# Jumping from Off Camber?



## AllMountin' (Nov 23, 2010)

I am an experienced trail rider but novice jumper. Lately, much of my focus has been on improving my jumping. Started small, and have been working up in size, amplitude, and consistency.

Sometimes, in the course of a ride, I'll come across a natural roller or sharp rise in the terrain that cuts across my direction of travel on an angle(say 45 degrees for example). Same thing in the urban setting with tapered curbs at non-perpendicular angles, and other natural or man made obstacles that don't come straight on. 

I want to pop off these obstacles just the same, but I'm finding that when I hit these angled surfaces and try to pop off them, the bike gets unsorted and I'm fighting to keep the rubber side down. 

Also, and this may be a separate issue, I wonder about coming out of a turn directly into a transition, when you don't have time to fully straighten up and balance before hitting it. I tend to end up in the same predicament. 

How do you compensate for off camber/angled/irregular lips, or jumping while still leaning in a bit from a turn? Is there a technique to master, or just practice and experience? 

FTR, this is on a mountain bike, and I don't think it matters whether it's the 26" rigid, AM 29er, or fatbike. Different tools. Same results.


----------



## cglasford (Sep 26, 2011)

I think it is a lot of practice. I can't really explain it personally but it is similar to riding a hip jump you will want hit the lip perpendicular to the lip surface angle so if it is off camber you will be too.. typically these jumps are done at speed, once you are airborne you will need to shift your weight and adjust your bike to the angle of the landing. I would start watching some dirt jump videos... Aptos post office has a few of these jumps and really study their body language in air, good luck 
Death of the Aptos Post Office dirt jumps - YouTube


----------



## cmc4130 (Jan 30, 2008)

I'm having a hard time imagining the "off-camber" angle you're talking about . . . . but I would point out that most BMX and MTB-DJ trail builders try to make the jumps be "correct." If a launch is at a screwy angle, most people will want to "fix" it. (i.e., the jump tilts right but you're supposed to turn left... most people will want to fix it, add dirt to the right side and tilt in the correct direction).

I noticed a couple of off-camber awkward spots at Winter Park / Trestle DH, for example, and when I came back the following year, they were fixed.

In my mind, "off-camber" means the terrain is tilted the way you do NOT want it to be tilted. So, this launch for example, I would just call it a banked/bermed/or tilted launch, not "off camber." 










Similarly, straight launch to bermed landing:


----------



## cglasford (Sep 26, 2011)

I guess that is what my mind went to was those bermed take off... gosh those jumps are sexy!


----------

