Tips for snowboarding?

Question

This was my third time snowboarding and I got carving and am okay at it. Do any of you have any tips on how to improve on it or just some basic tips to help me get better? I'm pretty good at it, but sometimes when I go onto my heelside edge, my board will go completely vertical against the mountain, any tips to prevent that? And do you have any tips on carving? And also, how long did it take you to be able to carve?

Answer 1

i want to know the same things. Gosh its so hard.

Answer 2

you just need to pratcise the more you do it the easier it is it took me a long time to do it but now im prity good i can half pipe now i love it

Answer 3

You are scraping, not carving.  Carving is when you leave a very, very thin track with your snowboard, and your tail follows the same path as your nose while you're turning.  Scraping or sliding is using your edge to slow down and change direction.  Carving is a lot faster and more efficient, but also harder to get the hang of.  

I would say that the cheapest, best, and most fun way to get better is to just push yourself as hard as you can.  Don't take it easy, do things that make you fall until you don't fall anymore, then take it another step.  If you're not falling, you're probably not learning.

Answer 4

tips: if you think you may be able to do something that your friends want you to do but your scared, DO IT! youll never get to be good without pushing yourself. im not sayig go hit 50 foot jumps but just go down harder hills. my th time snowboarding ever, my friends told me to go off a 20 foot tabletop jump and i did. i was scared out of my mind and i fell but that actualy made me alot better.

if you wana just et to be able to make it downevery hill without falling then go down anyhill you want o your heel edge slowly untill you feel comfterable to go faster.

take risks just not big ones and your gona get alot better. ive been snowboarding for 2 years and im already better than my friends who have been for 7 years.

Answer 5

It is very hard to give people effective tips without seeing them ride first.  If you have taken lessons, my big tip would be to go back and practice all the things that they taught you in the lesson.  Those beginner skills can be developed further to help you with your turns.  One example: the heelside problem that you described can be helped by practicing your heelside sideslip, heelside traverse and heelside hockey stop.  

As for "carving", that word actually describes a more advanced turn that you are doing right now.  You are doing sliding turns.  In a carved turn only your edge is in the snow leaving a pencil line track.  

Most people can get decent sliding turns after one day on the snow (and that includes one lesson).  Some people take about 3 days on snow to get it.  As for real "carved turns" most people won't get this until after a couple of seasons of practice.  

Keep at it and have fun doing it.  If you find that your progression has stalled, take a lesson from a certified instructor to get you on to the next level.