[size=+2]Sticking It and other Cliff Huxtable's[size]

[Blurred]

It's all about commitment Telekoptero. If your confident, and like others have said, plan on sticking it clean, you prolly will. That's also dependent on the terrain you're skiing as well, cuz it's gotta have a place to ski out of. Start hucking cliffs onto hardpack Telekoptero, and you'll learn not to hip smear or backslap real damn fast.

[Lane Meyer]

And remember kids, it's okay to stomp it in the powder, but it's not okay to stick in the pooter.

Really? Oh dag, I got some serious self-reexamination to do then.

[phUnk]

Really? Oh dag, I got some serious self-reexamination to do then.

Use a hand mirror.

Good point!
Full face helmets = dental insurance

Negative. You can still smash your chin onto your knee with a fullface. A fullface will protect you from smashing your chin/face into just about everything except your knee, however.

[Lane Meyer]

Use a hand mirror.

You, sir, are funny.

I think Cody et al. are right on about the commitment thing when hucking. Since I compressed two T vertebrae in my back my hucking days are over (unless I'm wearing a parachute for nice soft landings). But back when I used to try to air cliffs, I would always hot tub/backslap every time I hesitated, and stomp the landings when I really went for it.

The way I look at it is this - it's pretty much just like sealing the deal on a first date. If you hesitate and expect the backhand when you're going downtown, you're gonna get slapped (I'm Rick James, BITCH!). But, if you're suave-guy and just go for it damn-the torpedoes, you're gonna git some for sure.

Good thread, by the way.

[Telekóptero]

phunk, thanks, bud. liked the tongue part. the shoulder width thing i hadn't thought about and should come a lot more into play on the chubbs. or the havocs if i cave, this year. (urrrhh, [grits teeth], noooooo. . ..must not... . toys. . .sucuumb. . .nnnngg. . )

hev. sorry man. didn't mean to get you riled up. find a roof and a hedge? and thanks for the words. don't know if you tele, but about the head over heels: on flimsystix, you get your choice of the entree.

would monsieur prefer the a) dental full face into the tips as you roll forward;
b) the full on ass over tea kettle with biscuit afterwards, (as rolling over head, to back, to butt, the teleboot flexes, effectively depositing tails straight *down* fall line although you're now sitting up, rolling forward and thus the appetizer of aforementioned skitip (2 if you're hungry), enters mouth. bon appetit. . .or
c) the full on roll many of us have had, landing ptex side down, and skiing away in one fell swoop. 10 yard gain for fluidity.

robo, quality. thanks. will see snowboard vid.

Blurred, thanks. Yeah it seems a lot like commitment's the deal like Alka and you are echoing.
and Brett, take my name off the board. That ain't cool. I appreciate you nominating me for the pistols but I will not hesitate to tell you when common courtesy is necessary, as i have always given you. Thanks.

[Lone Star]

This one guy told me that all it takes is sacking up, you fucking pussy. Not sure if it's true since whenever I "sack up" I usually end up having a hard time finding my skis-- especially since my head's buried in the snow.

[Below Zero]

one cornice at vail, one everyone sees back in China or somewhere, its just such a blast to cruise in and sail.

Are you talking about the Ghengis Khan cornice under Teacup lift?

[Telekóptero]

You, sir, are funny.

Since I compressed two T vertebrae in my back my hucking days are over. . .

Good thread, by the way.

Anyone else do this? LM did you do it *b/c* you stuck a landing and the vertebrae compressed or was it in your lower back as you bent forward on a compression, (which could happen in a botched attempt or on a stomp, I imagine)?

and thanks. I'm glad folks are diggin the thread. I think its something lots on here have wanted to ask.

[Telekóptero]

This one guy told me that all it takes is sacking up, you fucking pussy. Not sure if it's true since whenever I "sack up" I usually end up having a hard time finding my skis-- especially since my head's buried in the snow.

Now my feelings are hurt. I'm going home. Takin' my bat and ball too, bitch.

[Blurred]

and Brett, take my name off the board. That ain't cool. I appreciate you nominating me for the pistols but I will not hesitate to tell you when common courtesy is necessary, as i have always given you. Thanks.

It's edited.
Didn't even think about it, people call me Brett here all the time. Guess I'm just not as sensitive as some. Sorry if I offended you, don't know why it would though.

[Dantheman]

"ohmylawdandbuttahherecomesthegroundshitooomph "

This is your problem. You have to be comfortable in the air or you won't ever stomp anything. The only thoughts that can be in your head before takeoff and in the air are of you skiing away clean into a sea of hot ladies who all now want your nuts. You have to see yourself sticking it in your head the same way you see yourself completing a turn before you actually do. Know your landing zone and see that spot from takeoff to landing.

