Is snowboarding hard?
Well that depends!…I’m not going to lie, I was up the hill filming my ‘Learn to turn’ Beginner snowboard module 3 days ago and I watched all of the Mountains snowboard Instructors riding down the trail! Only 2 out of 30 or so looked like they actually knew what they were doing! I find this is the case with most resorts, Most of the instructors have only had a few years riding time.
To the point, Snowboarding is easy to learn as long as your Instructor/trainer understands how people learn best, being able to pick up on how an individual learns is key to an easy snowboard progression!
In my Beginner module ‘Learn to Turn’ I cover all 4 learning styles so it’s Easy, Fun and pain free when learning how to snowboard.
Do I need to do a lesson on the mountain?
In all honesty, If you’re brand new to the Snowboard/ski industry, I would recommend getting a group lesson on your local mountain. The very early stages of snowboarding can be challenging if you’re not that coordinated.
On the other hand…
My beginner ‘learn to turn’ module will give you all the progressions you need in order to start linking turns down the hill. This training alone would cost you well over $1000 in a private lesson scenario.
Group lessons are alright but don’t expect to learn a lot, my advice to you, is do a group lesson and then watch my ‘Learn to turn’ module once you have the basics of standing up and sliding down the hill on one edge.
What size board do I need?
A good way too measure what size snowboard you need is, stand the snowboard up right in front of you. The nose (Tip) of the snowboard should stop in between your chin and your mouth. It’s that simple!
What boots and bindings should I use?
Here is a Pro Tip:
Do not mix and match bindings and boots! Always try and stick to the same hardware especially with bindings and boots! Your feet MUST be comfortable when you are snowboarding or you will struggle to feel the board and enjoy the sport!
How tight should I do my bindings up?
Not that tight, don’t crank them up so you start stopping the blood supply, they have to be firm but still have a little room to move….I generally will crank my bindings 3-4 clicks on the straps.
If your feet start getting sore, your bindings are too tight!
How do I tell if I’m natural or goofy?
Imagine yourself looking over a massive cliff, looking out into the distance…’so beautiful????’ Anyhow, Draw a line (The Cliff edge) in the snow and pretend you are going to look over the edge of the cliff! Visualize and step forward to look over the edge!
Whatever foot steps first is your lead foot
Left foot means you are Natural
Right foot means you are Goofy
Why do I keep catching edges?
You keep catching edges because either your basic stance is not aligned with your board or you are not releasing the pressure generated through your snowboard when you are setting up for your turn…The ‘Learn to turn’ Beginners module will help you fix this problem.
I generate too much speed…help?
Start doing closed turns, look and point to where you want to go! Also, make sure you are on suitable terrain for you level of riding, by the sounds of it, you might need to learn about pressure control using flexion and extension….’Master your turns’ is the module I would recommend for you!
My edge keeps washing out on steep runs?
This comes down to a timing issue, as long as you are utilizing up UN weighted turns. I obviously cannot teach you in this FAQ section but go and check out my ‘Master your Turns’ module and that will fix your problem.
If you want to ride steep runs on sick powder days, this definitely the right module for you!
Why are your Snowboarding Modules so cheap?
They will only be this cheap for part of the NZ winter season of 2016, The information in these EP (Execution Plans) is worth well over $1000 per module. I have spent 13 years coaching snowboarding and have fine-tuned it to what works best for people to learn.
This price point will be going up very soon.