Park SMART: five principles, size labels from XS to XL, and why studies show terrain park injuries often turn out more severe.
"Can I just drop into a kicker whenever no one's standing there?" No — and that exact question is why the terrain park has its own rules that have little to do with normal slope etiquette.
The Park SMART system (formerly "Smart Style"), developed in the US by the National Ski Areas Association, has become the international reference framework for park safety and rests on five principles: Start Small (build up step by step), Make a Plan (mentally walk through every feature beforehand), Always Look (before dropping in, always check the path is clear), Respect (features and other users) and Take it Easy (know your own limits).
On top of that comes a sizing system: parks label their features from XS to XL, often color-coded like runs. A park's entrance is usually marked with an orange oval — a clear signal that different rules apply here than on the regular slope.
The data shows why these rules aren't a formality: a comparison study of ski and snowboard injuries found that terrain park injuries were significantly more likely to be fractures or concussions, more often involved the head, face and back, and more often required hospital transport than injuries on regular slopes. Particularly notable: advanced riders, active park users and competition participants reported significantly more concussions in surveys than casual riders — likely because they jump more often and bigger, not because park riding itself becomes more dangerous the better you get.
Bottom line: these rules don't exist to kill your fun — they exist because a kicker with four people in the landing zone at once turns life-threatening fast.
The orange oval marks the start of a terrain park. Many facilities also post an overview board there showing the sizes of individual features.
Look at a kicker or rail from the side before hitting it — approach, takeoff point, landing. Make a Plan means: never approach a feature blind, no matter how experienced you are.
A single glance isn't enough — watch until you're sure no one is still standing or lying in the landing zone. Only then do you drop in.
A feature only ever belongs to one person at a time. Wait your turn, don't cut the line, and give other riders enough time to clear the landing zone.
A feature marked with a cross or barrier tape is closed — usually due to construction work or poor snow conditions. Ride it anyway, and the landing is often not prepared at all: one of the most common causes of truly severe park falls, well ahead of ordinary jump mistakes.
Studies suggest park injuries tend to be more severe than on regular slopes — more often affecting the head, face and back, more often requiring hospital transport. The Park SMART system measurably lowers this risk when actually followed — but it doesn't help if you know the rules and ignore them anyway because "no one's there for a second." Especially on busy weekends, extra patience pays off, since wait times between runs naturally get longer.
Before your first session on a feature, watch three or four other riders hit it first. You'll learn not just the approach, but also the unwritten timing — how long each rider needs to clear the landing zone. It only costs you a few minutes, but gives you a noticeably safer feel for timing and spacing before it's your turn.
Five principles: Start Small, Make a Plan, Always Look, Respect, Take it Easy. They're meant to get you approaching every feature deliberately instead of impulsively.
Most parks label kickers, rails and boxes from XS to XL, often with color codes similar to slope ratings. When in doubt, ask at the park entrance or the lift.
Yes, comparison studies suggest they tend to be more severe and more often involve the head, face or back. That's down to jumps and features, not because park riding is inherently uncontrollable.
Once someone is ahead of you, yes — a feature is always ridden one at a time, never simultaneously. In an empty park you can obviously go right away, but should still follow Always Look.
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