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How young did you start skiing park?

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33luke33
Posts: 162 - Karma: 1,427
Just for fun. It was christmas break of 7 grade I slid my first rail, and could soon 3. I think i did 2s outs both ways and 5s by the end of the year. I always felt I was a little old starting, but looking back I was still a small kid. What about you guys?
Mar 2 2017 4:02PM
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OldSpice
Posts: 83 - Karma: 320
I started skiing park when I was 49yo after my son asked me if I could take him to the park at Mammoth Mountain. He said he would hit the jumps if I did. I hit a few jumps and he immediately chickened out. I've been hooked ever since and glad I started while still early in my prime :)
Mar 2 2017 4:27PM
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eheath
Posts: 61604 - Karma: 123,113
First time I hit a rail was probably 2000/2001 (so i was 11 or 12) at mt bachelor, tried to hit a mailbox on my race skis and fell directly to my hip, it hurt, but all I wanted to do was try again.
Mar 2 2017 4:31PM
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.FRY.
Posts: 5620 - Karma: 22,861
raced for about ten years, and would always dip into the park when i was done with training. i quit racing when i was a senior in hs and ive been skiing straight park since.
Mar 2 2017 4:34PM
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.otto.
Posts: 3493 - Karma: 12,895
.Fryraced for about ten years, and would always dip into the park when i was done with training. i quit racing when i was a senior in hs and ive been skiing straight park since.


i always see those race kiddos that dip in the park, i feel like they all secretly just want to park ski and are trapped in race skiing like in a hostage situation, so when ever i see them i try liberate them from their coaches
Mar 2 2017 4:47PM
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JakeBarrett
Posts: 1237 - Karma: 1,843
I started when I was about 11 or 12, I would jump off cat tracks and do 3s and 5s, the next year was the first year I tried hitting a rail and I've been addicted since.
Mar 2 2017 5:05PM
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ZeMagnificentKev
Posts: 618 - Karma: 1,325
Started snowboarding in like 2006 I think, did that for a couple seasons but I totally sucked at it. Alot of my friends were skiing, and after watching my stepbro and his Matt Wilcox (sick namedrop) hit a lil rail and a barrel stall in our frontyard I had to try it. Borrowed a buddys twintips for a day and was already better at it than snowboarding at the end of the day. Then pretty much the next day got up on that run in and my stepbro pushed me down at the rail after I was pussying out and I kinda hit it. So that was around 13 or 14? Been awhile now, never been really amazing at any particular sport so its been a long progression to where I am today, but Im hooked and happy as hell I kept at it.
Mar 2 2017 5:24PM
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SKRockies
Posts: 606 - Karma: 1,689
im 19, started a tiny bit last season where i probably summed up to 2 total days in the park out of a season of about 30 days. This season ive become hooked on learning rails more than anything else. ive put in about 40 days of park skiing when you count two or three hours of hot lapping and ive progressed pretty well, i can hit just about every rail feature in my park in the s-L area, havent tried anything xl yet. Jumps are my weakness i can only really 180 and barely 360 a small jump. looking to get those locked down by end of march and taking them to a 20 or 30 footer. Really wish i started a lot younger, but i snowboarded until i was 13 and so i guess where im at now is fine.
Mar 2 2017 6:03PM
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1210020121
Posts: 146 - Karma: 37
Fourth Grade. Hitting kickers to rails and thinking I was cool. Now I can kind of do a rails, 1s, rails to switch, and 3s. It's been a slow 5 years
Mar 2 2017 6:41PM
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skistupid
Posts: 303 - Karma: 1,198
17-years-ago (2000.) Which-wasn't-really-all-that-long-ago.
Mar 2 2017 7:18PM
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33luke33
Posts: 162 - Karma: 1,427
.otto.i always see those race kiddos that dip in the park, i feel like they all secretly just want to park ski and are trapped in race skiing like in a hostage situation, so when ever i see them i try liberate them from their coaches


My older brother quite racing when he was young and was hitting the park by fourth grade. I have heard a coach say that he "turned to the dark side" as a joke, but lowkey knew that he wanted him racing #parkskiersarebetterskiers
Mar 2 2017 7:28PM
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33luke33
Posts: 162 - Karma: 1,427
SKRockiesi Jumps are my weakness i can only really 180 and barely 360 a small jump. looking to get those locked down by end of march and taking them to a 20 or 30 footer. Really wish i started a lot younger, but i snowboarded until i was 13 and so i guess where im at now is fine.


