Snowboarding Rants

The basic snowboarding techniques are:

1. Your STANCE. Your bindings need to be installed so that your feet are exactly centered (from toe to heel) across the width of your board, and so that, with your feet the right distance apart, they are both exactly the same distance from the ends of your board.

THEN you need to learn how to center your body over your board, and that will be different for everyone -- and it's one of the snowboarding techniques that may need to change with the conditions, and over time, with your particular riding style.

The point is that evenly distributing your weight over your board at all times is the most basic of the snowboarding techniques to master. (You'll know you've accomplished it when you can comfortable stay standing up on a slope way more often than you fall down!)

2. Your BODY MOVEMENTS. Snowboarding is basically accomplished through three 'phases,' if you will -- extension (pulling your body 'away' -- up and out -- from the snow), transition (at maximum extension, you 'transit' from one edge of your board to the other), and the compression phase (redistributing your weight down on to the new edge after a turn).

In essence, your body is in a constant state of either balancing, reacting or adjusting to whatever conditions present themselves from moment to moment.

Although perfecting your body movements is never fully 'accomplished', you'll know you've 'got it' when you make it to the bottom of a nice ride without falling for the first time, and want to pump your fists into the air with a re-sounding 'YES!'

3. Being able to stop is pretty important, too. :)

With these basic snowboarding techniques, you're well on your way to becoming a pro -- and having a lot of fun on the journey!