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Come next season my friends and I might try some urban skiing. It would be great if you could share some knowledge or stories so we can avoid as many mistakes as possible. +K for good tips.
Bring water and wax, it always sucks when you are super thirsty or the rail won't slide. And make sure the snow can somewhat pack before you go because it's a bitch if the snow doesn't pack
Another thing I was thinking about making a thread on is skiing over asphalt/concrete or just any surface that is not rail or snow. I See this all the time (of course mostly by sponsored riders that can go through as many pairs of skis as they want) but it seriously must destroy your bases and edges. Is this actually not bad somehow or does everyone just shit on their skis? Would it be a good investment to get some beater skis for urban or just try and keep mine in good condition?
skiing on stairs is kind of like doing a 50-50 on a drop box with a catch- you're on methamphetamine.
if someone asks you to leave, leave. your shot probably isn't worth trouble (cam riley's home depot shot was).
nut up or shut up. urban is scary, send it or go home. also don't do it alone unless you have enough faith in your skills that you won't break a leg and end up dying from hypothermic shock.
nutting is not a question of if, it is a question of when. you'll get banged up but don't let it deter you.
most importantly break down your lip and push it to the side, i don't care if you are going back to the spot the next day just DO IT. otherwise people get really pissed off that there's a pile of snow on top of a stairset that obstructs the path and makes the steps icy when temps dance around the freezing point. leave the spot better than you found it, otherwise you might come back to your spot the next season and find grind stoppers or some other preventative measure.
Believe it or not urban is a great way to progress skills of all sorts. Sure it's more work, but it is rewarding. I learned my first backflip on my local sledding hill. We just made a kicker, and packed the landing with pow so the consequences were low and dialed it in. So based off of my experiences, that's what I recommend you do.
dustygoldflakesI learned my first backflip on my local sledding hill. We just made a kicker, and packed the landing with pow so the consequences were low and dialed it in.
when approaching the rail, really commit to it and pop harder than you think is enough. you don't really wanna catch your tips under a rail and grind your face to a staircase.
and yea, clean the stairs from snow. you'll both make the shot look cooler AND prevent old people from slipping and hurting themselves in the stairs!
assuming you'll do rails, DON'T step on. in fairness you should never step on, but if you do in the park and slide out it's ok, just ride away. not the same story in urban trust me xD
john18061806leave the spot better than you found it, otherwise you might come back to your spot the next season and find grind stoppers or some other preventative measure
can you please tell us what grind stoppers are, dude?
veng_mcan you please tell us what grind stoppers are, dude?
I'm thinking this is sarcasm but I'll treat it like it's serious. There's a whole industry behind it, mostly from certain skaters that were disrespectful to property owners but it carries over into skiing too. Sometimes people just hold the stereotype that anyone who can grind is an absolute and total asshole. You can write this company a hate letter if you want (http://www.stopagrind.com/railingstop.htmlhttp://www.stopagrind.com/railingstop.html)
They are things they put on rails to keep you from hitting them. Most handrails in Minnesota have them or are built with them already welded in. Some are easy to take off but then you can easily be charged with vandalism.
john18061806I'm thinking this is sarcasm but I'll treat it like it's serious. There's a whole industry behind it, mostly from certain skaters that were disrespectful to property owners but it carries over into skiing too. Sometimes people just hold the stereotype that anyone who can grind is an absolute and total asshole. You can write this company a hate letter if you want (http://www.stopagrind.com/railingstop.htmlhttp://www.stopagrind.com/railingstop.html)
They are things they put on rails to keep you from hitting them. Most handrails in Minnesota have them or are built with them already welded in. Some are easy to take off but then you can easily be charged with vandalism.
Take the extra time to make a good smooth in run and landing space. this is of course taliking to people who are just getting into hitting street features (If you're advanced you're likely hitting high bust spots and don't always have time).
Find spots that you feel comfortable with. Don't think you need to go out first year and hit big/difficult features. Give yourself the time to figure it out.
You will likely never have enough speed. A good way to practice for hitting street rails is to go to your local mountain, find the highest street style rail and drop in about 15 feet before it. This will teach you how to pick the right line, use edges without losing speed and pop.
Know your out. Every rail you hit when first starting you should have a safe out. Example: if you're hitting a gap to rail make sure you have a chance to gap over to the outside of the rail and ski away at least once before going for it.
When you are ready (relative term, all street rails will have you a little nervous for awhile) commit. The safest way to make it out of any street feature is the way you set it up. So focus on that. Think about a close out rail or stairs. The safest thing is to stay on the rail and come off the end. you should only be focusing on making it to the end.
But above all, speed will be your enemy. Take the time to make a good in run and give yourself more speed than you think you will need.
Thom4sAnother thing I was thinking about making a thread on is skiing over asphalt/concrete or just any surface that is not rail or snow. I See this all the time (of course mostly by sponsored riders that can go through as many pairs of skis as they want) but it seriously must destroy your bases and edges. Is this actually not bad somehow or does everyone just shit on their skis? Would it be a good investment to get some beater skis for urban or just try and keep mine in good condition?
What I do and probably most people do is taking their old skis to go urban skiing. I have my last year's skis for urban and I use my new skis for the mountain
Shovel the stairs and then freeze them over with water. I prefer to take care of my gear if can and you can put gravel on the stairs once you are done so people don't slip. Also don't underestimate the speed. Most urbans I've done have been somewhat messed up due to lack of speed. The best strategy for filming (if there isn't a designated filmer) is to let someone session the spot for a few minutes and get a shot they want to get and then switch filmers (works best with two people)
"urban" skiing is defined as skiing anywhere that is not made for skiing. And at this hill, it even said no skiing or building jumps. So it is considered urban skiing bud.
dustygoldflakes"urban" skiing is defined as skiing anywhere that is not made for skiing. And at this hill, it even said no skiing or building jumps. So it is considered urban skiing bud.
i get what you're saying, I wasn't trying to be a dick. I just wouldn't call it urban because you are building a jump to learn a trick. It's lower risk and lower skill than what is required for a park, I consider urban to be higher risk and higher skill than what is required in a park.
Although, building an film-worthy urban gap jump with a soft landing could technically be worth trying a new jump trick but generally that doesn't happen. "Urban" has a very subjective definition. Most people wouldn't call building a jump at a sledding hill "urban".
I have a 5 gallon jug of water that i refill for hydration, also if you can find the special flavors of CLIF bars you are absolutely set. Coconut chocolate chip, carrot cake, iced gingerbread, to name a few.
