Field Guide: Snowboarding

FIELD GUIDE

snowboarding A History and How-To

Kurtis A. Schwoerer George Mason University

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FIELD GUIDE

snowboarding A History and How-To Kurtis A. Schwoerer

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Copyright © 2021 Kurtis Schwoerer All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any matter whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Written, Designed, and Illustrated by Kurtis Schwoerer.

Edited by Ashton Martinez.

Printed by BookBaby, in the United States of America.

BookBaby Address St City, State, Zip www.thirdkustoms.com

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1 - A Small History

Page 5

Chapter 2 - Picking Your Gear

Page 16

Chapter 3 - Picking A Board

Page 29

Chapter 4 - Before The Slope

Page 43

Chapter 5 - Lets Start Snowboarding

Page 50

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Dedicated to my Sister and Mother for supporting me through my years of snowboarding and skiing experience.

My Father, Family and all of my friends for the support with editing and helping me fine tune my work.

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Chpt. 1 - A Small History

A SMALL HISTORY

Learning how to snowboard is becoming more and

more popular in recent years. More people all around the world are finding a passion within the multitude of winter sports including Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowshoeing and more. While learning how to snowboard is a long process, the best place to start is where snowboarding came from.

The history of snowboarding is commonly believed

to have originated in the United States of America. The origins can be sketchy as many people have experimented throughout years with attempting to stand on flat surfaces and slide down their local sled hill. There are several names, dates, and inventions that are now agreed to be highlights of the history of the creation of the snowboard.

The precursor of the modern snowboard was

created in 1965 by an engineer named Sherman Poppen in Muskegon, Michigan. Sherman is known as the ‘father of the snowboard’ as he invented the first officially known prototype which helped pave the direction for the modern snowboard. The “Snurfer” was an original snappy name thought of from Poppen’s wife, who combined the two words 6

Field Guide | Snowboarding

that describe the function of the device: Surfing on the Snow.

Originally the design that Poppen put together was just two snow skis bolted together, later having a rope attached to the front for assistance in steering, with no specialized boots or bindings.

Figure 1. Snurfer Board

Poppen built the prototype for his two daughters to

play with, but the Snurfer’s popularity quickly spread beyond the inventor’s backyard. It attracted the attention of the Brunswick Corporation, a sports equipment manufacturer, which then licensed the Snurfer and began producing and distributing it nationwide.

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Chpt. 1 - A Small History

A local Michigan Snurfer competition was created

in the late 1960s and helped spread the competition and prototype to the national scale. The Snurfer became a huge success as it ended the 70s with over one million units sold.

This then led to the idea of sliding sideways on the snow to a whole new set of inventors and pioneers, who then took the concept and ran with it. In 1975, the next big turning point was when a surfer (not snurfer) Dimitrije Milovich made a new snowboard with the name “Winter Stick”. This attracted a lot of attention and was featured in a Newsweek Magazine.

The fanfare and excitement that came along with

these new boards spawned even more refinements and was the spark to the creation of many of the popular snowboard companies. Jake Burton founded Burton Snowboards on the east coast, Gnu Snowboards created by Mike Olson appeared in Washington, Sims Snowboards and Barfoot Snowboards both separately established in California by skateboarder Tom Sims and surfer Chuck Barfoot.

These manufacturers became the pioneers for the

first official snowboard competitions like the first National Snow Surfing Championships which was held at the historic Suicide Six Ski Resort in South Pomfret, Vermont in 1982.

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Even with the success of official competitions, there

was no noticeable fan base or mainstream participation for the sport at the time. It was all early competitors and manufacturers who just honed their skills and boards in relative isolation. Unlike Football or Baseball, which already had an established community across the United States, snowboarding was slow to make a name for itself.

Four years after the first National Snow Surfing

Championship, Sims stood in as Roger Moore’s stunt double for the snowboarding scenes in the James Bond movie ‘A View to a Kill (1986)’. This was a breakthrough moment for snowboarding and its history as it helped fuel the sport’s growing popularity with a snowboarding competitor in such a widely viewed blockbuster.Despite the film’s popularity, it was still rare to see any U.S. ski resorts allow snowboarders on their hills. France at this point widely accepted them, but the ban on snowboarding in the United States ski resorts reflected the widespread disdain that traditional skiers and country-club members had toward snowboarders. There were a few resorts that allowed snowboarding but at this time, special competency tests were required for any rider before they were allowed on the slopes with skiers.

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Chpt. 1 - A Small History

Figure 2. Tom Sims (2012)

The snowboarding culture also started to attract

a whole new world of fans from many nonconformist skateboarders. The grunge/hip-hop inspired style of clothing for typical snowboarders was not far off from what skateboarders expressed with, but was nothing like the

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

traditional ski resort attire. This started creating a large divide between skiers and the new coming snowboarders.

