How to Become a Better Snowboarder Overnight
Winter is coming.
No, that’s not a Game of Thrones reference. Winter really is here, and if the early snowfall is anything to go by it looks like we’ve got a good season of riding to look forward to.
That means another year of beginner or intermediate riders will be hitting the slopes, and inevitably getting in over their heads. There will be collisions, out of control riders, and injuries galore. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are a few simple tips and tricks that will help you stay in control (and help prevent injuries) when you’re out there shredding it up.
Why should my advice make any difference? For starters I’ve been a lifelong skier, a snowboarder for decades, an instructor of both sports, and a two-time bestselling snow sport author. I see the same issues time and time again, whether I’m teaching my students or dodging insanely incompetent teenagers on the mountain. If you can understand these essential tips and utilize them in your own riding, you’ll be better prepared to achieve your snowboarding goals next time you hit the slopes.
One of the easiest ways to prevent injuries while riding is to avoid riding on hills that are above your ability level. It probably goes without saying that practice makes perfect, but there’s a disconnect on what that looks like when it comes to snowboarding. Many first-time riders will just hop on an “easy” chairlift and roll the dice on whatever they encounter, when it would probably be a better idea to practice on flat snow.
For comparison, that’s like trying your hand at off-road rally racing when you’re just learning how to drive. The truth is that snowboarding is difficult. Like a toddler learning how to walk before they run, a beginner-level snowboarder must first experience what being frictionless is like before they are comfortable succumbing to gravity on a frictionless surface while barreling down a hill. This means practicing on the “baby hills,” the types of hills you’ll see parents walking on while holding hands with their toddlers.
The second tip that nearly every snowboarder struggles to overcome is to resist the natural urge to lean back. As you attempt to ride steeper and steeper terrain, a fear instinct kicks in. With steeper slopes comes faster acceleration on your snowboard, and it’s a natural reflex to lean away and fight that change of velocity. In all my years of teaching I’ve only had one student (a skier) who did not have this reflex, and instead they embraced the feeling of acceleration like a natural.
The reason you want to resist the urge to lean back is that it decreases your contact points of your snowboard on the ground. Ice skaters can turn because their ice skates have big metal ridges cutting into the ice to guide them, whereas snowboarders have metal edges that form a perimeter around the snowboard. These metal edges are what guides turns on compact snow and ice, it’s how a frictionless snowboard is able to turn. Leaning back on your snowboard takes away your control, stability, and ability to balance. Leaning back on your snowboard can also overextend your knees, when a snowboarder should have their knees bent at all times. Instead, you should fight that urge to lean back and embrace the downhill-leaning stance to ensure your snowboard has the contact points needed to initiate turns.
That said, leaning back can sometimes be beneficial. If you are riding in deep powder, leaning back can actually help you stay afloat on top of a fluffy layer of snow. However, most beginners learn on groomed surfaces. On this type of compact snow, leaning back will only work against you if your goal is to stay in control.
The final tip that can change your performance overnight is to be aware of the riding conditions every day. There’s a huge difference in riding on fresh snow, warm weather slush, compact snow, crud (a mix of compact snow and ice), and pure ice. I’m an expert-level rider, and part of the reason for that is that I don’t ride when conditions are bad. Many injuries occur due to poor conditions, like icy or cruddy snow. Even with proper technique, you can hit a bad patch of ice and get bucked off your snowboard. Most backcountry riders like myself will not even attempt to ride unless the conditions are good, primarily because it’s too dangerous, but also because poor conditions are not as fun to ride. If you are just learning on shallow slopes this may not make a huge difference, but I think everyone would prefer to fall on compact snow instead of solid ice if given the choice. And trust me, everyone falls when they are learning how to snowboard.
Nobody becomes an expert overnight, but these tips can help you become a better rider while helping you stay in control. Understanding that the nose-edge of your snowboard is like a boat’s rudder, and the nose-edges of your snowboard will help guide your direction (as long as you resist the urge to lean back). This advice should encourage you to embrace a forward-leaning downhill stance. The other essential component is to practice on hills that won’t scare you into that fear response. You need to practice on hills that thrill you, but don’t have your instincts to resist the acceleration kicking in. And finally, this is one sport where fair-weather flying is an important consideration. If you keep these tips in mind, you can become a better rider practically overnight.
If you enjoyed reading, consider subscribing to my Medium profile (linked here): M.C. Henry
You can also find more tips in one of my recent bestsellers, Powder Power: A Snowboarding Book for Kids (follow the link to get your copy): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08BGM3W9T
Alternatively, you can check out my complete guide to snowboarding. It’s called Snowboard Mastery: The Essential Guide to Gear Maintenance, Mountain Safety, and Proper Technique. It’s the perfect gift for any reader looking to take their game to the next level (link here): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1650649886
You can also follow my social media accounts, not sure why anyone would but I’m at @mchenrybooks on most reputable social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok. I also have a Twitter, but if you read my last article you’d know why Twitter’s future is uncertain.
Still reading? Feel free to continue this discussion in the comments! I reply to everything.
