# how long before going to park?



## shirtandnopants (Feb 11, 2011)

How much experience/ skill would you say someone needed to start riding a little park. I've gone up 7 times now, can carve semi-well on blues (tho you just gotta love catching that one edge and launching into a somersault), and getting more comfy/ballsy every time i go up.

Whuddya think?


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## Qball (Jun 22, 2010)

I didn't even touch the park until I was riding black and double blacks comfortably.


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## striker14588 (Dec 27, 2010)

This is my first year and I've gone into the park enough to know thats how I want to spend my day at the mountain but for now I stick to small jumps and wide boxes


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## uh oh a virus (Jan 19, 2011)

i hit the park my first day on a board. honestly being able to bomb a black wont help you at all. park is a way different and way funner expierience.


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## Qball (Jun 22, 2010)

uh oh a virus said:


> i hit the park my first day on a board. honestly being able to bomb a black wont help you at all. park is a way different and way funner expierience.


I didn't say bomb a black run, I said riding comfortably and in control. Having the fundamental skills of basic riding is absolutely necessary before stepping into the park and is needed for safe progression. Just going in and hucking it is a sure way to hurt or kill yourself.


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## alecdude88 (Dec 13, 2009)

Qball said:


> I didn't say bomb a black run, I said riding comfortably and in control. Having the fundamental skills of basic riding is absolutely necessary before stepping into the park and is needed for safe progression. Just going in and hucking it is a sure way to hurt or kill yourself.


listen to this man. also a quote form travis rice (from memory) "no one wants to be that sketchy guy that can do a 7 but can't ride away from it."


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Didn't someone post something recently where they went into the park on their second day and broke their arm?

Hmmmm.....


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

I just started riding last year and the only park I did last year was one of those huge "butter boxes" if that is what it's called. Huge sheet of plastic like 4 feet wide and ride on.

I started trying some more features this year and it has gone well for me. I started very small and worked my way up. Don't be over eager and ride in your ability. I still haven't tried a kink rail, nor boardslide. 

Go slow and study others. Have fun, I do what I can and am enjoying it.


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## earl_je (Oct 20, 2009)

Did a double backflip first day snowboarding.. true story. Caught a heel edge facing uphill after getting fairly comfortable going fast... ah, memories from years long ago. 


..and going to the terrain park first day is just plain idiocy.


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

I was hitting an up-down kink box on my third day on a snowboard. I was probably in there too early. A good rule of thumb I just thought up would be being able to ollie over clumbs of snow with good confidence. That would mean that you are able aim yourself well, control the board and land on snow.


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

The park is inherrantly a dangerous place. It says so in the signs and the baracades that start them off. The basic premise of a park feature is that at some point you FALL from something higher than flat ground. The bigger the park symbol, the bigger the fall usually. When you don't land this fall, or are not comfortable at the high speeds after landing this fall in the balanced stance, you stand a greatly increased chance of sustaning injury or death.

Now there are tiny features at some resorts that don't give you that much of a launch/drop, but keep in mind that falling on a metal pipe is not the same as falling on the snow.


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## Breckenridge (Oct 1, 2009)

you stated you can carve "semi-well" on blues.. I would wait till you are very comfortable on blues and NOT catching edges. Imagine riding at speed up to a rail/box and oh say, six feet from it catching an edge. You may find yourself with a face full of metal and/or plastic. While riding, start looking for little bumps/drops to learn to jump and spin off of before risking your noob body in the park. Helmet.


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## Breckenridge (Oct 1, 2009)

uh oh a virus said:


> i hit the park my first day on a board. honestly being able to bomb a black wont help you at all. park is a way different and way funner expierience.


Don't mean to be harsh,but... this is certainly not true. I'm sure the OP would be very well served by becoming comfortable on blacks first . And park is NOT way different or "funner" (sic) than free-riding. Have you ever dropped a switchbackside7 off a cornice into a steep foot of powder? The park is designed to simulate perfect on mountain conditions for freestyle, not replace them.


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## rasmasyean (Jan 26, 2008)

In addition, you should be comfortable riding with your board completely flat on the ground. Or at the minimum, very low edge angles to the effect that you are practically going straight. When you are 50-50 ing, you are riding flat...and so should your approach be flat. When you do a basic jump, you should approach flat or nearly flat to prevent rotating. 

In addition, just riding comfortably in the blue's is not always enough. You have to be able to pick a target...and bullseye it with your board and at the angle you want to run over it. Then you are ready for ride on features. hop on is another story.


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## slyder (Jan 18, 2010)

rasmasyean said:


> You have to be able to pick a target...and bullseye it with your board and at the angle you want to run over it. Then you are ready for ride on features.


This is an outstanding point. I still have trouble lining up every now and then. Plus our hill is VERY high traffic so the park gets lots of ruts and you sometimes just have to let the rut steer you onto the feature. Still, GREAT point.


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## john doe (Nov 6, 2009)

Unfortunately learning to ride ruts is a huge part of being in the park but not something you can usually expirience outside of the park.


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## Phenom (Dec 15, 2007)

Most kids think they should go in the park after as little as a few days experience when in reality they have no business being anywhere near the park.


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## Extremo (Nov 6, 2008)

You can go into the park anytime you want...just don't fuck up the lips and landings and stay the hell out of everyones way. If that's the type of riding you want to do I recommend doing it as soon as you can. But there are certain rules that you have to follow and you'll probably get your ass kicked if you don't. There are days when the park is fairly empty and you can take your time and ride it at your own pace. But when it's busy remember that everyone is riding fast and has lines picked out so make sure you stay out of them.


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## Lab (Nov 21, 2010)

I first stepped into the park at the beginning of my third year. Prior to that i was very comfortable carving on blues and some easier blacks, and could ride flat based rather easily. Also, i suggest riding over some of the bumps on your normal greens and popping off them. If you are comfortable aproaching, taking off, and landing at moderate speeds and from a couple feet in the air, you are probably OK to go into the park. Just remember that there are basic rules that aren't written but are commen sense. 

Wait your turn, make plans for everything, don't go out of your league, and when you fall, get the heck out of the way asap. Don't be that guy who rides over the jump not even getting any air and ruining it, only to fall once you get over it.


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## uh oh a virus (Jan 19, 2011)

Breckenridge said:


> Don't mean to be harsh,but... this is certainly not true. I'm sure the OP would be very well served by becoming comfortable on blacks first . And park is NOT way different or "funner" (sic) than free-riding. Have you ever dropped a switchbackside7 off a cornice into a steep foot of powder? The park is designed to simulate perfect on mountain conditions for freestyle, not replace them.


it very much is true. however i board at a mt in the Poconos so i have never experienced powder. but i have infact hit the park my first day. now i will be honest in saying i only hit the jumps and even then i got alittle bit of air off it, nothing extreme, but i still hit it. i only did park ever since.


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## freshy (Nov 18, 2009)

You should be able to handle the little park and soon as you can carve, if it's the types of jumps I'm thinking of, it will be a small bump of a jump with a small down hill immediately after. Go have fun, it can only help you to tackle something like that early on. I would stay away from the boxes tho until you feel more comfortable. Or maybe you will have the courage to hit a wide box :dunno: Only you will know.
Giv'er :thumbsup:


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

Breckenridge said:


> And park is NOT way different or "funner" (sic) than free-riding. Have you ever dropped a switchbackside7 off a cornice into a steep foot of powder? The park is designed to simulate perfect on mountain conditions for freestyle, not replace them.


Interesting take. I've never thought about parks that way. I've always looked at parks as being an artificial or synthetic riding environment rather than a collection of features to replicate natural movements.


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