Halfpipe Clinic

My how far I’ve come. Today I took part in a halfpipe clinic. Not that I’m pulling switch rodeo 720 McTwists or anything like that. But I am making tentative steps towards learning a few things about it.

One thing I learned today is that not all pipes are created equal. The very term “pipe” isn’t quite correct. It suggests a semi-circle, with a round bottom. If, on the other hand, you look at a pipe used by the top competitors, it’s a bit squashed, with a flat bottom of, I’m guessing here, at least 12 feet wide before the transition to the wall kicks in.

The pipe I was looking at today is a lot more rounded than that, which makes it a less than spectacular one. At least for those who know what they are doing.

But here are a couple of thoughts I came across during the clinic, things that might apply to beginners:

– It really shouldn’t matter whether the walls are icy or not. Why? When you’re going up the wall, your board should be flat on the wall. In other words, no edge.

– Going up the wall, at some point you body ought to be perpendicular to the wall. That means your body ought to be parallel to the flat bottom of the pipe. Yikes! Trying to keep your body upright as you go up the wall only causes problems.

– Compress your legs as you enter from the flat to the transition, but then extend as you go from the transition to the flat. Doing this give you added stability, just as extension while finishing a carving turn adds stability.