directly forward over the tip of the board are not too common (except from jumping), but they must be avoided. If you are losing control, getting low may allow you to recover. Also, getting forward will usually improve your chances of a recovery. Together, these two actions will at least make the fall over the side edges rather than over the tip or back of the board.
Be wary of finger and wrist injuries. You may want to protect your thumbs by putting them inside your gloves or mittens. Let your arms or trunk take the brunt of any impact. A more detailed discussion of falling is included in the section on safety (see page 146).
Traversing
Traversing means crossing the hill from side to side. A series of starts and stops in one direction creates a garland pattern. The purpose of practicing traversing is to reinforce your edging skills, to gain more speed in a controlled manner, and to improve your stopping ability.
Unlike the preliminary edging practice, you are now snowboarding. So focus on good posture: knees strongly bent, torso slightly twisted forward and shifted well over the front leg, both arms towards the front, and elbows bent. Launch as always, then ride the uphill edge across the slope until you feel like stopping or slowing. To stop or slow yourself, push or put weight on the back leg to bring the tail of the board down more perpendicular to the fall line or crosswise to your direction of travel. Do this gradually and try to maintain constant control. If you overdo it, the tail will point diagonally down the slope, and away you go again—backwards!
Rider: Kathy Allman Photo: Gregg Ledge
Heel-side traverse
Practice traversing in both directions. Go across one way on your heel edge, and return using your toe edge. When you come to the edge of the slope, you must either stop and maneuver the board into the opposite direction and start up again, or you must turn. After a few garland runs, you will be ready and able to learn how to turn.
Turning
There are three basic types of snowboarding turns: skidding turns (pivoting turns directed by the rear foot), carving turns (smooth arcs dependent upon weight shift and board shape), and jump turns (forced rotations while essentially airborne). Master skidded turns first. You will progress to the others naturally with practice and time.
For starters, return to a very shallow slope! Establish good posture, flash a big grin, and launch. With both arms out and somewhat forward, turn your head and point your lead shoulder in the direction you want to turn. Look where you want to go. This motion will throw a small amount of weight onto the edge that will become active (the soon-to-be uphill one). Your weight should be mostly on the front foot already.
1. Holding toe-edge traverse
2. Weight on front foot pushes nose downhill
3. Head and shoulders rotate in desired direction. With weight on front foot, hips and back foot forcefully push rear of board around during transition to new edge
4. Control stabilized on new edge
5. Holding heel-edge traverse
6. Weight on front foot pushes nose downhill
7. Head and shoulders rotate in desired direction. With weight on front foot, hips and back foot forcefully push rear of board around during transition to new edge
8. Control stabilized on new edge
9. Holding toe-edge traverse
Diagram: SLM Canada, Inc.
Figure 3. Turning sequence
Exaggerate it a bit now. Steer with your back foot. That is, simultaneously push with your partially unweighted back foot in the direction opposite to that of your shoulder shift. Wow!
Although a small paragraph is all that is required to outline turning technique, this is the crucial stumbling block to overcome, both literally and figuratively. This is the key to everything. It is not nearly as easy to do as it sounds. Regardless of your background, the movements will be foreign to you initially. Learning to turn always takes considerable time and perseverance. It also takes some courage.
When you coordinate all of these actions, your turns will be fluid. In the beginning, concentrate on just where you want to make the next turn, and go for it with commitment. Although toe-side and heel-side turns may seem quite different, try to feel their similarities in terms of weight shifting and edging. The driving force always works through your hips. Keeping your weight forward will pull the board back into the fall line for the next turn. If you start to favor one direction, force yourself to work the opposite turn repeatedly until it becomes the easier and the more fun.
If you are keeping low and forward like you should, your front leg will be burning quite a bit in the early stages. Training and more advanced skills will eventually cure this problem. Don’t worry; just bear it for now.
One major reason that snowboarders “lose it” during skidded turns is that they put too much weight on their back legs. They then over-rotate and spin out. This error can come from inattention, from not knowing better, from front leg fatigue, or from a fear-based tendency to lean back. Recognize any cycle of “fear of falling” and “falling from fear” and break it early. You can break the cycle by not trying to progress so rapidly. Go back to traverses or to a shallower slope. Keep comfortable to keep progressing.
After the first day or two, depending upon local conditions, you will have a feel for turning and linking your turns together. This early learning needs to be reinforced. You can continue to improve when you are not on the slopes by using visualization techniques. Close your eyes, and with intense concentration play back the necessary moves in detail. Rehearse. Use mental imagery. Also watch snowboarding videos and let your mind and muscles get involved. Think about snowboarding during all of your spare time.
Stopping
The way to stop is by holding an abrupt turn. The idea is to get the board on edge perfectly perpendicular to the fall line (like sideslipping). Snowboards have an incredible ability to keep moving and drifting if they are kept flat. They also have an amazing ability to keep moving even on an edge if the board is pointed downhill. Since you do not have any poles, or any anchors to toss overboard, you’ll need considerable finesse and skill to make the board “stick” in a particular place at the bottom of the hill.
Rider: Chris Karol Photo: Gwyn Howat
Applying the brakes
To change an abrupt turn into a stop, apply weight to both legs, as needed, to maintain board position. Remember the lessons you learned in the earlier edging practice. Do not keep all your weight over your front foot. Experiment with different amounts of pressure when engaging and releasing the edges. As before, practice using each edge to stop.
Once you can turn in both directions and stop at will, victory is yours. You are