Park & Pipe Skis

Skiing over slopes is not enough for you? Would you prefer to live out in cool, action-packed parks? Master rails, boxes, kickers and half pipes? Learn new tricks, spend great days skiing with your friends in the park and maybe even start off-piste? Then you need freestyle skis. Because they have been specially developed and built to let off steam in the snow. Freestyle skis are available from a wide variety of brands such as Atomic, Line, Rossignol, Salomon or Völkl.

PARK & PIPE OR OFF-PISTE: THE AREA OF APPLICATION FOR FREESTYLE SKIS

Freestyle – the name gives it away. Here we are talking about skis for having fun. Because with these skis you jump over kickers: straight over, with different grabs and tricks, 360° turns or flips – there are no limits to your creativity. Pipes, rails and boxes are also on the program, simply everything you can think of in the park can be mastered with a little practice and the right freestyle skis. But freestyle skis are not only suitable for the park and the pipe. There are also some manufacturers such as K2, Black Crows or Armada, which produce wider freestyle skis. And with these you can have a lot of fun in deep snow!

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FREESTYLE SKI

The main feature of the freestyle ski is its twin-tip construction. This means that this ski is bent up in the front as well as in the back, just like a snowboard. This makes it easy to ride the ski backwards, which makes it possible to approach kickers backwards or land backwards after a jump. In addition, the ski is relatively symmetrical. The typical park freestyle ski is quite narrow, with a center width of about 85-90 mm. And this makes it optimal for giving stability during jumps and landings, as well as on rails. In addition, it is thus also well suited for the slopes, because good tricks can also be incorporated there. But there are also wider freestyle skis with center widths up to over 105 mm. These skis are also ideally suited for park & pipe, but thanks to their width are particularly convincing in the terrain. Due to a wider surface, they have an extremely good lift in deep snow, almost like freeride skis.

Both wide and narrow freestyle skis are mostly built with rocker construction, but there are also some camber models.

Camber is a negative bias, while rocker is a positive bias. Most freestyle skis have tip & tail rocker, which reduces the effective edge length of the ski. This makes the ski more turnable and forgiving. It also provides more lift in deep snow. In addition, there is a strong rebound effect. This is particularly supportive in the park when jumping. Wood is mostly used as the core, because this is light but at the same time gives the ski stability and liveliness. As with alpine or all-mountain skis, there are often titanal alloys in freestyle skis, which give the ski additional stability at low weight. ©Freestyle Ski Construction by K2.

WHAT YOU SHOULD CONSIDER WHEN BUYING YOUR FREESTYLE SKIS

You should choose the right ski based on your ability and riding style. Whether you are a beginner, intermediate or expert, the ski must match your expectations. If you use your freestyle ski mostly in the park, then a narrower model is suitable. However, if you plan to do a lot of off-piste skiing, a wider ski will fit better. Your freestyle ski should always be at least the size of your body. Whether freestyle, off-piste or on-piste, start looking for the right ski for you and improve your skills!

WHAT IS THERE TO CONSIDER IN BINDING?

The mounting of the bindings also depends on your intentions. For pure park skis, bindings should be centered, because this allows the freeski to ride backwards just as well as forwards. However, if you are also on the slopes or off-piste and want to enjoy the fullest skiing pleasure, you should mount the binding a little further back. Especially in deep snow this is important, because there the ski glides better when the weight is shifted a little to the rear. So you have no problems and can easily pull your turns.

WHAT ELSE DO YOU NEED?

The right ski boots are also important, because the boots have to cushion well during hard landings. To fully enjoy your jumps and tricks, you should always wear a ski helmet and protectors. This gives you the necessary safety and protects you from serious injuries in case of emergency.

You still need new poles? No problem! We offer you different models from different brands. Whether for women, men or children—there is something for everyone. Let yourself be inspired by our large selection and find your new equipment for different sports.