How to Snowboard

I am twenty nine and just moved to Colorado. Last year I tried skiing..towards the end of the season I was just starting to get the hang of it (I went to copper mnt. twice).
Now this year my bf is telling me to give it up and try snowboarding. He snowboards, my son snowboards and they tell me it’s a lot easier. I had always thought it was hard!!!!
Anyway my question is…would it be better for me to just continue learning how to ski..before I take on snowboarding? Or just put in my first tough day get it over with and learn how to board. I would love to learn how to board but I’d really like to know how to ski too! Especially since I feel like I am getting close to being able to ride smoothly.
So which one should I choose this winter?

snowboarding is harder, but more rewarding & a better workout & way cooler. the president of aspen ski club said that he hasn’t been on skis since he learned to board. try it, it’s fun. the first few times u do it, u’ll spend alot of time on ur butt. wear lots of padding. the first 2 times i tried it myself, then the 3rd i got lessons. it’s my 4th season this year & i’m already doing jumps & learning new tricks. be preparred to feel like u’ve been in an accident afterwards the first season is tough, but once u get the hang of it. it’s the funnest thing u’ll ever do, i’m boarderline obsessed with it.

I’m somewhat of a beginner on a snowboard, I can heel brake and heel turn fine but I cannot toe brake or toe turn. How do you do it?

You turn on your toe side by pressing on your heel of your front foot when you are on your toe edge. This will release the edge at the front of the board and the nose will swing down the hill. Once you get good at turns on both heel side and toe side, you can start linking turns together – heel side to toe side again and again all the way down the hill.

The way that we first learn to link turns is the "skidded" turn – which is draging the back of the edge while letting the front of the edge slip which allows the board to rotate and turn. In this kind of turn, you must wait for the board to pass the fall line (straight down the hill) before transitioning your weight to the opposite edge. These are skidded linked turns. and they make a wide "skidded" track in the snow.

Carving does not involve any skidding or the board edge sliding down the hill. Carving requires you to put more pressure on the edge which arcs the board so the entire edge is in contact with the snow. This cause the board to track along its natural turn radius and the board will leave a narrow line in the snow – the entire edge will track through this same line without skidding sideways.

As you are traveling on this one edge, the board will make a large radius turn and once you are about 45 degrees across the hill you will transition to the other edge (before the board is pointed down the hill!). Don’t try this if you are skidding your turns as your downhill edge will dig in and you will tumble. This works in a carved turn because you are not skidding and you are traveling fast enough that when you transition to the other edge your weight puts enough pressure on the other edge to force it into the snow and arc it in the other direction – which starts your next turn.

The interesting thing about carving is that the turns don’t slow you down – each turn carries the speed from the previous turn and without skidding there is very little to slow you down.

Good Luck

im look for the names of basic snowboarding tricks, and some videos if you have some (youtube is useless if you dont know the names). and some tips on doing tricks (i already know to pull your knees to your chest when doing grabs, instead of bending for it). and how do you start doing a basic 180 or 360?

AERIAL TRICKS

Ollies
This is the fundamental maneuver for a lot of Aerial Tricks. It is also useful when jumping over small obstacles. Learn how to perform an Ollie in this section.

Air to Fakie
This Aerial Trick involves making a 180-degree turn in the air and then riding switch. Doing an Air to Fakie can help you fine-tune your movements in the air. Let this section show you how to make this trick.

SURFACE TRICKS

Wheelies
Learn how to maintain balance while riding just one end of your board by doing a Wheelie. This trick will help you in building up power as you lift the board’s nose or tail while riding. Get some Snowboarding Tips on how to do a Wheelie in this section.

Butters
Butter is making a series of full turns. Make sure that you are already comfortable in turning and lifting one end of your board before trying this trick.

Nose and Tail Rolls
A Nose and Tail Roll is done by using either your board’s nose or tail to spin 180 degrees and thus changing your stance. Learn how to perform Nose and Tail Rolls in this section.

Sorry dude I don’t know where you can get a video from though.

I am buying a snowboard. I need to know what to get and what is what or whatever. I know it has to do something with bindings and shoes. HELP ME! I don’t want to buy the wrong things and get ripped off. Give me cheap /durable brands too.

Don’t just pick a board between your nose and chin that’s a rookie mistake
You need to take into account a few things your height,weight,riding conditions,riding style"all mountain,freeride,freestyle",foot size and skill lvl
Once you get those nailed down you can narrow down your board genre and size, Generally people go largest on freeride boards for stable carving and float in pow, Mid range for an all mountain board and smallest for those park rats.

That is why just picking a board between your nose and chin doesn’t work and is a huge mistake, If I was looking for a more backcountry oriented board I wouldn’t just pick a board between my nose and chin cause I’d want extra length in the board to help for stable carving and float in pow, samething works for picking a board for the park/freestyle, I wouldn’t just pick a board between my chin and nose for it, I’d want to focus more on a shorter end board to help with maneuverability,butters and just dorking around on runs.

Some simple guidelines you can follow as well is remembering that the longer the board the more stable it will be for you during high speed carves and float in pow, the shorter the board the easier it’ll be to maneuver around, butter and just dork around on runs.

For good brands I’d look at.

