How To: Drop In On Vert

December 10, 2007 @ 3:28 PM

DON'T PANIC! If there's one thing that is going to make vert dangerous, its if you go all stiff limbed and Frankenstein on me. So above all else, you have to try and resist the temptation to panic. Which is easier said than done when you are standing at the top of the rollercoaster, I know.

Now, a little tip: even if you can drop in on mini- and- midi ramps, vert has that extra bit that can throw you- namely momentary weightlessness. So listen to your drop- ins on smaller ramps: if you are banging your front wheels down with a crisp thud, then you are actually overleaning the drop in. If you do the same on vert, its easy to get your shoulders lower than your hips on the drop and tumble forward. This is Bad News.

Equally, if you do that uber- cool mini ramp drop in thing where you almost manual down the first wall, then you are going to loop out the back as you drop down the larger vertical wall.

It should go without saying that padding up is a good idea on vert up until you are an expert. If you don't, good luck.

So the first thing I had to learn to get beyond is fixating. Don't set up to drop in as soon as you get up there. Sit on the coping, touch the surface of the ramp, get comfortable with that 90 degree angle between the platform and the vert wall. When you feel composed, put your front foot confidently over your front truck. Don't put your back foot on the tip of the tail, because it makes the whole motion too creaky. Try to stand comfortably, relaxed, centre of foot on centre of tail. Remember you aren't going to do any tricks on the first wall, and you can fine- tune all this as you improve. For now, comfort equals relaxation equals safety.

Create a little tension along the deck by allowing your front foot to flex the tail. You feel that tension? That mean you have already committed some weight to the front end. You are ready to go. Without stamping or making any sudden movements, fall into the ramp. If you crane forwards, your centre of balance will be ahead of your all- important hips. Hedge your bets on a lean back, and the reverse is true. Unweight your back foot and feel like you are stepping through the board and down into the ramp. As the board starts to roll down the vert, you've just got to try and stay loose as a goose, similar weight distribution on both feet. Do whatever it takes to stay on through that transition, because once you have survived the first one, the knowledge your body retains from the experience is worth a thousand how- to's, and you will learn an ounce more with each one. Remember that more than anything else vert is about composure and balance, so remember that you are skating from the head down, not just the hips.