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Building a permanent BC kicker
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Ok, so a few friends and I are seriously thinking about finding a nice area near our ski resort and building a out of bounds BC kicker that we would pretty much build, maintain and session all year. But we want this thing to be sizable, with a large, wide takeoff that will survive the elements and other idiots poaching it. We all have avy shovels, and I even have an ice-cutting saw, which is a nasty looking toothed blade thats about 3 feet long. So I think we can build it - however some tips on how to do one would be nice.
Whats the best method for making a solid kicker? I know that most booters I see in ski movies are made from rectangular "igloo block" pieces. Is it just as simple as cutting a bunch of those? Any good ideas/help from people that have tried to do this? Is it even worth trying to maintain this thing over the year if we'll use it about once a week? And also, any hints on getting a really good inrun?
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that igloo bock idea is supposed work good. a good inrun just step up and back down the inrun with your skis on and ya ill think of some more ideas for you
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if you pack every layer after a new wall of chunks goes up, it will make the jump way more solid. As far as inrun goes just step it out over and over and over and slip it good.
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do you not get snow throughout the season? if you do your going to pretty much have to rebuild it every time
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well if its permanent i would go up there in the off season and make a big dirt pile so u have something to start with. it would also prolong the life as you wouldnt need as much snow in the spring or early season. and it would save you alot of work when you start building it.
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build it huge and super solid. make sure you have plenty of flat space on the end of it, instead of just having the lip drop off at the end.
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use rock solid blocks of snow to build a "frame" if you will, then fill the inside with snow and small blocks and what ever. Be sure to pack good. lots of packing, more packing than a homo rodeo. Build it big, extra big. it is way easier to shave down than build up a kicker when shaping. Build it on a slightly warm day if possible so the snow has a little higher water content and will freeze up in one big block. And as always, avoid the Wu-tang style jump, the gradual grade that suddenly juts up at the lip, you wont that tranny smooth.
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ice blocks work well. If you're pressed for time or equipment, big snowballs can work like ice blocks. Salt every few layers. You can usually get an even inrun without heavy equipment (cats, sleds) by sidestepping up and down the inrun 50 times and then shoveling out the uneven parts. Then have all your snowboarder friends sideslip it. It's more or less common sense and a lot of work.
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We've got a good location actually, its a really exposed and windblown near the kicker, but we'll be landing in a protected bowl-thingy (If all goes well, haha). I was just planning on packing down whatever would have fallen on it and just adding snow where its needed.
As far as inruns, I've tried that step thing, and the problem with it is that the inrun into this thing might be a little bumpy. I dunno, I might actually have to cut down some bumps for it to work.
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Those last two posts had some great ideas. Heres what I'm planning:
-Framing with snow blocks, then filling in the center, overcompensating so its larger than we'll probably need.
-Icing it in layers to add strength, using salt (we'll stash a bag up in a nearby tree at the top of the inrun probably)
-Cutting down hillocks that form in the inrun using the ice saw, then paying off some snowboarders to sideslip down the inrun. I hear they like Red Bull and ciggs.
Cool, thanks for the input everyone! More ideas are always welcome, its good to learn from others experiences I guess.
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you'll neeed shovels with bigger scoops then avy shovels...
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you'll neeed shovels with bigger scoops then avy shovels...
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should go up before it snows and make the basic thing out of dirt
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