That being said, the best piece of advice I can give is to ski through your landing instead of into it.


edit: And get some fucking fat skis, it's 2004 for christ's sake!

[Lane Meyer]

The first one was from a high-speed ass-print on a road groomed below a chute on KT in 2001. It was the third day of a four day storm cycle, and my crew and I had started every morning off by straightlining this chute in the middle of what people call the Baby Fingers (Practice Fingers?) on the upper part of KT below Eagle's Nest. On the third morning, I scored one of the first few chairs, and bolted for this chute to tag it while it was still a virgin, and unbeknownst to me, Squaw racing dept. had groomed a road in the outrun as a starting pad for the Ford Downhill race. I screamed out of the chute and saw the road coming, but it was too late - I threw it into the backseat and dropped over the 3 foot wall like a pile of bricks, hit my ass into my bindings and crunched forward, obliterating the front part of my T-8 vertebrae. It did not feel god. People who saw it form the chsir said I bounced a good two feet vertically and skipped about 20 feet downhill after the impact.

The second time was me being an idiot and trying to huck a ~60 footer into the Pacific at home on Lana`i. There's this cliff there called Kahekili's Leap (Red Bull has it's intl. cliff-diving chamionships there every year) Picture and it's a sacred spot to my friends and I as it was the place where you had to jump to prove your loyalty to King Kamehemeha in order to fight for him in battle. Also a way to prove you're "manliness" growing up with a bunch of crazy Hawaiians. So I drank too many beers and thought I could stick it like Cliff Huckstable did earlier in the day and forgot to tense up on impact, so the sheer force of the fall and the calcified fractured bone below it that I got at Squaw in 2001 caused my T-9 to give out. It's really shallow (12 feet) so you have to arch forward, and the curling did me in for sure. That was a miserable 2 hour jeep ride out of there, lemme tell you. But I was back on skis in NZ two weeks later, and I'm fine for the most part now. But my hucking days are over. Going fast is still fun though.

[Telekóptero]

Are you talking about the Ghengis Khan cornice under Teacup lift?

It's some tourist air and I bet that's it. Landed in a pile of newly made powder bumps and imploded with a ton of friends watching. I was laughing so hard and had snow up under every layer of clothing by the time I stopped bouncing, sliding. I just relaxed when i saw that thing, (the bump i landed on), and it was coming at me. I think that's why i make it away from so many wrecks. I kinda like wrecking. Not b/c it's cool, (k, maybe a little), but b/c there's this moment of sheer thrill/clarity right as you get out of control, like a millisecond before, and it's hilarious just letting yourself starfish and not be all that worried. I took some aikido when i was a junior in high school and ever since, I've never broken a bone, except for a rib or two, but that's from a direct impact, not fighting a fall where leverage and indirect impacts, joint crushing ankles/tib/femur, or wrist/ullna/radii are involve).

Actually, if that's the one Below Zero, (anywhere from 5-15ft. to where that first traverse runs along the base of the cornice, right), I saw the most awesomest, dagsnibbety, steezed out air off that thing last year. This kid, all of 8, I'd guess, in full on snow plow, no poles, in those little kiddy one pieces, went off it, at the 10 ft. mark, just after grinning at his Dad who was helping his little sister get around the side of the cornice. He didn't stick it, but I'd be so damn proud of my little ripper if he felt confident enough at frickin 8 to do that.

[chump]

2 additions from some of the best stompers I know.
1. look up on impact. the old look where you are going, and it keeps your face off your knees.
2. hit the landing harder than it hits you. stomp like you mean it, especially when it gets bigger, be aggressive.

[Telekóptero]

I wondered about the look up thing. On dvd's, I've seen some guys raise their chin at the last sec when i put it on slomo. Figured it could be for keeping neck muscles from tearing.

thanks for the tip about skiing through it, Dan. That imagery makes a bunch of things click, stuff i've been wondering about. and i'll work on the mental stuff. I think that's got to be a large part of it. I'm often close but hip it or sitbounce at the last second.

[Telekóptero]

And get some fucking fat skis, it's 2004 for christ's sake! [/QUOTE]


Aww, you so sweet. Bwahahaha! That's awesome! [sniff] that may be my first proper jonging by a respected maggot in all these years. never got a proper induction, really. maybe one. . . . I feel loved. [sniff] I'm gonna need a minute alone now. . .

