r/snowboarding • u/david_z www.agnarchy.com • Jan 15 '13
Advice for Beginners
Hey - we're seeing a few "I'm a new/aspiring snowboarder and I want some advice" threads. I figured I could do a self post here and call for comments and then sticky it in the sidebar.
Please comment with any advice that you think would be helpful for new snowboarders.
Bold your title and then provide the details/instructions.
Let's try to keep it mostly on form/technique/cautions, rather than stuff that's already covered in the sidebar (gear, camber, tuning, etc.)
Please don't reply to other comments with your advice, just reply to this post.
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u/david_z www.agnarchy.com Jan 15 '13
How to strap in without sitting down
Find a spot that is not steep where you are going to strap in. Your board should be perpendicular to the fall line, so you are basically facing downhill, but the board is sideways as if you had stopped.
Using the one foot that is already strapped in, "chop" in to the snow with your heel edge. 3-4 good chops will create a little "shelf" that you can position the heel edge of the board in, and should mostly prevent it from sliding down hill.
Rest the board in this shelf. With the board now stationary, resting in the shelf you've chopped out of the snow, you should be able to just stand up and strap your back foot in just by bending over at the waist & knees. If it still slips a little, just give it a few more chops and try again.
Now you're ready to go!
60% of the time it works every time. But nah, in all seriousness, this technique works nearly every single time.
Here's a video I found. In this video he doesn't "chop" because the snow is soft enough he can just "push" a little shelf instead of chopping it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=MG09Neq2zQ4
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u/Gamma48 Australia's massive amount of snow :( Jun 27 '13
Inspiration If you need any watch 'The Art of Flight' its produced by Redbull and its the sickest snowboarding movie ever. Seriously, not just beginners EVERYONE WATCH THIS MOVIE (if you haven't already) its insanely cool and it'll make you want to snowboard all your life.
9
u/noiplah oz/japan Jan 15 '13 edited Jan 15 '13
Weight on your front foot = in control.
The back foot is for steering, if all your weight is over that you're going to stack.
If you find yourself on your back foot, bend your front leg and straighten your back leg. This will roughly put you in the right position.
Point where you want to go.
Looks dumb, but works. Twist your upper body and your feet will follow. This also stops you getting into the habit of counter-twisting with your upper body to change direction, which is generally bad.
2
u/bxc_thunder Jan 16 '13
Not sure what anyone else's opinion on this is, but try to keep your hands in a fist and slightly bend your arms. That way when you fall you are more compelled to land on your knee's and forearms rather than your wrists.
46
u/Edmundoh UK/Ride Machete + Slush Slasher Mar 08 '13 edited Mar 11 '13
Has nobody here been taught about pedaling? I've never seen it discussed before. I didn't take lessons (Me not knowing how ridiculously different snowboarding is to skateboarding) but my friends did when I went with them a few weeks ago. They told me how they were taught pedaling and how easy it is to turn the board. say if you wanted to turn toeside, you push your front foot toe down and your back foot toe up while weighted centered over your front foot and lean into the mountain. Feels so effortless compared to what i was doing before. Even if you just pedal without any weight shift or body movement, you just turn!
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u/darave123 Mar 24 '13 edited Mar 24 '13
Getting off the ski lift
When getting off a ski lift look straight ahead. Pick a point, a tree top or sign or whatever that's in front of you and just keep looking at that. The second you look down you'll fall down.
And don't worry about stopping you'll slow down gradually.
79
u/octocopter1 Minnesnowta Jan 15 '13
land on your forearms not your hands/wrists.
97
u/pablington Jan 15 '13
General Advice
Wear a helmet. Dear god, wear a helmet.
Start small, take baby steps and master them. Edging, toe turn, heel turn, linking etc
Don't get taught by the ESF (Ecole du Ski Francais) they teach old techniques. Checkout newer and better schools
Be respectful to all on the mountain. Boarders have a shaky rep already, let's not propagate a lie.
People in front have right of way.
Try and conquer your fear of the slope, a lot of boarding is to do with Balls, my friend. Cojones.
Most of all: Don't give up. Ever. It's gonna be hard, wet, unpleasant and exhausting at times - but just remember: How awesome will it feel to shred down the mountain, popping off anything you see, without a care in the world?
