The snowboard park can be a lot of fun – but it can also be a little daunting if you’re new there. Are there rules that you need to follow? A code of conduct? What it considered snowboard park etiquette?
This article describes some of the general dos and don’ts for using the park! For the full list of rules and regs, head to our snowboarding etiquette guide.
10 Snowboard Park Commandments
- Never ever sit on the top or landing of a jump – unless you want to become a permanent feature of it.
- Always line up with the other guys who are hitting a feature. This way you know if the person in front of you is clear before you drop-in.
- Never drop-in from the side or behind the queue unless you feel like a scrap.
- Crossed arms from a photographer or any other people standing near the jump means ‘don’t drop in’. Chances are someone’s just stacked it on the far side of the landing.
- Don’t take your board off and put it in a silly place.
- If you are hiking a feature always do this well clear of the run-in and landing.
- Try not to claim a trick by thrusting your hands in the air – unless it’s a cab 900 maybe.
- Be friendly – there’s nothing worse than a bad attitude in the park. Give someone a hoot for a good trick… maybe you’ll get one back.
- If you fall try to get up quickly and get out of the way.
- Ride features to your level – build yourself up slowly.
Proper Way to Hit Jumps, Kickers, Rollers (or Anything That Puts You in the Air)
The Evolution of Learning in the Park
For a lot of people, jumps are the second stage to learning the park, after boxes. Personally, I think jumps are the most fun, and allow you to do some of the best things in snowboarding. I’ve been snowboarding for 11 years and I have seen a lot of bad techniques. Trust me!
Following the proper snowboard park etiquette is a great way to reduceytour injury risk.
1. Park Etiquette is a Must
Practice proper park etiquette: some of you might call me a loser, but I’m dead serious. Calling your drop and waiting your turn is vital in not getting beat up, screamed at, or getting hurt.
Often times (especially for the weekend warriors) the park is packed and there are tons of people just riding through.
2. Understanding Jump Sizes
Small jumps are playful and fun, but lead to very little progression: when learning you are going to want to start small then go big, which is understandable. Check our my full snowboard jump size guide for the nitty gritty,
3. The Need for Speed
Speed is your friend!!!! It might be terrifying your first time hitting a medium-large jump and you might want to keep it slow, DON’T!
You’ll just end up knuckling, or even worse – crumbling the takeoff (very bad snowboard park etiquette!).
4. Gauging Speed Accordingly
This goes along with tip #3. When you’re hitting a jump, going too slow or too fast is bad. I often take my first lap around the park without hitting any features.
5. Proper Take-Off Techniques
It’s important to take off centered, obviously this is so you don’t spin in a direction that you don’t want to (this doesn’t apply if your trying to do a rotation).
6. Mastering the Art of Grabs
You know what an Indy is? Don’t worry it will become your best friend. Part of jumping is learning how to control your balance in the air. >> Full List of Snowboard Grabs
7. Post-Slam Protocol
If you slam, get up as fast you can (a handy new rhyme?). Good. Now get up and move away from the landing area.
8. Other Key Tips to Keep in Mind
- Don’t roll over a kicker (going so slow that you ride over the jump). You’re literally taking the kick out of kicker. This ruins the jump!
- If you have a friend taking a sweet video on their phone or GoPro, make sure they are out of the way!
- Want to just watch people or are hyping yourself up for the jump? Don’t sit at the drop. This confuses people on who’s going and crowds up the area for no reason.
- Children who are not mini-pros don’t belong in the park (okay, maybe the beginner lines).
New to Park Riding?
So we’ve talked about snowboard park etiquette, I thought I’d cover a few bonus tips.
1. Safety First
Safety first! A good place to start is with your own safety. Although this isn’t strictly behaviour that will affect other snowboarders, directly, being safe in the park yourself contributes to everyone’s enjoyment and safety, so think about the following.
2. Difficulty Ratings
It’s very common for snowboard parks to rate features according to difficulty. It should be pretty self explanatory:
Green kickers are for beginners
Blue kickers will be bigger
Reds for more advanced riders.
This is based on the US grading system and has the same goal: to let you know how difficult something is. There’s nothing wrong with stopping to read the sign!
You might also see them being signposted as sizes S-XL, particularly the jump lines.
TIP: If you’re new – start small. Starting small doesn’t mean you can’t progress quickly, it just makes sense to ease your way in.
3. Take a run through first
Upon your first arrival, riding through the park without hitting any features is a good idea. Get a look at the landings, at the size of the tables or the distance from the kicker to the knuckle.
Sometimes you can’t see the drop-off from a rail or box. Scope it out so that you know what you’re hitting – before you hit it.
4. Communication is Key
If you take one thing away from this post, let it be that communication is key:
- Let others know what you’re doing
- Watch and listen for what others are doing
Signal What You're Doing
If you’re about to go, the accepted method to let others know is to shout “dropping”. If the park is busy, this can be important, so although you might feel conscious about shouting out – you should still do it!
Put Your Hand Up
If there are quite a few snowboarders bunched up for a feature, it can sometimes be difficult to tell who’s next and is ready to go; some people kind of wait around. It’s common for people to put their arm up as an indication that they’re getting ready – you can do the same. Just remember that “dropping” is the ultimate signal.
Remember, some people will be riding with music playing, so be alert, look around and use the hand signal to help.
Being Snaked?
If someone makes a mistake and sets off at the same time, or they snake you on purpose, don’t be stubborn and say “well it was my turn, I’m going anyway”. Back out, it’s not worth someone getting injured.
What if Someone Has Fallen Or is Hurt?
