Park lap
Also known as: terrain park lap, park run, snow park lap
One run through a ski or snowboard terrain park, hitting jumps, rails and boxes in sequence, and a common format for continuous POV edits.
Updated
What it means
A terrain park is an area of a ski resort with built features: kickers, rails, boxes, and sometimes a halfpipe. A park lap is one run through it, usually linking several features in a planned line from the top of the park to the bottom.
Park laps are a favorite video format for snowboarders and freestyle skiers. A single uncut lap shows flow and consistency, while a multi-lap edit shows progression and the best hits on each feature. Either way, the kicker and rail hits are the stars, and the moments in between are mostly transition.
How it works in practice
A follow cam from a friend riding behind, or a selfie stick held out to the side, shows the rider's body and style on each feature better than a helmet POV. Freestyle is about style, so the viewer needs to see the whole rider.
Film one complete lap uncut for a flow edit, then session individual features from a fixed spot to collect the best hits. Rails and boxes look best from the side, jumps from the side of the landing.
Record at high frame rates so spins and grabs can be slowed. Bright park snow usually needs a slightly positive exposure setting.
What to watch out for
Parks are busy. Never stop in landings or on the far side of jumps, and follow the park rules on filming locations and drones.
Laps look the same from one run to the next. Change the camera position or the rider's line so each lap adds something new, or keep only the best hit from each feature.
Selfie sticks and poles can catch on features during rails and boxes, so hold them away from the obstacle or use a body mount for those hits. A stick that snags mid-trick can throw a rider off balance, which is worse than losing a shot, a risk worth weighing alongside the usual wipeout footage.
How RawClip handles it
RawClip handles repeated park laps well: upload every lap, and the AI removes duplicate runs and dead time, keeps the jumps and biggest moments of action and cuts them to the beat of the music.