The first ever magazine published around snowboarding truly reflected the sport’s more nontraditional styling with its title “Absolutely Radical” being founded in 1985.

Snowboarding received a lot of backlash from the skiing community, but the sport still surged in popularity and acceptance, especially when insurance companies started to accept snowboarding coverage in ski resorts existing liability policies.

Snowboarding at this point still was fighting for

acceptance, but major mainstream brands were now investing in contest events and the skiing community gradually acknowledged snowboarding’s critical contribution to the revival of the snow resort industry.

In 1994, snowboarding was finally recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and was debuted at the Winter Games in Nagano, Japan in 1998.

The breakthrough into the Olympics was great for the

legitimacy of snowboarding but there was still a mixed bag of emotions from the snowboarding community, especially from individuals like the three-time world champion

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Chpt. 1 - A Small History

snowboarder Terje Hakonsen, who boycotted the Olympic Games due to a disagreement with the IOC. At the 1998 Olympic Games, there were four events held (two for women and two for men) with two different specialties including the giant slalom, and the halfpipe which allowed competitors to perform tricks while going from one side of a semicircular pipe to the other.

The debut though a great monument for the

snowboarding legitimacy, was extremely lackluster as the halfpipe contest was aired in the middle of the night for the United States, and the disqualification of the giant slalom winner Ross Rebagliati of Canada for the positive test of marijuana (which was later overturned) caused the hype and experience to be not as major as hoped.

The 2002 Winter Olympics was a different story

though. In Salt Lake City, the halfpipe event was broadcasted at prime time in the United States, and Americans dominated the winner’s podium.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Italy, the halfpipe was

again the centerpiece of the Games, along with the debut of a new event, the ‘snowboard cross’ which was originally and still is frequently called the boardercross. This even had

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competitors race against each other down a course of jumps, berms, and other obstacles.

The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Canada

had a huge growth of mainstream interest in the halfpipe, as American snowboarder superstar Shaun White absolutely captivated the crowd by landing the first ever double McTwist 1260 which involved two flips while completing three and a half twists in the broadcasted competition. While the first snowboarding companies fielded ‘teams’ of riders to compete in the early 1980s, there was little to no prize money originally. The companies themselves having little to no capital to compensate the riders.

With each new World Cup contest growing the sport

so large that an International Snowboarding Federation was able to be created by 1990. The life of a professional snowboarder was growing, each professional snowboarder was expected to ride in all major competitions, representing their sponsors’ brands through logos, stickers, and clothing.

Many snowboarders though started to explore

other avenues of professionalism. This is when the first snowboarding magazines and videos started to open which also allowed new exposure for riders and the companies that

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Chpt. 1 - A Small History

sponsor them. With the snowboarding magazine becoming more and more popular, snowboarders began scheduling photo and film shoots around their competitive schedules.

Snowboarders started to break away from the

competitive scene with the popularity of magazines and films, many riders started focusing on filming and photo work, living in ski bums for the low rent and working in the off season to support their winter adventures.

Around the 2010s, with the combination of the

spectacle of the Winter Sports fame and how more avenues of professionalism was present, snowboarding was known as a mainstream sport and is still to this day growing in popularity and in complexity within board types, features, functions, and more.

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Chpt. 2 - Picking Your Gear

Figure 3. Gear Collection

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PICKING YOUR GEAR

If you do want to learn how to snowboard, the history

is always good to know but a key part is knowing what hardware and gear you want or need to purchase. There are many different styles of gear and many different features for each type. If you are just beginning, more universal gear will be recommended but we can dive into the details before we get into how to snowboard once you’re on the slope.

When planning on getting into snowboarding, a

good way to start is checking with your local resort on if they provide rentals, as well as potential lessons on the slope. Being on the slope in a team/group lesson is one of the best ways to learn how to snowboard, but if you are not comfortable with that or want to attempt to teach yourself, you will want to start with gear. Every snowboard needs the basics, that includes planning on purchasing snow pants, a snow jacket, underlining gear, thermal underclothes, gloves, boots, a helmet, goggles, a neck gaiter, bindings and of course, a snowboard.

The first item you should look into is what kind of

jacket you want. The jacket for many snowboarders is their 17

Chpt. 2 - Picking Your Gear

identifier. It helps express who they are in colors, styling, and features. There are many different types of jackets but the main ones to consider are as followed.

Figure 4. Shell Jackets

SHELLS

Uninsulated shell jackets are quite common

especially for more local warmer ski resorts where insulation is not as key. What is good about the shell jackets is they often are not as expensive as other jackets as they are focused on just giving you waterproof protection, protecting against wind chill, while still providing some good ventilation features.

If you want to start off small, getting a shell jacket is a

good choice as you can normally oversize the jacket so it is still comfortable but then you can add in layers underneath the jacket shell to provide proper warmth in more extreme temperatures and environments.

