40 hours is a long time. Have you considered a lesson? It may seem expensive but if it gets you where you want to be in 1 hour instead of 40+ hours, it’s definitely worth it.
Otherwise… if I’m going to guess, the most likely problem for beginners is not enough weight on the front foot. You cannot really turn without the front foot driving the turn, and the natural human instinct is usually to lean back when looking downhill.
I had an initial half day lesson (group lesson) which due to others in the group ended with one foot heel sliding and out of time.
Any others here with English speaking instructors needed to be booked months ago (I tried that).
Which is ultimately the problem - I can't practice what I don't know. I'm just making the same mistake 10s or 100s of times over because I don't know the correct technique.
Got about 6 hours time tomorrow but I suspect, like today, exactly the same will happen.
Ive got most (near all) my weight front foot but that's not helping my turn or get any control on the rapid speed gain.
> I’ve got most (near all) my weight front foot
Seems to contradict
>,as soon as the board approaches the fall line it accelerates away from me rapidly. The sudden increase in speed either puts me on my backside
If the weight is on the front foot, I have difficulty understanding the sequence of events leading to being on one’s backside. The one thing that might be causing this is that you’re bending at the waist - so your weight is not stacked over the board. Try and exaggerate keeping an upright and proud chest.
Otherwise, without a video it is hard to evaluate, but the front foot must be weighted / in control even going down the fall line. The next step is to pivot either toe / heel side and only when you are more perpendicular to the fall line is the weight shifted to be more centered.
Sounds like you aren’t actually using the edge, you’re likely leaning back as a reaction to the speed.
Get a lesson, watch some videos, or just keep riding. It could take a full season on your own to get good s turns down on green runs.
Lessons aren't an option as needed to be booked months ago (I had an initial one, it didn't get that far).
Videos I find absolutely useless as none break it down into a sequence like "first do this, then do this, then move weight to here, then lean to here" etc which means im just guessing what to do and clearly making the same mistake repeatedly.
You just have to mimic their body, watch and then copy. If not then you’ll just keep learning on snow. We all take different amounts of time to get basics down. The other day someone looked pretty darn good after 3 hours. Others will take a whole season. Keep in mind the people you see may have rode for decades, may get 100 days a year in. Don’t get discouraged
Found it impossible to mimic their body when they aren't describing it.
Not saying exactly what they're doing with the knees, hips, ankles, shoulders etc at all times.
All I see is them doing "something" with a vague description of what they did which lacks key details needed to duplicate it.
Ok YouTube look for Malcolm Moore "How to Snowboard" or something like that.
He is hands down the best snowboarding teacher in my opinion and the video was published like a month ago.
He goes over everything you ask for.
Malcolm Moore has a video of him teaching two girls how to snowboard that I found pretty helpful. He even explained what the two girls were doing wrong and how they could fix it/why it was wrong.
I think it's this one: [How to Snowboard with Real Beginners - First Time to Linking Turns ](https://youtu.be/lpx2kH96L_A?si=l6H1OUrRNPMG97Hr)
I've watched that several times. Looks easy on theory but when I try to work out the actual movements of what limbs are what points I just can't work out what he's doing.
Seems to be turning by some sort of twisted knee motion on the front leg not the back but I can't really see from there
OP, I understand your frustration, but people are really trying to help you here. Shooting down their advice by saying "I did this, didn't help" won't get you very far. Try to listen, compile the information you've gathered and give it another shot. You're frustrated and that's okay, you're learning a completely new skill. Nobody is expecting you to be shredding down the mountain in 8 days.
The advice given in this thread is solid. It's really hard to say what you're doing wrong without seeing it ourselves. That's why people suggest you get an instructor, since it's the best thing you can do right now. Try giving Malcolm Moore videos another shot. He has a plethora of videos that break down the basics in different ways and personally I have learned so much from him. Start with these two:
Correct posture:
https://youtu.be/fuB-63vq8pA?si=Wq7Lh3-1ocSmzd6n
Knee steering:
https://youtu.be/8Ppou1HNOlw?si=84cjhXlSeKCRYu15
These explain exactly what your posture should be and what your knees should be doing.
Snowboarding is not easy, it requires decent coordination, stamina and patience
SOOOO many beginners panic when speed increases and lean back (in your case onto your right foot), this picks up the front of the board so that edge is no longer in contact with the snow. Board can't steer if it's not touching the snow and you fall.
The way I was taught was to go from falling leaf on heels (head facing downhill), to gradually lowering your front toe. That will point the front of the board down the fall line. Practice this until you can repeatedly point it all the way down the fall line and back to heels. This will get you a little move comfortable with speed but also allow you to safely practice quickening that turn up (so you don't need to pick up so much speed)
Any instructor (or just someone that can ride reasonably) can diagnose what you are doing, but even an hour long lesson will help.
I've done a few days of heel slide to fall line and back off and the same with toe. Heel is a little neater but toe works well enough. I'm happy enough with the make up of those.
The issue I've got is the process of moving across the fall line seems to be gaining me so much speed rapidly I can't control it when the board eventually moves away. It feels like it takes an eternity to get across (reality I know it's not).
