It’s snowing outside. Fresh powder awaits you when you wake up. Your board sits warm inside next to a fireplace, some new boots and an old pair of gloves.
The countdown for morning is moving faster and your heart is beating in lock step. But you’re starting to wonder: “is my riding up to snuff?”
Stress not – I’ve got your back.
Welcome to my top snowboarding tips for beginners. These moves will seriously level up your skills.
So let’s get to it.
1. Have A Snowboarding Goal
Often, beginners will start snowboarding without a specific goal in mind.
But goals are super helpful for guiding your snowboarding session and practice time. So let’s make sure we have one.
Here are some examples of solid snowboarding goals for beginners:
- Get on and off the chairlift without falling
- Ride the magic carpet lift
- Learn how to skate (scooting yourself forward with a free foot)
- Learn how to slide back and forth down the hill (i.e., leafing)
- Learn to carve frontside
- Learn to carve backside
- Ride down from top to bottom without falling
Having a specific goal gives you specific things to work on and a single point of focus.
As a beginner (in anything), it’s all too easy to feel overwhelmed. But having a clear objective makes things much easier and more intentional.
So before you head to the resort and strap in, set your intention – have a goal.
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2. Break Down Your Goal
Okay, let’s say you’ve got a specific snowboard goal in mind.
Epic.
But, what do now? (← name that reference in the comments!)
Let’s break that beast down. Here’s how:
- Decide on a specific macro goal
- Break down that big goal into smaller micro goals
- Break down those micro goals into even smaller nano goals
We can use an example from the tip above. So let’s say our goal is to get on and off the chairlift without falling.
This is the macro target. But there are many smaller targets that lead up to this point.
So here’s how I would approach things:
- Macro goal
- Ride the chairlift
- Micro goals
- Skate to the chairlift loading point
- Get on and off the chairlift
- Skate down the mini hill from the chairlift to the top of the mountain
- Nano goals
- Learn how to stand still on a snowboard with one foot strapped in
- Learn how to skate on a snowboard
- Learn how to bend your knees while standing still on a snowboard
- Learn how to ride down a small hill with only one foot strapped in
The idea here is to start with the nano goals and just focus on one or two at a time.
And after you’ve checked all the boxes, you can start practicing the micro goals. This is the true application point.
You’ll keep trying and improving, and eventually you will reach your main goal.
From here, with some newfound confidence, you simply move on to your next snowboard goal (and break that jazz down into smaller actions).
3. Snowboard In Your Mind
I love this tip, and it’s something I don’t hear enough of.
It’s using the power of your mind to snowboard better (and no joke, tons of professional athletes and Olympians are doing this).
So if it’s good enough for them…well, you know.
Mental practice, or mental rehearsal, is doing cognitive rehearsal of some physical action without any actual physical performance.
It’s using your imagination to visualize and do stuff in your mind.
And the cool thing is, research shows that this type of mental practice can actually create the same neural networks in your brain as if you were actually doing the thing in real life.
Madness.
I mean, what is life?
I digress…
I think most of us already do mental practice without even realizing it. We naturally imagine ourselves riding or doing some new trick before we ever do it in person.
This is pretty normal.
But the difference is in adding more intention, emotion and energy to the whole process.
So here’s how to improve your riding chops by first snowboarding in your mind:
- Identify a specific snowboarding goal you have
- Now close your eyes and imagine yourself doing that thing perfectly
- Feel the emotions of reaching your snowboard goal and performing it perfectly
- Feel the physical sensations of doing it (like the cool air and bodily movements)
- Imagine the sensory details (the sounds, sights and smells)
- Physically mimic the movements while imagining them
4. Go Carpet Snowboarding
If you’ve got some carpeted floors or a good rug, let’s shred it.
But quick disclaimer: don’t shred down your stairs – that’s a pro move, and it hurts.
There are some cool benefits to practicing inside though.
Namely, it helps you get more comfortable with being strapped sideways to a piece of wood. You get a better feel for your balance and weight distribution.
You can practice leaning in different ways, hopping around and even spinning on the tail or nose a bit (if you’re feeling it).
Although this doesn’t completely reflect what it’s like to ride on snow, it does give you an initial sense of balance – and some important confidence.
By strapping in and doing some carpet riding before you actually snowboard, things will at least feel somewhat familiar on the hill.
So try snowboarding in your home or apartment. Start by doing it next to a couch and practice by simply standing up and sitting back down.
And don’t get discouraged if you still fall over and feel awkward.
It’s all part of the process.
5. Learn the Basics
There’s an elephant in the room.
Despite the awesomeness of these tips so far, there are still some technical learnings we should know.
Mastering the snowboarding basics is essential as a beginner. But it’s also important to not skip ahead too far or learn things out of order.
Snowboarding has different skills levels to master.
And trying to hit jumps before you know how to stop with confidence isn’t the best move.
So let’s explore some snowboarding basics and how to do them.
