The Appeal of Freestyle Snowboarding

The appeal of freestyle snowboarding has grown over several decades. The ones who enjoy the sport do not simply enjoy winter sports, but many others as well. The draw for freestyle may come because the sport incorporates skateboarding, surfing, and windsurfing. Therefore, the athletes that enjoy freestyle are the same ones who enjoy sailing through the air on any type of board or equipment that they can get their hands on. The thrill of defying gravity and sailing at top speeds make this sport a huge success.

The term freestyle explains many of the reasons this sport has become so popular and there are different freestyle categories.

Halfpipe: The snowboard-halfpipe is longer than the skateboarding halfpipe and needs to be built upon a hill that you can sail down through. You often see competitions on television with the athletes running down the half-pipe trying to make the biggest jumps, turn, and difficult rotations possible.

Jump Contest: The goal of the athlete is to take off the jump and create the most difficult awesome combinations in the air before landing.

Power Snow-Driving: the absolute joy of snowboarders who enjoy freestyle. You simply find a steep hill that is covered in powdered snow and begin craving your way down the hill. This may be the most beautiful part of freestyle snowboarding because as you are sailing over this snow you feel as though you are flying.

Boarder Cross: This type of course is taken from the motor cross scene with a course complete with ramps, jumps, obstacles, and tight turns. This starts like a race with four to five boarders at the starting line with only one taking home the prize.

France is a big draw to snowboarders who love the vertical drops and trails, some of them being on a glacier. The trails extend over three slopes, the longest being 3,233m and vertical drops that are up to 3,300m altitude make this a place that thrill the snowboarders who can perform their freestyle techniques from sunrise till sunset.

Have you ever enjoyed watching the freestyle professionals perform their maneuvers on television and then turned the volume down because you did not have a clue what the announcers were saying? Here is a list of terms you can listen for the next time you want to enjoy watching your favorite professional perform their jumps, turns, and tricks.

Air – when the snowboarder leaves the ground this can be combined with a trick or two as well.

Bonk – is when the snowboarder rides over an object and then will slap the object they just rode over with their snowboard.

Carve – this is when they use the edge of their snowboard to make a turn.

Duck Stance – this is the position the snowboarders feet are in on the board.

Edges – these are the metal strips that are on the sides of the snowboard. They use this to cut into the snow and to control their board to do a turn, carve, or come to a stop.

Fakie – you have heard of someone who can bat both with their left and right hands, the same holds true in the sport of snowboarding. There are some who can lead with their right foot or their left.

Fall Line – is in reference to a direct route down the mountain you may hear this when they point their board straight down the hill at this point they are generating the most speed.

Garland – this is known as the snowboarder going across the slope. They do this by pointing their board straight down the slope and then turning it back across the slope without going back in the other direction.

Halfpipe – this is the manmade trench in the snow that the snowboarder uses to drive down and perform tricks. You will also see them get a lot of air between them and the sides of the halfpipe.

Kicker – this is a small jump that is used so that the snowboarders can get air and perform a trick.

Lip – this is where they will normally begin to perform their trick. It is at the top of the halfpipe or the end of a jump.

Moguls – are bumps that have been created in the snow by the other riders who turn.

Now when you watch the freestyle snowboarders perform their magic listen for a few of these terms and you may start to understand what they are doing just a little bit better.

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Snowboarding Basics

You have just purchased your first snowboard or it was given to you as a gift after you begged and pleaded for one. Now you want to know how to use it. This article will look at what you will need to get started in the sport, as well as some basic snowboarding techniques.

The most important thing to figure out is if the snowboard is the right size for you. If your board is too long or short, wide or narrow, this could affect the way you perform and can make your snowboarding much more difficult. Now that you have figured out that, and you have the right board, it is time to go over some fundamentals.

If you have enjoyed the sport of skiing you will find that snowboarding is quite similar regardless of what you have heard or think about that. The way you move and position your body is very similar to skiing as is the design of the board.

When you are riding your board, it is very important to stay relaxed when you tense up you increase your chance for injury.

Do not lock your knees; keep them slightly bent and relaxed. Look at your knees as if they were shock absorbers, if they are stiff going over those bumps is going to hurt, keep them bent.

Now that you are relaxed and your knees are bent, try riding your board with one foot strapped in (your front foot) and try going across the hill before you attempt going down the hill. Comfortable now it is time to strap in the other foot.

It is now time to start going down the hill and remember that you use your front foot, not your back foot, to steer. Now lift your toe up and press your heel down and move those hips backward, and you are snowboarding – congratulations. Stopping is just as simple. Simply turn yourself so that you are facing up the hill and that will slow your progress and you will stop.

When you are ready to snowboard, are you sure that you have the right board for what you want to do?

Freestyle Boards – are most popular with beginners. This style of board is comparatively short, wide, and flexible. Learning to turn with this board is relatively easy. As you advance in your techniques, you can also use this board as you learn tricks and show your skills in the snow parks. Unlike other boards, the nose and tail of this one are identical. When buying a boot for this board you want to look for one that is soft and short.

Freeride Boards – is a board that is used for a variety of terrains and snow types. With this board you can enjoy the trails or go off the trails – enjoy the snow wherever you find it. You will notice with this board that it is longer and thinner than the freestyle board a bit more rigid. This style of board also has two categories the freeride and freecave. They vary slightly in how the perform. When purchasing boots for this type of board you want to look for soft and tall as well as soft bindings.

Alpine or Race Boards – You will see the board primarily in competitions. The tip is less curved and the tail is almost completely flat. This allows for the greatest edge contact between the snow and the board. This board is also thinner than the other boards, which makes it more stable and this allows for reaching high velocities and quick turns. These boards perform best in packed snow, but do not discount them in the powder. This board also has two categories: giant slalom and the slalom. When purchasing a boot for consider one similar to a ski boot that will provide the maximum in support and control.

Boots are usually bulky and come in either high or low styles depending on what you prefer and remember when you purchase boots for the snowboard they usually run a size bigger than you would normally wear. If you are not sure that you are ready to invest in the gear necessary for the sport of snowboarding, you may want to consider going to the slopes and renting what you will need the first couple of times. This will help you make certain you are ready to make an investment in the sport of snowboarding. There are the very basic steps to get you out on the snow and as you become more confident, consider taking a lesson or two you will learn the sport of snowboarding much faster that way.

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