How do you turn on a snowboard without stacking?

Question

I'm really keen to learn snowboarding and know how to ski but the one day I couldn't get the hang of turning.

I start with both feet facing down the slope with my weight on the back of the board so that I slide down the slope on the back edge. But when I try to bring one end of the board to the front I always stack in over the leading edge of the board (the opposite side from where I had my weight at the start).

Should you have your weight on your front leg or back leg or both? I'd love to sort this out as I know I'll love it once I get the hang of it.

Thanks,

Robin

Answer 1

You should never lean back (over the back of the board) and you should have your weight forward (over the nose of the board).

These are some beginner tips that I have been writing:

Day 1 lesson usually includes:

Turning - think about turning as additional pressure on the front toe or heel. Turning a snowboard is all about edge control. When you have the board across the hill and stand up on the heel edge, you can tilt your feet forward to slide down the hill, tilt back to get more edge bite and stop - the basic side slip.

To turn, you bite the back edge into the snow and then put pressure on the downhill egde of your front foot. This will release the edge in the front only and the nose of the board will start to swing down the hill. This will also put your weight forward which is correct. Then, put equal pressure back on the uphill edge with both feet and you will turn back across the hill and stop. This is called a garland. Practice this a lot until you can get the board almost straight down the hill before returning to a stop.

Day 2 lesson:

A complete turn is just a continuation of this exercise. Use more pressure on the downhill side of the front foot to release the front of the edge and the board will swing faster toward the fall line. You MUST wait for the board to cross the fall line (straight down the hill) before you transition your weight to the other edge (or you will catch the downhill edge - ouch). Then use equal pressure on both feet on the new uphill edge to get the board to move back across the hill - this is a complete turn.

Once you are doing these in both directions, you can start linking the turns.

Good Luck

Answer 2

You would fall because the weight of your body would have been too far forward. To avoid that just make sure you lean back enough so you wont catch an edge.

It doesnt matter if its from toe side to heel side just make sure you lean back so the part of the board facing the end of the mountain doesnt dig into the snow and cause you to fall.