Winter Sports – Snowboard

If you’re going to start practicing winter sports, try snowboarding. First you must feel comfortable and have appropriate equipment, such as: gloves, helmet, goggles, waterproof pants and jacket. Once you’re ready and you’ve purchased the equipment and the snow is right, it means that the slopes are waiting for you.

Find a flat area, where you can sit without slipping, place the snowboard in front of you and put your foot base about the front plate, tight the connection toes and the ankle, until you feel your foot is staying fixed but comfortable.

The steps you need to follow will be:

Climb the slope with the front leg into the board and with the other free leg push the board ahead (to be able to do that, you need to have your shoulders and feet pointing towards the peaks).

After you get used to that, sit down and stabilizes your both feet in. With the snowboard situated perpendicular to the slope, get up. The majority of the weight will be left on the heels so in this way you will create a brake and little by little after that you will get used to move on toes so you can do turns.

If you want to stop, move your weight from toes to heels.

Repeat this procedure until you notice that you can focus your weight and you can start and stop the snowboard.

Once arrived at the top of the slope for beginners, start to move from side to side (falling leaf), concentrate on the weight of the heels side all the time.

To begin the turns, focus a little bit, the weight on the top front leg, and to stop let the weight on the heel again.

When you approach the edge of the slope, or simply want to change direction, stop and concentrate the weight on the other leg, continuing in the same style until the end of the slope.

Once you master the “Falling Leaf” on both heels and toes, you are ready for the move called “Return to J”. This technique works like “Falling Leaf”, but with a moment before you stop, the aim is to go directly to the bottom plate and turn sharply to stop.

Begins on the edge of your heels. With shoulders leaning in towards the foot of the slope, slowly push on the top of your front leg up when the plate is pointing down. Lift your toes up and concentrate the weight on your heels back to stop.

Continue to “return to J” till the end of the slope. Also this move can be done the other way round: Return, so you will face towards the top of the slope. Press slowly on the heel of the front foot and begin to go down. Continue to press the heel plate until it reaches the end of the slope and press the toes to stop.

It is important to keep in mind the height, width, how much have you ever practiced snowboard so far and boots to be the right size.