Assessing Your Snowboarding Needs and Abilities

Prepare to board

Snowboarding looks easy, but standing upright on a molded piece of fiberglass while surfing down a snow-covered mountain takes some skill. The first rule of snowboarding is to take a lesson. Different techniques and body positions look easy to mimic, but putting all your weight on your front foot and changing directions are difficult techniques to master without a little help. While falling down is part of the game, taking a short course will prepare you for the thrill of boarding.

Knowing how to ski is not a prerequisite for learning to snowboard. Some avid snowboarders have never skied, but if you've skateboarded, surfed or waterskied, you may have an advantage. Skiers face down the hill and find it hard to snowboard sideways, but if you understand edging, the transition from skis to boards becomes smoother.

Snowboarding Points to Ponder

• Balance - While balance and turns are important, the real drama of snowboarding is the speed. Inching down the hill will land you on your tail - everything gets easier the faster you go. Practice balance and strengthen your legs by filling a large soft drink bottle with water, sealing it and placing it under the board. Try balancing your board on the water bottle.
• Muscles - Leg exercises help snowboarders develop into better athletes. Squats build leg muscles, which become easily fatigued when powder boarding. At places such as *Whistler[Skiing and Snowboarding -Overview -Our top 10 favorite ski destinations - Whistler-Blackcomb , BC ] , thirty minute runs can burn you legs into rubber.
• Weather - Weather conditions rank high on our scale of assessment - especially if you're a novice. For the most part, snowboarding on hard frost can be painful. The more skilled you become, the more easily you'll make friends with ice. Manufacturers now make snowboards with serrated edges that carve through the ice as opposed to sliding on it.
• Kids - Kids are quick learners and the younger you start most sports, the better. However, snowboarding requires intense balance that many children find difficult. Don't frustrate your child if they just can't get it. Slap on a pair of skis and try again later, rather than leave a bad taste in their mouths. Younger learners possess less body coordination and tend to pick up snowboarding later than teens or adults.