3 Hardest Things to Learn in Snowboarding

[@fatb0b]

Cheers to the guy at 1:56 who rides by with his arm in a sling.

[@throwaway1369]

I just learned how to link turns today and I'm super excited, appreciate all your beginner videos man!

[@Killsab3lla]

I got a Bataleon Feel Better for my first board, this is my first season and I’ve been watching these videos habitually. Thank you for these.

[@SnowboardProCamp]

Glad to hear it!

[@Bad_Riders]

Kev and tj dropping regular vids making my crappy spring so much more bearable

[@AlbertaGengar]

Great video. You demonstrate and explain exceptionally well.

[@Léopart_le_jaguar]

I'm way more scared of riding switch than taking a chairlift

[@BBQKana]

Just gotta ride more switch to get better at it. Last season I tried to ride at least one switch run each day I went. At one point it started to feel pretty good and at the end of the season I even managed to get the board to carve riding switch.

[@mankybrains]

Only way to overcome it is to do it. As they say practice makes perfect. Add a drill for a couple hours for riding switch each time you go. At home, practice on a padded surface on a switch stance tilting your board. Add some visualization while doing that. Even close you eyes while doing the visualization and movements. Just make sure you have something to grab when you're about to fall over.

[@mikecurtis1111]

Start by feathering left to right heel side to toe side. That alternates you to switch for short periods. Before you know it, you'll feel comfortable riding longer stretches.

[@nightfighter7452]

I was surprised how much easier it was to learn switch just to avoid doing toeside turns. Those were scary lol

[@ThatGardener]

Exactly I was thinking same

[@DjBaapreB]

The most wonderful time of the year

[@Chemo_Charlie]

1:36 guy in the back could've used the exact tips you were talking about right there

[@mikecurtis1111]

I've been snowboarding twice now, and feel I've caught on pretty quickly. I've yet to fall getting off a lift, and think it's because I will make sure my back foot is in position up against the rear binding before I stand, and then I keep my back side hand rested on the chair for balance until I slide away from it. I've skied for years, so maybe that has helped me feel comfortable getting on and off the lifts, but I think keeping the backside hand on the chair is probably the best way to help you not embarrass yourself and cause the operator to stop the lift

[@Zulu21Bravo]

Hi Kev, This is so cool! I started watching your videos about 3-4 weeks ago as I'm only a newbie to snowboarding at the age of 45. I can't believe your in my home country of NZ (Aotearoa). I live in a small town called Waiouru which is just a hop and skip away from Mt Ruapehu. I went up the mountain with my kids school as a parent helper/supervisor and ended up getting hooked. Now I've been surfing the net trying to learn as much about snowboarding as possible. Your videos are diffenetly good for begginers. I've been watching a few other chanels like Tommy Bennett etc. The hardest thing I'm finding at the moment is when Im picking up speed I start to get nervous because Im scared of falling and then found the more nervous I get the more likely I am to falling. Any tips to overcoming those fears?

[@inmotion_snow]

one thing that could work to overcome fear is to take deep breaths when you think you are picking too much speed, might help give you more focus and "slow" it down. Not to say i've tried this technique on things I fear, but I'm definitely going to give it a try this season, somehow it makes sense in my head. another method which I have used is replay in your head what you think you might feel when you encounter yourself in high speed.

[@mankybrains]

Great time to pick up the sport. Enough time to practice and enjoy before spring summer approaches. 46 here and this will be my first full season and 2nd season of snowboarding. Picking up speed was and is still my greatest fear as well. Injuries for us old folks can be very bad, especially job wise. What I recommend is make sure you have good padded shorts. This is to protect your tail bone if you have a hard fall. Try looking for padded uppers if you can as well. I've fallen enough but I'm still looking for upper padding. The extra expense is worth it if you plan on long term riding. Also its an extra layer of insulation. With the pads you can now fall as much as you want! Hahaha. The second recommendation is learning to do hard stops immediately, doesn't matter if it is heel side or toe side hard stop. Be proficient at it so you can stop at anytime anywhere. When pointed downhill, immediately be able to turn heelside or toeside and hard press the edge in to come to a complete near stop, board being 90 degree of your trajectory. Sit back hard and bent down to really dig the edge in to stop as fast as possible. With toeside, same thing, bend your knees and really dig the edge in to stop as soon as possible. With toeside just make sure you don't relax and have the board catch the heelside while you're facing uphill. Do that drill multiple times each day on the mountain till it's second nature regular and switch. The moment you feel you're ready, allow yourself to point downhill in incremental drills of 5s,10s, etc... and then hard stop on each. You'll soon acclimate to high speeds and have the confidence to stop if you feel something isn't right during the descent. I'm still practicing switch so I do plenty of drills still. I had the same issue with picking up speed and most people I'm sure have the same issue. But once I felt very comfortable about being able to break whenever I needed I finally felt more comfortable about speed. Using a bike gps, I clocked myself going downhill once at 39mph. Lol, I have no idea which section of the run it happened on but I knew I was flying. My brother In law was in the skill patrol before and said he clocked up to 70 mph on skiis. The most I've avged after that maybe 25 mph and top speed of 29mph. The concept is the same as driving when i taught some people to drive. Always taught hem to know where the brake is and how to break. I made them feel the difference between a slow soft break and hard break. Life and death skill honestly. It's what will make them feel safer when they drive knowing they know how to stop the car. Only after they know the brake do I start having them press the gas pedal. Everyone can press the gas but being able to crucially hit the brakes when needed and how much is a good skill to have. I dare say your fear stems from not being able to control your speed than the speed itself. Once you're able to control how slow you want to go your fear subsides. One quick reminder, put 60% weight on your lead leg, and always keep board edge in mind. Your edges are what gives you control. Malcom Moore, Tommie Bennett and this channel are the main KZbinrs I go to for lessons. They all provide excellent drills. Some similar to what I came up with on my own before I saw their drill videos. But they cover most of it. Good luck and stay safe!

