Wintersports
Snowboarding
Top 8 beginner tips for snowboarding
Beginner snowboarders should take precautions and master the basics before they start attempting tricks.
“From my first time strapping into a snowboard, it brought me the ultimate joy,” snowboarder Mark McMorris said. “But it wasn’t until I was seven, when I started spending more and more time hitting boxes and jumps at Mission Ridge that I felt the presence of the snowboard community.”
Mark McMorris at the Red Bull Performance camp in Saas Fee, Switzerland
© Dom Daher / Red Bull Content Pool
You might think that if McMorris was hitting boxes by age seven, then snowboarding must be an easy sport to learn. But this phenom is no average snowboarder, and most newbies need time to develop that skill. As far as sports go, snowboarding has one of the steeper learning curves, so beginners should take precautions and master the basics before they start attempting tricks.
Top 8 Beginner Tips
Snowboarding is also a sport where beginners who try to do too much too soon put themselves at risk of injury. Here are eight beginner tips for snowboarding to ensure you stay safe and enjoy yourself during your initial snowboarding training.
01
Don’t Attempt Tricks on Day One
If you’ve seen an elite athlete like Ben Ferguson chase snowstorms and adventure on the slopes in his film "Fleeting Time," it’s no wonder you’re inspired to get out there and ride. But take it easy - don’t hit jumps or rails or attempt snowboard tricks on your first day! Snowboarding, like most sports, can’t be mastered in a day—or for many, even in one season. So do your best to pick up the basics and save your body for another day in the future when your skill level improves. Instructors say the average amount of time to master just the basics is two to three days.
42 min
Fleeting Time
Ben Ferguson and a crew of professional snowboarders document two winters of chasing storms.
02
Bend Your Knees
Remember when one of your youth sports coaches taught you to bend your knees and maintain an “athletic position”? You’ll need that same sort of stance on a snowboard (although you’ll be standing sideways). Bending your knees allows you to control the board as you learn the toe and heel sides.
- To practice toe side: Stand tall with your back straight; press your knees forward while maintaining a flat back. Your heels should come off the floor.
- To practice heel side: Mimic sitting in a chair; With a flat back, mimic heel side lean by squatting down with your weight in your heels (toes off the ground) to practice your balance.
Standing straight up with locked knees is a recipe for disaster. With locked knees, your center of gravity is high, so you’ll likely topple forward if you hit a bump.
03
Ride Across Slope, Not Downhill
It might seem counterintuitive when you’re new, but you don’t ride downhill on a snowboard so much as you “leaf” your way back and forth, which makes for a much smoother and controllable descent.
Mark McMorris at Red Bull Natural Selection Tour 2021 at Tordrillo Mountain
© Dean Blotto Gray / Natural Selection Tour / Red Bull Content Pool
Making tight turns is usually too much for most beginners. Your board will pick up speed quickly, and you could get hurt if you aren’t skilled enough to slow down.
Instead, practice taking wide turns so you draw an ‘S’ in the snow as you descend the mountain. Aim to ride from one side boundary to the other or from one wooded section to the next diagonally instead of going straight down the hill. Practicing wide turns is also a good way to work on your heel/toe turns and to focus on keeping your knees bent.
04
Always Watch Out for Other People
Even if you take all the precautionary steps, you’re going to fall on your butt—and hands, and sides, and knees—several times during your first couple of days on the mountain. It’s part of learning the sport. Remember, whenever you fall, you become a hazard other snowboarders and skiers must work around. Half of the snowboarding is remaining alert to your surroundings. Keep an eye on who’s nearby and avoid trouble situations (i.e. getting too close to other riders) as you go downhill in the early days.
05
Start Small
A “green” slope is typically considered a good beginner run if you’re going all the way to the top. You’ll want to stick to these and “blues” when you start. Higher-rated runs like black diamonds may contain steep hills, ungroomed sections, trees, and other obstacles meant only for advanced snowboarders and skiers. The novice section (often called the “bunny hill”) is a smaller hill set off the side. It’s a couple of hundred feet long, so you can practice smaller runs before taking the lift to the top of the mountain. You’ll see plenty of kids there!
06
Wear Warm Snow-Approved Clothing
Adequate clothing is important for any snowboarder, but beginners especially benefit from having the right outer and under layers. Remember, you’re going to fall, probably a lot. You want stuff that’s going to keep you dry and warm while you figure things out.
Ben Ferguson, Mikkel Bang, Hana Beaman, Robin Van Gyn & Zoi Sydowski-Synott
© Tom Monterosso / Natural Selection Tour / Red Bull Content Pool
Here’s some equipment you should have as a beginner snowboarder:
- Snow pants
- Snow jacket
- Heavy duty snowboard gloves
- Boots (make sure they fit your bindings)
- Thick socks
- Goggles
Layers underneath are recommended depending on how cold it is. Thermal layers for your legs or a neck/face protector on extremely cold days is also recommended. Anything that absorbs moisture (i.e. cotton) is a bad idea. You’ll wind up soaked, cold, and miserable.
07
Make Sure You Have a Good Board
You certainly don’t need to go drop $500 on a new board, especially if this is your first time. But you do need something that’s safe to ride on. Older snowboards that haven’t been maintained may have rust or corrosion on the bottom or sides, making it difficult or unsafe to use the equipment. A borrowed board might also not be properly sized, which will make it much harder to learn the basics. Look into rentals from the mountain, who will provide you with a suitable piece of equipment in proportion to your height and weight for the day or weekend.
08
Make Sure Your Gear Fits
Along with a properly fitted helmet, your snowboard and bindings need to fit your body’s size and weight. They also need to be matched to each other. Good bindings make controlling the board easier as they will not only add comfort for your feet, they will absorb vibrations.
Mark McMorris at the US Open of Snowboarding in Vail Colorado
© Aaron Blatt / Red Bull Content Pool
Check your bindings:
- All four screws on each binding must be securely mounted to the board and shouldn’t move if you gently tug on them.
- Have someone at the ski resort shop double-check your work if you aren’t sure. Or just rent your gear from the shop and they will size and fit it properly for you.
Conclusion
Following these beginner snowboarding tips, like signing up for a lesson and not biting off more than you can chew—plus avoiding common beginner snowboarding mistakes—will help you have a great first day on the mountain.
Once you’re ready, you can consider more advanced tips for intermediate snowboarders, like learning how to control your speed when you turn. And while you’re developing your skills, come out to watch some of the most progressive rail riding in the world. Check out Red Bull Heavy Metal, where 40 of the world’s best competed in a snowboarding contest in Detroit.
