Snowboarding is one of those winter sports that requires practice, but once you've mastered it, you'll gain a high level of autonomy to freely enjoy ski resorts. It's a snow sport that lets you glide across the snow performing different manoeuvres. There's no single mandatory technique to follow... When practising snowboarding, you'll feel completely free!
Snowboarding Disciplines
You'll find many manuals or websites discussing the different disciplines, but the most important types of snowboarding are:
- Freestyle: perform as many tricks as you like - from jumps to backflips, full rotations while grabbing your board (360 backside indy), or spraying massive snow in the most spectacular turns possible (lay back turn).
- Freeride: best practised off-piste, carving through mountain terrain between steep slopes, trees and natural jumps, where powder snow takes centre stage.
- Freecarve: performed at medium-high speeds on alpine terrain with constant directional changes.
- Racing: the key is to ride extreme routes at maximum speed, as the essence of this discipline is going as fast as possible.
- Extreme snowboarding: the most challenging discipline, only for professionals. You'll need complete knowledge of the terrain, snow conditions, weather forecasts... The slightest mistake could have serious consequences.
I've never tried snowboarding before...
Consider these tips before developing your skills and attempting any of these techniques:
- Start with small jumps and turns on flat ground to get comfortable with your board.
- As you gain confidence, try riding down a gentle slope and attempt jumps while moving, bending your knees first to generate momentum.
- Land on terrain with similar incline to your take-off point - landing on flat ground could cause ligament injuries.
- Never jump with straight legs: always bend your knees to avoid injuries.
Gradually you'll develop enough skill for aerial spins, grabs (holding your board mid-air), ollies (popping the board's nose before jumping), etc. With dedicated practice, learning becomes easy, and you'll transform this hobby into genuine expertise.
