# Is there no hope for me on bigger hits?



## ketchupgun (Apr 6, 2013)

Riding Skill level: there isn't a run in the swiss alps I can't do...on or off piste.

Park Skill level: I nail the small jumps.
The medium jumps terrify me. I went for a medium jump once...totally nailed it, landed, road away, but completely felt like throwing up after that much air. lol

I don't even like the sensation of jumping off a diving board.

I've just grown accustomed to "these jumps ain't my thing"...or am I looking at it the wrong way?
What are you thoughts? Am I alone on this one 
thx.


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

Jumpin aint for everyone, just like getting a blowj... ooh wait... forget it. Your'e weird.


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## ketchupgun (Apr 6, 2013)

ha.

BJ would make me puke too, i'm sure.


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## zenboarder (Mar 5, 2009)

Personally I find that I need to be doing something on bigger hits otherwise yeah they feel hella sketch. What I mean by this is spinning a bigger jump or grabbing feels way way better than simply straight airing the thing. It's super critical to get that tuck in and focus on that instead of how high you are from the table... I'm willing to bet if you throw a spin off those jumps you will likely forget how much air you have and you will focus on the rotation.


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## Kenai (Dec 15, 2013)

I love jumping. I love that feeling of being in the air. I don't like landing and I really don't like crashing. The don't likes win out over the likes every day.

Seriously, though, why do you want to hit big jumps? If it means that much to you to learn, pick a powder day before the park is groomed out and go huck yourself. That is the best time to get big air anyway!


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## ketchupgun (Apr 6, 2013)

that's makes alot of sense! distraction! I always figured i'd straight it before moving on to complicating it.


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## chicagoland (Feb 22, 2014)

I think you will get used to the feeling if you jump more. I will straight air/grab jumps up to about 30' but I wouldn't consider spinning something larger than 15' yet. To me, spinning in the air is 10 times scarier, but obviously some people find the opposite to be true.:dunno:


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

Btw, in all seriousness, some people like roller coasters, some people don't. No shame in not liking to take air. I wouldn't sweat it. Do what makes you happy, not pukey.


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## zenboarder (Mar 5, 2009)

Kenai said:


> Seriously, though, why do you want to hit big jumps? If it means that much to you to learn, pick a powder day before the park is groomed out and go huck yourself. That is the best time to get big air anyway!


:dunno: Usually the concern with big jumps is the speed upon approach which is why the large jumps are usually closed on powder days. You simply can't get enough speed to clear them. Not to mention you want the lips to have been raked not be full of snow...


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## XxGoGirlxX (Jan 15, 2016)

Would you consider taking "drops" off of terrain features on the sides of groomers a way to get used to taking jumps? Or are they too different to really compare?


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

You just need to get used to it.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

It's just about becoming comfortable in the air. At first, it's such an uncomfortable feeling, and you can't help but imagine all the things that could go wrong. But after awhile, the feeling becomes more natural, and you stop even thinking about it.


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## timmytard (Mar 19, 2009)

Get over the puking when blown thing:dry:

Then gradually start hitting bigger shit.

Drops are good too, I way rather take drops then hit big kickers.

Sometimes kickers are built shitty, flat landings, weird kicks @ the lip.

Drops are fairly easy, you rarely get all tweaked out in the air.


TT


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## zenboarder (Mar 5, 2009)

XxGoGirlxX said:


> Would you consider taking "drops" off of terrain features on the sides of groomers a way to get used to taking jumps? Or are they too different to really compare?


Too different to have much overlap frankly. Drop offs are usually something you ride into going quite slow since otherwise you're going to air to flat. They also do not have a lip which means you don't have to adjust your weight as you go up the lip and then sort out your weight so you stay balanced in the air. Jumps are a lot harder than straight up drops because there's more things involved.


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## ketchupgun (Apr 6, 2013)

Honestly, even jumping off a 10ft diving board makes me sick

I also get "the tickle" in an elevator. 

I dunno what it is. The visual I have i my head is me flying through a big kicker with grace style and precision, a a big trail of barf behind me....


