If you’ve mastered the basics of snowboarding and are ready to take your skills to the next level, our comprehensive list of snowboarding tips for intermediates is just what you need to refine your technique ahead of your intermediate snowboard lesson at The Snow Centre Hemel Hempstead or Manchester.
Are you a whizz at linking turns? Find boarding a breeze? Read on to master the theory behind intermediate snowboarding – and then join us for real on our real snow slopes.
Get better at snowboarding with our intermediate tips
Board Stance
First up on our list of advanced snowboarding tips is board stance. Your board stance is the foundation for good technique. If you’re stiff and rigid, not only are you going to ache after a couple of hours of boarding, but your riding is going to suck. Snowboarding should be fluid, allowing you to ride the slope terrain with ease. But to do this, your body needs to be relaxed and comfortable.
Once you’ve got the stance right, everything else will come much easier. First things first, look for that ‘sweet spot’ for the width of your feet. Too narrow, and you will feel unstable on your board, causing your body to tense and making everything five times harder than it needs to be. Too wide, and you’ll struggle to move and feel uncomfortable, making riding a nightmare.
The perfect board stance should see your feet just wider than your hips, giving you a full range of movement and the ability to really control your snowboard. When on your board, you should stand with your knees slightly bent, directly over your feet. Your arms should hang loosely at your sides with your hands, neck and shoulders relaxed and loose.
Speed Control
Fed up with catching your edges and falling flat on your face? Maybe you even catch them a few times and turn as quickly as you can to counteract it –throwing in a bit of a hop or a skid to hasten it along. Sound familiar? You’ll be pleased to know this little mishap is down to a lack of speed control, and there are tricks you can follow to avoid this.
To avoid catching your edges and to control your speed, you need to make a smooth carving turn. Simply turn up the slope at the end of each turn to reduce your speed.
Carving Turns
Carved turns are faster and stop the board from slipping – meaning you’re less likely to catch an edge and end up face planting the snow. Carving turns involve digging the edges of the board into the snow while turning, rather than simply sliding on the flat underneath of the board. Freestyle snowboarders use carving when spinning off jumps and in the half pipe, as well as when riding.
For a toe-side carve, bend your knees and ankles and tip your snowboard on its edge by pressing your knees forward towards the hill. The amount of pressure you apply to your toes determines how much grip the board has in the snow.
For a heel-side edge, squat slightly as if sitting in a chair, then tip the board back by lifting your toes. Control the pressure the board exerts on the snow by pushing through your heels.
To turn when carving, on a toe edge, try twisting your front foot so that you are lifting your big toe up and tipping your foot towards the front of the board. This will push your front knee forwards, turn your hips and straighten that back leg a little. Try it on the flat first and then on a gentle blue run and you should feel the board start to turn.
For heel-edge turns, bend your front knee whilst lifting the heel of that leg. You should feel your rear leg straighten a little and your hips move forward. Again, try this on the flat first, and you should be able to see the board twist a little and the front lift a bit. Try it on a gentle blue (just like the tail end of our main slopes) whilst making a carved traverse and see if you can feel the difference.
Practice Makes Perfect at The Snow Centre
As with all good things, practice makes perfect. You won’t improve unless you get out onto the snow and put the time in. Lucky for you, our The Snow Centre locations are open seven days a week, meaning that you can practise every day if you so wish. The more you come, the sweeter your moves will be and the more impressed your mates will be.
Our expert instructors are well-equipped to guide your technique, perfect your body position and help you master smoother turns. Our snowboard lessons at The Snow Centre Manchester and Hemel Hempstead will help boost your carving and freestyle development by taking you step by step through each move. The best snowboarding skills are based on a solid foundation of knowledge and skill – and our expert team can help get you there.
If you have any questions about booking a snowboard lesson on our slopes or any of the lessons on offer, be sure to contact us, and a member of our team will be happy to help.