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

INSULATED JACKETS

If you do plan on skiing or snowboarding in really

cold conditions most of the time, you should consider going straight for the more popular insulated jacket.

There are many different styles for insulated

jackets but allows extreme warmth for much more colder temperatures to prevent you from getting too cold. It’s a great option but can be restrictive if you get to warm you don’t have many options to prevent the insulation.

Figure 5. Insulated Jacket

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Chpt. 2 - Picking Your Gear

TECHNICAL SHELLS

This type of jacket is designed for people who spend

more time boot packing or skinning in peaks in search of lines to ride. They are lightweight and highly breathable to keep you comfortable while ski touring and in changing conditions, while being extremely waterproof.

They are more expensive than other jackets but are

dedicated for backcountry skiers and boarders. These are great for once you get into a more advanced experience where you are not just riding resort slopes but finding new slopes or lines, but unnecessary for resort boarders or new learning.

Figure 6. Technical Shell

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

SOFT SHELLS

These are similar to shell jackets but are made

with much more stretchy fabrics, that still have waterproof properties but are generally less wind and water resistant than hard-shell jackets. They normally have less features and can feel much more like hoodies or normal jackets without getting soaked when touching snow.

The main bonus or benefit with these, are their

extreme breathability and stretchiness. Air moves more freely through it which means body heat and sweat created during activities is lessened. They are relatively inexpensive and a good choice for small and warm resorts and beginners who don’t want to feel restricted by their gear.

Figure 7. Soft Shell

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Chpt. 2 - Picking Your Gear

3-IN-1 JACKETS

These are absolutely the most versatile jacket. The

3-in-1 style features an outer shell jacket, a technical fleece or inner insulated jacket, that also zips into the shell. This gives you a much more versatile choice when going onto the slope. The best feature of the 3 in 1s are the removable insulation layers as you can zip together the outer shell and inner insulation layer for proper warmth or remove it for a warmer day to prevent you from overheating.

This is the best option if you don’t want to have to

purchase multiple jackets in the future as finding one good style will last you for any condition.

Figure 8. 3-in-1 Jacket

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When you are shopping for a jacket, knowing what

type of jacket you want is important, but it is just as important to know about common features and what you should look for in your purchase. Do make sure to take a look at ventilation on your jacket to help with preventing sweating or overheating in important areas like chest or underarms.

Having waterproof zippers is common but is

something you don’t want to miss out on as keeping your personal belongings protected from the elements is just as important as keeping your own body protected. It is also important to keep track of snow jacket hoods as they sometimes are helmet compatible, and sometimes are not. Knowing if you want a hood, need one, or if it will be compatible with your other clothing articles is useful. As well as making sure the jacket has the proper amount of size pockets for what you feel you would be bringing on your snowboard trip.

If you find you need more pockets later on, you can

always purchase a backpack but having more pockets in useful locations is important for first learners as you want to make sure you have safety measures in place when trying to learn a new skill like snowboarding.

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Chpt. 2 - Picking Your Gear

Other more common features that are often

overlooked are powder skirts, jacket-to-pant interface, or cuff designs.These help protect you from getting snow inside of the holes and openings every jacket has to allow you to get into your jacket. Powder skirts and jacket to pant interfaces help seal up that area for when you either fall, crash, or are blazing through powder with it flying upwards and potentially into your jacket, bypassing all the protection you have. These are all things to consider when getting a jacket, but also important to consider when choosing the right type of pants.

Pants don’t have as many different options as jackets

do, but the main premise still plays into what you should choose. Some features like the jacket to pant interface requires a specific pair of pants. Pants do come in mainly two types, the softshell or insulated pants with the same type of functionality as the jackets. When picking pants, you want to focus on sizing and making sure you plan for the temperatures you are going to be in just like with your jacket.

After you found your Jacket and Pants, the next step

is to find your underlayers. These are typically built to help wick away moisture from your skin, keep you dry and warm

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

and usually has extra insulation. When you’re snowboarding or skiing, you will normally have a minimum of three layers of clothing. Your base layer which is the insulated tight under garments to help keep you warm and dry throughout the day. You will also have Mid layers which most often are only on your upper half unlike base layers which are for your legs and chest. Mid layers are more loose fitted thin layer that is similar to a loose shirt for when you are in buildings and don’t want your warm insulated snow jacket on, while also providing more insulation for when you are on the slope.

Figure 9. Mid Layers

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Chpt. 2 - Picking Your Gear

Finding the right gloves is also just as important as

your jacket. These keep your hands warm which is the first part to get cold as they are not covered by thick boots or being actively used when snowboarding. Many gloves and mittens have unique features to keep in mind of like a wiper for your goggles, or heat pack pockets. After you pick the right gloves, you then want to make sure you have proper snow socks that are thick and warm. This helps keep your feet comfortable when on them all day snowboarding as you do need to tighten your boots to an extent that if you don’t have thick socks it can get sore quickly. They also help keep your feet warm as they are going to be somewhat exposed if your boots don’t insulate your feet properly.

