Terrain Park Rules and Etiquette (What Park S.M.A.R.T. Won’t Tell You)
There’s an official set of rules for terrain parks (Park S.M.A.R.T.), and then there’s what actually happens when snowboarding on freestyle terrain. Read up on both to stay as safe as you can in the terrain park!
What does Park S.M.A.R.T. stand for?
Park S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym developed by the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA). It stands for:
Start Small
Make a Plan
Always Look
Respect
Take it Easy
Rules vs. Reality in the Terrain Park
In general, Park S.M.A.R.T. is a common-sense approach to minimizing your risk and staying out of people’s way in the park. But sometimes, the design of the park or the limitations of the hill mean you need to take extra care beyond what Park S.M.A.R.T. suggests. It can turn into one of those “the rules won’t save you if you’re the only one following them” kind of situations. My advice below comes from my experience riding in more than a dozen terrain parks, sometimes on very crowded days.
Start Small
Rule: Terrain parks are usually labeled on the trail map by the size of the features they contain. Look for parks marked with an S or XS to start with. These parks will often include wide, short boxes that are only a few inches above the snow and have a ride-on ramp.
Reality: Every ski resort is different, and some don’t even have a small park. Just because you’re at the smallest park that hill has, doesn’t mean the features in it are beginner-friendly. If you’re not sure what a beginner-friendly park feature looks like, check out my beginner freestyle progression guide.
Little Switzerland in Wisconsin has the best beginner terrain park of any ski hill I’ve visited so far.
Make a Plan
Rule: Decide what feature you’re going to ride before you drop in, and call your drop.
Reality: Most parks have a bit of space at the top where riders tend to congregate before “dropping in.” If the park has a rope tow, riders will hang out at the top because that’s the only opportunity to rest between runs (since you need to keep your momentum at the bottom of the hill in order to catch the rope). Calling your drop in would theoretically help avoid the situation where two riders start sliding toward the same feature at the same time. I say theoretically, because, in my experience, even when I loudly call my drop, almost no one else does, and oblivious riders often still decide to drop at the exact same moment as I do. So that leads to the importance of the next rule…
Always Look
Rule: Keep your head on a swivel at all times in the terrain park. Do a scope run before riding any features and take note of the landing zone. On soft snow days, there might be a scooped-out basin below the downhill side of any box. This doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t ride the box, but it’s very helpful to know it’s coming as you navigate the box.
Reality: Always be on the lookout for other riders. They might be lying in the snow in front of you in the landing zone, coming at you from a weird angle, or coming in behind you with more speed than you. Always be ready to call off your intended line if there’s traffic.
Respect
Official: Respect other riders in the terrain park. Respect the features and the way they were built and intended to be used.
Reality: I have to be honest here…the terrain park doesn’t typically feel like a respectful place, especially for beginners. In fact, as a geriatric park rat, most of the time it’s downright toxic. The dominant demographic is teenage boys who are amped up on energy drinks. They tend to use shame to motivate each other to get outside their comfort zone (“I bet you won’t, you [synonym-for-cat]” etc.). Advanced riders tend to get annoyed at beginner park rats when they fall while riding or getting on the rope tow.
This is honestly the worst part about getting into park riding as an adult. It’s an exercise in trying to rise above. I try my best to be respectful and considerate, and hope that it will encourage others to do the same. I say ‘try my best’ because I have definitely failed and found myself throwing fistfuls of snow at a 13-year-old boy after he body slammed me while I was trying to get onto the rope tow. If anybody knows of a terrain park with a rope tow that has adult-only hours or girls-only hours, please let me know!
Take it Easy
Official: Know your limits, and try to end your day in the park while you still have some gas in the tank.
Reality: There’s a real art to ending your day/night on a high note, instead of limping off the slope to your car (or being carried off). This is even more important when you’re a geriatric park rat like me. I recommend setting some goals for yourself around how many times you’ll attempt a certain trick (maybe 10 times max?), and calling it good when you hit that number, even if you were unsuccessful at the trick. And if your landings are getting sloppier or you have a close call that rattles you, take that as your sign that it’s time to either go home or at least go back to the groomers.
