Snowboarding Lessons

[shakalaka]

Just wondering if anyone here teaches or can teach me how to snowboard. As far as experience is concerned, I've tried it a few times (around 3-4) in the past couple of seasons. My very first time I took one of those very basic lessons at the COP that well basically doesn't teach you shit. I really enjoyed and would love to get good at it. I don't want to be a pro or anything but being able control myself and not fall constantly would be awesome.

I am looking for someone who can possibly give me a one on one (unless my bro/cousin would like to learn as well, undecided at the moment). I am not after a certified trainer or anything like that, so if you're just good at it and think can teach, I would definitely give it a shot.

I live very close to COP so that's where I'd prefer to go and I am guessing it would be easy to learn there as well as they have smaller hills. If anyone is interested in giving this a shot or in general want to roll together and give me pointers or whatever, I would really appreciate it.

Any recommendations for a professional teacher or something like that is also more than welcome.

Thanks guys.

[max_boost]

Hey Shak,

Here are my experiences. I just started last month and have been out 10X already and I'm just starting to get the hang of it.

I've been to COP 2X, Nakiska 4X, Louise 2X, Sunshine 2X.

www.snowprofessor.com Watch all the beginner videos, it'll help.

- Gear: impact shorts, wrist guards, knee pads
- Fresh snow is your best friend. Packed snow, not so much.
- Focus on technique.
- Get a nice board and get comfortable with it. Don't rent.
- You are a lawyer right? So baller. Hire a pro for some one on one sessions.
- Put in the time, do the right tech and you'll get the results. Don't be discouraged.
- Forget COP. Go to Nakiska if they get snow. Otherwise Sunshine and Louise is your best bet.

[Affinityion]

Not sure what you meant by the basic lessons at COP being "shit" its where I started out...Although it does depend on the instructor and whether or not it was in a one-on-one situation or a "class". If it's just you (or possibly a few others) the private lessons aren't bad, just ask for at least a level 2 certified instructor. After that it's basically all down to practice, the falling is part of the experience haha, only thing you can do is just get back up and get at it again. Good luck

Edit: max beat me to this post

He's got good points, especially with ice. Way better to learn on fresh snow then ice, hurts less haha

[max_boost]

I mean the beginner lessons are exactly that, beginner.

- Teach you how to walk with your board with one foot strapped in (skating and stepping).
- One foot strapped in and flat board down a very small hill and learn to do a J turn.
- Practice side slipping on your heels and toes down the hill

That's it.

Afterwards learn garlands, C turns, link your turns and make them into a big S.

Again this is all in the www.snowprofessor.com videos

I know, I was there, thinking I can just jump on to a board and off you go snowboarding, yeah right. I wish! One step at a time. It's not a cheap sport, I invested $2K for to buy all my gear and basically each time you go out you are looking to spend around $100, gas, lift ticket and food but holy fuck is it addicting.

:D

[-relk-]

I can't offer my advice on hill, as I won't be in Calgary after christmas, but I can offer some advice here.

What Max_Boost has posted above is all really good info. I was in your exact position a year ago, I had been out ~4 times in the past 3 or 4 years, and had just got a snowboard for christmas. I had taken a class the first time I went (years ago), but nothing after that.

I found the best way I learned was to just practice, practice, practice. I have not looked at the videos Max_Boost posted, but I am sure they will give you some tips. Ultimately, the best way to get it down is just go out and fall on your ass a bunch. You will soon learn how to shift your way so you don't catch your edge, and how to stay on the correct edge at all times.

With that said, I am sure having someone helping you along on hill would really help, so good luck in finding someone!

For reference, a year later I now can charge down anything on the hill, drop small features (~15 ft) and am starting to teach myself spins. Its a good feeling going down your first "double black"!

[ercchry]

i have been snowboarding all my life... the only advise i have is get a proper instructor. not everyone that can "do" can teach... i have tried many times to teach. but it just doesnt work :rofl:

[max_boost]

HAHA for sure.

There's a skill to teaching, patience, and explaining things the right way, taking a newbie down certain runs to reinforce certain focus points, put them in a position to taste some success.

