How to Snowboard - Beginner Tips

Snowboarding is an extreme and physically demanding sport that cannot be learned overnight. So before anything else, let’s just get it out of the way - if you are going to learn snowboarding, you’re going to fall a few times or a dozen, whichever. But that is also what makes this sport all the more exciting and thrilling.

So if you are ready to learn how to snowboard correctly, prepare for the ride of your life! Here are a few snowboarding tips for beginners to get the basic techniques in place.

Snowboarding Tips for Beginners

Strap Into Your Snowboard: First things first, find a flat surface to strap into your snowboard. Step into the binding and make sure your heel is snug against the high-back. Ratchet down the ankle strap first then fasten the front strap to tighten.

Stand Up From a Seated Position: When you first start learning snowboarding, you usually spend a lot of time on the ground. This is why it is important to learn how to stand up from a seated position. First bend your knees and scoot your board toward your behind. Next, lean forward and stand up using your quads and core. Practice this enough on flats so you don’t have to worry about sliding downhill. Find your balance and get comfortable being strapped in.

Bend your knees: One of the most common reasons for beginners falling, particularly on more difficult terrain, is that they aren’t bending their knees or they aren’t bending them enough. With bent knees you will absorb any bumps much more effectively.

Movements: Tilt is how you control your edge angle – the more you tilt your board the more you engage your edge through the turn. By flexing one ankle and extending the other you  create a twist on the snowboard. A twist helps you start turns smoothly. Pivot is the rotation of the snowboard and it helps the board skid through the turn. By shifting your weight between your feet, you can control pressure of the snowboard. Keeping your weight centered over the front foot is one of the most important parts of learning to turn.

So how do these moves make you a better snowboarder? Tilt lets you start carving turns to control speed and also lets you explore freestyle carving tricks like the euro-carve. Twist lets you start turns more smoothly, big or small, and is essential as you get better and start exploring the mountain. Pivot helps you shape your turns and is the foundation to spins like 180s and 360s on snow. Pressure is how you move on a snowboard to shift your weight and is the building block for nose-presses, tail-presses, butters, and jumps. Basically, these four movements make up everything you do on a snowboard – from your very first turns, to a double cork 1080.

Now that you know the basics, you must also know that a snowboard lesson with a trained instructor is essential for learning how to snowboard correctly. If you are planning a Lake Tahoe snowboarding trip, don’t forget to visit the friendliest snowboard rentals in town - Rock House Ski & Snowboard!