Jump tricks do seem the hardest to progress in if you're just starting. I did a 5 my first year but the next year couldn't even three without landing on my side... I finally got back on my game and have progressed much more since
Mar 2 2017 7:34PM
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Dddsz
Posts: 3042 - Karma: 7,324
15 years old, almost 19 now...haven't progressed at all. Park has made me more ballsy dropping small cliffs and skiing chutes out west though. Not afraid to sender 60 feet, but a 360 is a big deal to me, fuck that.
Mar 2 2017 7:35PM
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SKIU4EA
Posts: 2387 - Karma: 2,072
It started when I saw some kids build and hike a little booter on a sledding hill. One kid was sending real clean 3's over it. We spent the next few days hiking it and messing around.

Think I was 18,19. It's funny looking back, and realizing seeing those kids sending it, set everything in motion.
Mar 2 2017 7:39PM
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NoImNotaBoarder
Posts: 86 - Karma: 46
I sorta dabbled since I was 7 or 10 (gaper in the park flying off lips, oops, sorry), getting more or less serious depending on how often I got to ride. Learned most of what I know now when I was like 15 (threes both ways, rails, 270 on, nothing special). Lately, I've been riding park a decent amount, and have been trying to push myself to progress a little. I've been hitting bigger rails, but am still struggling to really add to my trick reportoire.
Mar 2 2017 7:52PM
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NoImNotaBoarder
Posts: 86 - Karma: 46
#parkskiersarebetterskiers[/QUOTEI've always been confused why people look down on park skiers as if they're bad at every other aspect of skiing. I feel like to be good or even decent in the park, you have to be really good at the skiing part. I mean, maybe we can't rip down a mogul field as well, but otherwise you gotta be pretty comfortable and confident on your skis to hit a jump or spin on to a rail and shit.
Mar 2 2017 7:57PM
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33luke33
Posts: 162 - Karma: 1,427
NoImNotaBoarderI sorta dabbled since I was 7 or 10 (gaper in the park flying off lips, oops, sorry)


Don't worry, we all started out as 'that kid'
Mar 2 2017 7:57PM
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weastcoat
Posts: 6419 - Karma: 74,059
Ever since I learned to ski when I was 7, I was always hitting sidehits. I loved getting air and that's what put me into park skiing. Did my first rail when I was 12. Wish I wouldve started skiing when I was younger then i would've started park earlier. I couldn't even 2 out this November and I learned 2s both ways and a front 4 on a little flat tube with no drop off by mid February. Pretty proud of myself.
Mar 2 2017 8:09PM
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-skian-
Posts: 335 - Karma: 1,488
I started when I was 15, and wish I started way sooner. In my first year I learned all the rails at my park, front/blind twos, 3's, 5's, backflips, lincolns, and front flips. I'm 17 now.
Mar 2 2017 9:52PM
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270on420out
Posts: 7508 - Karma: 51,058
I was 13 when I started hanging out in parks. Slid my first rail in like January of 2012 and a few weeks later I found NS.
Mar 2 2017 10:59PM
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Titus69
Posts: 9329 - Karma: 17,816
Think I started around first grade, just sliding boxes forward at basically level ground at attitash where my family and family friends always went to on winter break. Didn't start trying stuff til like 4th grade, use to huck switch 3s off the 30 footer at my home mtn, didn't even know what I was doing back then and didn't progress til 5th grade when I learned 5s and then idk where it went from there. Pretty much taught myself park at first.
Mar 2 2017 11:06PM
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Justin113
Posts: 87 - Karma: 265
OldSpiceI started skiing park when I was 49yo after my son asked me if I could take him to the park at Mammoth Mountain. He said he would hit the jumps if I did. I hit a few jumps and he immediately chickened out. I've been hooked ever since and glad I started while still early in my prime :)


this is stuff i like to hear. thats tight
Mar 2 2017 11:16PM
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OldSpice
Posts: 83 - Karma: 320
Justin113this is stuff i like to hear. thats tight


Hugs :) I'm probably the oldest park rat on NS at 54 Think how good you kids will be when you get to b my age!
Mar 2 2017 11:45PM
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Session
Posts: 5379 - Karma: 22,210
42
Mar 2 2017 11:51PM
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Justin113
Posts: 87 - Karma: 265
OldSpiceHugs :) I'm probably the oldest park rat on NS at 54 Think how good you kids will be when you get to b my age!


