Wiping out more than you’re riding? Spending more time dusting snow off your pants than carving down the slopes? Snowboarding, while exhilarating, can be tough to master, especially without proper guidance. Whether you’re a complete beginner or have picked up some bad habits from friends, understanding common mistakes can drastically improve your technique and overall enjoyment on the mountain. This guide breaks down key areas to focus on to help you become a more confident and capable snowboarder.
snowboarder upside down in snow
1. The Importance of Correct Snowboard Stance
A proper stance is foundational to good snowboarding. If you’re not balanced correctly over your board, even the smallest bumps can throw you off. A solid stance will allow you to react quickly to unexpected situations, navigate any terrain with confidence, and ultimately, make your ride more enjoyable.
The ideal basic stance involves evenly distributing your weight across both feet. Your knees should be bent and relaxed, acting as shock absorbers. Keep your shoulders aligned with the snowboard, with your arms positioned naturally over the nose and tail, not twisted. Maintaining balance on your toe edge versus your heel edge requires distinctly different body positions, dictated by your body mechanics.
Mastering the Toe Edge
When on your toe edge, shift your hips forward, pressing your shins against the front of your boots. Your knees and belly button should be aligned over your toe edge. Keep your shoulders relaxed and arms either by your sides or held out for balance, but ensure they are aligned above the nose and tail of your board. The majority of your weight should be centered over your toe edge, stacked evenly through your torso.
Mastering the Heel Edge
The heel edge stance is the opposite of the toe edge. To balance, shift your weight back onto your heels. Imagine you’re hovering over a chair. Keep your shoulders directly over your hips, ensuring your back is straight, and your hips are positioned directly above your heel edge. Bend your knees in a relaxed manner. Pushing your knees outward can further center you and help maintain a straight back.
2. Avoid Bending at the Waist
A prevalent mistake, especially among beginners, is bending at the waist. Instead of maintaining an upright, balanced posture, riders often lean forward from the waist, creating a “broken” position. This is often caused by looking down at the board.
Bending at the waist shifts your weight off-center, making it hard to balance. By standing upright with your weight over your snowboard, you enhance your stability and control, enabling a smoother and more efficient ride.
3. The Art of Maintaining a Steady Edge
When sideslipping, you need to engage your edge and maintain it consistently as you ride. Use slight changes in pressure on your edge to control your speed by bending your knees to sink down or standing up. Remember, keep your torso upright, not bent at the waist.
A common error is rocking the snowboard back and forth from edge to edge. This causes inconsistent speed, as you’re essentially engaging and releasing the brakes repeatedly. This jerky motion leads to instability, and can result in catching an edge and falling, potentially leading to a “scorpion” position—a face-first fall with the board hitting you on the back of your head. To avoid this, set your edge firmly and maintain its angle while making adjustments with subtle pressure changes.
4. Stop Kicking Your Back Foot
Many beginners try to initiate turns by kicking their back leg, pushing the snowboard around. The correct technique involves using both legs to pivot the board from its center, creating a much more efficient turn.
Kicking your back leg causes the snowboard to pivot around the front leg, which results in losing speed with each turn. You should initiate turns using your hips and knees, driving the snowboard smoothly through the turn. As you become more skilled, you will be able to maintain or even increase your speed during the turn.
5. Correct Body Alignment
Maintaining correct alignment is crucial. Your shoulders should be aligned over your snowboard. It’s normal to feel unusual riding sideways, so many riders twist their shoulders, facing downhill to see where they are going.
This twisted position can cause the board to turn in the same direction as your shoulders, and cause riders to compensate with their back leg, further causing an incorrect turning motion. While side slipping, ensure your shoulders are aligned with the board, with your arms relaxed. As you initiate your turn, dip your front shoulder slightly in the direction you want to go. This will naturally guide your snowboard in the desired direction, completing the turn while aligning your shoulders with the board again.
6. The Right Equipment Setup
Even if you’re executing the techniques correctly, an incorrect setup can hinder your progress. Many beginners ride with unsuitable equipment setups. A standard beginner setup involves a front binding angle of +9 degrees and a back binding angle of -9 degrees (often called “duck feet”).
This setup allows for increased mobility and enables the back leg to drive turns effectively. If your back binding is straight or pointing forward, you’ll be prone to kicking your back leg to turn and experience difficulties in alignment. So, if you’re struggling with the previously mentioned points, double-check your binding setup.
Your stance width should generally be shoulder-width apart. A stance that is too narrow can feel unstable, making turning more difficult, while a stance that is too wide can make it hard to control the snowboard.
Personal stance preferences vary widely, so what works for one person might not work for another. It’s best to start with a standard +9/-9 degree stance with a shoulder-width apart, then gradually adjust the angles and width to find the most comfortable and effective setup for your riding style.
Practicing for Improvement
Improving your snowboarding skills takes time and practice. Focus on these points regularly in short sessions to build new muscle memory. Trying to work on too much at once can be frustrating, so select one or two key skills to focus on during practice. Start with a good warm up, dedicate 15-30 minutes, maybe an hour maximum, working on a specific skill, then spend the rest of your time enjoying comfortable runs down the slopes.
By understanding and avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll be well on your way to becoming a more confident and skilled snowboarder.
Mike Mckernan author skateboardersHQ
About the Author: Michael McKernan, a former snowboard instructor with years of experience building snowboard parks and participating in competitions.
Disclaimer: This guide is intended for informational purposes only. Snowboarding involves inherent risks; please ride within your abilities and always prioritize safety.