Now that we have your body protected from the

lements and ready for snowboarding, we also need to get your head protected and ready. A neck-gaiter is extremely important to protect your exposed skin between you jacket collar and your helmet.

This can be fully around your head or just your neck

depending on the design of your helmet as some will have built in insulation, but you will want to make sure they work together to keep your ears, neck, chin, and nose warm.

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When you are flying down the slopes the wind chill can cause extremely uncomfortable situations.

The final parts to your articles of clothing for when

you are snowboarding are going to be a proper Helmet and Goggles. Many people still may have the idea that it is ‘uncool’ to wear helmets, but the truth is the majority of people on the slopes are wearing helmets. Even if you trust your own ability, most injuries happen because of other riders.

Figure 10. Goggles

If you are planning to start learning snowboarding

and decide to test out your luck with rental equipment, this is the one component that is highly recommended to be purchased new. Helmets are mostly designed to protect against only one large impact. Once a helmet is in one

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Chpt. 2 - Picking Your Gear

impact, the trustworthiness of its protective level is extremely decreased, so getting a used helmet or a rental can sometimes be dangerous. Plus, then you avoid other people’s sweat! It is highly recommended to invest in a quality helmet and find one that is comfortable. Go into a store and try on different shapes and sizes.

Once you find a helmet that you like, now it’s time to

finalize your equipment with a pair of goggles. Snow sport goggles are built for many reasons, they help protect your eyes from windchill, snow, and even UV Rays from the snow.

They give you an extreme level of clarity and contrast when you are on the slopes with different lenses covers helping make seeing the difference in snow mounds easier.

Making out the different definitions of the snow can

be challenging with a clear pair of goggles, hence why most have different colored filters and can commonly have replaceable filters for if conditions change. You never want to wear sunglasses during winter sports as they are not designed to be shatter resistant and most often don’t protect against the snow chill of flying down the slope. Goggles are generally classed between 4 categories based on how much light they let in.

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

Category 1 lets in the lightest which can be useful

for overcast and snowy days where not much light is being reflected off the snow, while Category 4 lets in the least amount of light for those clear skied days where the sun is shining bright and reflecting directly onto the snow. To start off, if you are unsure on which ones to get, it is always useful to start off with a category 2 as it will be the best all-around goggle for beginners. Moving from the goggles will be the boots, but boots are something you would want to pick alongside picking a board and bindings.

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Chpt. 3 - Picking A Board

PICKING A BOARD

Now that you’ve picked your gear, you’re ready to

snowboard right? Well, we still need to pick a board! When shopping for a snowboard you need to keep in mind multiple aspects.

What type of terrain are you planning to snowboard

on, what feeling do you want, are you planning on riding powder or jumping and doing tricks? We will go into detail on the types of boards and their differences, but first we need to discuss and plan what type of snowboard bindings you should get and what boots. These are key as they are what keep you connected to your board.

The three main types of snowboarding bindings are

Strap, Step-On, and Rear Entry, with each binding having different focuses in sports like All-Mountain vs Freestyle focused bindings. All-Mountain snowboard bindings are the primary used binding and the recommended binding for an average and new rider. They are designed for the rider that just wants one pair of bindings and supports a variety of riding styles and terrain. Park & freestyling bindings are made with the intention the name implies. They are designed 30

Field Guide | Snowboarding

for increased mobility and range of motion. With a softer flex, they provide great maneuverability when navigating the terrain park. Each manufacture will have different styles within their bindings and some quality-of-life features, but the main differences will be the entry onto the bindings.

Figure 11-14.

Board Bindings

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Chpt. 3 - Picking A Board

The primary way for a while was using strap

bindings, where the functionality of keeping you on the board is by using straps that tighten down onto your snowboard boot. Recently there has been new bindings designed for a new style of board called a split-board so you will sometimes see these bindings. They are useful but only if you plan on learning split board versus normal snowboard.

The last two binding styles are Step-On Bindings,

which were introduced in Winter 2018, and Rear Entry bindings. These both provide quick attach and detach to your board but can come with drawbacks like less fine tuning in compared to a strapped binding, and a higher price tag or specific boot requirements.

Figure 15. Step-On Binding

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After you have figured what type of bindings

you want to go for, you can pick a pair of boots. You can sometimes pick the boots first if you keep in mind that some bindings require a type of boot such as the step on bindings.