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1. Strapping in and standing up
- Learn how your bindings click in and click out (before you actually strap in)
- Sit down to strap in and practice getting up using your hands and shifting your weight for balance
- You may try strapping in just one foot at first to get comfortable
- Start lower to the ground by keeping your knees bent, slowly standing taller
- When you’re comfortable standing up easily while strapped in, practice shuffling and sliding around in place
- Pro challenge: try hopping up and down while standing in place and strapped in
2. Skating
- Skating is using your back foot to push forward while the front foot is strapped in
- Start by practicing your balance standing still, with one foot strapped in
- Now try raising your free leg up slightly and balancing on the board, standing up one-footed
- (be careful not to twist your knee and be prepared to fall over and catch yourself)
- Start by pushing yourself forward once and skating a short distance (on flat ground)
- Keep your weight generally center balanced, but slightly towards the front of the board
- Now practice pushing yourself forward again, but with multiple pushes (not just once)
- Wait until each push slows down to start the next one
3. Getting on and off the lifts
- For chairlifts:
- Imagine the chair is a shovel coming to gently scoop you up
- Simply sink into it, letting the chair guide you down
- The lifty (lift operator) should slow the lift down for you (otherwise, just ask)
- For t-bars:
- Practice getting comfortable with standing up and skating first
- Skate to the loading area and set your board facing uphill
- Turn around and watch for the t-bar
- The lifty should guide the t-bar to behind your front leg or behind your back leg
- Grab the t-bar and put your back foot on the center of your snowboard
- Keep your weight to your back to counterbalance the t-bar pulling you forward
- Watch ahead for dips in the snow or uneven areas
- For magic carpet lifts:
- Remove your back foot from your binding
- Let the lifty know it’s your first time or if you need help
- Shimmy yourself onto the moving belt
- When getting off, make sure your back foot is on your snowboard and let the magic carpet push you off onto the snow
Tip: Bunny hills are typically smaller. So you don’t need to use any lifts. You can simply hike to the top (it’s pretty normal to do). Just be sure to stick to the side and watch for other riders.
4. Leafing
- Leafing is riding back and forth sideways, slowly down the hill (like a falling leaf)
- Start with the most comfortable direction (facing forwards down the hill, or backwards)
- Practice on a small, bunny hill and gradually increase in difficulty
- Resist the urge to stay in a seated position (keep trying to stand up and learn control)
- Keep your knees slightly bent and arms out for balance
5. Stopping and turning
- Start by learning how to leaf frontside and backside
- Then, join those two positions together
- Keep practicing until the semi-leafing moves gets tighter and tighter
- Increase your speed as you get more comfortable
6. Learning how to fall
- Keep things slow (and learn how to stop before working on speed)
- If falling forward, don’t reach with or land on your hands, use your elbows
- If you can, fall with the momentum, don’t fight it (especially falling backwards)
- Try to let your bigger muscles take the impact (triceps vs. hands)
- Use pads and protective gear like a helmet
6. Work With A Coach
Learning from someone who knows what they’re doing is a tried and true method.
So naturally, it’s worth mentioning for snowboarding.
This could be a friend, family member or an instructor at your local ski resort.
The benefits of learning from someone who knows what to do (and how to teach) are sort of obvious. But here are some key perks:
- You’ll learn faster
- You can get customized instruction
- You can rest assured that you’re learning proper technique
- It’s more social and fun
There’s a quote I like to remember (for life in general):
“If you want to know the road ahead, ask the person coming back…”
7. Have A Training Routine
What do all the best riders and athletes have in common?
They train outside of their core sport.
Admittedly, this is something I totally ignored growing up. I mean, I barely ever stretched before riding.
But now, after I started training with some basic exercising, I realized my riding is way better and I have way more stability and control.
Go figure.
So if you’re serious about snowboarding and taking things to the next level, try adding some snowboard-specific training exercises into your daily routine.
Here are my go-to training exercises for snowboarding:
- Yoga
- Coordination or balance exercises like single leg squats
- Practicing on a snowboard balance board
- Pushups and core exercises
- Endurance training and cardio
Of course, I am not a personal trainer and very far from being any type of expert in exercising. I just know what works for me.
So do your own diligence here and try working with a professional trainer if you can. Know your body and know your limits.
8. Have the Right Gear
Nothing puts a damper on the day like technical difficulties.
So let’s be sure you have what you need to snowboard and that your setup is ideal for your riding level.
As a beginner, there are a few settings and specs you’ll benefit from having. Some examples of having the right gear (for beginner snowboarding) include:
- Softer flex and a rocker camber (more control and less edge catching)
- Comfortable boots that fit properly
- Wear a helmet and other protective gear (as you may fall a lot)
- Simple bindings that are easy to use
- Loose clothing and outerwear for easy maneuvering
- Set your binding angles to a comfortable position
- Forward stance will have the front fit pointed more forward
- Duck footed will have binding pointing opposite (good for riding both ways)
9. Have A Crew to Ride With
Nothing beats having the right crew to shred with.
I mean, solo riding can be fun too – but riding with friends or other learners can seriously elevate the whole experience.
You’ll naturally motivate and inspire each other while challenging yourselves to get better and practice.
It’s also just nice to have someone to take breaks with and talk about the ups and downs of learning to ride.
So take stock – who’s in your boarding orbit? Is there anyone nearby you can recruit to join you?
Ideally, you want to ride with people who are naturally amped or get hyped easily.
You can also connect with people online, in snowboarding classes or while out on the hill (or at the local ski pub).
Finding your crew may take some time, testing and patience. But hang in there and just try to enjoy the ride in the meantime.
And on that note, let’s move to the last tip.
10. Stay Patient (+ have fun)
At the end of an epic day, what matters most is having fun.
So this last tip is about mindset, patience and expectations.
The thing that will take you from beginner snowboarder to intermediate or advanced (and beyond) is your willingness to keep showing up every week and each season.
It’s not an overnight thing (as great things always take time).
So develop a growth mindset, manage your expectations and set realistic timelines.
Don’t be too hard on yourself for “slow” progress and for Peter Line’s sake, remember this is supposed to be fun.
Enjoy the ride.
