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June, 2025

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Building a ski jump

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Butter4dayz
Posts: 126 - Karma: 567
What are some tips to build a jump? I you've seen people put salt on them. What does this do?
9 years ago
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brett_fisher
Posts: 2419 - Karma: 10,519
salt is a spring and summer thing to get the snow to freeze so it packs and doesn't just get slushy
9 years ago
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CameraWiz
Posts: 735 - Karma: 2,112
Depends what you are building the jump for. For me I prefer a pretty much wedge shape for rails and such. Don't be afraid to walk on the jump. If you cant walk across most of the jump without it collapsing, its not solid. Salt helps a ton, melts the snow then lets it ice up again really nice.

For like an actual jump it all depends where you're building it too and how big. A lot of factors come into the play such as speed needed and if its a step down or step up or table. Just make sure you dont have to much flex on the jump or else itll feel like you skied into a single stair.
9 years ago
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HaydenWrong
Posts: 986 - Karma: 2,165
physics class will help jimmy
9 years ago
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californiagrown
Posts: 9794 - Karma: 2,014
Are you building a lip, or a booter? What part of the country?
9 years ago
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Saga.
Posts: 3812 - Karma: 45,341
pile up more snow than you think you need and let it settle.
9 years ago
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Hoodliving
Posts: 1033 - Karma: 1,877
Get yourself a dmos stealth shovel to make it easy on you ;). What we usually do will figure out where we want our lip to be and hike up do a test run to see how the speed feels. If it feels good, then it's starting to flatten out the belly and building a big old pile of snow, use your skis to walk on it to help shape the transition, keep packing the side and the back of the lip. Once you've got a decent pile built and rough shaped, throw a few to 10 handfuls of salt spread across all of it, backside too. Then stomp shape and repeat till its firm and doesn't collapse. Don't forget to pack the backside of the lip, I've seen was to many lips blow up as someone hits it. Have fun and it's all just going for it start small work up to bigger gaps and lips.
9 years ago
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Casey
Posts: 8025 - Karma: 27,011
One tip I learned for building wedges was to stab everyone's skis into the snow in a line to give yourself something to build up snow against. Start on the backside of the lip, move to do each side.
9 years ago
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SkiingBurgular
Posts: 138 - Karma: 130
use hard packs of snow, if u use only powder it wont work at all
9 years ago
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Belch
Posts: 212 - Karma: 219
use a shovel
9 years ago
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GoldFlameChain
Posts: 110 - Karma: 79
Put rly hot water on it
9 years ago
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clorox
Posts: 1728 - Karma: 4,867
brett_fishersalt is a spring and summer thing to get the snow to freeze so it packs and doesn't just get slushy


It can be used year round to make a lip solidify. Water is also sometimes used.
9 years ago
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Saga.
Posts: 3812 - Karma: 45,341
FKS_HEEL_PIECEIt can be used year round to make a lip solidify. Water is also sometimes used.


Not always true. Un certain temps and snow moisture content salt can make the snow very sandy and not able to pack together. The right temp and moisture content are important to consider before using salt or water.
9 years ago
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