Be aware of how people signal “not to use a feature” – they will place crossed skis/poles, or lay a snowboard down, in front of the jump or rail.
If you see that a feature is blocked, absolutely do not use it – there’s a good chance that someone is injured on the landing and you can’t see them.
If you notice that someone has fallen in a bad spot – don’t leave it to someone else to block the feature. Even if you’re the least experienced rider in the park, be confident in signalling to others to “wait” until it’s safe.
If you’re below the feature, on the lift etc. you can signal for people to wait by crossing your arms above your head – before someone has had the chance to block the feature.
If you fall, try to get out of the way as soon as possible. You don’t want to hang around in a blind area. Get to the side where you can see what’s going on, and can be seen yourself, before setting off again.
If it’s a line of features don’t just carry on without knowing if someone is coming – it could end up in a collision.
Definite Snowboard Park "no-nos"
When it comes to snowboard park etiquette, there are several cardinal sins.
Waiting on a take-off or landing
Maybe you fell, maybe you’re waiting for the next feature, you might be trying to get a shot of your friends…
Don’t stand infront of a jump or in the landing area. Don’t make others wait.
Even more stupid is to hang around in a blind spot…
Riding or cutting under landings
You might be riding through the park without hitting features, you might want to move from the kicker line to rail line, maybe you want to cut across to the lift. That’s fine – just don’t ride under a landing when you can’t see that it’s safe to do so.
Messing up the take-off
Try not to degrade the take-off for park features. Kickers are the most obvious when it comes to a take-off ramp, but the same is true for rails, boxes, wall-rides, jibs, etc.
Doing a heavy speed check, carving across the take-off to jump sideways instead of forwards, going too slow and dropping over the lip… if it’s an accident, no worries, that can happen to anyone.
Just try to not cut-up the take-off.
Bypassing a feature that's part of line
If there’s a kicker line that you want to hit, but the first kicker is that little bit bigger, avoiding that jump is ok. But make it clear what you’re doing. Call your drop and ride in a way that makes it clear you’re using the kickers.
Similarly, if you’re off to the side of a feature line and not at the top, don’t “join” the feature line in the middle. You’re just asking for someone to not notice what you’re doing, to not know that you’re intending to use the jump.
Plus – you’d probably be skipping the queue!
Queueing and Waiting
Remember, the basic concept of “wait your turn” applies. More confident riders tend to move through the park more quickly than others.
If there are people ‘confidently’ making their way to the front, don’t be afraid to take your turn, if it is indeed your turn. Just be clear and call your drop.
Similarly, if you’d prefer someone else to go first, that’s cool too. Just tell them that they can go right ahead. If there are people infront of you and they look like they’re just chilling, don’t be afraid to ask if they are going to drop. Remember, communication is key.
When to go for a line of features
Parks will often have a line of features, and kickers in particular can produce a number of blind spots. If the situation is such that you can’t see once you’ve set off you need to consider you’re ability to “know” that someone has fallen ahead.
Other people can act as spotters. If the park is busy there will be riders stood around, lift people, snowboarders riding up the lift, etc. If the park is quiet let the rider in front clear a few of the jumps, or all of them.
If the park is busy, but there are people down hill of the features, let the rider in front go two jumps before you set off, maybe three. There isn’t a hard and fast rule here. Take into account your own ability to react and the vibe in the park.
Hiking a feature
Some riders like to hike a feature, you may find yourself doing so too. If the feature is part of a line (more likely with a rail or box), be aware of riders coming down from further up the line. Just because someone/you is hiking a feature doesn’t mean they automatically get to go first. Take your turn and communicate.
The Half-Pipe
The same general approach applies to riding the half-pipe. People will raise their hand and call “dropping” when they go. Do the same.
Be aware that there will be riders dropping in from both sides of the pipe, meaning there could be two queues. Look across to the other side as well.
It’s best to always drop in from the top of the half pipe at the entrance; don’t cruise down the decks and drop in half-way down. Your intentions may be confusing to other riders and you might end up jumping the queue.
When to go
If the pipe is busy expect there to be multiple riders in there at one time. You can’t just wait for the person in front to get to the bottom!
Let the rider ahead do at least two runs up the pipe wall before you go yourself.
Different people progress through the pipe at different speeds. They may be travelling faster or make shallower/steeper turns. Take this into account and apply your judgement. Don’t drop into the pipe expecting to overtake someone.
People will fall over
It’s only natural, and if the pipe is loaded with riders you need to be careful.
If you happen to fall you’re better off staying still in one place. Let a rider go past – it’s easier for them to avoid you if you’re not moving.
Once it’s clear, get out of the way. Don’t continue your run by setting off slowly toward one of the walls – you’re asking to be caught up.
Remember the Golden Rule - Have Fun!
Snowboarding and the park is all about having fun. Relax, be nice to people, help someone up if they’ve fallen and hurt themselves, keep an eye on safety and don’t be afraid to talk to people, especially when it comes to letting people know what you’re doing. Communication is key!
Recommended Gear
Other Related snowboard park posts
If you’re new to the snowboard park there are a few pages that might interest you. Don’t Be Put Off By The Crowds And Cliques At The Snowboard Park, discusses the nervous state that we sometimes find ourselves in when there are other, better snowboarders around.
Very topical for park etiquette – When is it OK to snake? takes a look at the act of snaking – jumping the queue in the park. Is it ever ok to snake? Pushing in sucks, right?
This article is part of the Guide to Learning Snowboard Tricks, in the Snowboard Parks: The Basics section.
The guide has information designed for riders starting out with, developing, and honing their freestyle skills.