How To Backslide Rails On Skis | @markdrvper17 #ski #howto

01:00 min • 14/12/2023

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Athletes

Mark Draper

Profile and significance

Mark Draper is a Canadian freeski athlete and coach from Toronto, born in 1998, who moved from the Nor-Am contest scene into a visible role teaching progression and park fundamentals. He spent several seasons competing in slopestyle and big air before channeling his energy into coaching and media with Ski Addiction, while representing rider-run brands such as RMU, Karbon, and Joystick. Draper’s significance lies in that blend: he is a capable park skier with verified results who now translates freeski technique into clear, practical guidance for everyday riders.

Competitive arc and key venues

Draper’s competitive résumé centers on Nor-Am Cup slopestyle and big air starts, highlighted by a fourth-place finish in slopestyle at Aspen Snowmass in February 2019. He also recorded solid top-15s on the Canadian stops common to the circuit, including Le Relais near Québec City and events in Calgary at WinSport. Those venues map his progression from Ontario park roots to western resorts with larger features, a trajectory many Canadian freeskiers follow on their way toward World Cup ambitions. While Draper later stepped away from international starts, that phase sharpened the timing and course-management skills he now brings to coaching.

How they ski: what to watch for

Draper skis with a clean, teachable style that emphasizes approach speed, early set-up, and centered landings—useful markers for anyone learning slopestyle. On jumps, he favors well-grabbed spins that come from patient takeoffs rather than hucked rotations, a habit reinforced by off-snow reps with Ski Addiction’s tramp-based drills. On rails, he shows comfort with change-ups and clean exits, keeping shoulders aligned to reduce unwinds. The overall impression is efficient and repeatable: the kind of skiing you can slow down, study, and then emulate in your next park lap.

Resilience, filming, and influence

Beyond contests, Draper leaned into filming and community media—submitting a SuperUnknown entry in 2021 and appearing in coaching edits and terrain-park tours that demystify features for progressing skiers. As a returning coach with Momentum Camps on Whistler Blackcomb, he spends long stints on Blackcomb Glacier refining campers’ fundamentals. That year-over-year presence, combined with accessible tutorials, has given Draper an outsized impact relative to his contest record: he helps more people ski better, faster, and safer.

Geography that built the toolkit

Draper’s foundation is classic Ontario park culture, shaped by countless laps in the “Junkyard” and Outback zones at Mount St. Louis Moonstone. Those smaller-vertical but feature-dense parks reward precision and quick resets, traits obvious in his rails and switch takeoffs. From there, he graduated to the big lines and longer rhythm at Whistler Blackcomb, and to contest venues like WinSport in Calgary and Aspen Snowmass, where speed control and wind management matter. Each location contributed a layer: Ontario for rail craft, Whistler for XL jump timing, and Nor-Am stops for composure under pressure.

Equipment and partners: practical takeaways

Draper rides RMU park skis—often the Rippah width for all-day durability—paired with Joystick poles and Karbon outerwear. For skiers looking to follow his progression framework, the actionable piece is the training loop: structured tutorials and off-snow tools from Ski Addiction build repetition and confidence, which then transfers to snow. Match your ski choice to your local features, keep your stance neutral enough to adapt mid-feature, and film laps to compare your body position to Draper’s checkpoints.

Why fans and progressing skiers care

Not every influential freeski voice is an Olympic medalist. Draper sits in the growing class of slopestyle and big air skiers whose value is equal parts ability and communication. He knows the Nor-Am pace, coaches on glacier in the summer, and publishes breakdowns that remove the mystery from rails, spins, grabs, and feature selection. If you’re building a park toolkit—from Ontario rope-tow nights to spring laps at Whistler Blackcomb—Mark Draper is a reliable reference for how modern freeski technique should look and feel.

Brand overview and significance

Ski Addiction is a rider-owned training brand based in Whistler, British Columbia. Launched in 2012 with a simple goal—help skiers progress faster and safer—the company blends step-by-step tutorial series with purpose-built off-snow gear. In late 2017, Ski Addiction introduced trampoline-specific “Tramp Skis” and training bindings, a combo that turned backyard setups, gyms and tramp parks into year-round freeski labs. Today the brand serves park, slopestyle and all-mountain skiers who want more repetitions, better air awareness and cleaner technique before taking tricks to snow.

The brand’s significance sits in this crossover between education and equipment. Its content libraries (Tramp Series, Jib Series, trick-tip tutorials) give riders a structured progression path, while the gear—foam-safe bindings, reverse-camber tramp skis, balance bars and mats—makes that learning tangible. With distribution across North America and Europe, and an active presence on coaching channels, Ski Addiction has become a go-to name for freeskiers building fundamentals away from the chairlift. On Skipowd, you can explore their aggregated content and presence here: Ski Addiction.

