The Launching Pad four part series is your gateway to the joy of flight!

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This program begins with an introduction to the airtime experience and moves along progressively building the toolkit necessary to tackle more complex airtime situations ultimately improving style in the air and learning jump tricks.  

 

These sessions can be taken as a progressive series OR as stand alone sessions!  If choosing to partake in one session, riders must meet the pre-requisites (identified under ‘Who is this for?’).  

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Session 1 - Finding the Flow

 

Who is this for?

 

• Riders accomplished in trail riding moving towards jumping for the first time

• Riders currently jumping small rollable features inconsistently (nose-diving, casing, etc)

• Riders seeking to improve speed and confidence on jump trails

 

In this session, you can expect:

 

• Pumping 101

• Manuals 101

• Holding momentum through a sequence of several rollers and small flattop jumps without pedalling

• Timing and pressure control to achieve lift over small flattops

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Session 2 - Fly like a Butterfly

 

Who is this for?

 

• Riders familiar with jumping and clearing small flattops seeking to clear bigger flattops

• Riders seeking to learn basic/intermediate drops 

• Riders looking to generate amplitude and understand trajectory (air awareness) up to blue size flattop jumps

• Riders interested in introducing movement and playfulness to their airs with elementary tricks

 

In this session, you can expect:

 

• Improving pressure control to generate more lift, hangtime and create uniform arc to achieve clean landings

• Introducing movement and style in the air (no more dead sailors!)

• Maneuvering a hip-style jump

• Static trick drills and visualization of your trick plan 

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Session 3 - Sting like a Bee

 

Who is this for?

 

• Riders confident jumping flattops seeking to achieve precision landing on a target in pursuit of mandatory gap-style jumps as well as step-down/step-up style jumps 

• Riders seeking to jump steeper lips

• Riders confident jumping most intermediate jumps and ready to begin performing basic hand and feet tricks for the first time

 

In this session, you can expect:

 

• How to commit and build confidence on small mandatory gaps

• Articulating and arcing the bike to step-up/step-down style jumps

• Building confidence during bigger hangtime and air awareness off of steep lips

• Initial trials of basic hands and feet tricks 

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Session 4 - Major Tom to Ground Control

 

Who is this for?

 

• Those currently confident jumping steep lips, step-downs/step-ups and being in the air for more than one complete second

• Those currently capable of movement in the air and beginning to approach basic aerials such as a tables or whips

• Seeking to generate maximum lift and trajectory (POP) to produce optimum hangtime

• Seeking to perform tricks such as no-handers, no feet, one foot table, toboggan, nac, tables, whips, etc.

 

In this session, you can expect:

 

• Segmenting more difficult tricks into small digestible maneuvers 

• Improving extension of hands and feet tricks

• Promoting creativity and playfulness with trickery

• Breath and mental techniques to promote commitment and prevent tension and hesitation