[Samwich]

What helped me learn how to stomp things clean (the biggest I've ever actually stuck, clean, was about 30 feet) was to think of it as if I'd never even left the ground. Where do you look when you ski down a run? You look at where you'll be shortly. Well, why should it be any different when you're in the air? Where are your hands when you're skiing? In front of you. Why should it be different? How about your weight? Centered? Keep it there. Get the picture? Rather than thinking "okay, I'm skiing, i'm skiing, i'm skiing HERE COMES THE CLIFF HUCK OKAY WHAT SHOULD I DO... UMMMM CLOSE MY MOUTH WEIGHT FORWARD TUCK UP INTO A BALL OH FUCK I'M IN THE AIR AAHHHHHHH!!!!" just keep skiing. Fluidity, baby. Keep it going like it's just a steeper pitch and you're skiing. Don't let the air interrupt your run.

Also, make sure you know the cliff before you hit it if you want to ski for years to come... but once you know it's huckable, don't fuck around. Don't psyche yourself out. Just do it.

[Telekóptero]

so let's share a little info on cliff injuries for the minions and lucky ones who've not had much happen.

anything someone thinks they can help others avoid?


I'd offer don't take it full on the hip. definitely learned that with (luckily) only some minor hemorrhaging. hip pad no es igual a "bomb proof".

had a near miss on a biggie. hottubed a 35, got up and out of curiousity, poked the snow in my impact area to see how much farther to the ground. uncovered rock not more than 3 inches of snow below where my back was. -yeek. watch out for south facing slopes.

On pali chair, coloraggots, you know that tasty off-kilter take off, right above (or somewhere near there. below? along side?) the sign mounted in the rock, about the guy who died skiing turbo or w. turbo? I checked the landing below it and found nothing but huge points of granite sticking up at the sky, just half a foot below the surface. And nobody hits it, the landing area just below the "signed" rock, (how odd), b/c i always see absolute fluff in there. no sign of being packed out by tracks,etc.

[dirtbag]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, a mouthpiece = $5 dental insurance. And look up for fuk sake, your body follows your eyes

[snorkeldeep]

i love watching will burks ski.. hes a pimp.

[Telekóptero]

I don't think anyone has mentioned this yet, a mouthpiece = $5 dental insurance. And look up for fuk sake, your body follows your eyes

seriuosly. i've had one for years but keep battling with the image of pulling that thing outta my mouth on the lift. And nothing like putting cold saliva- laden plastic back in your mouth later.

"Tho, [splatter], where oo ladieth fum, anyway? [drool]"

Perhaps using it just for the occasional huck is best. I've got a least 10 G's invested in my mouth after some concrete at 9.

[robokill1981]

"okay, I'm skiing, i'm skiing, i'm skiing HERE COMES THE CLIFF HUCK OKAY WHAT SHOULD I DO... UMMMM CLOSE MY MOUTH WEIGHT FORWARD TUCK UP INTO A BALL OH FUCK I'M IN THE AIR AAHHHHHHH!!!!" just keep skiing. Fluidity, baby. Keep it going like it's just a steeper pitch and you're skiing. Don't let the air interrupt your run.

Good advice, don't overanalyze anything here. But the detailed instructions are just a step by step towards fluidity.

Dantheman and chump have good advice for landing, ski through the landing (this is easy with a steep landing) and be really aggressive about stomping it. Sometimes it helps to focus more on where your first turn and second turn will be than what the landing will be like, I find technical landings are sometimes easier because I'm not focused on the landing of the drop but what I'm going to do ONCE I land it. All those rocks to the right when you ride up Pali are good practice for this...if we have snow.

Phunk, man I was hoping a full-face was going to cover my ass this year since I'm losing dental insurance...maybe a full face and a mouthgaurd (kept in the jacket and worn for hucks) would be best.

One more thing Telekoptero. Baby steps and repetition are the best. Find a 20 footer that you know you can stick that has good snow and do it over and over and over. Then try a 25 footer and do the same. Then work on 80...

[Telekóptero]

One more thing Telekoptero. Baby steps and repetition are the best. Find a 20 footer that you know you can stick that has good snow and do it over and over and over. Then try a 25 footer and do the same. Then work on 80...

thanks, robo.

[13]

I'm not much of a hucker, 15 ft. being my biggest drop, tops, so I'm not qualified on the big drop stuff.

If you can visualize this simplified aircraft analogy, it might make sense to you...

If you're coming in at a shallow angle like a commercial jet, you'll feel the bump and it isn't so bad. But if you're coming in steep like an F-14 onto the deck of an aircraft carrier, you are gonna get rocked.

Since we have no wings or jet engines, the only way we humans can make our landing angle shallower is to vary our speed. Of course it all depends on terrain as we all know.

That's where psychology comes in -- you gotta have the confidence to huck it hot, and the right judgement of speed, which usually comes with practice and experience.

That said ... I need to sack up and do it since I'm a fucking pussy.