Jumping For Noobies

Jumping for me is the best part of snowboarding. In addition to the rush, jumping gives me a feeling of weightlessness and peace that, although brief, is enduring in its effect on the psyche. It truly is therapy, for me anyway. The most important thing to remember is that fear is, in my opinion, accountable for anywhere from 50% to 90% of why people fall. The best way to get good at jumping is to start small. Before you even attempt a jump, try jumping with your board on a flat surface. In fact, you don't even need to be on the slopes. You can do it at home on your carpet. Practice jumping on a flat surface until you feel somewhat comfortable with it. Once you feel ready to try jumping off of a real jump, don't.

First, scan your run for some smaller, easier jumps. Next, casually go over it. Get a feel of its angles, it's features, and its landing. This is gonna sound kind of funny, but get to know your jump. You can't see every part of the jump just by looking at it. You have to go over it. There are too many angles to see from one point of view. Remember, not only do you have the angles of the jump to worry about, but the angles of the slope as well; the areas before and after your jump. It's not like a skateboard ramp where everything is perfect, nice and neat. This is snow, a natural phenomenon, and there is no perfection in nature. Nature is perfectly imperfect. Once you feel comfortable with your jump, give it a shot. But at the same time, don't go crazy. Start off with a little hop and build from there. If you stick to it, eventually, you'll get comfortable enough to grab your board and start spinning in the air.