if we make it that long
Mar 3 2017 1:16AM
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.otto.
Posts: 3493 - Karma: 12,895
LJboiMy older brother quite racing when he was young and was hitting the park by fourth grade. I have heard a coach say that he "turned to the dark side" as a joke, but lowkey knew that he wanted him racing #parkskiersarebetterskiers


i raced for a good 5 years to and most coaches has not a single clue what park skiing is like/ the point of it- when i quit they asked me if i would "win" at park skiing
Mar 3 2017 8:23AM
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SendyMcSendyface
Posts: 2741 - Karma: 23,069
Started at the end of last year, when I was 16. I started to realize that ripping groomers in Southern Ontario was really boring, so I decided to hit the park.
Mar 3 2017 10:44AM
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Mr.Bishop
Posts: 22708 - Karma: 76,633
LJboiJust for fun. It was christmas break of 7 grade I slid my first rail, and could soon 3. I think i did 2s outs both ways and 5s by the end of the year. I always felt I was a little old starting, but looking back I was still a small kid. What about you guys?


I was actually 19 when I rode the park for the first time. Laced a 360 that year and was amped.

I was also on old Salomon Slalom race skis.
Mar 3 2017 11:50AM
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olic
Posts: 294 - Karma: 928
I was jumping off stuff from as early as I can remember, before park skiing was even thing, ashamed to say I then snowbladed a bit for a few years, where I learnt frontflips and a few grabs before moving to snowboarding at 14. Came back to skis at about 17 when I did my first 3 but was still a holiday skier really, only got into it properly at around 21 years old when I did my season and learned rails, misty's and a few other bits, 30 now and wish I'd started earlier.
Mar 3 2017 4:56PM
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Gryllz
Posts: 483 - Karma: 1,204
.otto.i always see those race kiddos that dip in the park, i feel like they all secretly just want to park ski and are trapped in race skiing like in a hostage situation, so when ever i see them i try liberate them from their coaches


START A REVOLUTION!!!
Mar 3 2017 9:47PM
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sui-kide
Posts: 330 - Karma: 680
When I started skiing in 2010 I went to a hill that had 2 slopes and rails on both of them. Those rails and every feature were really sketchy..
Sometimes I went to a better hill which is 30 minutes further than the previous one but I think I have always skied park but not at times when my friends wanted to ski in the forest tracks (?). I never found them funny so I have only ridden park ever since. It's also sad that I ski mostly alone since my skiing friends have moved to a different place and I am the only one of my friends willing to go skiing more than once a year.
Mar 4 2017 6:04AM
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clorox
Posts: 1728 - Karma: 4,863
Started freestyle when I was about 9. Started actually hitting rails and jumps when I was 11 or 12.
Mar 4 2017 12:29PM
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Drewbie
Posts: 14 - Karma: 24
Started for the first time last season at 22 and it's been a slow progression since then. A lot of my friends don't ski and I find it hard to push myself when I go alone (which is a lot), but I'm still having a blast.
Mar 4 2017 2:52PM
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orey
Posts: 83 - Karma: 105
14
Mar 6 2017 5:20PM
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Jems
Posts: 7508 - Karma: 97,147
Started skiing this year with minimal park knowledge. I could hit jumps the season before but I went straight to 360s off small park jumps. Same for rails, I learned quick and started to spin Front 2s off anything I could. More progression I eventually could perfectly front 4, shuffle front 6s. Front swaps were a challenge to me until recently when I learned surface Feds I guess you could say. My best trick off a jump is a 720 off a 20-25 footer I guess you could say.
Mar 7 2017 11:09AM
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Aparker
Posts: 727 - Karma: 1,676
like 12 or 13
Mar 7 2017 11:28AM
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JPR
Posts: 294 - Karma: 603
13, sent a 5 ftr for a chick so worth it now
Mar 7 2017 1:45PM
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RespectTheTrees
Posts: 40 - Karma: 46
about 11, I was skiing with my family at lake louise for winter break, I went into the terrain park and tried a pretty small jump, i later tried to slide boxes and rails and ive been skiing park ever since
Mar 7 2017 5:17PM
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exmoboy
Posts: 11 - Karma: 26
21, and i feel so behind, i have 12 year olds corking in front of me, but i didnt start skiing seriously till i was 16
Mar 7 2017 8:38PM
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