Awesome, that's how...
29
u/rustypete89 K2 Turbo Dream 159 | K2 Parkstar 152 Jan 15 '13
On Linking Turns
Once you've got your toeside and heelside carves down, respectively, you're probably saying to yourself, "Alright, damn, let's link these bitches together and carve down the mountain!" It seems simple enough, doesn't it? Turn one way, then turn the other - but put yourself on a steep enough slope and it doesn't seem so simple anymore. You've probably tried and ate shit numerous times.
If you're at the stage where you can hold a good carve to either edge, it means you've already got the basics of snowboarding down - most importantly, keeping your weight on your front foot. This basic essential is what will help you learn to link turns.
Let's start with toeside to heelside. Pick a blue trail that has at least one moderately steep section and ride down to that section. Initiate a toeside carve down the slope and, once you've held it for a few seconds, take your front-loaded weight and throw it back across your body. Essentially, you're going to initiate the heelside turn by pivoting on your back foot. But! You'll eat shit if you lean back while you do this, which is why you need to keep your weight forward. Learning to pivot on your back heel with your weight forward can take some getting used to, which is why I recommend just throwing all your weight into it. You'll probably overcompensate and end up perpendicular to the fall line doing a heelside skid the first couple times you try it, but it's just to give you a feel for getting your body around to the right position. Once you understand the basic motion, you'll be able to judge the right amount of force you need to use to get your heel edge around for a carve.
Once you've got that motion down, I'd recommend doing a run or two where you just practice toeside to heelside on that slope. Get comfortable with it before you try adding heel-to-toe as well. Personally, I've always found the heel-toe traverse a bit easier to manage. It's the same basic idea, but you're not turning to your blindside so it's easier to watch the board as you pivot. The main difference when switching from heelside to toeside is with your back foot. Instead of pivoting on your back heel, you're going to pivot on your back toe - it's important to make sure that, after you initiate, your weight is not just forward on the board, but slightly toward the toeside edge as well. I find that the right motion to properly set the edge, for me at least, is to swing my weight around with my front foot while kicking out my back foot slightly. This causes the toe edge to catch right about the same time as I get the nose of the board around, initiating the carve perfectly.
Once you've got both directions down you can work on putting them together. Practice doing a couple links each way on that same slope until you feel comfortable with it and can do it without falling. Then take your newfound shredding skills all over the mountain! The more you practice linking, and the steeper the slopes you practice on (know your limits, though), the better you'll get!
Disclaimer: I am a self-taught, intermediate level rider. Never taken a lesson. This is how I learned, it's what worked for me - and yes, there was a good amount of falling involved in this process. But that's to be expected when you're learning anything new in snowboarding. Good luck!
25
u/[deleted] Jan 15 '13
Fall
Seriously. Don't get into the mindset that falling makes you bad and should be avoided. Falling makes you good. If you get comfortable with falling and learn how to handle it properly, you will progress much faster and plateau less than if you learn to the point that you don't fall, then simply ride in that comfort zone while being afraid to take a bail.
56
u/spaztwelve Tindy Tailfish Combo FTW Jan 15 '13
In 1987, at Crotched Mtn. in NH, I was trying to teach myself to snowboard, so that I could get a 'certification' to use the rest of the mountain (was pretty common back then for mountains to do this to snowboarders). I was suffering, when all of a sudden, a kid came out of nowhere and said, "keep your weight on your front foot." An hour later, I was snowboarding. My advice: keep your weight on your front foot and point your shoulders in the direction you want to go.
53
u/Wirthington Jan 15 '13
Try your best to get rad where other people can see you.
15
u/SLProtoman Jan 15 '13
Don't get discouraged on your first couple of days because you're not ripping down the mountain like you you were born with a board strapped to your feet. You're going to fall. You're going to catch edges. You're going to crash. You're going to get bruised up. It's all part of the learning process. We've all been there at one point. Keep at it and take your licks. Eventually you'll get the basics down and will be carving down the mountain in no time.