Everyone learns differently. I was talking to some other buddies who can run blacks/double blacks and they don't have a clue what I'm talking about, toe and heel pressure etc. I ask them how to transition and they can't explain it. To them it's so natural they just do it. They were the ones who just got on a snowboard, did it over and over and just figured it out. :nut:

[dandia89]

Originally posted by max_boost
HAHA for sure.

There's a skill to teaching, patience, and explaining things the right way, taking a newbie down certain runs to reinforce certain focus points, put them in a position to taste some success.

Everyone learns differently. I was talking to some other buddies who can run blacks/double blacks and they don't have a clue what I'm talking about, toe and heel pressure etc. I ask them how to transition and they can't explain it. To them it's so natural they just do it. They were the ones who just got on a snowboard, did it over and over and just figured it out. :nut:

most of my friends started when they were in their early teens, and they are the exact same. those assholes think it's so easy!

[lint]

Here's a dose of reality: Stop looking for an excuse why you can't board, you suck because you've only gone 3-4 times in your entire life! and that's spread over a couple of seasons! Get off your ass and go do it, instead of blaming your suck on bad instructors.

[arian_ma]

Lesson number 1: Put most of your weight on your front foot.
Lesson number 2: If you fall, refer to Lesson number 1.

The only reason I ever fell was because I leaned back on a groom (due to fear). Seriously....I started last year as well and linked my carves after the first day by following the above.

Think about your rear foot as your steering foot. It needs to be free and easy to move so you can steer quickly. If you have your weight on that foot, you can't move it, and consequently the front of your board has no weight on it and is moving freely, which is the exact opposite of what you want.

[almerick]

Don't be afraid of falling, don't be afraid of looking silly in front of your peers, keep an open mind. Just go out and do it! But otherwise hopefully you can find someone on beyond who can teach you. Personally I can't teach anyone since I don't have the patience.

Saw a sign at Louise yesterday which said

"If you're not falling, you're not trying hard enough"

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by arian_ma
Think about your rear foot as your steering foot. It needs to be free and easy to move so you can steer quickly. If you have your weight on that foot, you can't move it, and consequently the front of your board has no weight on it and is moving freely, which is the exact opposite of what you want.

Worst advice ever... This is exactly the wrong way to carve. If your turn initiation is coming from your back foot you are NOT carving. Then again I see piles of noobs who think they are carving stuck in the back foot snow surfing mode.

[anarchy]

First time I went boarding was maybe 6, 7 years ago, was thrown on the mountain on Louise and basically rolled my way down the hill and hated it. Quit, came back couple years later, tried it again, hated it and quit.


Finally about 3 years ago, I took lessons at COP and it helped me tremendously. I disagree with your experience and Max, they taught me a lot more than just how to strap on and scoot around. I learned the basic concepts of how carving works. Granted, the instructor makes all the difference so I may have lucked out, but like everyone else said, it comes down to putting all of that into practice.

So much of learning is confidence, you bail more often then you should because you get scared and lean over to brace yourself when you could easily recover. Took me a long time to get that. And the slower you go, the easier it is for you to catch an edge vs going faster and having more momentum.

I've been going out 5-7 times a year the last three seasons and am pretty decent now. Just gotta keep working at it. You're not going to be Shaun White after 3-4 times.

[SOAB]

Originally posted by arian_ma
Lesson number 1: Put most of your weight on your front foot.
Lesson number 2: If you fall, refer to Lesson number 1.

The only reason I ever fell was because I leaned back on a groom (due to fear). Seriously....I started last year as well and linked my carves after the first day by following the above.

Think about your rear foot as your steering foot. It needs to be free and easy to move so you can steer quickly. If you have your weight on that foot, you can't move it, and consequently the front of your board has no weight on it and is moving freely, which is the exact opposite of what you want.

this is wrong.

you want your weight balanced on both feet.

most noobs make this mistake. they try to do all the hard work by forcing the board where it doesn't want to go. you need to let the board do the turning, and not your legs.

