Photo: © Welove2ski

Fancy your chances in the terrain park this winter? Then for goodness sake practise your “pop”.

‘Pop’ is the name given to the basic take-off-and-landing movement over jumps, and if you get it right, chances are your early days of jumping in the terrain park will be stress (and wipeout) free. If you don’t, then you’re going to end up on your a*se.

Essentially, all you’re doing is moving your body through an up-and-down arc as you jump. You take off extending upwards, and you come back down to earth with an active, downward movement.

Below, Marco Cecamore of the European Ski & Snowboard School in Les Deux Alpes demonstrates the basic movement, while static. You should practise this until it’s second nature to you before going anywhere near your first jump.

Note that is not a big, extravagant, body movement. It needs to be smooth and controlled, and the key is to come back down to earth centred over your feet, actively bringing both skis back down onto the snow at the same time.

Below, Marco demonstrates the common mistakes when attempting the pop.

And here, to round things off is the finished movement in action.

Want to learn more on how to make your first jumps in freestyle? Then check out our feature on how to get from piste to terrain park.

These videos were shot in July on the glacier above Les Deux Alpes: home to one of the best freestyle-skiing scenes in the Alps. For more on the off-season scene, check our guide to the best resorts for summer skiing.