Sent from my Speak & Spell.


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## bksdds (Jul 2, 2015)

ketchupgun said:


> Honestly, even jumping off a 10ft diving board makes me sick
> 
> I also get "the tickle" in an elevator.
> 
> ...


Just think "vomit breathing dragon" when you go off the jumps.


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## WasabiCanuck (Apr 29, 2015)

Air freaks me out too. I blew my knee once on a side hit landing in pow. And I've been freaked ever since. Just don't feel natural. Also I'm 260lbs so when I land it is a bit like an elephant landing. >


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

WasabiCanuck said:


> Air freaks me out too. I blew my knee once on a side hit landing in pow. And I've been freaked ever since. Just don't feel natural. Also I'm 260lbs so when I land it is a bit like an elephant landing. >


What's up with Saskatchewans breaking their legs? Not enough calcium?


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## WasabiCanuck (Apr 29, 2015)

speedjason said:


> What's up with Saskatchewans breaking their legs? Not enough calcium?


In Mark's defense, he is going WAY bigger than me. :grin: Also I didn't break my leg, I pulled my MCL. But yes we are crazy fuckers that go big. k::skateboarding1::medic::injured:

Here's the vid if you missed it. Pretty gross. uke:
I hope he comes back as good as new but a broken femur is no joke.


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## speedjason (May 2, 2013)

WasabiCanuck said:


> In Mark's defense, he is going WAY bigger than me. :grin: Also I didn't break my leg, I pulled my MCL. But yes we are crazy fuckers that go big. k::skateboarding1::medic::injured:
> 
> Here's the vid if you missed it. Pretty gross. uke:
> I hope he comes back as good as new but a broken femur is no joke.


I saw that. What a freak accident. I still don't understand how it got broken. Did break when he landed with right knee locked or when he caught an edge and flipped over?


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

It broke when he caught that edge. Just a freak accident. He's probably hopped back up while sliding like that a thousand times. Probably caught a few edges like that in the process. The human body can be amazingly durable at times and amazingly fragile at others. Just gotta hit or torque something the wrong way and bad things happen.


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## WasabiCanuck (Apr 29, 2015)

Sorry to thread jack but....

Here's a CBC article where he explains what happened. I guess they didn't groom the landing properly.



_When Mark McMorris stood atop the massive snowboard jump at Shaun White's Air+Style competition on Feb. 21, everything seemed to be normal.

The 22-year-old Olympic bronze medallist was having the best season of his career, had some great practice jumps leading into the event and was expected to put on another display of aerial prowess with a frontside 1440 triple cork.

But something was different, McMorris said: no snow cats. The truck-sized vehicles that groom and even out the snow in the landing area are a common sight at most jump events. 

"A lot of the sections weren't level on the landing," said McMorris, who fell hard on his landing, broke his right femur and is now recovering in Los Angeles.

"My injury didn't come from impact, it was because there was a different level further down the landing, higher than the level I landed on," he said.

"When I was falling onto my butt and my board was turning sideways, the higher level of snow caught my toe side edge and brought my weight over the front of my board and pushing my femur through."

'Something's not right'

McMorris has never had an injury this severe.

"As soon as I flipped over I was like, 'Something's not right, I'm pretty sure I heard my binding snap off my board,'" he said. "I landed the trick and went through happiness for a split second, and then it just happened."

When people ran over to help him, realization of the injury overcame him. Though everything happened in seconds, it felt much longer.

"It's unreal how many things can go through your mind," said McMorris. "I worked so hard to prevent a situation like this, and the fact that it was a freak accident was making me so mad."

"I was also really sad because my Dad and his buddy were there to watch me, and my family is always such good luck for me and it's always fun to win when you're family's around," the Regina-born snowboarder said.

He said thoughts of everything he was going to miss — filming a part in an upcoming snowboard movie and major international competitions including the X Games and world championships — overwhelmed him as he waited helplessly in the snow.

