We spend so much time watching the pro snowboarders in action, seeing how casually they approach even the most daunting of jumps and stunts, that it’s easy to forget just how difficult landing those sky-high jumps at breakneck speeds actually is. We think to ourselves, “I could do that. How hard can it be?”, and end up like this guy; dropping into the powder from fifty feet in the air having massively overshot your jump.

So where did this poor chap go wrong? Well, like most things in life, one of the first things you need to do if you want to successfully land a jump like this is practice. A capable instructor can get you off to a good start, but unless you put the hours in you won’t even be able to attempt snowboarding at this level without risking a couple of broken ankles, or at the very least a severely bruised ego. Unfortunately, most of us only manage a couple of weeks on the slopes a year at best, so what’s the most effective way getting as much out of this time as possible?

The best advice is to keep it simple, be realistic, decide what you want to achieve, and stay focussed. While it’s tempting to pick a massive jump and go for it in the hope that you’ll turn out to be one of life’s naturals, by setting attainable goals and sticking to them you stand a much better chance of going home having achieved some genuine improvement. Then next time you get the chance to take your snowboard out for a while, maybe those twenty foot jumps will start to look just a little bit more doable.