I'm starting snowboarding. Do you have any TIPS?

Question

Hi

In a few days i am starting snowboarding at our local ski hill. I'm taking about 6 or 7 group lessons (i got these for christmas today). I know that i will fall ALOT on the first day but how can i not look like such a beginner? i want to be kind of good for my self esteem. so can you give me a few tips for starting?

please no negative comments.

Answer 1

Board Anatomy

Nose - the nose is the end that usually points downhill

Tail - the tail is the end that usually points uphill

Toe edge - the side of the board where your toes are

Heel edge - the side of the board where your heels are

Binding - the thing that binds your foot to the board.

Regular vs. Goofy

Picture sliding downhill sideways. Which side is facing downhill, your right or your left? Alternatively, you can imagine yourself sliding across the kitchen floor in your socks. Which foot is forward? If you answered left, you’re “regular”. If you answered right, you’re “goofy”. On a snowboard, your feet are not perfectly pointed straight toward the toe edge, they are slightly angled either to the left (regular) or to the right (goofy). The foot that goes down the hill first is called your “leading foot” because it leads you down the hill. For a regular person, this is the left foot, for a goofy person, it’s the right. The board pictured above is a regular board. On a goofy board, the nose is on the right and the tail is on the left.

Riding the Board

The first thing you want to get used to thinking about is that you can face any direction while riding downhill on a snowboard. You can go down the slope backwards, that is, with your toes pointed uphill and your back in the direction in which you’re travelling. You can go down the hill nose end first or tail end first. You can go downhill facing downhill, or you can do anything inbetween. Cool, huh?  

The uphill edge

Keep in mind that while you are snowboarding, always put pressure on the uphill edge of the board. So, if you are going down the mountain backwards, that is, facing uphill, yourpressure will be on your toes.  This way of facing the mountain is called “toeside” for obvious reasons. If you are going down the mountain facing downhill, your pressure will be on your heels. This is called “heelside”. DON’T put pressure on the downhill edge. It will cause you to tip over. Think about it. If you are heelside (that is, traveling downhill and facing downhill) and you dig the downhill edge (the toe edge) into the snow, what do you think will happen? The board will stop and you will keep going, causing you to tumble over your board and crash on your face. Similarly, if you are toeside (traveling downhill backwards) and your heel edge digs in, what is going to happen? Your board will stop and you won’t, causing your backside to slam into the ground.

Balancing front-back

The balance point is the center of your weight relative to the surface of the board. Try this: at a standstill, position the board so that it is perpendicular to the slope and you are facing downhill. Now, tilt the toe edge of the board up and down using your ankles, and move yourself front and back until you find the spot where you won’t tip over. That’s your balance point. The balance point changes with the softness of the snow because in soft snow, you’ll have to tilt your board away from the incline moreso than you would on hard-packed snow. Try going heelside slowly down an incline by reducing the pressure applied by your heels.

Balancing left-right

For the most part, try to keep your weight evenly distributed between your two feet. You don’t want to put more weight on the uphill foot. Why not? The surface of the board under the leading (downhill) foot is largely what steers you. Just think of a sled going down a hill. The steering is in the front; friction on the sides of these blades will make it turn. If that analogy didn’t work for you, then consider this one: Ever do a pop-a-wheelie on your bike as a kid? What happens when you steer while your front wheel is in the air? It has no effect on your direction, right? No control. Same thing with a snowboard, if there is no pressure on the leading end (the downhill foot), you have no steering.

Stopping

A stop is a lot like a hockey-stop on ice skates. You bring the board perpendicular to the slope and dig the uphill edge in. If you are heelside (if you are facing downhill) you stop by digging your heels in. If you are toeside, (if you are facing uphill) you stop by digging your toes in. Slowing down is basically the same thing. It’s just that when you want to stop you apply a lot of pressure fast. At the same time, you’ll be balancing your weight (shifting your balance point) so you don’t upset your position to the point where you tip over. Practice stopping heelside. Then practice stopping toeside.

Turning

Okay, this part is important, so pay attention. Start with your board perpendicular to (that is, horizontal across) the slope and then apply less and less pressure to the edge and see what happens. The leading foot tends to go downhill. If you stay in this position, with the lead foot downhill and the board parallel with the slope, you’ll go fast. To turn, start digging the heels in. What happens? You turn heelside. If you had dug your toes in instead, you would have turned toeside. WAIT UNTIL the nose of your board is pointed directly downhill BEFORE digging in the edge. Always look in the direction where you want to go. You have a tendency to go where you are looking because your head is followed by your shoulders/upperbody and then by your hips. It may help to stick your hand out in the direction you want to go. This will help get your shoulder to turn. Avoid looking at the ground right in front of you, especially when you are toeside. Instead, when you are toeside, look over your shoulder in the direction you think you want to turn. When you want to actually turn, let your shoulder follow your head. Your hips and feet will follow.

