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Riders Train on Water: Try the Surf and Turf
Copyright (c) 2007-2023 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved
Written by: Travel Alberta
You can make a splash in Alberta at one of the handful of summer and autumn training facilities in North America that accommodate snowboarders.
Instead of making your mistakes in the terrain park or on the slopes, and paying the sometimes painful price, you can train on a specially designed jump (water ramp) that allows you to land on water, instead of snow and ice.
The result is usually improved tricks without risked injuries. And you can sometimes rub shoulders with elite freestylers who also train at the facility during the off season. Get tips and watch how the best grab air.
Nitehawk Ski Area and Northern Extreme Freestyle (located in Grande Prairie in Alberta's North region) are proud to have one of the best Water Ramp facilities in North America and one of the very few that will accommodate snowboarders, says Chris Peel, Head Coach (Freestyle) and Water Ramp Manager.
The videos of the riders and skiers using the ramp show the ups and downs of learning on turf that rides different than snow, but which provides for big air (or small, depending on how big you want to go). There is also a photo gallery posted on the Northern Extreme website.
"The facility offers a unique opportunity to refine jumping skills in a safe environment," says Chris. "Snowboarders were considered right at the beginning of the project, and they come from all over to either train or just give it a try."
Grande Prairie, a town of about 50,000 people, is usually accessed on long haul flights (say, from Ontario or the U.S.), through the city of Edmonton, which has an international airport and is the gateway to the North. The facility is more than a four hour drive from Edmonton, but you can also catch a quick flight to the airport at Grande Prairie, which hooks up with both Edmonton and Calgary.
Pros like Sara Burke (from Midland, Ont.) have given the Northern Extreme ramp a shot, as well as teens like Ryan Manning of St. Paul, Manitoba.
Ryan, 14, who spoke to us as he was readying for another jump, said he heard about the Northern Extreme ramp from his cousin, who coaches a ski team.
Go Big or Small
"Going down the ramp is a bit different than snow, but you can choose where to go on it, so you can go big or go small," he says. "It's really good for learning tricks. Sometimes I land on my feet, but when I'm trying tricks, not always. So I definitely recommend it, because it really helps you to learn tricks like rodeo, and it's way easier to try it on the ramp rather than on snow."
These days, there are far fewer riders at the ramp than skiers, and that's something Chris wants to see change.
"We're looking at maybe five snowboarders a week compared to up to 60 skiers and I would like to see that increase," he says. "The sports are coming together, you can see it in the way kids dress as well as the constructed features on the mountains, such as terrain parks, rails and half pipes."
You have to pay a one-shot $17 Cdn to join the Canada Freestyle Ski Association (as an insurance requirement), whether you are from Canada or the U.S., but otherwise there is a scale of fees, including drop-ins. And there are coaches on site to help you out (Chris is an instructor for both ski and snowboarding), though Chris does caution that you need to be beyond beginner status.
The main attraction of the ramp for most riders is the opportunity to improve themselves, particularly regarding air awareness, "even if you don't do a lot of tricks," says Chris.
The whole thing is outdoors and you can use it until October. As it gets colder in the autumn, you'll likely want to use a dry suit. But in the summer and into September, a helmet, lifejacket and trunks are pretty much the only gear you need other than your board.
There are two trampolines dug into the ground as well.
"I am of the train of thought that kids are going to do it anyway, so why not teach them how to do it the right way using water," says Chris. "It takes the element of danger away."
Different for Riders
So how is the ramp different for skiers than riders, and how does the ramp surface differ from snow?
"The bottom line is, the take off is the same between the two sports," says Chris. "But here, you can't carve on the surface, you have to go straight up. If you are an advanced rider, it will take you about half an hour to get wet and comfortable."
The skiable surface is the stuff you see at the top or bottom of chair lifts, so you've likely already been on it.
"You'll likely spend the first half hour hiking up the 30 ft. and sliding into the jump and getting used to it," says Chris. "You are not just snowboarding, you are jumping, so you are going straight. It depends on your skill level. The first time can range from an expert mid-air grab to landing near on your face in the water."
It may hurt a bit, but it's nothing compared to landing wrong on snow, he says. And there are some technical workarounds you can do on your board to make your landing even better.
"It's a bit of a slap on a snowboard, so some guys are drilling maybe two inch holes into their boards to help break fall," he says. "From the lip of the jump to the water it's about twelve to fourteen feet, depending on our water level. And if you go low, you're first jump would be like hitting a fifteen-foot table top."
If you are in the early stages as a rider, the team at Northern Extreme can help you with back flips and corking and basic grabs, whatever you want to do, "as long as you show us you can be balanced on the jump," says Chris.
"It's a little difficult to do the carve tricks, but you can learn a good solid take off that translates well into all your riding," he says. "And some adults are coming out to give 'er, because their kids are snowboarders and they want to try it."
The ramp is located right at the Nitehawk Ski Area. It's about 12 km out of town in a beautiful river valley and has a campsite onsite with full hook ups. For other recreational stuff, there are bike trails, lakes within 70 km and just 90 minutes west or south, you are right into the Canadian Rockies.
And of course, Alberta's six major ski and ride resorts open as early as November. Last year was the best snow start in the past 16 years.
Both the Water Ramp and Trampoline Facility are supervised and instructed by coaching staff. Again, the emphasis is always on safety and fun.
Copyright (c) 2006 Travel Alberta, All Rights Reserved
Travel Alberta is the destination marketing organization for the Province of Alberta. Guided by the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, Travel Alberta is the steward for the effective delivery of tourism marketing programs. For information about our organization, please visit our Travel Alberta industry web site at http://www.travelalberta.com
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