framework for building your own. Watch out for hidden rocks on your first few test runs.

6) Use your scouting skills to see if you can find a tree trunk on its side or a stump to incorporate a grind.

7) Many people utilize their backyard set up once the resorts close for the night. In this case it is very nice to have a floodlight available for those nighttime sessions when you just couldn’t get enough.

8) After hitting a straight jump try and mix it up a bit with a new trick. You can only get better if you push yourself and the best way is to gradually add a variation to a trick you already know.

9) The best opportunity your own backyard set up gives you, is the ability to get back on the same element after you fall. Waiting and thinking about a spill you just took is the hardest way to get better. Your own jump allows you to get up and try to stick it the next time.

Snowboarding has been known to be a sport for the select class that can afford it. This seems to have affected the availability to most people around the world. Women have really started to shine in the world of snowboarding, but the level of competition has not yet reached that of men. Having the ability to ride your own spots will step up the competition of snowboarding compared to skateboarding that brings easy availability to people in almost any location. Encouraging more women to push themselves in different aspects of the mountain will keep the pressure in the competition. Opening the availability of riding to all people no matter what your income is, will bring out a unique style that the mountain has yet to see.

The pressure of making a mistake in front of everyone riding the lift and in line at the park has been diminished easily by creating your own private spot. You can bring your lunch and drinks and set yourself up for a day of fun. Because you don’t have the same restrictions as on the mountain, there are perks like the ability to be accompanied by your dog. Of course, nothing can beat the chairlift up and a nicely groomed park with no effort on your part. On the other hand, when you are spending that much money, nothing is worse than a crowded mountain and bad snow. Use your creativity to make your own style park with rollers, drops and jumps, and you will never get bored. Even after all the advice, you understand the importance of realizing you are your own responsibility. You can always start with a small jump and make it larger, but when you first go down hard off a big jump, you won't have a chance to go back and realize it should have been smaller.