FWIW, i've been snowboard for over a dozen years now. learned by myself, no lessons. my first day was probably the most painful day of my life because i was fucken determined to learn. my second morning, i was doing big esses and the third day, i learned how to go straight. the rest is history.

[in*10*se]

half day at COP w/ a buddy. i was carving by end of day.
suck on it SOAB. my advice: don't suck.

[SOAB]

like i said above. noobs doin it wrong thinking that they are carving. :rofl:

[mr2mike]

My 2cent advice, stretch before you hit the chairlift. It will help prevent some injuries (glutes, hamstrings, lower back).

Hard part is facing your board straight down the hill at the point right before you shift your weight to either edge. Have confidence, get a little speed up before you shift over. Enough speed that you're comfortable with.

Think of it this way, think of riding a bike. Is it harder to balance on the bike when you're going 0.2km/h or 10km/h? When you're going super slow, it's easy to fall over. A little speed will help you maintain balance when you go into your turn.

I haven't seen you board but, if you've gone 3-4 times, you've got the idea of turning and weight shifting or know the theories. But the hold back is the lack of speed. I'm not talking point board down hill, count to 20 and then try to turn. Go to COP, watch the newbies. They are all going very slow. The ones that will fall, have no speed up when they go to turn or after they turn, they've successfully slowed themselves down so much that they have no momentum to go into the next turn.

[arian_ma]

Originally posted by SOAB


this is wrong.

you want your weight balanced on both feet.

most noobs make this mistake. they try to do all the hard work by forcing the board where it doesn't want to go. you need to let the board do the turning, and not your legs.

FWIW, i've been snowboard for over a dozen years now. learned by myself, no lessons. my first day was probably the most painful day of my life because i was fucken determined to learn. my second morning, i was doing big esses and the third day, i learned how to go straight. the rest is history.
Interesting, I didn't know this "snow-surfing" phenomenon was different than carving. I know you initiate your turn with the shoulders, but in my head, "carving" does nothing to control your speed. Is this true or does the quick change in direction automatically take care of that?

As someone else said in the skiing thread, I think I've hit the point where my fear of speed is too big.

[SOAB]

carving basically controls your direction and speed. its all in the amount of edge you dig into the snow.

really, all you should be doing is looking where you want to go, initializing the turn by lifting onto your heels or toes, and letting the board do the work. of course, you would need to have some speed to do it this way. slower is not better.

[arian_ma]

:thumbsup: thanks, I always go into the "slide" when I am going too fast.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by arian_ma
:thumbsup: thanks, I always go into the "slide" when I am going too fast.

that sounds like you ride on your base and not your edges, you should never be "flat", thats how you catch edges and die...

always be on edge with even weight on both feet

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by arian_ma
I know you initiate your turn with the shoulders, but in my head, "carving" does nothing to control your speed. Is this true or does the quick change in direction automatically take care of that?

Again if you need to use your shoulders to turn you are NOT carving. Turns are initiated by edge pressure and flexing the board. Your upper body and arms should not move while carving. The only thing that should be moving is your center of gravity. You lean forward and stand on your toes or your lean backwards like you are trying to sit down. Both legs move at the same time together and apply equal pressure to the edges. It should feel like you fall between the edges when you transition if you are going fast enough. Look up videos of slalom snowboarders if you want to see the technique exaggerated.

[arian_ma]

:hijack: sorry Shak
Ok ok so all I'm doing is leaning forward and backward pretty much and the board is taking care of the turning is what you're saying. I'm gonna have to try it out on the hill to fully understand. Does it help to keep the center of gravity super low or stay pretty close to where it normally would be if I was say standing up?

[lilmira]

You didn't have it all wrong. The fear of gaining speed comes from not being about to stop. You can't stop if you have your board pointing down the slope. You need to turn your board sideways into a skid, that's obvious. To do it quick, you definitely don't want to have much weight on the backseat. It's crucial even for speed checking. Try going down mogul on your backseat, you can say goodbye to your butt. I love doing mogul from time to time since it makes me focus and I really have to commit to the turns otherwise, kaboom.

