How to speed test a jump

If you knuckle then you didn't have enough speed.

ask people first before you hit it

Simon Dumont and Big Air Dave could probably give you some pointers

Straight line

Pretty sure Someone made a thread about this just a couple days ago that’s still on the first page

But just ask some one else where to drop in from or ask if u can follow them in. If no one else is there just go faster then you think you’ll have to, it’s a lot better to send a jump deep than to knuckle it

Go as fast as you can, also make sure you're back seat

you can never have to much speed

Just fucking send it. You'll know in the air if your speed is off.

I like to take what I think might be a bit of extra speed, and then take a slight angle to the left or the right off the takeoff. Going at an angle gives you more landing, as long as you don't angle too hard and jump off the landing entirely. But this is a good strategy to avoid going to the "Big Air Dave" zone on a test hit.

It's good to roll through the park first and check out the jumps so you know how steep and long the landings are; what the take off angle is like, so you can visualize your trajectory; what the snow is like on approach and landing- is it icy and difficult to edge? firm corduroy? groomed? death cookies/ridges in the approach or landing? mushy in sunlight but frozen in the shade?
When speed checking I like to do a twister, spread eagle, daffy or a grab so I create some movement to stabilize myself in the air and make corrections if I am a little back or forward on take off.
Probably goes without saying, but start by hitting the smaller features so you are warmed up and feeling confident.

take more speed than you think and jump a little bit to the left/ right.

Lil_fishyyou can never have to much speed

full send fur the boys.

shredasaurusask people first before you hit it

People are full of shit though. Ive gone way too big too many times because "one small scrub" or "no speed check" coming from other riders.

I generally just follow somebody in if it's a big jump. Or just guess and pray to baby jesus you don't fuck it up. Yolo

Mr.noodlePretty sure Someone made a thread about this just a couple days ago that’s still on the first page

But just ask some one else where to drop in from or ask if u can follow them in. If no one else is there just go faster then you think you’ll have to, it’s a lot better to send a jump deep than to knuckle it

This isnt very good advice imo. Some people tend to be pussies and go slow, some people are way too sendy and go big. Going faster than you think you need is good for some people and terrible for others.

Jut follow somebody. Knuckling hard or landing 7 states away are both no bueno. Stay safe fam

theabortionatorThis isnt very good advice imo. Some people tend to be pussies and go slow, some people are way too sendy and go big. Going faster than you think you need is good for some people and terrible for others.

Jut follow somebody. Knuckling hard or landing 7 states away are both no bueno. Stay safe fam

“7 states away” hahaha

Either try to follow someone who looks about your size and weight, ask to follow them. If conditions have been fairly consistent, it can help to just follow the tracks that people left.

Mr.noodlePretty sure Someone made a thread about this just a couple days ago that’s still on the first page

But just ask some one else where to drop in from or ask if u can follow them in. If no one else is there just go faster then you think you’ll have to, it’s a lot better to send a jump deep than to knuckle it

Idk think I would rather knuckle than clear an entire landing.

It it not hard to calculate exactly how much speed you need to clear a knuckle without overshooting.

Use a GPS speed app on your phone, radar gun (sports one’s are like $40) or measure a 100 ft. length of the run-in and time how long it takes you at different speeds to calculate your speed for the conditions of the tranny (distance = speed*time). Using a set speed after some trials is easier than trying to figure out the speed needed (in my opinion). Always have with a measuring tape that has at least 100 ft. Estimate the angle of the lip. Ignore wind resistance unless you have good top of mountain anemometer readings (this will take a more complicated equation not shown here).

Use the trajectory equation, but solve for the horizontal distance instead of the vertical distance as shown:
y = x*tan(theta) - g*x^2/(2*v^2*cos^2(theta))
where y = vertical trajectory (input the height of the knuckle relative to the lip height, so it’ll be a negative number, unless it’s a step-over feature and the knuckle is higher than the lip),
x = horizontal trajectory (solve for this),
theta = angle of lip (estimate or take the inverse tangent ----> tan^-1(height of lip/horizontal length of lip) note: the horizontal length is not the length following the surface,
g = acceleration due to gravity (-32.2 feet/sec^2 or -9.8 m/sec^2 for our Canadian friends),
v = velocity of take-off (which you estimated as previously described).

