How to Drop Off a Cliff in Skiing

Perhaps you've seen a skier launching themselves off a cliff in a photo or a video, or you've been at a resort and witnessed adrenaline fuelled athletes soar through the air off of seemingly impossible rocks, but actually deciding how to approach a cliff takes some steps.

Steps

1. 1 Check to see what the landing looks like. You can either do this yourself, as you ski around and beneath the area you want to approach, or if you have already warmed up and are feeling confident, ask someone who is skiing with you that you trust's opinion. The landing should be free of rocks, trees and other debris, unless intentionally trying to clear it.
   • A good tip is to also whack the snow where you will land with your pole and see how easily you can hide the basket and remove it. If it is difficult, and the snow seems to be pulling at your pole, the landing may be 'punchy' which could result in you being ejected from your skis when you land.
2. 2 Determine whether or not the area, especially the landing, is steep enough to accommodate your landing. As you attack bigger cliffs, you'll want to land steeper, as it is easier on your body and the shock of falling is translated into horizontal motion.
   • As you get more experienced with jumping off of cliffs it will become easy to determine whether a jump has a 'flat' landing meaning it will hurt to land.
3. 3 Make sure there's enough snow at the takeoff and the landing for a safe jump. If you are jumping off of a rock and part of it is showing, you'll want to either go off at a different angle, get enough speed to jump over it entirely, or not attempt the cliff at all.
4. 4 Figure out how much speed you'll need to jump the cliff. You may need to be moving quite fast to get enough speed to clear further objects.
   • If you are skiing with someone who has attempted the same cliff or drop, you can ask them to show you where to 'straightline' from above the cliff. This means to be standing above the cliff, then turning your skis downhill and not turning which loses speed.
5. 5 Get yourself pumped up. Sing a part of your favorite song, yell and whoop before dropping, or do a little dance to loosen you up. Relax, and breathe, if you've followed the proper procedure of making sure your drop is safe, all you have to do is commit.  
6. 6 As you go off, remember to stay tucked, and bring your knees up. It looks much better to other people, you'll be much more stable, and best of all, you'll get more air. As much as you want to, do not flail your arms, it may set you off balance and cause you to slap your back on the landing. Try to punch your hands out in front of you so you can see them.
7. 7 Extend your knees at the landing impact, and stay focused, as you're not done yet. Some people forget about the speed they've gained after landing and crash due to not having control. You need to get stable, and then do a couple turns to get yourself under control.
8. 8 Smile! Whoop! High-five your buddies! You have just faced your fears and accomplished something awesome.