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April, 2025

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Big cliff tips

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Tannermillsc
Posts: 3 - Karma: 26
Anyone have any tips for hitting bigger cliffs like 30ft+? Right now I’m hitting like 15 and am wanting to go bigger this season
6 years ago
3 1
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Ryanvdonk
Posts: 12811 - Karma: 1,971
always pop on the take off. find steeper landings when possible. try to land on the balls of your feet and adjust from there for depth and consistency of snow, but try to maintain balance. if you get too far back you will backslap. don't be afraid to inspect your landing and takeoff before you do it. if you're nervous about dropping try the 3 count (3...2...1...) and then drop in, the longer you and think with nerves the harder it is to be successful. if you can't visualize yourself landing it, save the air for a different day.
6 years ago
21 0
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amccahill93
Posts: 221 - Karma: 1,936
get stiff boots and skis, pop hard and 4 point stop the landing
6 years ago
9 0
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jca
Posts: 4180 - Karma: 6,366
What the first guy said.
Also, practice going as big as you can on as many smaller hits as you can in lots of different conditions. Get really comfortable spotting and catching good tranny even it theyre just sniper trannies, it helps a ton for staying in control on the bigger hits with more impact.
6 years ago
8 0
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TRVP_ANGEL
Posts: 12698 - Karma: 119,900
at least 130 underfoot
6 years ago
7 4
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MountainInMyMind
Posts: 352 - Karma: 3,566
4 point landings are a must, if you're really trynna hit something like 30ft its sometimes easier to spin flip or grab it to maintain control and not think about the height as much cause 30ft is a lot bigger than you think
6 years ago
11 0
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9721 - Karma: 65,588
Good advice so far. I’ll add:

Flex your core

Punch your hands in front of you to stay forward

be reasonably fit and strong cause you ain’t gonna land em all and a lot of times you don’t know til you’re already in the middle of your best rag doll impression
6 years ago
11 0
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P3t3r
Posts: 1795 - Karma: 5,563
Ryanvdonkalways pop on the take off. find steeper landings when possible. try to land on the balls of your feet and adjust from there for depth and consistency of snow, but try to maintain balance. if you get too far back you will backslap. don't be afraid to inspect your landing and takeoff before you do it. if you're nervous about dropping try the 3 count (3...2...1...) and then drop in, the longer you and think with nerves the harder it is to be successful. if you can't visualize yourself landing it, save the air for a different day.


Love seeing solid replies from OGs.
Well said.
6 years ago
8 0
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Thomasarivkin1
Posts: 193 - Karma: 535
4 point stop?
6 years ago
4 0
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9721 - Karma: 65,588
Thomasarivkin14 point stop?


4 point stomp*, meaning a 4 point landing like an olympic skier would talk about. it just means both skis and both poles are all squared up and hit the ground at the same time. it's less important for cliff dropping as a literal thing you should do (don't jam your poles into every landing, that won't always end too well) and more just a reminder to land like a boss with your landing gear ready and your hands in front of you
6 years ago
8 0
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Brayblade
Posts: 333 - Karma: 2,637
skate in hard, it will make you feel more confident even if you feel like you need a little speed check before takeoff. big cliffs are mostly mental
6 years ago
7 0
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Tannermillsc
Posts: 3 - Karma: 26
Thanks for the great tips so far. Hopefully I can remember all this until next season. Like the guy above me said I guess most of it is just mental. Hopefully this thread can help others too. Any tips for the off season?
6 years ago
2 0
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SofaKingSick
Posts: 9721 - Karma: 65,588
TannermillscThanks for the great tips so far. Hopefully I can remember all this until next season. Like the guy above me said I guess most of it is just mental. Hopefully this thread can help others too. Any tips for the off season?


work out-- cardio so you can hike and huff and puff and still have energy, and muscles especially your quads and core cause that will help your stomping power and will keep you intact when you fall

jump off shit into water to help your air awareness and your balls

play other sports, any are good but especially ones that teach you how to fall

watch lots of videos of good skiers bombing cliffs. sounds kinda stupid but it's crazy how well "monkey see monkey do" can help in skiing
6 years ago
6 0
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PsychicMigration
Posts: 2099 - Karma: 10,552
Shut off all brain activity.
6 years ago
11 0
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Tannermillsc
Posts: 3 - Karma: 26
DummyBearsShut off all brain activity.

That’s pretty much how I live so good to hear
6 years ago
12 0
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BigPurpleSkiSuit
Posts: 9611 - Karma: 71,508
Yep, after watching Henrik huck a nosebutter triple, I knew I was ready to try it off the park jumps at snowbird.






He's not wrong though, seeing someone else do a big cliff in person makes you realize you can do it too. Make sure the snow is deep though, most people dont have the thighs to stomp 30 to flat or bombhole, although I have met a few
SofaKingSickwork out-- cardio so you can hike and huff and puff and still have energy, and muscles especially your quads and core cause that will help your stomping power and will keep you intact when you fall

jump off shit into water to help your air awareness and your balls

play other sports, any are good but especially ones that teach you how to fall

watch lots of videos of good skiers bombing cliffs. sounds kinda stupid but it's crazy how well "monkey see monkey do" can help in skiing
6 years ago
7 0
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SuspiciousFish
Posts: 2794 - Karma: 16,914
Some really good replies here. Another thing I would recommend is finding a local spot with a high dive (I know a lot of places closed them but you might get lucky). 30 ft is a lot of air time and your body is not used to floating in free space for that long. By hitting the high dives a bunch on the off season you build up your "air sense" so when you finally get some hang time on a big cliff or booter you will feel more comfortable and in control.
6 years ago
8 0
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freestyler540
Posts: 13225 - Karma: 20,328
Work up to it. If you can easily hit a 10'-20' the 30 footer will come easy. The technique is all the same.
Hit the huck with speed, you want to straight line it. Dont turn beforehand, just skip the last turn and pop at the edge. Its a mindgame for sure, but when you hit it with confidence, everything will go fine.

Oh and dont forget to spot your landing to make sure its free of ice, rocks and stumps. When the snow is soft and deep, its time to gain some air miles.
6 years ago
6 0
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Chron_Rabbit
Posts: 988 - Karma: 1,572
I like a 60/40 mixture, OCB slims are the best. the yellow pack comes with filter tips so you'll always have some until you need new papers.
If you want extra big though (OCBs are kings) form an L with two papers and roll a bat. good luck, practice makes perfect.
6 years ago
3 0
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xxACIDTRIPxx
Posts: 5980 - Karma: 8,185
Full tilts
6 years ago
2 0
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