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Snow jumps

Senorfrog

Chimp
Dec 29, 2009
37
0
Ok, so if you're in the northeast you probably are experiencing snowmageddon like I am. I've been looking at these huge piles around my driveway and am wondering how to turn them into something hitable. I've tried just making super-compact mounds but the tires still seem to just dig in and make me flip over the handlebars. I was thinking about pouring water on them to make them a little more icy then packing more snow on top for grip or putting carpet on them. Just wondering if anyone has had any experience making jumps from snow.
 
Feb 5, 2010
67
0
Westminster, CO
I think the best way to keep your tires from digging in is to put a few layers of carpet on top of packed, frozen snow. A big pile of snow would make the perfect landing for trying new tricks!
 

bansheefr

Monkey
Dec 27, 2004
337
0
In the past I have used a wooden ramp and made a landing out of the snow bank. You will more than likely need to throw a sheet of plywood on the snow landing to make it work, or maybe even some carpet as suggested above. Good luck, have fun.
 

Randomshot

Monkey
Mar 12, 2009
652
462
Ft. Collins
if your tires are digging in that much you are not packing it enough. you can turn snow into a jump with nothing but your feet and bike. i've done this before. once its packed though id spray a little water on it leave it over night then but a carpet or even cardboard but the cardboard wont last very long. the unpacked pile of snow does sound like itd make an awesome makeshift foam pit.
 

Mr.Bishop

King of Beers
Jun 2, 2009
286
0
Montreal
There's a couple of ways to make snow pack super hard.

First: Before any techniques remember to pack it down like crazy. Stomp it with your feet. Use your body weight. If you want a jump thats 4' tall, you'll need to have shoveled enough for a pile 6'-8' tall. It can be frustrating how much it will pack down, but snow is very porous, and you need to get as much air as you possibly can out. Weight is the key here... hitting it with your shovel gives a nice finish, but it isn't packing enough to support your body weight on top of only two bicycle tires. Thats a lot of weight in two contact points.

Second: Salt. The key with salt is that you can only use it when the temperature is above freezing. The salt melts the snow on the top layer, and then the snow underneath re-freezes it. This creates an extremely firm surface, and is the absolute best way to create a stiff well-shaped takeoff in spring conditions. Using salt when the temperature is below freezing for some reason leaves undesirable effects. I'm no expert at science, so I can't explain why, but I have years of experience working with snow.

Third: Water. If the temperature is below the freezing level (use a thermometer) then simply give the snow takeoff a good coating of water - best if you have one of those sprayers so you can get a good consistent coating, but if not simply sprinkling it all over the takeoff works just find.

Fourth: LET IT SIT. This is the most important one. When you build a takeoff, give it an absolute minimum of 30 minutes to sit and harden after you finish shaping, and applying whatever hardening method you want. Letting it sit for a good amount of time can produce quite a stiff surface, but a bike will dig in like crazy, so you might want to mix a bit of set up time with one of the other methods.

I will say that the other guy that said a nice piece of carpet or wood will help protect the snow from a bike tire, though pick wood over carpet as it will distribute the weight better. The carpet likely would just provide traction, but you'd still get tire damage as you hit it. No matter what you're going to damage the jump - even when you're hitting them with skis or snowboards they get damaged.

When you need to repair your damage, always fill the hole with fresh snow, and use all the same techniques as above.
 

trib

not worthy of a Rux.
Jun 22, 2009
1,456
388
when i get the chance I love skiing but it's too expensive for the most part, maybe I'll go on a ski trip once every 3 or so years?

Love getting the bike out when it does snow in the uk though, snow rooster tails are cool
 

FR4life.

Monkey
Nov 2, 2004
606
0
The Bay
Yeah that would be quite fun... do you guys ski/snowboard?
I as well do it when I get the chance which is seldom.. Maybe once or twice a year. Definitely would be scary for me to ride something like that on a snowboard though, I doubt I'd do well.. :rolleyes:
 

Senorfrog

Chimp
Dec 29, 2009
37
0
Never been snowboarding but i'd definitely like to try that course haha. Id totally bust my ass but maybe, just maybe, Id hit it nice.
 

Damo

Short One Marshmallow
Sep 7, 2006
4,603
27
French Alps
Haha. We have been building a helltrack the last couple days. Haven't ridden it yet, but will keep you posted...
 

Kevin

Turbo Monkey
Ive ended up on a track like that by accident once in Austria going off piste in a new area. I didnt really like it at all.
Not because of the track, but because I appearently suck at snowboarding.

One of the coolest snowboard vid Ive ever seen!
 

CRoss

Turbo Monkey
Nov 20, 2006
1,329
0
The Ranch
I made a small set of snow jumps a few years ago. They were a lot of fun and having them literally across the street made them very convenient.



Here is a short video of the jumps.
SnowJumping.flv video by DH_Corky - Photobucket@@AMEPARAM@@http://vid20.photobucket.com/player.swf?file=http://vid20.photobucket.com/albums/b248/DH_Corky/SnowJumping.flv@@AMEPARAM@@vid20@@AMEPARAM@@20@@AMEPARAM@@b248/DH_Corky/SnowJumping

They key with working with snow is patience. Pile the snow work it to the shape you want them let it sit. As you work the snow it heats up. when you let it sit it refreezes. On my jumps I used a lot of water after getting the shape I wanted and a fairly firm surface. Then I would use water to wet the surface then let it freeze then repeat. Once doen the jumps rode just like dirt. There is lots of traction on packed snow as long as it is not smooth to the point of being glare ice.