GNU
libtech
Omatic
Stepchild
Capita
Neversummer
K2
Forum
Rome

Avoid pretty much all the brands sold at those big retail stores "D&icks,sports check,sports authority,big 5 ect ect". Pretty much all the brands sold there are low end garbage decks that any boarder planning to go a lot shouldn’t bother buying, They’ll only end up holding you back.

Some people have told me to lean forward onto your front foot, others say to lean back because this will make u fall? Any clarification out there..?

You need to find your own balance, but basically you put the majority of your weight on the front, bending it slightly. Your back foot needs some weight, and is used as a stabilizer. You use your back foot to maneuver and steer the turn. It helps if you either keep your front arm parallel to the board, and pretend that you are holding a stick perpendicular to the board, pretending that there is a ball on the front of your nose (of the board), or pointing up to the top of the trees as you turn around.

Don’t get freaked out when you initiate your turns, snowboarding is 80% mental and 20% physical. Don’t psyche yourself out. And if you start getting it, don’t get cocky-just be patient and work on it. Don’t give up!

Hope this helps!!

So I have always wanted to go snowboarding, when I was younger I always thought I would be really good at it, but never got to go. Now the guy Im with wants to go this winter, he says hes taken two girls there before and the were horrible at it…anyway is it easy to learn? Whats the hardest part about it? also what all gear should I buy besides the pants and coat? And, where are some good places to get reasonably priced boards and gear? & anything else I need to know would be great. Thanks!

Yes, snowboarding is hard at first but once you go down the hill a few times you start to learn and it gets fun.

The hardest part in my opinion would be stopping but you can learn how to stop very well if you have someone teach you.

First of all, you need a board i would suggest buying a used board if its your first time because they are very cheap but still good. The bindings usually come with a used board. You may also need snowboarding boots, but if your not too serious you can just use some normal winter boots.

I would suggest getting lessons before you start actually snowboarding, but if your not up for that you can just have a friend help you learn.

So that’s basically snowboarding in a nutshell. Take it easy on the slopes and have fun!

I am currently learning to snowboard and have been taught to travel down the slope doing linked turns.
I have noticed that many people use a different technique where they appear to go down the slope with their board vertical and they seem to ‘rock’ from edge to edge as opposed to doing complete linked turns.
What is this technique and how is it achieved?

Either way is a proper way to snowboard but the type of carving you’re talking about is called cross under carves, Used a lot by racers and tree riders. It’s achieved basically by just flexing your ankles and your knees and putting your board on edge, than just keeping the board pointed downward for the majority of the ride and you’ll do the cross under carves.

I am currently learning to snowboard and have been taught to travel down the slope doing linked turns.
I have noticed that many people use a different technique where they appear to go down the slope with their board vertical and they seem to ‘rock’ from edge to edge as opposed to doing complete linked turns.
What is this technique and how is it achieved?

Either way is a proper way to snowboard but the type of carving you’re talking about is called cross under carves, Used a lot by racers and tree riders. It’s achieved basically by just flexing your ankles and your knees and putting your board on edge, than just keeping the board pointed downward for the majority of the ride and you’ll do the cross under carves.

On my last snowboard trip, a skier stopped on the top edge of my board behind my front binding. He stopped right on the edge taking a good 3 inches of my board edge off. It was so powerful that it has been stripped all the way back to the wood. I was wondering how this could be fixed or what the likely cost would be in a shop. Any ideas? Thanks very much.

Hey, you mention "edge" and "top" of board.

For top skin damage, I’m not sure what the procedure would be…but I imagine you need to get it resealed, or water will get into the core and rot it all out. If the metal edge is actually torn out, that portion can be replaced as well.

I’m guessing you are looking at around $100, depending on the actual damage, for repair. Not seeing it, that is just a guess. Usually an edge repair with a core shot from underneath runs around $50 or so, and if you have top skin damage, if it is repairable, I’m sure it is going to cost you.

Sorry to hear that. I’m a skier, and I take offense if anyone messes with my gear. Too bad you weren’t carrying something you could wack that person with!

You really should have gotten his name and such, as that is something you could report to the resort, and file for damages against that skier. We are all responsible for our actions on the slopes.

On my last snowboard trip, a skier stopped on the top edge of my board behind my front binding. He stopped right on the edge taking a good 3 inches of my board edge off. It was so powerful that it has been stripped all the way back to the wood. I was wondering how this could be fixed or what the likely cost would be in a shop. Any ideas? Thanks very much.

Hey, you mention "edge" and "top" of board.

For top skin damage, I’m not sure what the procedure would be…but I imagine you need to get it resealed, or water will get into the core and rot it all out. If the metal edge is actually torn out, that portion can be replaced as well.

I’m guessing you are looking at around $100, depending on the actual damage, for repair. Not seeing it, that is just a guess. Usually an edge repair with a core shot from underneath runs around $50 or so, and if you have top skin damage, if it is repairable, I’m sure it is going to cost you.

Sorry to hear that. I’m a skier, and I take offense if anyone messes with my gear. Too bad you weren’t carrying something you could wack that person with!

You really should have gotten his name and such, as that is something you could report to the resort, and file for damages against that skier. We are all responsible for our actions on the slopes.