The main categories for boots are remarkably similar

to how bindings are categorized, with beginner boots, freestyle boots, freeride boots, and all mountain boots. The beginner boots are simply labeled as what they are. They are cheap boots for a beginner who may not be ready to invest in a costly boot in case they aren’t happy with what they --choose. They can provide a softer flex, and better comfort only at the right price range. Some cheap beginner boots can sometimes be extremely uncomfortable and super soft but finding the ride pair of beginner boots will provide a great soft flex to give you ease of movement while still being comfortable.

Moving up to more advanced boots, you have the

freestyle boots. These are made with a softer flex and are made mainly to give the rider proper movement and freedom in expressive riding, tricks, and jumps.

Many freestyle boots also have great shock

absorption as well if you decide to expand into jumps and

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Chpt. 3 - Picking A Board

tricks. All mountain boots will be the middle ground boot.

They are good for backcountry riding with a medium flex, that also is not too stiff to prevent you from enjoying some simple tricks on the terrain park.

Figure 16. Snowboard Boots

When moving to the Freeride boots, these are not

for beginners. They are much more expensive and made extremely stiff which can be uncomfortable after a long ride but are extremely useful for experienced riders who are traversing the back country trails and need to feel every movement and traction.

When starting off, the beginner boots will be the

best, but then you should try and decide which path you

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would like to go down. The next step should be either freestyle boots or all mountain boots before you jump into freeride boots if you are hoping to grow and explore the backcountry. Boots also have different lacing options to keep in mind of when you are picking a boot as some have the traditional lacing system with multiple long laces going all the way up the boot requiring you to really stretch them out to tighten, or speed lacing where there will be typically a couple handles where you pull to tighten and then lock them in place.

Figure 17. BOA Tigthening Boot

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Chpt. 3 - Picking A Board

The only issue with speed lacing system is they

can sometimes be challenging to get tight if you don’t have proper grip strength and can sometimes be limited in adjustability. The last system for lacing, is the BOA system.

These systems often have inner tightening systems, and the outer tightening system is controlled by a nob that you turn that tightens a wiring lace system. The issue with these is sometimes it can cause weird pressure points that can be painful very quickly, and if they break there is no way of retightening as they are wired opposed to having normal laces.

Now that you’ve settled on your bindings, it is finally

time to figure out what type of snowboard you are wanting to go for. Do keep in mind you need to match up the binding mounting system to the type of board you have, but all ski and board shops will be able to assist you in getting the right match. When it comes to your snowboard, there are six main areas to focus on. The snowboard length, the type of snowboard, the snowboard camber and rocker, the snowboard width, the snowboard overall shape, and any other small features you would like to add.

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The length of your snowboard all depends on your

Field Guide | Snowboarding

height, weight, and what type of snowboarding you would like to do. A quick and still workable way to figure out the size of the board for you, it to have the board on one tail, and see if from ground level the length ends anywhere between your chin or nose.

This length from your feet to your chin or nose,

is typically found to be a loosely accurate sizing for snowboards, but many companies and manufacturers now are also including weight as a factor. The range is different for each manufacturer, so for your first board you can use the common sizing action, but if you plan on being a little more precise and plan to become more professional, you will want to follow whichever manufacturer’s recommended sizing chart.

Figure 18. Board Sizing

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Chpt. 3 - Picking A Board

After finding the correct size snowboard you need to

find out what type of snowboarding you plan to do and which snowboard type you want to go for. The categories follow terribly similar if not exactly the same naming scheme as bindings, boots, and more.

All-Mountain boards - the best for all types of

boarding, with no specific focus, this is the type of board a beginner would likely start on.

The Freestyle boards - more light, flexible, and

sometimes can be shorter on the rider than a normal length board. These are great for anyone who plans on pushing themselves and their boards limits in terrain parks.

Figure 19-21. Snowboard Shapes

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Freeride boards - the best for the adventurous

rider who spend more time off groomed runs. They are often directional boards which means one side of the board is always pointed down while many other boards can be ridden in ‘switch’. The flex of the board though is usually stiffer which provides more control in ungroomed terrain.

Powder Boards - as the name implies are for

advanced powder boarders who like floating on deep powder slopes. This is not a beginner board due to its incredibly unique shape that allows it to float much better on powder but can also cause more challenge on groomed slopes.

The Split board is the final category of snowboard,

but it is one of the more unique ones as it allows you to separate the board into two separate skis. This is a great option if you plan on learning skiing and snowboarding, so now you don’t have to buy both.

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Chpt. 3 - Picking A Board

When picking your board, there are considerations

you should make when including gender or age. While children do grow up fast, parents should avoid purchasing adult boards in hopes that your child will grow into it. Most often this will just slow their skill development.

There are also specific women snowboards to keep

in mind as they can sometimes have narrower waist widths, to match the frame and stance of a smaller person with smaller feet and has slightly less camber and softer flex to help with how a smaller bodied person delivers energy into the board. You don’t have to go into the women specific boards, but it is something to consider if you have a narrower frame.