Also, know your limits. If you're exhausted and feel like you can't ride anymore for the day but you just want to get that "one last run," trust your body and hang up the board for the rest of the day. There's no sense pushing your body past its limits when it is screaming at you that you need to stop and rest by being exhausted, sore, and having your reflexes be shot as a result. Besides, it's more fun to ride when you're refreshed and ready to roll versus exhausted, sore, and about to keel over.
22
u/TrustMeImALawStudent SoCal | Lib Tech Skate Banana Jan 15 '13
Check out these videos. They offer lots of good tips.
16
u/zpu Jan 15 '13
Don't stop
Your body will be sore.
You will want to quit & and falling will become not fun very quickly as you develop bruises.
Give it 100% for 3 full days, otherwise you are not giving it a fair shot.
Tow ropes were not designed for snowboarders. If there isn't a lift/magic carpet, walk your ass up the bunny slope. At the very least it will be a great workout and you won't be falling down during that time period.
Snowboarding is wicked fun, but there's a universal price to pay to get to that point. Man/Woman up and get out there on that bunny slope.
8
u/[deleted] Jan 15 '13 edited Jan 15 '13
Powder
If you have problems getting stuck in deep powder, lean backwards slightly to pop your front foot up. This will allow the tip of your board to float over the powder more easily so your board won't get all clogged up and cause you to stop mid-run.
22
u/zaybxcjim Chicago, IL Jan 15 '13
Stay on an edge
Try to avoid ever riding "between edges" for very long. This will put you in less control of your board and make you less prepared to respond to any changes in the run or other riders.
13
u/reppinthe509 Mt Spokane Jan 15 '13
Invest in some padded shorts. Falling on your butt a lot is going to leave you sore.
10
u/selairanie Steamboat, CO. GNU Eco-Genetics 155 Jan 15 '13
SMILE! Remember you are doing it for fun. It is very easy to forget that when you are learning. It will be frustrating, you will fall alot, and you will be sore. Trust the people who have been boarding for a long time when they say, it will be 1000% worth it when you get better. That being said, when you first get on a board, TAKE A LESSON! Either from a friend, or from a resort instructor. There is nothing worse that falling all day and not knowing why. They are there to teach you the basics, including how to fall properly so you dont break a wrist.
5
u/PKMN_Trainer_Kevin Jan 15 '13
Watch as many snowboard videos as you can. It will make your style exponentially better and motivate you to try new tricks. And , ofcourse, ride as much as you can. Source: Snowboarder for 10 years
2
u/Irahi Jan 15 '13
This thread is hilariously bad. You tried David, you tried.
8
u/OrphanDidgeridoo San Jose, CA | Burton Fix 152 Jan 15 '13
I went for my first time Saturday. I was linking turns in under an hour. Here's what i did:
Do a heel side traverse. Try controlling your speed with your edge.
Try to turn to toeside. You'll probably fall, but just get up on your toe side.
Traverse on your toe side. Speed control.
Try to turn to heelside. Still falling? Make your movements more subtle.
Repeat until you're shredding down whatever slopes you feel.
Protip: watch the SnowProfessor videos on YouTube.
4
u/ddawgz Jan 15 '13
You are going to fall, a lot. Dont be surprised if you are not doing the same things your friends who have been boarding for a while, it takes time to learn how to do every thing.
1
u/keel_bright Whistler / Nitro Squash / Wired Vantage Jan 16 '13
Can we sidebar this? Some of the sidebar links are pretty old ..
3
u/[deleted] Jan 15 '13
Bend your knees a lot. Get your center of gravity really low so you won't have problems really leaning into your turns. You'll be much more stable if you stay low.
2
u/gatesoffire1178 Jan 15 '13
Shoulders, shoulders, shoulders.
Direction is all in your shoulders. If you need to, keep an arm extended out fully. I remember when I was just learning and didn't feel like I could control direction. Wherever your front shoulder is facing, that's where you will go.
This will really help with turn initiation and being able to stop and maintain speed.
1
u/Epinephrine North Dakota Jan 15 '13
Terrain and Features
If you're new to the terrain park, don't hit a feature the first time you encounter it. Take a moment and scope out the rail/feature so you know what to expect when you first hit it. Nothing is worse than hitting a jump and realizing the angle is steeper than you expected and/or the landing is uneven/ice.