Equipment

Board - A beginner should have a board that has a beveled edge (so the edges don’t catch as easily), has a little flexibility, and is sort of hourglass-shaped like a maxi-pad, so that it is relatively easy to turn.

Boots - The most important thing is that the boot always moves with your foot. Since the boot is bound to the board and you are controlling it with your feet, if your foot moves within the boot, your foot movement will not translate into board movement. Make sure you get good boots.

The boot should be snug from toe to heel

When you lift your heel while standing, your heel should not move up inside the boot. That is, the heel should not come up off the floor of the boot. Raising your heel should raise the heel of the boot too and should not make a space between your heel and the boot.

You should not be able to rotate your foot or ankle with respect to the boot when the boot is wedged or pinned in a stationary position. Loose boots may be a problem for women renting men’s boots; their feet tend to be narrower.

Boots with dense, form-fitting foam in the heel solve problems (2) and (3). The foam is a part of the inside of the boot and protrudes into the recess of your achille’s tendon so that when your heel comes up, it catches on the foam and the boot comes up too. Don’t leave the rental equipment desk until you are happy - it could mean the difference between having control of your board and not having control of your board.

Helmet - You’ll want a helmet with good visibility that doesn’t block your peripheral vision, and one which doesn’t deafen you so you can hear skiers and riders approach from the sides and behind. Different countries have different safety certification names. So, if it is made in Europe, it might say CE. If it is made in the US it might say Snell. They are made to crack so your head doesn’t. Replace your helmet if the inside or outside becomes cracked.

Lacing up & Strapping in

Boots have lace holes and hooks. Pull hard on the laces when you lace them through the holes. Before hooking the laces through each set of hooks, tie them (like you tie your sneakers, except stop before you make a bow). After hooking the lace on the top hooks, tie them, then hook them through the bottom-most hooks again, tie them. Then hook them through the top-most hooks again and tie them in a bow. It is obvious where you put your feet on the board. The strap bindings look like sandals, except with a support for behind your ankle. Put your foot in - make sure your heel is all the way back, touching the support. Strap the ankle strap first, then the toe strap. Make sure you get them very tight. To walk around on flat ground, unstrap your tail foot. You'll feel awkward for a while. Don't sweat it. It goes away.

Clothing

Your clothing should be warm, non-restrictive, water-resistant, and breathable.

Attire - Wear something you can move around in. Pants that are moderately tight, which work for skiing, won’t work for snowboarding. You’ll be bending your knees a lot more and twisting and squatting and balancing, so you won’t want restrictive clothing. Your jacket should significantly overlap your pants so you don’t get snow around your waist. So either get a long jacket that goes well below the top of your pants, or a normal-length jacket with tall ski pants underneath that cover your abs. I opted for the latter: tall ski pants ($29 USD) that looked and felt one size too large and a nylon down jacket ($59 USD). I was dry, warm, and happy. Everything that touches snow must be water resistant. The lining and layer underneath don’t matter much as long as they don’t retain sweat. COTTON IS BAD. Chenille, fleece, or wool is good. Gore-tex is very good. You really don’t have to spend a fortune, but you must spend enough to be warm, breathable, and water-resistant (read the clothing labels).

Socks - Wear only ONE pair of socks: Ideally, thick long acryllic socks with a very loose weave (turn 'em inside out to check).

Gloves - Get really warm, waterproof gloves - long ones that extend over the wrists of your jacket. Get gloves you feel comfortable in - not ones that make you feel like you’re wearing the claws of a giant bear suit costume. You want gloves in which you can EASILY make a fist, for reasons I’ll explain in a minute. They make warm, non-bulky gloves these days.

Goggles or glasses with polycarbonate lenses ($25 USD); These won’t shatter when you fall.

Scarf - tied securely, or turtlefur (a pull-over cylindrical thingy for your neck)

I was going down a steeper part of the mountain toeside, and I reached out in front of me and touched the slope with my hand and felt it as it went by.

Falling

You will fall. Not knowing how to fall can mean spending the day in the ER and missing days of snowboarding fun. You don’t want to do anything that will deny you of your snowboarding experience, especially if it can be easily avoided by reading a simple paragraph. So, even though falling down is quite an odd thing to be learning, it makes sense to learn it.

