 Learning Snowboarding - Ski Jasper
Learning Snowboarding
Here we look at learning snowboarding techniques.
Do not attempt to snowboard without proper instruction and adequate snowboarding gear, snowboarding helmet being a top consideration. Additionally, you should have complete knowledge of the snowboarding gear, terrain and techniques appropriate to your snowboard experience and skill level before diving in.
To begin, let’s look at the differences between skiing and snowboarding. Unlike skiing, where you hit the ski slopes with your feet forward on two skis, in snowboarding, both feet are mounted sideways, on one board. Also, in skiing, your ski bindings are set up to release when pressure is applied (eg:a fall). In snowboarding, your boots do not release from the bindings and because of this, ski boots are generally more rigid while snowboarding boots are softer. Skiers also use ski poles to propel (as in Nordic skiing) and protect themselves or to aid balance and carving (as in slalom and alpine skiing), whereas snowboarders do not use poles. Balance and carving is effected by weight shifting.
There are three main types of snowboarding.
Freeride Snowboarding
This is for beginners. This is just going down a slope, gently carving, and staying on the ground. It is in this type of snowboarding that you will learn to feel your body on the board, and master the fundamentals of snowboarding: balance, and weight shifting toe/heel; stopping, turning, and sliding.
Freestyle Snowboarding
This is where hot-doggers begin to arrive. Snowboarding tricks – aerial and on the ground – are the name of the game here. Because of this, freestyle snowboarders usually use a different type of board – like their aerial skiing cousins, freestylers often use a board with twin tips, meaning the tail and nose are identically shaped to ease backward runs and landings.
Snowboarding Racing
These snowboarders prefer speed and wind in their face. Their Snowboards are longer and narrower to accomplish that. This type of snowboarding is closest to alpine skiing.
The three basic snowboarding techniques when beginning are:
Turning in each direction (toeside and heelside);
Stopping; and
Falling Safely.
Falling Safely
We will start with the last topic above, falling safely. It’s going to happen, and your ability to fall without injury is a basic snowboarding technique to acquire early on.
When you fall, you will want to make curves out of your body, so that no one point will hit the snow ahead of other points of your body. The skier’s break is a wrist break from locking your arms and stopping your fall with bent wrists. Avoid this painful snowboarding habit by practicing falling safely regularly, so that when you really need to, the instinct to safe falling will properly take over.
Curve your arm by slightly bending your forearms, with palm out and your pinky finger–edge of your hand leading away from your body. The blade of your forearm will make contact with the snow, not the top, flat of your forearm. Note: Any kind of martial art that emphasizes rolling is a great help here, Aikido and Judo among them.
Bring your body closer to the snow by bending your knees and lowering your center of gravity. If you fall backwards, fall down, rear end first. If falling backwards, protect your head by staring at your navel area. This will help keep your head falling backwards and impacting the slope.
A common place to fall while snowboarding is transitioning between heelside and toeside turns. You’ll usually fall forward moving into a toeside turn – if you catch the toe edge too soon, you’ll dig in and fall forward. You can avoid the fall if, when you feel the edge digging in, you immediately ease up on dropping your toes.
You’ll usually fall backwards when moving into a heelside turn, and you caught your heel edge too soon. Ease up on your heel drop to avoid the fall.
Snowboard Turning
Turning in snowboarding is performed two ways: toe-side, and heel side. The following presumes you snowboard with left foot forward. If you ride right forward or "goofy-foot," reverse the following techniques.
Toe-Side Turns
Lean forward slightly, lift your heels, and turn your shoulders towards the right slightly. As you come out of the turn, straighten your body and square your shoulders straight ahead. As with skiing, your knees should remain bent, flexibly responding to the snowboarding terrain.
Heel-Side Turns
Here, you’ll lean back slightly, rotate your shoulders left and lift your toes. As with toe-side turning, as you come out of the turn, you’ll straighten up your body and square your shoulders; your board should not have either edge digging in and your should be riding flat.
The Snowboard Stop
As with turning, stops can be performed toe side and heel side.
Toe-Side Snowborad Stops
These are performed by leaning forward slightly as you turn your shoulders to the right and lean slightly forward. You’ll continue turning until the board is perpendicular to the slope, and you’ll ease up on the forward lean. You will sideslip to a stop. You’ll know you’ve gone too far in your turn if your tail overrotates and you start going backwards. If so, straighten up more, bring yourself to even weight distribution between your feet (or even drop slightly back to your back foot).
Heel Side Stops
The heel side stop is much like the heel side turn. You’ll rotate your shoulders towards the left, lean back slightly, lift your toes. As your board comes perpendicular to the slope, straighten your body and side slip.
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