Beginner’s Guide to Learning To Snowboard: 5 Steps To Pro

man in black and white jacket riding on snowboard during daytime
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Snowboarding is an exhilarating sport. It leaves you light-headed and high on life. But it can also be frustrating when you don’t know what you’re doing.

The key to live a memorable snowboarding experience is to relax and let the motions come naturally. The rush of a fantastic day on the slopes is hard to match, but learning to ski can be challenging for novices.

And because you have found your way in this article, we are going to go ahead and assume that you don’t know how to snowboard. Don’t worry, we have got your back.

Snowboarding, unlike certain sports, can seem highly paradoxical at first. Without some instruction and experience, it’s pretty difficult to learn how to snowboard and just grab your board and go.

When it comes to learning snowboarding, with a little instruction and practice, you can become a pro in no time.

In order to help you get started as a boarder, we have put together this thorough guide consisting beginner snowboarding tips that covers very basics of everything from how to get ready the night before to your first turns on the bunny hill to your first blue runs.

The 5 Most Important Things To Remember When Learning To Snowboard

1. Stay Relaxed

One of the biggest beginner snowboarding tips is to stay relaxed when you are learning how to snowboard. It seems simple enough, but it can be hard to do when you are first to snowboard straight starting out.

The reason it is important to stay relaxed is because when you tense up, your muscles get tired more quickly. This can lead to you getting fatigued and make it harder to control your board.

Leg relaxation helps ward off tiredness. It’s crucial everywhere you’re riding, but it’s crucial in particular on difficult terrain. Consider your legs in a similar way to a car’s shock absorbers.

You’ll experience the smoothest ride if you keep them loose. Instead of your board absorbing the impact, your legs do so when you relax. This keeps your board in place and prevents your head from bobbing.

2. Use Your Edges

When you’re confident skating on your board, it’s time to secure your board and master getting on your edges. This snowboarding advice for beginners is the most crucial for learning how to manage your board as you descend the mountain.

One of the most important beginner snowboarding tips is to learn how to use your snowboard stance and edges. Your board has two sides, the toe edge, and the heel edge.

The direction and speed you can travel at are determined by the two edges on the front foot your snowboard, the heel edge and the toe edge. Heel and toe slides are frequently used as an exercise to obtain a sense of your edges.

The toe edge is the front of the board, and the toeside edge and the heel edge is the back. When you are turning, you want to use the edge that is opposite of the direction you are turning.

For example, if you want to turn left, then you would use your rear foot and your right toe edge. This may seem confusing at first, but it will become second nature with a little practice.

3. Keep Your Knees Bent

The other thing you want to keep in mind is to bend your knees while keeping your balance point your gaze up and facing forward.

Your board will stay under control if bent knees in a proper stance, which will help you absorb snow contours. injuries happen without a proper stance and edge angle, especially if your knees are too straight.

You don’t need to bend your knees all the way, but keeping them slightly bent will help you be alert to potential impediments and make quick decisions.

Keep them bent loosely, and allow them to adapt as necessary depending on the terrain you’re riding over.

Spend a lot of time figuring out the ideal knee positions for different parts of the run because improving your knee position can help you board faster.

If things don’t go as planned, keeping your knees and upper body very calm will also keep you from getting hurt. Maintain your calm and mental clarity to enjoy the fun part of this snow sport!

4. Use Your Body Weight

Your body weight is an important aspect of snowboarding. It can help you control the speed at which you are going as well as your turns.When you are going down a hill, you want to lean slightly forward so that all your weight is over the front of your board. This will help you maintain control of your speed.

If you need to slow down, you can do so by leaning back on your heelside edge. You can also use your body weight to help you make turns. When you are making a turn, you want to shift your weight onto the toe edge of free foot on the board that is in the direction of the turn.

This will help you initiate the turn. Once you are in the turn, you want to keep your weight evenly distributed across the slope so that you can maintain control.

5. Stay Low

One of the most important things to remember when snowboarding is to stay low. This will help you maintain your balance and control as well as increase your speed. When you are going down a hill, you want to squat slightly so that you are closer to the ground.