Next is to understand the type of camber and rocker.

It is sometimes dependent on the type of snowboard, but you can often mix and match, and understanding what camber and rocker types there are always proves useful.

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CAMBER This delivers a lively and stable ride. Camber is what provides the pop and responsiveness on hardpack or groomed runs.

FLAT These boards are what they sound like, flat. They can help with quick turns and allow maximum feel for the terrain and can assist in floating on powder but can cause the catching feeling many boarders can experience on flats.

ROCKER This is in essence the reverse camber. Instead of the center being higher than the edges, the edges are higher than the center. This design excels in powder and jibbing or riding rails in parks. These are popular for beginners as it makes turning quite easy to initiate and even experienced riders can coax wonderful rides.

Figure 22-24. Camber & Rocker Shapes

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Chpt. 3 - Picking A Board

CAMBER / ROCKER These boards combine the two profiles to give the good edge hold of camber under foot while still providing the easy turning and floatation of rocker toward the tips and tail of the board.

FLAT / ROCKER These boards will have a flat section in the middle between your feet, while the edges rocker upwards. This is good for a decent edge hold on hard snow and the rocker tails allow easier turning even on flatter snow.

Figure 25-26. Camber & Rocker Shapes

The final feature to decide on for your snowboard,

is the width and shape. Width is decided base on shoe size, and it is always recommended to follow the manufacturers recommendation or sizing chart based on your boot size not just your normal shoe size. There are three different snowboard shapes for people to choose from.

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Directional - where the board is designed to be primarily ridden in one direction for good high-speed carving.

True Twins - symmetrical in construction and have no difference in performance in any direction, and also most recommended for beginners to allow them to properly gage if they ride normal or goofy.

Directional Twin - these are good for the people who ride all over the mountain, giving better performance when going down the correct direction for the board, but allowing you to not crash and burn if your riding switch for a short time.

Once you put together all the different ideas and

decide to pick which board you have or want, it is now time to start learning how to handle the slope. It is highly recommended to use rental gear like boots or snowboards to help let you try everything out before an official purchase, and the best way to learn is through your local ski resort.

This book will go into detail on tips and tricks though when learning and when you are on the slope.

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Chpt. 4 - Before The Slopes

BEFORE THE SLOPES

Now that you are out on the mountain resort, avoid

jumping on the first ski lift you see. You learn the introduction movements and develop an understanding of your gear and safety measures before riding down the slopes. If you insist on trying to learn on your own without any company, friends, family, or anyone there to make sure you are safe, do make sure you have bright gear on and that you have cellular connection, a communication device, and a loud whistle in case you get stuck or injured and immobilized.

Now, many people have said different things like

snowboarding is harder to learn than skiing but easier to master. This can be true for some but in many cases it and in my personal experience. Learning how to snowboard is easy, but mastering it is hard. There are still tricks or specific movements that I have yet to learn.

The first thing you want to do is find your stance.

Stand behind your board with it laying down on the ground, making sure the edge of your board is dug into the ground facing the bottom of the slope or any incline. When you are standing in front of the board, position your feet at the 44

Field Guide | Snowboarding

distance apart that your board is set to and see if this feels comfortable. Make sure to properly bend your knees and focus on sticking your backside outwards. You want to make sure you have a relaxed body to help keep balance and control, especially for when you are on the mountain.

Figure 27. Stance

The snowboard stance should include a flex at your

knees and ankles, keeping your knees tracked over your toes. Your shoulders and hips should all be in line with your board, with relaxed arms by your side to help keep a calm upper body.

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Chpt. 4 - Before The Slopes

Once you get comfortable in your stance and you can confirm the distance between your bindings is comfortable, you want to get used to tightening your boot in your bindings. A good precaution is to imagine yourself going down a slope and try and decide which foot you want in front.

It commonly is ‘normal’ where your primary foot is the same foot that goes down the slope first. Sometimes though it can feel more comfortable for people to have their back foot be the first down the slope in a term called ‘goofy’.

Figure 28. Snowboarder

This is the form of riding I do as it just feels more

comfortable for me, but it is always great to practice switch riding so if you find yourself going down the hill on your opposite foot, you don’t instantly crash and burn. When you

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

decide which boot you want to be your primary and front foot, it is always recommended to put your boot into the bindings and start tightening them.

You want to go as tight as possible and then stand up

and move your foot around. Test out the angles, pushing your heel into the mountain versus your toe into the mountain.

See if there are any pressure points that may need to be loosened. A good rule of thumb though is to always go tighter than looser. Having a snug fit and being properly attached to your board allows you to keep proper control over your ride and experience.

The next step to learning how to snowboard is

practicing skating and gliding. Once you have your front binding attached, you want to try moving around on flat ground with the front boot strapped in and the backfoot pushing you around, back forward, side to side.

