Thanks Sue, info sent 
Argue for or against - the winner will be drawn on the 15th of March. Give’er!
Yes, you gotta land.
Don’t fight the bike. Let it ride off the jump/whatever your airing. Unless it’s a sringer- load that mess up first.
Obviously airing takes more skill, or they wouldn’t have comps that are all about getting amplitude, dude.
It is the skill of keeping two wheels on the ground that makes the big air seem like it requires more skill, for when you land, you want to be rubber side down and keep it that way.
Getting big air requires cojones but it is a different skill than keeping two wheels on the ground.
IMO keeping your wheels down requires greater skill because it is involved in all aspects of cycling. Anyone who has raced cyclocross or muddy xc can attest to the amount of skill required to “keep 'er upright” in difficult conditions. Also, many skilled cyclists can keep two wheels on the ground and
get big air. Some of the big air guys, while they are great at hucking wouldn’t do nearly as well at keeping two tires down at high speeds under slick conditions or perform as well as all-round cyclists.
Heh, after riding at Wrandees last night with no studs, I can attest, that it would have been easier to get big air
I wonder what the ratio is of broken bones resulting from slippery roots to broken bones resulting from badly executed air.
I find this debate to be somewhat outdated. Getting big hair was popular in the 1980’s (when I had hair). So were Hammer pants and big shoulder pads. Big hair and bold makeup was a teling sign of the vanity and excess of the 1980’s and I was glad to see it go. Along with acid washed denim and Glass Tiger. that being said, the 80’s weren’t completely horrible. New Wave and Punk was exciting as was the birth of hip hop.
Fashion was pretty much a washout back then. Eventually big hair was replaced with rat tails, pony tails and mock turtlenecks. Good memories for sure.
Wait a minute, you said “big air”.
Never mind.
GETTING big air doesn’t require that much skill (see the many crashes on Youtube). Any maniac can do that. It’s maintaining control and sticking the landing that showz skillz.
All it takes to get air is a pair of girls pants!!
Girlpants AND
and unbuckled salad bowl helmet!
Thats pretty good… From the guy wearing spandex tights.
My shaved legs lokk great in my tights!!
It doesn’t take more skill, its a different skill. Riding a bike
and keeping 2 wheels on the ground is a skill developed over time
with practice and experience. Getting big air requires a new skill
set, including the developement of muscle memory and knowledge of
how bikes and the human body behave in the air. So my 2 cents is
that it doesn’t take any more of less skill, it’s a different skill
which requires dedication, practice and a healthy disrespect of
self preservation.
I think I missread this at first. There is A LOT of skill involved with keeping 2 wheels on the ground in some situations. Like it was said, mud, snow, ice, wind, terrain and the like all require skill, balance, control, strength and all that stuff to keep upright and moving. Oh yeah. Same for hills. Up or down sometimes. And a lack of momentum. Look at trials riding. Sick.
And it’s true that you don’t “need” skills to get big air. Just cajones. Depends on how you want to finish it up.
i’ve seen street dirts with tonnes of jumping skill , not able to pedal their way out of a wet paper bag, when it comes to riding through the woods.
i also know alot of xc types that can pedal everything in their path but god forbid when they try to jump, it’s not to fun to watch the results. can anyone say dead sailor air.
both approaches take alot of skill and like anything else in our sport takes alot of saddle time to perfect.
undecided, as i like to do both.
Living with 2 teenage boys, I’ve come to the realization that there’s not much skill to big air. These guys don’t even need bikes to demonstrate their big air.
i quess i am going to to say two things at the same time. exacuting big air with skill translate visually as being more skillful even if you could argue that staying up right takes more work.
what about the art of pushing through a jump’s lip to stay as close to the ground as possible?
low and fast like.