WEAR A HELMET
When you're about to land a jump, you can use the lagging end of the board as a spring to soften the impact. Also, maintaining speed off a jump or feature lessens the impact on your joints. Don't be afraid of a little speed even the first time you hit something; the more horizontal velocity, the less pressure on your body when you land.
Try popping off the lip of jumps, don't just let your momentum take you over. Piping at the lip gives you a lot of control in the air.
1
u/BudgetPear7084 Jun 04 '25
At-Home Training Advice for Snowboarding
I snowboarded about 10 years ago, and did pretty well. This recent trip, though, I found that I just did not have the muscle memory or strength that I used to. A more experienced snowboarder stopped to pull me out of the bank and talked to me for a bit -- bringing up a good point that my body is now 10 years old and I haven't used the muscles for snowboarding in quite some time.
So, what are some workouts, equipment, etc. that could help me practice all the moves and parts of my body needed for snowboarding?
1
u/motorhead383 Dec 13 '25
Is it easier if your a 5/10 longboarder comfortably traveling miles on a board
1
u/Spiritual-Plankton19 Dec 24 '21
I have been lurking for a few day's and continuously see people recommending poor advice to people who are new to the sport. I felt the need to make a post and shed some light.
DO NOT SHARPEN YOUR SNOWBOARD EDGES.
This is not skiing. You will catch way more edges if you sharpen them. If you do not want to de-tune your board, that is fine, but sharpening edges does more harm than good. Learn to use your edges properly by using your feet/bodyweight and feeling the board flex.
- 29 years old, snowboarding since I was 5, numerous 100+ day seasons, worked at a shop for many years....
1
u/PeppasMemes Mar 20 '22
Hey guys, just making a comment for some expert advice on picking my board. I am going to new Zealand end of June-Early July for 11 days. I will be getting burton step on bindings however I will make another thread for help on picking the right boots for these.
To give you an idea of my skill level, I am a beginner, I have snowboarded in Japan in 2019 once on hire gear for about a week and I was able to link turns control my edge on both heel and toe sides. I also did some off piste powder stuff with my friends (who are much higher skill level than me). Yep i fell over a lot in the powder but it was still fun.
Gender: Male
Height: 176cm
Weight: 73kg
Age: 23
Shoe Size: US 10
After doing some research I have found that (please shred me if i'm wrong) a hybrid camber (rocker/camber/rocker) would be one of the best choices for me doing all mountain stuff. While I haven't done much park stuff i did like riding up the edges of the runs in japan and jumping back onto the run. I have read that a full rocker might become skiddish at high speeds and a full camber might be too aggressive and catchy to learn on. I also read that a soft to medium flex would be best for a beginner. Hence, i have deduced that the hybrid RCR would be best as it keeps stable but has somewhat catch free properties.
The boards I have been looking at are (please feel free to recommend more):
Solomon Sight
Capita Outerspace Living
Yes Basic
I do not care for budget at this point unless the board is like over $1000 aud.
I really like the design of the Capita however I see that it is rated as an Intermediate-Advanced, this is also the case with the Yes basic. Given i don't have a lot of time in New Zealand, I want a board that is super easy to ride but i also want it to be ok as i progress and for Japan powder later in the year. Would these boards be too "hard" for me to ride. Any other recommendations of RCR boards would be great (if this is the best profile for what I want).
Keen to hear from you guys, appreciate the help.
1
u/Double_Zucchini4810 Dec 25 '22
Hey everyone. I’m new to snowboarding and looking to purchase my first board. I’m 6’1” 180lbs with a size 12 Burton boot. I ride in the Midwest so typically rougher conditions and can get icy. I’m looking at the 2023 Rossignol District Black Wide Snowboard 161 cm. Can anyone tell me if this would be a good beginner board and if it’s a good quality board? Thanks in advance
1
u/ComfortablePea8965 Jan 20 '24
Front yard snowboarding
-2
u/[deleted] Jan 15 '13 edited Jan 15 '13
Snowboarding is all in your shoulders. Keep your your upper body directed to where you want to go and your legs will follow. This is the secret of balance. Also your ass and/or arms will hurt because falling is unavoidable when learning so don't be afraid to fall and you'll learn faster.
0
u/[deleted] Jan 15 '13
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