Now carving is entirely different. You want smooth transition and consistent pressure on your edge, you don't want any skidding. It's kinda like the difference between smooth driving and drifting. You need legs flexible enough to absorb the bumps but also firm enough to apply consistent pressure, just like a good set of suspensions. A thin pencil line behind you is what you are looking for rather than a big fat line. When you lean so much that you start hugging the surface of the slope, you know you are doing it right. Another advice, keep your edges sharp if you want good carving.

[Sasuke_Kensai]

I generally do the noob turn (not sure if I can carve), but I generally feel OK doing it and can usually get down the hill fine. What is the advantage/purpose of carving? Bragging rights? Consume less energy? More stability, control? Skiiers won't winge because you're not scraping snow off the mountain? Is it a high speed technique for when you're confident enough?

[lilmira]

Speed, you won't be going too fast when you are skidding left and right. Skidding down the slope does burn your legs faster too because you are fighting gravity all the time.

[Perceptionist]

Originally posted by lint
Here's a dose of reality: Stop looking for an excuse why you can't board, you suck because you've only gone 3-4 times in your entire life! and that's spread over a couple of seasons! Get off your ass and go do it, instead of blaming your suck on bad instructors.

Harsh, but true. I don't think it's lessons that you need, just practice and the willingness to take a few falls. Trust your edges, get some speed, and practice turning on your toe and heel edge until you can do both with confidence. Once you can confidently carve down the hill on both edges, it gets way easier and much more fun.

[Kobe]

If you plan on riding the park as well later on, a word of advice, learn to ride switch ASAP!

When you are super comfortable with riding Reg/Goofy, it is pretty tough to transfer over to Switch.


"Fear is the enemy of progression" This is pretty much what I lived after Snowboarding.


When you fall on your ass, get up and try again. Don't ride "Flat" and stated above, but also on your edges.. I know it hurts your legs afterwards, but it's a great workout!

[SOAB]

i don't get why you guys are saying to not ride "flat". i'm assuming that means to not have an edge down.

i find i can get more speed and glide through flat spots easier by not edging all the time.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by SOAB
i don't get why you guys are saying to not ride "flat". i'm assuming that means to not have an edge down.

i find i can get more speed and glide through flat spots easier by not edging all the time.

it means pick an edge, and stay on it. you should always be turning, no matter how slight. ride you heel edge, switch to toe. repeat. dont ride "flat" with both edges down, you control speed by the amount you turn, tighter radius, slower you go. but always on edge

[Kobe]

Originally posted by SOAB
i don't get why you guys are saying to not ride "flat". i'm assuming that means to not have an edge down.

i find i can get more speed and glide through flat spots easier by not edging all the time.

If you are going down the hill and just going flat (Not turning) it is obviously possible to do, however wait until you catch an edge, it fucken hurts!
Especially when you are learning to ride, you don't want your board flat.

[lilmira]

Your board can become unstable when riding flat. It'll twitch from side to side then all the sudden your edge gets caught, ka boom.

[max_boost]

So what's the key to get through a flat spot?

Pick an edge and stay on it. Keep the body low? Develop some speed from the top, have at it and don't freak out? Cause you will slow down right, not like you can blast through a flat spot haha :dunno:

[ercchry]

Originally posted by max_boost
So what's the key to get through a flat spot?

Pick an edge and stay on it. Keep the body low? Develop some speed from the top, have at it and don't freak out? Cause you will slow down right, not like you can blast through a flat spot haha :dunno:

most flat spots have a natural curve still which you will want to counter on edge. the trick is to realize that speed is easy to control and when you are maintaining a high speed down a groomer the flats will not really bother you and you can to a big sweeping turn right through them.

[shakalaka]

Thank you all for your input, tips, tricks and recommendations. This thread deff contains certain tips and tricks that could help out on the slope, even though lots of things don't make much sense to me right now. I am guessing once I get more familiar with the sport, it will all come to me.

I am planning on finding out some instructors that are at COP cause I suppose that would be the easiest. And for people saying that I am just blaming the class that I took couple of years ago. Imagine having one guy teach 10 people at the same time. And by teaching I mean, how to strap the bloody board and how to walk with one foot strapped.