Recovering in Los Angeles

McMorris had surgery, to insert a metal rod into his femur, the day after the injury and has been doing physiotherapy consistently since he returned home from the hospital. He's been working on moving his leg, and trying to strengthen and engage some of the smaller muscles around his femur. He's not wearing a cast. 

Only a small circle of close friends and his physiotherapist have been around McMorris since the injury. 

"They've literally been dragging me around the house and helping me do everything," said McMorris, laughing. "All you can do is put yourself in a positive mind frame, and that will make the healing process go faster, too." 

McMorris will remain in Los Angeles until he has his stitches removed. After that he'll head to Vancouver to begin a full rehabilitation process._

Link to article:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/olympics/winter/snowboard/mark-mcmorris-wanted-level-playing-field-1.3466242


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## linvillegorge (Jul 6, 2009)

Maybe that's the case... or maybe he doesn't want to admit he made an amateur mistake and snapped his femur because of it. The shit happens, even to the best of them.


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## ketchupgun (Apr 6, 2013)

Ow ow ow ow ow!


Sent from my Speak & Spell.


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## XxGoGirlxX (Jan 15, 2016)

Funny thread lol... Ketchupgun u need to spend some serous hours on the pirate ship at the fair hahaha... I can't / won't watch that video.. Bad mojo.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

ketchupgun said:


> Riding Skill level: there isn't a run in the swiss alps I can't do...on or off piste.
> 
> Park Skill level: I nail the small jumps.
> The medium jumps terrify me. I went for a medium jump once...totally nailed it, landed, road away, but completely felt like throwing up after that much air. lol
> ...


Definitely not alone. There was a time in my life where I thought I had to be able to hit the big hits in the park, I managed to survive them. I have no problem taking a big natural hit or flying off a roller, but there is something about a park that intimidates me. Same thing with diving boards I like front flipping off the small ones but doing a flip off the big one always scarred the crap out of me, but my friends busting back flips and rodeos made it look so easy and fun. I remember thinking why an I doing this, it's not even fun.

If your determined to get as much air as possible just keep at it I'm sure you'll eventually get used to it. It does feel pretty good to land a big jump tho, but for me the reward is not worth the risk anymore.


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## ketchupgun (Apr 6, 2013)

XxGoGirlxX said:


> Funny thread lol... Ketchupgun u need to spend some serous hours on the pirate ship at the fair hahaha... I can't / won't watch that video.. Bad mojo.



Lol! That's the best comment all day. 


Sent from my Speak & Spell.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

ketchupgun said:


> Honestly, even jumping off a 10ft diving board makes me sick
> 
> I also get "the tickle" in an elevator.


You might have an inner ear/vertigo issue. It happens to quite a few people. The thing you have to ask yourself is, are you scared of the diving board? If you're not scared, but it makes you feel like puking, you could have a balance/ear issue. See a Dr. for that.

If you mean that it brings big butterflies and anxiety to your stomach, then that's mental and there are any number of ways of working around that.

Can't treat the problem, until we know what the problem is!

This is Dr. Poutanen, and I'm listening. >


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## f00bar (Mar 6, 2014)

poutanen said:


> You might have an inner ear/vertigo issue. It happens to quite a few people. The thing you have to ask yourself is, are you scared of the diving board? If you're not scared, but it makes you feel like puking, you could have a balance/ear issue. See a Dr. for that.
> 
> If you mean that it brings big butterflies and anxiety to your stomach, then that's mental and there are any number of ways of working around that.
> 
> ...


Pretty sure the treament is alcohol either way.


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## Shred&Butter (Sep 15, 2012)

A lot of it is mind over matter. And getting a good take off. The thing I fear more than the jump itself is losing balance in the air and going into windmill mode. I've tweaked too many muscles doing that!

It always helps to go off a jump with purpose and on your terms. Pop at the lip and tuck your knees. The falling feeling (and windmill mode) normally only happens if you change your mind at the last second and your body is resisting the jump.

Piste jumps help a lot here, partly because there isn't an audience .


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