Falling down while riding heelside

When you catch your toe edge, you’ll fall forward. When falling forward, your fingers, wrists, and elbows are at risk. The natural inclination is to extend your hands out in front of you to break your fall. Make sure you RESIST this temptation. Doing it can break your fingers, or worse, your wrists. Instead, make fists (to prevent your fingers from breaking), hold your arms in front of your chest (bent, not extended), and fall on your forearms, not your elbows. The surface of your forearms you should fall on is the one that makes contact with the dinner table when you rest your arms comfortably on it.

Falling down while riding toeside

When you catch your heel edge, you’ll fall backward. When falling backward, your head and tailbone are at risk. If you feel yourself falling backward, tuck your chin toward your chest. This is good advice for beginners on the bunny hill, but before you hit the slopes, get a helmet. When you are going fast, the chin tuck doesn’t afford much protection. Your melon will bounce off the ground anyway. My second time down the slope on a snowboard, I wore just a hat, caught a heel edge and CLEANED my CLOCK. I decided to buy a helmet the next day before heading out. The other thing you need to protect is your tailbone. This is where you women with BIG BOOTIE have the advantage! The bigger the better. Of course we are not all so blessed, so make sure you protect your tailbone. Falling flat on your back is better than falling on your rear while bent over. If you feel yourself falling backward, twist a little while falling so you end up on one butt cheek or the other.

If you spaz out every time you fall and can’t seem to follow any of my advice while falling, you can buy a butt protector for your tailbone or (cheaper) simply tape a fleece hat to the inside of your pants seat. Tailbone injuries suck. Take it from me. I fractured my tailbone in a bizarre train mishap on the way to Manhattan (don’t ask).

There are times you may want to fall down on purpose. This may sound like a stupid thing to do, but if you are on a collision course with a child, tree, rock, or metal post, kissing the snow is far preferable.

Improving

Say you're moving horizontally or diagonally across the slope, and you're having trouble getting the end of your board to point downhill. Regardless of whether you are heelside or toeside, you can get your board to turn more easily by REDUCING the amount of edge-digging under the foot that you want to go downhill. Just remember, reducing edge-dig is not the same thing as reducing total pressure under that foot (your weight should be on both feet, recall?).

Once you are comfortable turning from heelside to pointing your nose downhill to toeside, and once you are comfortable turning from toeside to nose downhill to heelside, you’ll be “linking turns”. Go all the way down the slope alternating heelside and toeside. This will look like a zigzag pattern down the slope.

The thing that most helped me develop control was deciding on a destination point (a nearby person, a tree, a dirty spot of snow, whatever) and making my board go there. Try this both heelside and toeside. It will develop your control and will help you understand how your body movements translate into steering.

Stay heelside, and try riding “switch” or “fakie”, which means turning so that you lead with the tail end of the board. Then turn and lead with the nose again, then turn and lead with the tail again, all the while going heelside. Alternate like this between switch and straight. This is called "falling leaf" because it looks similar to a leaf falling off a tree. Now try doing it toeside.

Philosophy and stuff

Expect that snowboarding will be more difficult to learn than skiing. It is also more interesting and creative. Making on-the-fly decisions is thrilling. In the beginning, you will fall down a lot. You’ll have to roll with the punches. It pays to anticipate what you are going to do and think about it as you are doing it. Because snowboarding is energetically demanding, and because your level of focus influences your success, I suggest getting a decent night’s sleep. It also helps to be fit (obviously you’ll have to work on this in advance of your trip), and to be courageous.

The day that started out as my worst day became the best day. If you are having a crappy day and feel like you just aren’t getting it, keep at it; it could turn into your best snowboarding day !

Your trip

If its your first time snowboarding, and you don’t anticipate being able to do it often, I recommend going for a stretch of two or three consecutive days. You’ll get a lot more out of it that way. Before you start your trip, check the snow conditions at the nearest park on the internet. If the temperature is not low enough, there can be mud. If there is little snowfall and high winds that blow what little there is off the mountain, leaving mostly ice or very hard packed snow, you won’t get as much out of your first-time experience. It may pay to travel to a different park or postpone your trip until conditions are better.

Write to me

I would love your feedback. If you are a first-time snowboarder, let me know if this site was helpful to you. If you are a seasoned snowboarder and you think of something not included here which would be helpful to total newbies, please write.

When you're first learning, you have to work to get over a hump. But once you do, it is SO worth it

Answer 2

i hope to god you copied and pasted that.

just accept falling. its going to happen. learn what makes you fall, and fix it. dont whine when you fall either.