Snowboarding: The Ultimate Tips and Tricks.
For snowboarders, being able to master the perfect turns, jumps and tricks is one of the most rewarding feelings. But it’s not always easy to become a seasoned snowboarder. Like any other extreme sport, snowboarding requires courage, strength, and skill. From finding the right gear, to the best techniques and tricks, below we’ve outlined our ultimate snowboarding tips and tricks.
Selecting the Right Snowboard
The first step to learning how to snowboard is getting the right board. There are dozens of different boards on the market, ranging from beginner to advanced. It’s important to select the right one for your riding style.
If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to look for a board that is easy to maneuver. A wider board with a shorter length is recommended for beginners, as it is more forgiving. As you become more experienced, you can look for a board that has a thinner profile and length. This will help you control your board better and will make it easier to perform tricks.
Getting the Right Clothing and Accessories
The right clothing and accessories can make a big difference in your snowboarding experience. It’s important to consider the type of weather and terrain you’ll be snowboarding in when shopping for clothing and accessories. You’ll need a quality winter jacket, snow pants, waterproof boots, and waterproof gloves or mittens. Snowboarding helmets are also highly recommended, regardless of experience level.
When it comes to accessories, make sure you invest in ones that will help you stay safe and comfortable while snowboarding. Goggles and a neck gaiter are must-haves. Additionally, you may want to consider buying a back protector and a folding shovel in case of an emergency.
Sizing Your Snowboard
To determine what size of a snowboard to buy, you’ll need to consider several factors such as your weight and height. If you’re a beginner, you’ll want to pick a board that is wide enough for your body weight, holds your weight securely and allows you to move quickly in both directions. To make the selection process easier, many stores have sizing charts that provide recommended snowboard sizes based on your body weight and type. It’s essential to pick the right size board to maximize your comfort and performance while snowboarding.
Tuning Your Snowboard
Just like a car or a bike, your snowboard needs to be properly tuned before every ride. A properly-tuned board is essential for getting the most out of your snowboarding experience. Tuning your snowboard involves waxing the base, checking the edges, and binding adjusters.
To begin, you’ll want to clean your base of debris and dirt, then lightly brushing and scraping it. You should then wax your board. While many snowboarders prefer using hot wax, it may be faster and easier to use a wax specifically for snowboarding. If you don’t have any wax, you can always polish your board with a regular snowboard wax.
Once your board is waxed, you can check your edges and bindings. Checking your edges takes only a few minutes and requires you to run your thumb along the side. Your edges should be perpendicular to the board. If not, you’ll need to use a file to reshape them. After that, you can check the bindings for proper tightness and adjust them as necessary.
Learning the Basics of Snowboarding
Once you have all your gear and equipment, you’re ready to start learning how to snowboard. The first step to becoming a successful snowboarder is to master the basics. Before hitting the slopes, take some time to study the correct way to strap into your bindings and also watch tutorial videos to learn the proper techniques for describing and recovering from falls.
Once you’ve gotten the fundamentals down, you can start practicing simple turns, using the heel and toe edges of your snowboard. This will help you master the motions of turning your snowboard and is essential for mastering new tricks and riding the slopes. Don’t be afraid to fall; it’s part of the learning process.
Building Your Snowboarding Skills
Once you’ve gotten the basics down, you can start to build your snowboarding skills and begin trying more advanced maneuvers. Start off slowly, by mastering jumps and turns, then progress to more complex tricks like spins and flips. Go easy on yourself and take breaks as needed.
Once you’ve got the basics down, you can also try icy and powder runs. Before attempting any of these more advanced runs, you should practice in a safe and controlled environment. Also, don’t forget to wear a helmet at all times when snowboarding, regardless of skill level.
Order of Learning Snowboarding Tricks
Once you’ve become comfortable with the basics, it’s time to start tackling more complex snowboard tricks. While you can certainly work on any trick you like, there’s a certain order in which it’s best to learn them. Below, we’ve listed a basic outline of the trick-learning order that we recommend.
Ollies: Most riders start off trying ollies—jumps that involve both feet pressing down on the board before springing off the ground.
Grabs: After you’ve got ollies down, you can start working on grabs, which involve riding the board on one edge while grabbing the other with your hands.
180s: Once you’ve got ollies and grabs down, you can start tackling 180s, which involve spinning the board 180 degrees while in the air.
Rails: Rails are a common stunt in snowboarding. These involve sliding along a rail or box while spinning or doing grabs.
Spins: Spins involve turning your body both in the air and on the ground. Leaning back and bringing the board up to your body will help you generate the spin.
Flips: Flips are one of the most complicated tricks and it takes a lot of time, practice and patience to master them.
Take Care of Your Snowboard
Now that you’ve mastered the basics of snowboarding and are well on your way to becoming a pro snowboarder, it’s important to remember to take care of your board. Make sure that you store your board in a cool, dry place and use the right wax to keep it in top condition. Be mindful of your safety and choose appropriate terrain.
At the end of the day, snowboarding is a skill that can take a long time to master, but it’s also an incredibly rewarding sport. When you get down the basics and embrace the challenge of learning new tricks and perfecting your turns, you might just find yourself falling in love with snowboarding. So, what are you waiting for? Get out there and hit the slopes!
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