What is a terrain park?

According to wikipedia, a terrain park is an outdoor recreation area containing terrain that allows skiers and snowboarders to perform tricks. Terrain parks have their roots in skateparks, and many of the features are common to both.

As freestyle disciplines continue to gain in popularity, with events like the X-Games leading the charge, terrain parks can be found at more and more resorts. It is now possible for young skiers or snowboarders to start in the terrain park and spend the vast majority of their time on snow hitting various features as they strive to become professional freestyle athletes.

History of the terrain park

The first known terrain park (then called a ‘snowboard park’) was built at Bear Valley Ski Area in California during the 1989-90 season. It was the brainchild of Bear Valley’s Marketing Director Sean McMahon and California snowboarder and contest organizer Mike McDaniel.

McMahon’s idea was to create an area of the mountain specifically for snowboarders—modeled after the skateparks of the 1970s, featuring jumps, jibs, and a halfpipe—that would bring new customers to the small, family operated ski area in the Central Sierra.

He enlisted the help of McDaniel, who had experience building snowboard-specific terrain features such as halfpipes and jumps, through his work organizing early snowboard events. 

A surface lift was installed to bring snowboarders from the bottom of the area back to the top, without having to take a chair lift to the top of the mountain. Kim Krause, who had run lifts in other areas of the resort, was brought on as the park’s first lift operator.

It became apparent that the park would need ongoing construction, grooming, and maintenance, and McDaniel was hired by Bear Valley in the fall of 1989 to be Snowboard Park Manager. The new mountain attraction was dubbed the “Polar Park.” 

Who can ski & snowboard in a terrain park? 

At some resorts around the world, a special pass is required to enter certain terrain parks. However, all the terrain parks that we have been to in Hokkaido are open to the public.

This does not necessarily mean that it is safe for everyone to enter the terrain park and enjoy the features. One must be aware of their own abilities and experience before attempting to hit features in a terrain park. 

Terrain parks have designations with respect to safety similar to standard alpine slopes. They differ in their designation and degrees of difficulty and are further distinguished by large, medium, or small features. 

While features vary between resorts, commonly small features are short jumps and rails that are at the slope surface. Medium features are 10-to-30-foot (3.0 to 9.1 m) high jumps along with jibs requiring small jumps to mount. Large features include 30-to-90-foot (9.1 to 27.4 m) jumps along with complex jibs and large vertical pipes.

“Progression parks” are easier terrain parks, meant for those just starting to ride these features. The terrain parks in Hokkaido would generally fall into this category.

To ensure a safe and fun experience, book a lesson with one of our freestyle coaches! They will teach you all of the basics if it is your first time in a terrain park, or if you are more experienced they can help you with the most efficient way to progress towards new features and tricks. 

Where are the best terrain parks in Hokkaido? 

Niseko Grand Hirafu

The largest terrain park in Hokkaido, the park at Grand Hirafu is behind the Welcome Center can be accessed via the King Pair Lift #1. There are two entrances for the terrain park and more than ten features.

The first feature from the top is an urban rail, but you can go directly to a 5m table top if you skip the rail. There are two table tops to continue from the first kicker. Due to the limited size of the park, there is not much space in between for you to adjust the speed before the following kicker. You can opt to continue with the jibbing section on the left after landing from the first jump.

The jibbing park features here are all gap-on versus ride-on commonly found in other Japanese ski resorts. Features found in this section include down cylinder rail, double down rail, cylinder rail, double barrel tube and plastic corrugated pipe depending on the items’ rotation.

Why we like it: The variety of rails and good flow.

Niseko Hanazono

Grand Hirafu has a little cousin; the Niseko Hanazono Park. The terrain Park at Hanazono is divided into a Main Park and a Jib Park for beginners, both of which are accessible from the Hanazono Hooded Quad #1.

The Main Park consists of two big lines filled with kickers of different sizes. In contrast to Grand Hirafu, Hanazono Park is built according to the terrain of the mountain and it is more spacious. The park is built in such a way that one is able to ride one line and hit multiple features, with a mix of jumps and rails.

Why we like it: The well-built kickers with long landings make it easy to get lots of pop and are easier to handle for beginners.

Rusutsu Resort

The terrain park at Rusutsu is located at East Mt and has a variety of features. The terrain park is divided into 3 sections: Easy Zone, Jib Zone, and Jump Zone.

The Easy Zone is perfect for beginners with rollers and ride-on jibs. The Jib Zone has three separate features and includes more advanced rails such as a down rail. The Jump Zone includes larger kickers for intermediate-advanced riders.

Why we like it: The kickers at Rusutsu stand out. The shape is great, allowing you to get some good pop and with nice, long landings.

Teine

The terrain park has a mix of jumps and rails. At the start you will find the kickers; however they are not the best in the area as they are relatively small and the landings are a bit short.

On the other hand, the rail features in this park are awesome! Teine is maybe the best place in Hokkaido to practice jibs.

Why we like it: the variety and quality of the jib features.