Boardercross Techniques

Boardercross Techniques

The techniques described below are from an online article located on the Board the World.com website. The info. presented here is listed in full detail at: http://www.boardtheworld.com/magazine/features.php?id=8

These techniques can be readily applied to Mountainboarding and used in DirtBoarderCross racing.

Over the past five years Boardercross racing has taken off in a big way. It now has its own dedicated world tour the Swatch Boardercross presented by O'Neill. There is also talk that Boardercross will soon be introduced to the Winter Olympics. Snowboarding companies such as Palmer are setting up specialized Boardercross racing teams and making snowboards specifically for racing Boardercross. Most importantly, there are thousands of Boardercross competitions happening every year at local mountains across North America, Japan, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. To be successful in any of these competitions the rider needs to have a firm grasp of track techniques and crucial race tactics. What is provided here is a run down of the key techniques and tactics that can be utilized when racing Boardercross. Using these won't guarantee that you will win but they will certainly enable you to raise your Boardercross racing to the next level.

Boardercross racing is similar to moto-cross racing except it is carried out on the snow. Between four and six snowboarders race simultaneously down a course filled with man-made obstacles. The first two riders (three riders where there are six in each heat) to cross the line at the bottom of the course proceed to the next round. This knock-out format continues until there are only four riders (six where there are six in a heat) remaining who then compete in the final.

Boardercross courses vary considerably in steepness, length and difficulty but they typically consist of three main man-made obstacles.

Whoopdy Doos: These are three to four foot humps that are shaped out of snow and placed across the course. Usually two or three whoopdy doos are placed together with a spacing of about two to three meters between each one. Where two whoopdy doos are placed together it is called a double jump and where three are placed together it is called a triple jump.
Banks or Burms: Banks or burms are placed on corners of the course. They look like the sloped corners on a velodrome track. Burms enable riders to take the corners of the Boardercross course with more speed. They also enable riders to generate speed out of the corners.
Tabletops: Tabletops are jumps placed on the course. They are added to most courses to make the racing more spectacular. Typically tabletops are placed near the start of the course or near the base of the course, as these areas are where most spectators' attention is focused.

The Golden Rules of Boardercross Racing

There are five key things to remember when racing Boardercross.

Win the start. If you get out in front early on in the race then you will more than likely win the race or finish in the top two. Being out in front ensures that you are not caught up in the carnage that ensues when two or three riders enter a bank together.
Base is faster than edge. This is actually a Giant Slalom racing technique but applies equally to Boardercross racing. Wherever possible you should try and keep your board on a flat base because the P-Tex base is much faster than the metal edges.
Snow is faster than air. This rule says that it is generally quicker to stay on the snow rather than launch off a jump. In some cases, especially where you need to clear several small bumps, it may be quicker to travel through the air but generally you will be able to complete the Boardercross course more quickly if you stay on the snow.
Do not miss the practice session. Boardercross racing is all about knowing what is around the next corner so that you and your board are totally prepared for it. The practice session is the perfect time to dial yourself into every nook and cranny of the course.
Wear a helmet unless you want to end up like Biff in "Back to the Future".

Track Techniques

The Start

As with most races the start is crucial to Boardercross racing. If you get a good start then it is more than likely that you will win the race.

Each competitor has his or her own starting gate. The gate is typically a metal frame, which the rider uses to pull himself onto the course.

Placed in front of the gates is a wooden boom gate, which is controlled by the start marshal. To start the race, the start marshal shouts "Racers ready!" then he or she can drop the boom gate at any time in the next five seconds. As the start marshal drops the boom gate he or she shouts "Go!"

The following two start techniques will help you improve your Boardercross starts.

Watch the start marshal's hand and not the boom gate. The start marshal controls the boom gate with his or her hand. As soon as the start marshal's hand starts to move to drop the gate you should be pulling out of your gate with every ounce of strength in your body.
Adjust your pulling technique to the steepness of the start. The pulling technique refers to how you pull out of the gates. There are two primary pulling techniques the full pull and the half pull. The full pull requires you to have your arms fully extended before you pull yourself on to the course. The half pull requires you to have your arms less than fully extended, that is, they are bent at the elbows. Where the start of the Boardercross course is flat it is best to use the full pull technique since you will require as much momentum as possible when you leave the gates. But when the start of the Boardercross track is steep the idea is to get on to the course as soon as possible and use the steepness of the course to generate speed. Thus, where the start is steep use the half pull technique. The exact extent of your half pull will depend on the steepness of the course start. The steeper it is the less pull you need. The best idea is to fine-tune your start during the practice session.

Pre-ollieing

Learning how to pre-Ollie in Boardercross Location: Pre Ollie in Boardercross, Unknown Photo: Pre-ollieing is the backbone of successful Boardercross racing. It enables you to maintain your speed through bumps and jumps of varying sizes. If you want to be a Boardercross racer you need to be able to pre-ollie to perfection.