[@kensou2828]

solid and helpful

[@nickwoodward819]

really reminded me of the top of lake louise at the start, but with less ice and more rocks XD

[@mpjw827]

The chair lift is my biggest enemy

[@im_a_potato_guy]

I'm surprised they didn't mention being metally able to do it.

[@jamesh7876]

Mentally? I helped an (I think) autistic guy get on the lift last weekend after the rest of his group got the chair and he missed it. He said he wanted to go home.

[@ThatGardener]

Learning switch has been difficult for me going from solid rider to more advanced rider

[@floccgotti7095]

Noticed u haven’t jumped bac on that indoor…Is it because the aeronaut is that good… or just they style of riding u been doing

[@SnowboardProCamp]

The conditions haven’t been that park friendly the last few weeks. Lots of wind and some snow. Will get back on it next week!

[@ayhanalaca]

Riding switch would be in the first place for me.

[@lovikuanyshev]

For me at the moment its to learn switch ride, It feels like not your body Maybe you can make some video with tips for improving switch stand curving?

[@fancytak7592]

Hi Kevin, do you have any tips on how to use a nut-cracker as a snowboarder? in new zealand we got some club fields, they do not have a chairlift or T-bar.

[@yvomushroom]

Yoo Kev. I think harder than chairlift is T=bar for snowboarders;)

[@inmotion_snow]

i used to loathe t-bars! now i enjoy them :D

[@SnowboardProCamp]

Good point! Have to make a part 2

[@BBQKana]

My local hill has T-bars and button lifts, and the buttons are really the worst of them all.

[@przemysawmarciniec5180]

This board looks so flexy how would you compare its stiffness to other popular boards? Maybe you can compare it to evil twin or shadowban?

[@SnowboardProCamp]

This board is stiffer than the evil twin. I say it’s slightly stiffer than the DOA

[@momosanyukihira4714]

it started snowing already at Whitsler???

[@SnowboardProCamp]

Not yet. In New Zealand at the moment

[@austinsantos3109]

I was expecting a tutorial for back 3 pretz

[@rapiddescent]

Captains!! Best pizza on the mountain.

[@SnowboardProCamp]

I’ll have to check it out!

[@TheDerekHyde]

I’m no pro, but I disagree with the ice advice. If you’re slipping, you’re not gripping. Carving is better, with speed checks when you can. That wasn’t very icy though.

[@Felix-kd8tn]

If you can carve into it, it's not ice.

[@TheDerekHyde]

@@Felix-kd8tn it’s a metal edge like the blade on an ice skate. There’s actually videos of a snowboarder carving on a frozen lake.

[@michaelli894]

I always fall when I get on the chair lift

[@ernieschwinster]

What if you are on th east coast and the mountain is ICE ? Learn to use your edges and keep them sharp.

[@mtcsypkens]

You can just put your board on the bar to rest it in the chairlift. Why would you put your foot under your board if the bar is right there?

[@anoushka.st-Anka]

Remember that these are tips for beginners. It's simple - the shoe has a wider surface. This is more stable protection. If the board slips off the pole and hangs over the heads of people using the slope, the person sitting usually panics and anything can happen. Secondly, such a view does not fill those below with much optimism.😅 Stabilizing the board on your shoe also makes it easier to get up from the couch. :-)

[@mtcsypkens]

@@anoushka.st-Anka even as a beginner I've never done it differently. You don't just slip off.

[@anoushka.st-Anka]

@@mtcsypkens Yes; as you wrote - YOU didn't have a problem with it - congratulations:-), but others may have. I've noticed it. Personally, I feel more confident with the board on my shoe. The principle of limited trust in the equipment and humility towards your own skills.:-)

[@needmorebeans]

Icy runs: the average ski slope in Australia

[@Rachel_flyindance]

I don’t want to ride snowboard in a narrow way with trees

[@benobrien7750]

Riding switch for me ….

[@aleksandridadd3557]

where are hibacks on your bindings? wtf :D

[@tantheman1231]

Clew bindings! It’s a convenience binding where the highback is strapped to your boot and it connects with the heel cup and baseplate!

[@aleksandridadd3557]

@@tantheman1231 future is here 😀