This will help you keep your center of gravity low, which will give you more control over your board. You also want to make sure that your knees are bent so that you can absorb any bumps in the terrain.

If you need to make a quick turn, staying low will also help you do so more easily. When you are making a turn, you want to initiate it by leaning into the turn and then keeping your body low as you go through it.

If you stay low, you will be able to make sharper turns and be less likely to fall.

Advanced Tip: What to Wear?

Feel well, look good. The same old adage holds true for snowboarding.

Sure, you could just wear your regular winter attire for snowboarding, skiing, etc. but that would make you feel strange and make your day in the cold less comfortable.

A lot of new riders find that their snowboard gear is the weak point that ruins their day. Be ready so that you don’t have to leave early due to freezing fingers and toes.

Take More Clothing than You Expect Needing

Stockpiling a few extra warm garments and gloves in your car costs you nothing, and you might find yourself appreciating the decision later.

Don’t Go Skiing in Cotton

Cotton kills, according to an old saying in the outdoor industry. This is due to the fact that cotton clothing loses all of its insulation when it becomes wet, whether from sweat or snow.

So you instantly become wet and chilled. Avoid wearing cotton clothing, so that you ae less likely to freeze when you can’t avoid falling. Wear underwear, insulating layers, and socks made of wool or synthetic material instead.

Consider Your Chairlift Attire

Many snowboarders commonly dress like they would for ice skating or sledding. That’s a poor plan. You move around a lot when participating in those sports, which keeps you naturally warmer.

You’ll ride the chairlift a lot as a snowboarder. This means that you will likely have a cool wind blowing when sitting outside in the cold.

Put on clothing that will keep you warm enough to sit outside without feeling chilly for being more comfortable during your new experience. For example, snowboard pants or snow pants, comfortable jackets, etc. are important part of enjoying this winter sport.

Don’t Forget Your Snowboard Boots

Get your foot strapped on Snowboard boots as these are the best footwear for snowboarding.

These boots are essential for two primary reasons: they provide the link between you and your snowboard, transferring your movements to the board, and they keep your feet warm so you can stay on the slopes longer.

Your snowboarding boots should also be comfortable to wear when the feet strapped inside, since you will be wearing them for long periods of time.

There are three different types of boots: soft, medium, and hard.

Soft boots are more comfortable and offer better control while medium and hard boots offer more support when doing basic movements.

As a beginner, you’ll want to start with soft boots since they offer the most control. It’s a bad idea to So, make sure your foot strapped on the most comfortable boots.

Conclusion

Whether you are a beginner or a pro, snowboarding is a great way to enjoy the winter months.

Just remember to stay relaxed, use your edges, keep your knees bent, use your body weight to support your back foot, stay low when one foot is pushing behind, and take your time when learning to avoid common mistakes.

Keep on practicing by keeping the snowboarding basics in mind until you overcome the learning curve and become the master of snowboarding.

References

Rodriguez, K. (2020, December 20). 17 Essential Snowboarding Tips for Beginners to Get You Going ASAP. Retrieved from Urban Outdoors website: https://urbanoutdoors.com/tips-snowboarding-for-beginners/

The 9 Most Important Snowboarding Tips for Beginners | Snowboarding Profiles. (2018, April 12). Retrieved from Snowboarding Profiles website: https://snowboardingprofiles.com/the-9-most-important-snowboarding-tips-for-beginners

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Vee, R. (2022, January 28). 22 Snowboarding Tips for Beginners to Avoid Rooky Mistakes. Retrieved September 7, 2022, from SkateboardersHQ website: https://www.skateboardershq.com/snowboarding-tips-for-beginners/

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Follow these top 10 snowboarding tips for intermediate snowboarders. (n.d.). Retrieved September 9, 2022, from Red Bull website: https://www.redbull.com/in-en/snowboarding-tips-intermediate-snowboarders

Beginner Snowboarding Tips – How To Snowboard | evo. (2022). Evo.com. https://www.evo.com/guides/how-to-snowboard-beginner-tips

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