# Air Bags?



## CheoSamad (Nov 18, 2011)

How do you guys feel about throwing tricks in to air bags?
Does it still hurt to land on your back or face if you mess up?
Does it really help once you have to take the tricks to big jumps?
My local mountain is installing the new air bag this weekend and I want to know what to expect.


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## Smokehaus (Nov 2, 2010)

I have never used one personally, but the only thing i would be worried about would be having my board hit me after landing.


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## Tech420 (Jul 1, 2011)

I remember reading somewhere that if you land it perfectly (as if there was no air bag) it can mess you up pretty good. You are supposed to land a little bit off.


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## Shazkar (Dec 14, 2011)

Tech420 said:


> I remember reading somewhere that if you land it perfectly (as if there was no air bag) it can mess you up pretty good. You are supposed to land a little bit off.


YEP

They had one at Windham

Feb 2010: I was enjoying the air bag for my first time, did it like 10 times in a row, and then decided to do ONE more time... threw a 180, landed "perfectly" with my feet down, which meant that as I sunk in, when I fell to one side, my board was stuck into the air bag. 
And that is how I sprained my MCL, which has been a continual problem for me / bothered me at least to some degree ever since 

Couldn't walk properly for a while after that

If you land on your face or your back or whatever you will be totally fine.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Depends on the airbag.... Ask before you jump, you can ride off of some of them


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## lonerider (Apr 10, 2009)

CheoSamad said:


> How do you guys feel about throwing tricks in to air bags?
> Does it still hurt to land on your back or face if you mess up?
> Does it really help once you have to take the tricks to big jumps?
> My local mountain is installing the new air bag this weekend and I want to know what to expect.


1. It's pretty fun.
2. Landing on your whole back is fine... It stings if you land head first... but it's a LOT less painful/damaging than if you did it for real.
3. Yes, it helps you get a feel for the rotation in the air know when to spot your landings... especially for inverted tricks... for instance on a backflip/wildcat... you will know that once you see the sky a second time, you need to open up, slow your rotation and get ready to land (in the beginning a lot of people have no clue about their orientation to the ground while in the middle of the spin... i.e. if they are under/over-rotating in the air or if they are off-axis).
4. I've done three different air-bags... most of them it's much better to land on your board and then intentionally slide off your heelside onto your butt than to try and ride it out (it's actually impossible to ride it out on some setups).


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## MTC (Jan 9, 2012)

*Instructor/Coach Supervision???*

Are these air bags just put out for anyone to try out or is the use supervised by proper qualified coaches/instructors who provide coaching advice?


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

There is supervision but I've never heard of a coach. A coach wouldn't be of much good since most are there just to fling themselves in to the air.


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## eddiethebus (Mar 16, 2011)

airbags do seem to be more common in the euro zone, we have them indoors in the UK and at my local hill here in france. There good fun, the only time i've ever seem anyone really get hurt is when they didnt carry enough speed off the kicker to actually make the bag. They just fell of the backside of the kicker :dunno:

My biggest problem with them is they tend the make the kicers narrow which makes spinning more difficult and they are artificially steep compared to 90% of park kickers as they dont want you travelling a distance. They just dont mimic most real life kickers very well.

I've never really learned very much off them


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## MTC (Jan 9, 2012)

john doe said:


> There is supervision but I've never heard of a coach. A coach wouldn't be of much good since most are there just to fling themselves in to the air.


How do you guy actually learn any new skills, are you just seeing and doing without really understanding the mechanics of it all?


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

You huck it and hope for the best. See what happens and adjust what you do. If you're lucky you have a friend watching that can give some advice. That variable is what gives us our style and keeps us from looking like gymnasts on a trampoline. Unlike a trampoline the conditions are never the same. Relying on muscle memory is never going to be enough.


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## CheoSamad (Nov 18, 2011)

Did it for the first time today.
To start let me say it was BEYOND fun!
I did not hurt at all too land even if you landed perfect. I did some laid out backflips and landed perfect and rode off the back of the bag.


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## CheoSamad (Nov 18, 2011)

Weird rodeo 540 (snowboarding) - YouTube check it.


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## Ocho (Mar 13, 2011)

CheoSamad said:


> Did it for the first time today.
> To start let me say it was BEYOND fun!
> I did not hurt at all too land even if you landed perfect. I did some laid out backflips and landed perfect and rode off the back of the bag.





CheoSamad said:


> Weird rodeo 540 (snowboarding) - YouTube check it.


That looks like fun! Cool to see some video of it (apart from the webcam). Their bag seems less inflated than Blue's? Maybe better for a correct landing?

On a slightly different note, how are the conditions up there at Camelback this weekend? Thinking of heading up early in the week. Thanks!


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## CheoSamad (Nov 18, 2011)

EatRideSleep said:


> That looks like fun! Cool to see some video of it (apart from the webcam). Their bag seems less inflated than Blue's? Maybe better for a correct landing?
> 
> On a slightly different note, how are the conditions up there at Camelback this weekend? Thinking of heading up early in the week. Thanks!


First try at Backside Double Rodeo 900 (snowboarding) - YouTube bit more footy.
Conditions have varied. Yesterday was beyond icy but today was loose granular and packed pow in some places.


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## Ocho (Mar 13, 2011)

CheoSamad said:


> First try at Backside Double Rodeo 900 (snowboarding) - YouTube bit more footy.
> Conditions have varied. Yesterday was beyond icy but today was loose granular and packed pow in some places.


Haha! Another nice vid! :thumbsup:

Thanks for the conditions report. Hopefully they'll be able to have the guns on tonight..


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## CheoSamad (Nov 18, 2011)

EatRideSleep said:


> Haha! Another nice vid! :thumbsup:
> 
> Thanks for the conditions report. Hopefully they'll be able to have the guns on tonight..


Just as an opinion I would wait until next weekend to go out. Sunday is usually pretty calm and has the best conditions of the weekend.


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## Ocho (Mar 13, 2011)

CheoSamad said:


> Just as an opinion I would wait until next weekend to go out. Sunday is usually pretty calm and has the best conditions of the weekend.


Thanks, Cheo. I prefer to go weekdays (less crowded). If I go up on a weekend day (like I did last weekend), it's for the evening anyway.

Mid week it's forcast to be warmer, so I was thinking of getting up there before that happens.


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