The idea of a pre-ollie is that you want to go over a whoopdy doo or a tabletop and maintain as much speed as possible. To maximize your speed through whoopdy doos and tabletops you need to have three things in mind:

Minimize the amount of time you are in the air as this will slow you down.
Minimize the amount you absorb the whoopdy doo or tabletop with your legs as this will only wash your speed off.
Land as high up as possible on the downside of the whoopdy doo or tabletop. This will allow you to gather more speed as you depart the obstacle.

A pre-ollie is simply an ollie performed before the lip of the whoopdy do or tabletop so you will need to forget about all the rules you learnt in Air 101. The idea is to perform the ollie at the correct point on the upside of the whoopdy do or tabletop so that you float nice and low over the jump and land near the top of the downside of the jump. The correct point to start your pre-ollie will depend on the size of the whoopdy do or tabletop. This is something you will need to perfect during the practice session.

Whoopdy Doos

Pre Ollie over Triples In Boardercross Location: Pre Ollie over Triples, Unknown Photo: There are essentially two ways to negotiate whoopdy doos - the pre-ollie and the "jump the lot" method. The appropriate method to use will depend on the number of whoopdy doos and the space between the whoopdy doos.

The pre-ollie method is particularly appropriate where there is a single whoopdy doo. However where there is more than one whoopdy doo you will need to decide whether to pre-ollie each whoopdy doo or jump all of them.

Where there are two whoopdy doos, located close together, it is generally quicker to air both of them (known as doubling) than pre-ollie both. This is one of the rare cases where air is faster than snow. If it is not possible to clear the whoopdy doos you will have to pre-ollie them.

When jumping more than one whoopdy doo there are some key points to bear in mind to ensure you maximize your speed.

Minimize the time you are in the air. This means the path you take through the air from the lip of the first whoopdy doo to the downside of the last whoopdy doo should be as straight as possible. Unlike your trajectory off a normal jump, which has the shape of a deep arc, your trajectory from first whoopdy doo to the last whoopdy doo should be a very shallow arc. The idea is to use your speed so that you can skim over all the whoopdy doos and just land on the downside of the final whoopdy doo.
Land on the downside of the final whoopdy doo. This allows you to have a smooth landing and minimize any loss in speed.
Make sure you can clear the whoopdy doos. Perfect your strategy during the practice session otherwise you will be exiting the competition pretty quickly. Where there are three whoopdy doos in a row the best strategy may be to double the first two and pre-ollie the last one.

Banks

Racing a bank in Boardercross Location: Boardercross Bank, Unknown Photo: Banks are placed on courses to be used. Too often competitors ignore the banks and edge hard around corners. This is where the rule, "Base is faster than edge", comes into its own. Banks allow you to leave your board on its base through most of the corner hence it will be much quicker to use the bank than edging hard around a corner. Further, as banks are sloped you will be able to pump some extra speed as you depart.

The best way to negotiate a bank is to take a path through the center of the bank then pump down through the bank as you exit. You will be pleasantly surprised to notice how much extra speed you can generate when you use banks properly.

Tabletops

There is one simple rule about tabletops pre-ollie. Pre-ollieing a tabletop is the quickest way over it. If you want to go to Hollywood and do some fancy air then be prepared to be knocked out. Of course, if you have a large lead then doing a nice air is fine and great entertainment for the spectators.

Race Tactics

Boardercross racing is not just about negotiating the man-made obstacles on the course, it is also about negotiating the moving obstacles that are your competitors. In fact, your competitors are probably your biggest obstacles because their actions Negotiating a Table in Boardercross Location: Table Top in Boardercross, Unknown Photo: are totally unpredictable. Here are some race tactics that may help in different situations.

Get in front. This is the number one race tactic. If you are in front then you are less likely to be knocked over by another competitor.
If you are in a heat and coming second then be content. If you are coming second and the other competitors are well behind there is no point in risking try to pass the leading competitor. There is a possibility that you could both crash and end up coming last. Save your fancy passing moves for the final.
If you are going into a bank together with two or three other riders it may be better to pull back. The majority of falls in Boardercross occur when riders enter a bank simultaneously. Whether a fall occurs will depend on what your competitors are like. If they are not high quality riders then a fall will most likely occur and everyone will go down. This is one circumstance where you should pull back and ride around the ensuing crash. If your competitors are very aggressive and like to push and shove then this may also be an appropriate time to pull back, especially if you are not a 6 foot giant.

Go Racing

With all this in mind it is time to go racing, so go down to your local hill and enter a Boardercross competition. Most of all, remember that Boardercross racing is supposed to be enjoyable, so have some fun out there!