RESPECT THE ORANGE PILL

We all love terrain parks. What can we do to keep them from going extinct?

When you see the Freestyle Terrain orange oval in a terrain park take a sec and think about what it means. Smart Style is all about making sure everyone has a fun and safe terrain park experience. Everyone gets stoked on riding parks and pipes, but getting cut-off, snaked or injured just plain sucks. Make sure you know your limits and ride features that you are comfortable with. We work with some of the best riders in the world, who hit some of the biggest kickers around, but they all started small. So start small and work your way up. Nowadays resorts have snowboard instructors who specialize in park and pipe. Taking a lesson with them is one of the quickest and safest ways to build your confidence while getting familiar with the terrain and proper etiquette. Basically, everyone is on the mountain to have a good time, so scope features before hitting them, respect yourself and others and your riding will only get better.
Smart Style is a terrain park safety initiative that began in 2001 with the help of the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA), Burton Snowboards and a host of other contributing sponsors. The goal of Smart Style is to educate riders about freestyle terrain safety. The orange oval is the symbol used to designate freestyle terrain and is usually posted at the top of the terrain park or pipe. The 3 main points of Smart Style include:
Look Before You Leap: Scope around the jumps first, not over them. Know landings are clear, and clear yourself out of the landing area.
Easy Style It: Start small and work your way up.
Respect Gets Respect: From the liftline through the park.
Check out the Smart Style video at www.freestyleterrain.com. To learn more about Smart Style, check out the NSAA's Freestyle Terrain website (www.freestyleterrain.org) or visit the Terrain Park Safety website www.freestyleterrain.com.