Figure 29. Skating

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Chpt. 4 - Before The Slopes

This is especially important as it is also how you get

on and off of the chairlift to get up to the top of the slope.

Normally good practice and the proper motion of moving and skating on your board is by keeping your non-binded boot behind your board as you push yourself along sideways.

Making sure to keep your body sideways and not try

and move forward with the board as you will find yourself clipping yourself or catching the board and falling down.

It is all about small steps, you don’t need to do large steps throughout the movement. If you have a long journey to the chairlift or your point of interest, and it’s a semi downward slope, this is where you can start to practice your gliding.

Figure 30. Gliding

Gliding is when you push yourself forward a little

during skating, but since the slope can sometimes be going

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

downhill, the board will want to slide. So, what you do is you practice having your free boot placed on the board in between your two bindings, so you can still maintain some control of the angle and motion of the board by pushing your boot outwards into the unfilled binding to keep pressure and control of your board as you slide a longer distance.

This gliding movement also allows you to easily

push your loose foot on the ground to give you extra speed or movement if you start to slow down. It is always recommended to try and stop yourself or slow yourself by digging your heels into the slope, whether you are slightly pushing your heel into the snow to create friction, or if you use your loose foot to turn the board’s long edge flat down the mountain to start stopping completely.

Don’t feel embarrassed to practice this for a couple

hours until you truly feel comfortable, as for when you get onto the mountain slope and ski lift, getting off can be a challenge and many people fall over when they try and glide off the ski lift into an area to get fully tied down and onto the slope. Now before you hop onto the chair lift and get up the mountain, you need to practice the basic turn or j-turn.

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Chpt. 5 - Let’s Start Snowboarding

Figure 31. Snowboarder 2

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

LET’S START SNOWBOARDING

You will want to skate your way up the mountain just

a little to give you some ample space to glide down. First you want to practice your heel side turn. You start off by pointing the front of your board straight down the slope, glide forward and start to shift your weight toward the front foot and over your heels

Figure 32. J-Turn Heel

You will start to feel your calf and boot hitting the front

high back. You will want to move your hips over your heelside edge as you flex your knees and stick your backside out as if you are about to take a seat on the ground without actually leaning too far, you will see your board start to turn

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Chpt. 5 - Let’s Start Snowboarding

until you are moving parallel to the base of the slope and slowing down. Practice this a couple times to make sure you can successfully do a heel side turn. Once you feel you are comfortable with that enough, you want to then try a toe side turn.

Figure 33. J-Turn Toe

The difference with a toe side turn is instead of

leaning back you are going to lean forward. Start by moving straight down the slope, glide forward and start to shift your weight to the front foot, and over your toes. Move your hips over the toe-side edge as you slightly bend your knees but focus on keeping your back side over your board in more of a straight line than the sitting position of the heel side turn.

You should see your board turn until it is parallel to the base of the slope.

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

When you are practicing both these movements, you

will be able to go more extreme on the angles to help give you the power to slow down your speed and or completely stop on the slope. After you feel you’ve learned how to properly turn while on the board, you want to first try and practice basic traversal. If the slope is semi steep, it is highly recommended to start off by walking up the slope a good distance and then sitting down and locking in both your feet into your bindings.

You will first start by keeping your board parallel to

the base of the mountain and try and let yourself glide side to side. Start with your heel side of the board and practice what is known as ‘leafing’. This is the movement of practicing and getting used to having both your feet locked into a board and being able to slide left and right on your heels. This is a good moment to also practice and find out if you feel more comfortable goofy or normal while going down the mountain as you can feel which direction feels more natural to you.

Figure 34. Leafing

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Chpt. 5 - Let’s Start Snowboarding

Make sure as you are practicing leafing and basic

heel traversal, you focus on not locking up but keeping your legs relaxed and knees slightly bent. Whenever you are on your heels you want to keep your backside low and typically closer to the slope slightly off the back of your board.

Figure 35. Heel Riding

Practice leaning on each foot and letting the board

start to slide left and right while keeping your heel side of the board dug into the slope. This is a good moment to also practice stopping and slowing down, where you can focus on centering your weight and angling your feet by lifting up your toes so that you can dig your heel side of your board into the slope to stop yourself. It is good to practice ‘leafing’

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

down the hill and walking back up before you hop onto the slope to help keep you in a safe environment.

After you are comfortable with heel traversal, you

will want to practice toe traversal. It is the same process of practicing leafing but this time you will want to flip your board, so you are now facing up the slope and you are digging your toes into the slope. You lean on each foot to give it motion and practice sliding back and forth, getting comfy with that feeling of moving on your toe side.

