Backside Alley Oop -
By Liana Lasut
Q.
Liana, what trick are you doing in that picture?
A. I think it was a backside Alley Oop with an Indy grab. But
you can just see the top spot when you're turning the board to the landing
position.
Q.
How many times have you done it?
A.
I have done it several times. If you must know, i never do a trick more
than three times in one session!! I get bored very fast and then my riding
isn't good, cause I'm not motivated anymore. So i do the trick once for
checking out the new movement and then i go for more speed, attitude and
style, as much as possible!!! Then, when i'm content with it, i go and
try the next trick.
Liana Lasut, Saas-Fee,
Switzerland.
Summer 2003. Photo by Noldi.
Q. How many years have you been doing this trick?
A.
Woo... i can't remember. This Alley Oop is in a way one trick everyone
can do, doesn't matter how much experiences s/he has in riding. But
doing that trick so high and stylish needs a lot of practice!
Q. Was this the biggest time ever?
A.
No it wasn't. The highest jump i can remember was in Saas-Fee too. One
weekend after the camp [Nitro Camp] i went there again, with a new and
special shape of the base, so my board was way faster than the others.
So i took as much speed as i could and i was pushing all the time and no
speed check on the quarter. The result of this very stupid speedtaking
was something like a Double Twist over the whole quarter pipe. I didn't
even touch the coping. So my friends told me that i had made a jump of
4.5 meters high over the quarter and behind it - i fell about 6 meters
down in the flat behind the pipe - HEAD FIRST!!! My friends didn't expect
me to stand up on my own and hike straight to the top of the kickers to
have a new try. They thought i was dead after that *$%&! jump.
Q. Did you plan it to be the biggest ever?
A.
I never thought i could fly so high!! I've never seen
a picture of myself at such a height.
Q. How did you feel before and during?
A.
Before, i didn't feel anything special.
I was breathing
heavily, cause hiking up on 3500m is very exhausting. Then i just stepped
into my bindings and was waiting for my turn. I wasn't thinking, just waiting
for the next chance to do another huge jump. During the jump, as i realized
that I'm very high, i just thought "hold the grab!! Don't open the body,
stay in stylin' the trick - that will give a good picture.
But usually,
when i was that high, i opened the body position and lost control
and ...bailed! So i was really scared of seeing myself flying so high!
But afterwards...
no words to describe it! It was better than the best thing I know!!! My
knees were trembling for 5 minutes after because of the adrenaline. I'm
always trembling after such a kick. I never expected to be so high, that's
why i was so stoked about it.
Liana, thanks
for sharing your Snowboard Secrets with us!
Lauren
Q. I saw a video of myself in the halfpipe recently, from snowboard
camp, and I was going sooo much slower and lower than I thought! I swear,
that video looked like slow motion! What's up with that? Lauren
A.
About your slow riding: I know that it always seems to be very fast or
even high if you're doing some jumps, while you're riding. But actually
its never as high or fast as you're feeling: (Best example is the quarterpipe. When you do a backside air over the coping
you will have the feeling of flying higher than at least one meter (3feet).
But the guys around will tell that you didn't come over half a meter. It's
the problem of perspective.
That's a reason why most of the campers don't like video analysis. It's
so depressing, you thought you had a great day riding and then, boooom!
You just did some tiny jumps! But that's reality. So, your aim should be
to get higher and faster than the jump or run before.
Listen to the
coach.
Doesn't matter
if s/he is a pro or not, try to do what s/he says and then you'll get better
and better.
Keep riding,
face your fears and find your limits!!!
greetz from switzerland,
Liana
