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Craig Barrett - Triple Olympian, Racewalker

Snowboarding basics for beginners

You’ll enjoy your first outing on your board just that much more if you gen up on a few basics before hitting the slopes.

Get off to a good start by following these tips on snowboarding basics from our experts…

Attaching your board

Bindings are what attach your feet to your snowboard. Keep in mind that, unlike ski bindings, snowboard bindings are not designed to release your feet in the event of a crash.

To get into your bindings:

1. Lay the board down flat, perpendicular to the hill, in other words not pointing up or down the slope but across the slope. Make sure you’re out of the way of fellow riders.

2. Put your front foot in first.

  • If you have step-in bindings, make sure the bottom of your boot is cleared of snow, then step in toe-first and click your heel in.
  • If you have strap bindings, place your foot on the baseplate and bend over to insert the straps into their respective buckles. Ratchet as necessary to fit your boot snugly.

3. Put on your safety leash on your front foot. If you fall over before you’re strapped in, it’ll keep the board from running away from you or hitting an innocent bystander.

4. As a beginner, it’s a good idea to always sit down before you put in your back foot so you don’t slide away or tip over. Check your boot for excess snow, and then insert your back foot like you did your front one.

5. Before you stand up, (if you’ve sat down to put in your back foot) make sure your board is perpendicular to the hill so you won’t go zooming down before you’re ready.

Standing Up

There are three basic ways to stand up. For each one, always make sure you put the same amount of weight on both feet.

To stand up:

The Thrust or Push-Off:

  • With your knees bent and your feet close to your bottom, lean back then thrust your weight forward and over your feet, pushing off from behind with your hand(s).

The Pull-Up

  • With your knees bent and your feet close to your bottom, pull yourself up by the toe edge of your board. If you have trouble, using one hand to push from behind at the same time helps get you on your feet.

The Roll-Over

  • From your sitting position, roll yourself over onto your knees, then stand up by pushing your weight backward and over your feet.

Stopping

As any beginner knows, stopping is one of the most important things to learn. The following guidelines should help keep you from crashing into stationary objects or your fellow riders.
To stop:

Bring both feet perpendicular to the hill and scrape to a stop.
If you fall down when you try to stop, follow the guidelines for standing up and keep practicing.

Falling

When you’re a beginner, falling is an unfortunate part of the learning process. The following guidelines will help to minimise injuries, even when you become a more experienced rider.

To fall safely:

Make a fist

  • Common injuries, especially for beginners, occur in the wrists because they take the brunt of the fall’s impact. Making a fist keeps your fingers from splaying out and your wrists from hyper-extending. No matter which way you fall, ALWAYS make a fist.
Fall forward onto your knees and forearms
  • Absorbing impact with your knees helps to lessen the force with which you fall. By landing on your bent knees, you avoid falling straight over face first.
  • Along with making fists, using your forearms (instead of just your hands) helps to keep your wrists from hyper-extending. Putting your forearms down also helps protect your face from slamming into the snow.
Fall backward onto your fists and backside.
  • Using your fists will help keep you from injuring your wrists and fingers.
  • Your backside is made for hard landings; just be careful of your tailbone. Landing on your fists first should help dampen the impact.

The Chairlift

Negotiating the chairlift can be nerve-wracking for any beginner, whether it’s while skiing or snowboarding. These tips and a bit of practice should help smooth out the jitters.

To load:

  1. At the bottom of the hill, take your back foot out of its binding. Skate over to the lift line by pushing off your free back foot, like you would a skateboard. Your free foot should rest on the stomp pad as you glide.
  2. When you reach the front of the line, watch for the chair passing by to scoop up the riders ahead of you. Follow behind it to catch the next one.
  3. Stand with the tip of your board pointing towards the lift ramp. Look over your shoulder to watch the chair come around so you know when to sit down.
  4. When the chair comes around, take hold of it and sit down. Make sure your board is gliding straight up the lift ramp so you don’t clobber your neighbour.
  5. Lower the safety bar as soon as you are sitting down.  Once you’re on your way, you can enjoy the scenery and let your board hang comfortably.

To unload:

  1. When you see the “Prepare to Unload” sign, raise the safety bar and start moving yourself over so you’re sitting sideways in your directional stance.
  2. As you approach the lift ramp, point your board forward, put your free foot on your stomp pad, and hang your cheek off the edge of the chair.
  3. When you reach the ramp, let your board slide along the snow then stand up with your weight forward as the chair pushes you off.
  4. Make sure you’ve moved clear of the unloading area before you stop to strap in your back foot.

 

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