Figure 36. Toe Riding

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Chpt. 5 - Let’s Start Snowboarding

When you practice this motion, the process to stop

is the same as on your heel side but now you will balance your weight on both feet and angle your toes more, bending at your knees to take the impact and leaning farther forward towards the top of the slope.

When you are on your toes though, keep in mind you

want to be more on the balls of your front foot, not attempting to stand on your tippy toes. You can cause pain in your shins very quickly if you to that to often.

Figure 37. Chair Lift

At this point if you haven’t already, you are now ready

to get onto the chairlift and start to practice on a beginner slope with traversing into a turn and then growing from there. Start by skating over the chair lift.

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

Figure 38. Chair Lift Scene

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Chpt. 5 - Let’s Start Snowboarding

Getting on is not the challenging part but being

comfortable on the chairlift can be a challenge. Bringing down the safety rail normally gives you a metal pipe that allows you to keep the weight of your snowboard on there instead of on only one foot, or if you are careful you can set your board on top of your free foot.

Do keep in mind that most snowboards have a

sharp edge, so you want to prevent yourself from cutting, impacting, or tearing any of your components on your boot.

So, you want to lightly set it on your boot and not allow it to move to move too much to not allow it to cause any damage.

As you get to the top of the slope and need to prepare

to get off the chairlift, you want to make sure you are angled to glide off the chairlift and put your free boot on top in the same position as your gliding position and focus on staying up and moving toward a safe point to get fully buckled and locked into your bindings.

Now that you’ve practiced riding on the slope and

you are now at the top of the official trails and slopes of the mountain, it’s time to continue practicing the leafing, but attempt to add in a turn, flipping your balance from the toes to the heels or heels to toes. Make sure when you attempt to

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

turn, it is on a flat portion of the slope to give you a good time to practice leaning from one side of the board to the other.

First try traversing down the mountain on your toes or

heels and try and adjust your weight while still going straight down the slope to switch your stance. Once you are able to perform that switch of weight, then you can start to move from a leaf and going horizontal on the slope to leaning to the opposite end of the board and swap from heel to toe or vice versa.

Figure 39. Slope Turn

The tip to switching directions on the slope and which

side of your board you are balancing on, is by shifting your weight over your front foot, start going down the hill and slowly start to adjust your stance keeping more weight on your front foot and starting to turn similar to the j-turns you learned earlier to change from your heel to your toe, or toe to your heel.

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Chpt. 5 - Let’s Start Snowboarding

Figure 40. Slope Ride

By default, many snowboarders will try and use their

arms to swing their lower half around and force the turn but that can be dangerous in certain situations and you always want to prevent twisting your spine.

Keeping your arms at your side is key and focusing

letting the leaning of weight change direction is the proper and safe way to change direction and board side. Make sure as you adjust your weight you are also adjusting your knees and positioning of your center of weight or back side just like switching from stopping on your toes to switching to stopping on your heels.

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

Make sure not to flatten your board to quickly as that

is how many snowboarders catch their board and crash.

Keep the motion smooth. After every turn try and stop yourself to keep you in control of your movement and then start slowly linking your turns where you can start linking one turn into another and start practicing more advanced skills.

Figure 41. Snowboarder 3

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Chpt. 5 - Let’s Start Snowboarding

Figure 42. Snowboarder 4

Practicing these steps is how you can get comfortable

with snowboarding. More advanced tips and tricks can be found in multiple locations, and before starting any trick or advanced movement you always want to slowly step up to that before just jumping into the trick or trail. Being safe and cautious is the best as the first mess up is what can ruin an entire experience.

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Field Guide | Snowboarding

The final notes I will leave you with to help you from

getting injured as you test yourself and practice, is if you do ever fall. Make sure to focus on landing on your arms not on your hands. Many snowboarders, including myself, have attempted to catch our falls with our hands and sprained our wrists and causing serious injury.

While the safest way to fall is get as low as possible

to the ground, spread your body out, and attempt to take the brunt on your forearms over your wrists as it will spread the impact better and prevent major injuries much better. At this point, you now know the basic to snowboarding and the history of where it came from. After you feel you’ve mastered the basics, you can start to explore more advanced tricks and techniques.

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field guide: snowboarding

Learning how to snowboard is becoming more and more

popular in recent years. More people all around the world are finding a passion within the multitude of winter sports including Snowboarding, Skiing, Snowshoeing and more. While learning how to snowboard is a long process, the best place to start is where snowboarding came from.

We will go through indepth information on the history of

snowboarding, how to pick the right gear, and the basics of how to snowboard so you can feel confident on the slope to properly make your way up and down every snow season!

Kurtis A. Schwoerer - a senior at George Mason as of 2021. Graduating in the Spring Semester with a Bachelors in Graphic Design. Growing up in Washington State gave Kurtis years of experience Skiing and Snowboarding on many mountains in Washington, but mainly on Whistler Blackcomb in Vancouver Canada.