This will determine where you will be horizontally compared the knuckle. If none of this makes sense, either you never took algebra I, you never understood algebra I, or you are so young that you haven't had algebra I yet. I have actually used this method to calculate a road gap 15 or so years ago with a shitty radar gun. Calculated the distance of the guinea pig hit to within a yard (meter).

It is Darwinism at its finest for the send it and bend it crowd. I've seen a kid die on a small lip, 25' table at Copper Mountain in a comp because he sent it to flat. It may be anecdotal compared to how many people huck to flat and are fine (myself included over the years), but shrug, you do you brah.

TOAST.Idk think I would rather knuckle than clear an entire landing.

Always. I think the people who say knuckling is better have never truly gone deep. Knuckling a big jump fucking sucks Especially if it has an elevated knuckle because you hit that uphill. That said, sending it to the very bottom, or flats on big jumps can fucking kill you.

I was told you can never go to big. that resulted in a broken foot.

Ive had my fair share of overshooting and knuckles and overshooting is definitely the worst.

Chubz.Straight line

I've seen a few where I had my radio in my hand and was sprinting toward the landing before they even left the takeoff. Like OHHHHH FUCKKKKKKK.......

NYE 11 years ago I was riding iceface with some mates from work. Nobody was hitting the one jump, and everyone wanted to scope it out first aka be giant pussies. I assumed(bad idea) that the top of the hill above it was the drop area. First jump of the season, didn't want to knuckle it, especially in front of coworkers. I can't remember if I speed checked at all, probably not. Jump was about 40' just over. I went closer to 80 = or more. The landing was pretty big, but also steep. I caught none of it , wasn't even close. Apparently park crew was chilling at a picnic table near by and were already running over when I was just starting the long descent. I do loosely(I think) remember passing the knuckle on my way up and thinking "oh fuck, oh fuck" . Tried to skip off the tail of my board to avoid breaking my legs. Luckily just cracked one vertebrae and had a shit ton of hair line fractures all the way up my femur. Maybe a concussion but nothing else. Coulda been worse.

Fuck, I wish I had a go pro when I used to be a fucking idiot.

/cool story hansel

PsullivanI was told you can never go to big. that resulted in a broken foot.

no one who has any intention of testing jumps themselves ever says that haha. it's pure nonsense chest puffing

SofaKingSickno one who has any intention of testing jumps themselves ever says that haha. it's pure nonsense chest puffing

He was my coach...

PsullivanHe was my coach...

it doesn't matter who it is that tells you, it's just nonsense. it's objectively and demonstrably untrue haha

Take some mesurments, and use some projectile motion.

I have seen people have the run in and then stop/slide on the jump and stopping before the lip. What does this do?

Butter4dayzI have seen people have the run in and then stop/slide on the jump and stopping before the lip. What does this do?

Gives you a better idea how much its gonna hurt when you inevitably case because these people are pussies.

Butter4dayzI have seen people have the run in and then stop/slide on the jump and stopping before the lip. What does this do?

It ruins the lip. Don't be a pussy, just fucking commit

On my local hill some kids speed test the jumps by sliding up the lip like 20 times but never end up jumping. They wont even listen when I try to explain how stupid it is.

Butter4dayzI have seen people have the run in and then stop/slide on the jump and stopping before the lip. What does this do?

This is something you do once you’ve hit enough jumps that deep inside of you there is a “feeling” of if you would have cleared it or not.

Doing the whole Inrun at speed and then stopping on the takeoff gets you that sense of “yeah I would have made it” or “dammit I would have decked”

Straight line, no speed checks, bring an umbrella and Mary poppins that shit if u send it too hard.