Free-ride: an ultimate beginner’s guide

Free-ride is a type of sport in which sportsmen ski or snowboard in places where there are no specialized tracks. Let’s take a closer look at this sport.

Types of free-ride

Free-ride includes several types of skiing and snowboarding. They are:

• Free-ride itself. Sportsmen use ski-lifts to get to the mountains and then ski downhill.
• Backcountry involves not only skiing down the mountains but also climbing them. It takes a lot of physical demands.
• Ski-tour is a type of freeride in which sportsmen get to the mountains with the help of special equipment. It is a bit easier since they do not have to hold their skis and snowboards in hands.
• Heliskiing and heliboardbing is a type of free-ride that is known for using helicopters to the most unreachable mountain peaks.

Free-ride triad

To go free-riding successfully, it is necessary to be able to do three things, which are:

• Choosing the best route in accordance with the safety rules;
• Mastering your free-riding technique;
• Choosing suitable equipment and protection.

Equipment

What does every free-rider need?

• A pair of skis or a snowboard and a pair of boots;
• A mask that will protect your face from snow, wind, branches. There should also be an extra mask in case this one becomes too wet;
• Warm clothes created especially for snowboarding and skiing;
• A backpack with two clasps;
• A beeper, a probe and a shovel;
• A first-aid kit;
• A system for breathing that is called “AvaLung”;
• An inflatable cushion;
• A knife, some rope and adhesive tape;
• Some means of communication to keep in touch with others.

Avalanche safety

Since skiing off-track involves a high risk of danger, it is necessary to know some safety rules that will come in useful in case of an avalanche. First of all, you should join a special course on avalanche safety that includes learning to notice the prerequisites to avalanches, examining the landscape, the algorithm of actions to look for those who got trapped.

Secondly, each sportsman must have a beeper, a probe and a shovel. A beeper is a special mechanism that sends signals about the location of people in mountains and in forests. You do not have to buy a professional beeper, the most basic one will be more than enough. Remember to check whether it works properly before you set off on the route.

Finally, you should make sure that your phone and your portable radio are charged. You might also want to take a power bank with you. Contact the life-saving service beforehand to find out if the day you are going to go free-riding is suitable for skiing off-track.

Landscapes

For those who want to try free-riding it is urgent to learn the peculiarities of different landscapes because some of them may be extremely dangerous.

• Powder – a deep layer of snow that is perfect for snowboarding or skiing, although it is hard to learn to ski on it as it is not thick.
• Snow crust is a huge mass of thick and rough snow. Such landscapes are among the most dangerous parts of mountains.
• Wet snow. In spring, when the sun shines brightly, snow becomes wet and it gets hard to ski without lubrication. It is advisable to avoid skiing in this period.
• Forests are the hardest landscapes to overcome. Skiing and snowboarding there requires both a high level of control and the ability to pay less attention to the trees. It is of paramount importance to ski with a person who knows the forest perfectly and wear a mask to protect oneself from branches.
• Glaciers are also very dangerous because their form changes annually, and cracks occur. They may be either visible or covered with snow. To go free-riding here it is necessary to know the landscape perfectly.

Safety rules

Free-riding is an activity that should be done in a company, otherwise it might get deadly dangerous. There are several rules that you should follow if you want to try it.

• You should go free-riding with professional and reliable sportsmen.
• Free-riding is prohibited in bad weather. If it is snowing, or you cannot see the landscape well, you should wait until the weather becomes better. Also, before setting off on a route, consult meteorologist to make sure that no avalanches are expected.
• Do not follow others’ tracks as they may lead you to places where skiing and snowboarding is impossible.
• When choosing a rout, opt for mountain slopes that you can deal with successfully. If the slope requires more experience than you have, it may lead you to major injuries.
• You should strictly follow the order of sportsmen. There should be a leader and a person who will go last. Each participant must be visible.
• Start free-riding in the morning or in the afternoon because it is hard to control situation when it is dark.
• Think of the route in advance. Remember: the further you are from the tracks, the more accurate your movements should be.
• Do not take part in any activities that you find dangerous. For example, if your fellow sportsmen ask you to change the trajectory of movement but you think it is not a good idea, try to persuade others not to risk.
• Choose a group of people who are as experienced as you, otherwise you will either be in a hurry or wait for others.

Skiing technique

There are several things that any free-rider must know. It is important to rely on your skiing and snowboarding skills rather than on the quality of the boots, snowboards and skis. To learn how to free-ride, you should learn to ski on tracks confidently first. What are the basic moves that every free-rider should be capable of?

First things first, the ability to ski at any speed without fallings is the key to success, as well as the skills of turning at high speed. Secondly, it is crucial to follow the direction of the mountain slope and avoid moving against it. At the same time, being able to overcome curves if you want to control the speed and free-ride in the forest.

Often free-rider face challenges when it comes to skiing or snowboarding down rapid descents and jumping. Not only do they lack in experience of riding there but also they feel anxiety and uncontrollable fear. To overcome this obstacle, it is necessary to train a lot. As for jumping, the key to success is the ability to land without falling.

So, this is what free-riding is like. Since it is an extremely dangerous sport, a lot of experience is required. Also, to succeed in this activity it is necessary to have a company consisting of  people who are equally passionate about it.