SNOW SCENE: Let's Get It a perfect way to step it up in the terrain park
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Let’s be honest here. The terrain park can be intimidating.
If you haven’t taken your snowboard into the park before, it’s easy to spend winter after winter glancing longingly at riders who look oh-so-comfortable and cool hitting tricks.
Maybe you’d love to try, but just don’t know how to get started.
Well, that’s where Let’s Get It comes in.
On Feb. 3, The Source, Burton and Riders on Board will be partnering up for a day in a park that’s custom-built by Sunshine Village to help aspiring snowboarders take their first steps — or improve their skill set — towards conquering jumps, rails and boxes and everything else a terrain park has on offer.
“It’s a bit of a change from a normal snowboard contest. We like to call it a ‘Progression Session’,” said Jay Nielsen, buyer and events coordinator at The Source Snowboards. “What we do is actually hire a bunch of coaches from Riders on Board and then we also have all of our team riders come out and just kind of help people learn.
“Maybe they’re scared of riding park or they’ve never ridden park before, so they can get an introduction to it. And maybe they can hit boxes but have never hit a rail, so we get Sunshine to build us a custom park and the park is progression-based, where everything has a three-step aspect to it.”
That three-step part is important here, because the park at Sunshine is being specifically built with learning and improvement in mind.
There might be a smaller, 10-foot jump for riders who are just getting started. Next to that, there’s a 15-footer, and next to that there’s a 25-foot jump for snowboarders who are ready to test themselves on something even bigger.
That same progression will be available for rails and other elements, and between The Source’s deep stable of up-and-coming riders and the coaches from Riders on Board, it’s hard to imagine an event better than Let’s Get It for anyone looking to step up their game in the park this winter.
Cousins Skateboarding, a non-profit that works to empower Indigenous communities, will be bringing a group of riders to the event, too.
“It’s an all ages event for people of all abilities and really celebrates the camaraderie you can find on the slopes,” said Kendra Scurfield, vice-president of marketing, brand and communications at Sunshine Village. “The Source has a great roster of up-and-coming athletes, including Liam Gill and Kamilla Kozuback.
“It’s amazing seeing that level of talent getting involved in coaching some of the younger kids who look up to them. It’s really an honour to be associated with an event that gives back to the community and snowboarding.”
We should also probably not that Let’s Get It is free with a lift ticket at Sunshine Village, although space is limited and it’s definitely worth registering in advance at www.ridersonboard.com.
And while the event is great for kids, adults are welcome, too.
“You think maybe it’s more younger-person focused, but it does end up being a lot of people in their 30s and 40s, too, who didn’t have that opportunity when they were younger,” Nielsen said.
“They’re kind of the ones who come to us, and they feel like they’re in the same wheelhouse and their friends are always there collectively cheering each other on. It’s a really welcoming easy way to get into it.”
LOOKING GREAT
With temperatures warming up a bit this week, anyone who heads out to Sunshine Village should be in for a treat.
The Banff resort was blasted by 50 cm of snow right before this recent cold snap and the season total is now sitting at 268 cm.
“We’ve got more terrain open and a lot of community fun happening,” Scurfield said. “The snow is the ‘I Dream of Powder’ type of snow. It is light and fluffy and perfect. It’s what the Rockies are so well known for.”
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