Product lines and key technologies

The core lineup revolves around two ski trainers: Tramp Skis Pro and DOLLO Tramp Skis (a Henrik Harlaut collaboration). Both use a ski-like construction (poplar wood cores, laminated topsheets) tuned for tramp elasticity, with rounded edges and smooth sidewalls to protect mats and fabric. The Pro adds the latest generation training bindings with dual-buckle retention and highbacks for tip-to-tail response, while the DOLLO emphasizes accessibility and value with a compact 95 cm format and a one-year warranty. Supporting products include a Balance Bar for jib stance and edge control drills and a high-density Training Mat for safe landings and repeated takeoffs.

Reverse camber profile to flex with the trampoline and keep spins predictable.
Universal four-hole mounting interface for quick, secure binding setup.
EVA foam base and rounded geometry to be tramp-safe and home-friendly.

Ride feel: who it’s for (terrains & use-cases)

These are training tools for freeskiers of all levels—park riders dialing grabs and axis control, big-mountain skiers polishing takeoff mechanics, and all-mountain skiers seeking consistent body position and balance. On a trampoline, the short length and light swing weight translate to higher airtime and easier rotation control; the reverse camber helps emulate ollies, presses and butters you’ll later use on rails and side hits. Off the tramp, pairing the Balance Bar with the tutorials lets beginners engrain basic stance, scissoring and edge changes before sliding their first box at the hill. Intermediates use the setup to link 270s, pretzels and switch takeoffs; advanced riders use it to explore new axis (corks, bio, misty) in a low-risk environment.

Team presence, competitions, and reputation

Ski Addiction leans into credibility through coaches and collaborators who live the discipline. Tutorials frequently feature Whistler-based coaches like Dean Bercovitch and Mark Draper, while the DOLLO Tramp Skis were designed in collaboration with freeski icon Henrik Harlaut—an X Games multi-gold champion with an Olympic bronze to his name—connecting the product directly to park and big-air progression. Rising athletes such as Aidan Mulvihill (Team Canada) appear across training edits and terrain-park tours, reinforcing the brand’s role as a skills pipeline rather than just a gear catalog. The result is a reputation for practical, no-nonsense instruction backed by equipment that holds up to thousands of reps.

Geography and hubs (heritage, testing, venues)

Headquartered in Whistler-Blackcomb, Ski Addiction tests and films where park culture is woven into daily laps. The local terrain-park infrastructure—graded lines from progression features to XL jumps—provides real-world continuity between tramp practice and on-snow execution. Beyond Canada, you’ll see training clinics and content filmed at destinations like Thredbo in Australia, reflecting a global footprint supported by a “Try Our Gear” locator of partner gyms and tramp centers. For pure resort planning and travel info, start with the official resort pages for Whistler and Thredbo.

Construction, durability, and sustainability

Tramp Skis use ski-factory construction with poplar cores and sturdy topsheets to maintain a lively flex after heavy use. Bindings feature cushioned EVA bases and dual-buckle straps that lock feet without pressure points; highbacks add leverage for presses and butters. The DOLLO specs call out a 95 cm length and a rider-weight ceiling that keeps rebound predictable on consumer trampolines. While Ski Addiction doesn’t publish a formal sustainability roadmap, its training-first approach reduces trial-and-error injuries and broken edges that often come from forcing new tricks on metal and ice. Durable materials and replaceable hardware also extend service life. Warranty support and clear mounting guides further encourage maintain-and-repair over replace-and-discard.

How to choose within the lineup

If you want the most realistic ski feel and binding lockdown, pick Tramp Skis Pro. The poplar core and Gen-4 bindings deliver a firmer platform, crisp tip-to-tail response and the security advanced riders appreciate when practicing off-axis rotations. If you’re budget-conscious, new to tramp training, or outfitting a club or gym, the DOLLO Tramp Skis offer the right flex and safety geometry at a friendlier price and length that works in tighter spaces. Add the Balance Bar if rails are in your future: scissoring, counter-rotation and edge-change drills on dry land will accelerate your first slides and 270s. A Training Mat is worthwhile if you’re setting up in a garage or backyard and want repeated, cushioned takeoffs and landings.

Why riders care

Progress in freeskiing comes from quality repetitions. Ski Addiction’s value is simple: it makes those reps safer, more frequent and more precise. Tutorials structure your learning; tramp skis and bindings convert theory into muscle memory; and the gym-to-hill flow lets you bring new tricks to snow with confidence. For park riders eyeing slopestyle lines, for freeriders refining takeoff timing, or for all-mountain skiers looking to move with more balance, the system offers a faster feedback loop. Add the legitimacy of collaborators with X Games and Olympic resumes, and a home base at Whistler-Blackcomb, and it’s clear why this Whistler startup has grown into an international training reference. If you’re exploring brand ecosystems on Skipowd, start at the sponsor hub for Ski Addiction, then tap official event profiles like the X Games and the Olympics when you want athlete context behind the tricks you’re learning.

How To Backslide Rails On Skis | @markdrvper17 #ski #howto

Athletes

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Mark Draper

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