Anyway, since I don't really have anyone to go with, who could even give me pointers or tell me how to do certain things, I am guessing getting a professional is the only way out. I have some friends that are decent at it but they are apparently too cool to go to COP with me. So either I just go by myself and try to do what I can or get an instructor.

I am not afraid of falling, in fact, I must have fallen a 100 times already in the times I've went. Second time ever, I went all the way to the top of COP using the chair lift (another thing I thought was hard lol) and came down...I must have fallen at least 15 times and one of those were like 4-5 flips. Didn't mind it and kept going.

I find it hard to do that sideways to sideways thing, as in I have no idea how to do it. Also find it hard to come down with me facing downhill cause I can never control the board to stay in that horizontal position, so it ends up becoming straight and shooting all the way down which ends up in me falling. lol But sliding down backwards I seem to be able to control it a little better and manage the horizontal position for longer.

Anyway, I'll check out those vids, thanks Max for posting that website as it seems like it could become handy. And also feel free to discuss whatever you guys need to in relation to the sport because I am hoping it will all make sense to me some day. lol

[gqboy322]

Originally posted by max_boost
So what's the key to get through a flat spot?

Pick an edge and stay on it. Keep the body low? Develop some speed from the top, have at it and don't freak out? Cause you will slow down right, not like you can blast through a flat spot haha :dunno:

keep your body low will do it and a good board wont catch edges that easy too. sunshine got alot of flat.

Max_boost which board and bindings did you get??

[mazdavirgin]

Originally posted by gqboy322


keep your body low will do it and a good board wont catch edges that easy too. sunshine got alot of flat.

Max_boost which board and bindings did you get??

Gear does not matter... I could ride the shittiest COP rental board and not catch an edge. People vastly overstate the importance of their gear. You don't need to keep low either going through flat spots you just need to apply edge pressure.

[HomespunLobster]

I'd offer, but I can't afford to go to the hill. I love teaching.

But yeah, take things slow. I have techniques and watch what the people I teach do. And force them to do things that they avoid

IE Some people focus only on their heel edge. So I make them do a whole run on their toes. It strengthens the muscles and teaches you a different balance.

[lilmira]

Do whatever works for you. That's how snowboarding started. You can listen to other people's advice, if it doesn't work for you, do your own thing. It's all about having fun.

[Chester]

Originally posted by lilmira
Your board can become unstable when riding flat. It'll twitch from side to side then all the sudden your edge gets caught, ka boom.

I learned this the hard way when I was 13:rofl: Fuck, my face hurt after that.

[SOAB]

thats funny. i seem to do this on a regular basis and don't have any problems at all. :dunno:

i find i can go faster when there is no edge, definitely not as stable, but faster for sure.

[ercchry]

Originally posted by SOAB
thats funny. i seem to do this on a regular basis and don't have any problems at all. :dunno:

i find i can go faster when there is no edge, definitely not as stable, but faster for sure.

do you get passed by people on the hill? cause i dont ;)

[lilmira]

Most of the time, it's ok to stay flat but it doesn't take much to throw you into a flat spin then before you know it, goose is dead. I much rather do a black than a flat for this reason.

[SOAB]

Originally posted by ercchry


do you get passed by people on the hill? cause i dont ;)

i have to say that its pretty rare that i ever get passed unless i'm sitting down. :poosie:

[max_boost]

Originally posted by gqboy322


keep your body low will do it and a good board wont catch edges that easy too. sunshine got alot of flat.

Max_boost which board and bindings did you get?? Libtech Skate Banana and Burton Cartels. I love my board. It's so flexible and I'm starting to really get comfortable with it.

My current snowboarding goal is to get through the flats. I don't care if I'm crawling along as long as I don't have to unstrap I'll be thrilled haha

I would say I'm past the beginner stage but not intermediate yet. Going with friends is so important because I can just copy what they do.

Shakalaka, watch those videos (you probably won't) lol and yeah a lot of what everyone is saying won't make sense until you get out there and do it. Forget COP, Nakiska is only a 45min drive, go there instead and find a coach.