Snowboarding Tips for Beginners

New to the snow? Making the transition from skis to snowboard? Either way, you'll need to get yourself in tune with the basics of snowboarding for beginners. Combining the cool medium of skiing with the jumps and spins of skateboarding, snowboarding will get your blood pumping and give you a rush.

What types of snowboarding can I do?

There are three types of snowboarding:

• Freeriding - like general alpine skiing, freeride boarding means getting from the top of the mountain to the bottom however you see fit: straight down at high speed, or weaving your way down the slope at a slower pace.
• Freestyling - the extreme form of snowboarding, usually done in a snowboarding half-pipe (many ski fields in New Zealand have them). You'll know it's freestyle if there are jumps, spins, grinds and other tricks.
• Freecarving - snowboarding with high speed and hardcore techniques. This style uses a freecarving or slalom board, wider in shape and with a longer tail and nose than others.

Getting into snowboarding gear

Once you've established your snowboarding style, it's time to get ready with snowboarding gear. To hire snowboard gear, you'll need to budget for $20 to $40 per day. If you're buying, you'll be investing $500 or more, although pre-owned snowboarding gear can be more affordable. You'll need:

• Snowboard - choose the right one for your style: most are designed for freeriding or freestyling, and are ideal for beginners.
• Bindings - for beginners, a basic set of snowboard bindings incorporate a base plate with ratcheting straps. They won't release when you fall, but they'll need to be disconnected when you're gliding along flat areas. Later, you may want to upgrade to advanced bindings with a set of rails rather than a base plate; these will let your boots sit more lightly on the board, for better control.
• Boots - Chunky, hardworking, and available in high or low style, snowboarding boots will be about one size bigger than your usual shoe size. Boots should be snug, but not too tight.
• Extras - You'll also need comfortable, loose waterproof pants and jacket, plus goggles or sunglasses, hat, gloves, high socks and a helmet.

Choosing a snowboard

When it comes to choosing a snowboard, the selection available and the variations between boards are often confusing for the uninitiated. To get started, read our tips on buying your first snowboard. Consider:

• Your budget - remember to be realistic about the cost involved (a decent board costs anywhere from NZ$600 to NZ$1,000), with a lot of variation in the quality of materials. Be sure to budget for extra expenses too, such as clothing and a day, weekend or season pass to a snowboarding area.
• Your snowboarding style - most boards are designed for freeride snowboarding, but bear in mind your future plans: do you want to consider a specialised board? Talk to an instore expert about the options, such as shorter freestyle boards that are more manoeuvrable and longer boards that are more suited to easy manoeuvring and snowboarding tricks.
• Your weight - This is important when choosing the length of your board. Generally, a long board will be more stable when snowboarding speedily down the slopes. Once you've figured out the style of snowboarding that appeals most, you'll need to factor in your own body mass to get the best from your board! Most boards are recommended for a certain weight range - a higher weight corresponds to a longer board:

        Board length (cm)            Weight (kg)

         147                                        35-70

        152                                         50-75

        156                                         55-80

        160                                         60-85

        164                                         70-90+

Heavier snowboarders will also need to check out the stiffness of their preferred snowboard. Remember, longer boards are designed to support heavier weights, so they're usually constructed with greater stiffness.

• Your feet - Yes, that's right, the size of your feet matters! Narrow boards (check for the ‘waist width' on the board's specifications) are easier to turn, but they also mean your feet are on more of an angle. If your feet are large, you may need a board with more width (25-27cm), but remember that these boards can be harder to control on the slopes.

Get on the snow!

Once you have the snowboarding gear, it's time to get on your board and ready yourself for the slopes:

• Choose your stance - When choosing your bindings, you'll need to determine your leading foot - this will be the foot facing downhill on your snowboard and the one you lean most on. Place your strongest foot in the front binding and fasten bindings tightly. Do the same for your back foot. Make sure you attach a lead chain around your front binding and secure it to your lead boot lace.
• Go to the top of a (small) slope - Get onto the ski lift (with your rear foot out of its binding) and go to the beginners' slope. Put your back boot into the binding and tighten it so that you can't move your foot.
• Get started - Put your left foot forward and place pressure on your lead foot, bending your knees and keeping your back straight. You should feel balanced: don't lean your body forward and try to keep your arms extended to your sides, rather than in front or behind your body. Your board will follow the movement of your body and putting pressure on the heel or toe side of your board will slow you down. While learning, you will fall a lot, but don't be put off - just remember to fall towards the mountain and avoid collisions with others on the mountain.

Looking for more information? Find snowboarding in the NZS.com directory.

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Sports images from Flickr: Snowboarding Tim, Yachts and Cricket.