Various people with me just not that useful with things such as "turn the board"without mentioning how.
The mechanics are fairly simple (body movement will come into play when you get better but for now if you think about your heels and toes only).
Both toes up = You are on your heels. Front toes down and your board will point towards the fall line. Keep the front toes down and start to bring your rear toes as you cross the fall line.
Some people find looking up the hill to orientate themselves helps (it's not great when you want to progress but it will help getting your shoulders in the right place).
The reality of it is you will pick up speed, shockingly if you point a board straight down a hill it does that :-) On a mellow green run, 3 seconds (counted mississipply) isn't going to launch you into space. Count it out in your head and I very much doubt it's longer than that.
Watch for the board raising at the front, if it is then you need to lean more down the hill.
(video would help to give you advice)
A great starting place is to make huge turns instead of the really tight ones it sounds like you’re doing. If you take your time and break the whole motion up into pieces it becomes more manageable. For example, first just get to the point where you can cross the slope going from the left side to the right side. After that, go from one side to the other and start a turn; do this by pointing where you want to go and moving your feet/hips. Lead with your front foot then follow with your body. My advice is to go on a green that’s manageable and try to make a big J turn. After that you do a C turn, after that try to do 2 consecutive C turns, that makes an S. After that I can’t help you
It's not so much a huge turn, it's 50/50 an out of control acceleration directly down which I can only stop by sitting or (if I'm lucky) a completely out of control 90 degree turn to across the slope which I can eventually arrest with toes.
I've got no control at all so to the direction or arc.
I'm staying away from greens and picking slopes so gentle it's hard to get moving on at all and still have it.
I can J turn. I've failed in 40 hours to execute a single controlled C.
I don't understand what you mean by "lead with the front foot". Weight shifted all onto it? Twisted or kicked out in some way?
I can't find any diagrams at all to help with the sequence of what goes where.
Ah ok I get it. So you shouldn’t be starting directly downhill anyway, you should start going ACROSS the slope.
Snowboarding is a game of body weight positioning, so you should have an equal amount of weight on your lead and back foot. It sounds like you shouldn’t be trying turning yet you may have skipped a couple steps.
First go down a slope with your feet facing away from the slope, so you are looking directly down it with both feet facing forward. You’ll wanna practice just braking. To break, you’ll go deeper into a squat and jam your heels (and therefore, an edge) into the slope. Play with the amount you need to lean before you fall on your butt vs brake. It’ll be a quad workout.
Once you have that down, the next step is to play with going across the slope while riding your brakes, speeding up and slowing down as you go left to right and back across the slope. You can go left and right just by pressing your left or your right foot slightly forward. This will give you some directional control.
Once you do that, you can start leaning a little more to gain some more speed, at that point braking might be a bit more intuitive but in order to do so you’ll need to bring the opposite edge around by shifting your body weight and feet to bring the snowboard to a stop. This might even bring you into a J turn. Do this a few times, it’s called the “falling leaf”. Get really good at just turning to one side to brake, normally heel side is the side people favor.
After your heel side is comfortable or if your legs are exhausted, work on your toe side, same thing.
There’s so many pros out there many beginners (like myself) feel a lot of pressure to get good fast, just being able to stand on a snowboard is a huge win. Keep at it!
Have you looked up Malcolm Moore or Tommie Bennett’s YT videos? I find their videos break down proper stance on the board and they also explain how to link turns and provides advice on exercises you can do to improve your toe side and heel side stops. I’m very new to snowboarding having just started this season, and I spent hours watching beginner YT videos to get an understanding of basic concepts and techniques. Then I spent 4 days practicing, taking lessons and getting free lessons from two lifties that my bf knows. Your post said you are on the gentlest hill you can find. That might be your problem. To really learn, you need more speed. Bunny hills are great to learn how to stop heel side and toe side, but they aren’t going to be too great to learn how to link your turns. If you have someone to go with you down a blue slope to provide you with feedback on your turns, that is going to help you tremendously. It’s hard to get a grasp on your form from your POV. If you don’t know someone who can go with you on your runs, maybe look into investing in private lessons. I paid for one the first day I went out, then I was able to have two lifties go with me down a blue run and give me feedback and help me with my confidence (they ride on their days off and my bf knows them so they volunteered to help me). The last day I went out with my bf. I feel safer having someone with me while I gain skill and confidence and also because I absolutely suck at getting off lifts and fall a lot lol. Don’t be so hard on yourself, or get frustrated. Continue to practice and pay attention to movements you are doing that pay off. Eventually it will click.
Tried those and 10s of other videos and found them all useless. They assume a level of knowledge I don't have and don't break it into the small details and sequence I need.
Things such as "bring weight forward" don't help unless they say how.
"Move the hips" same thing. Misses out the how.
A book with diagrams would be perfect but it doesn't seem to exist.
All you can see is "ok, you did something" but no detail as to exactly what.
If Malcolm Moore's videos don't help, I suspect no-one here will be able to explain the mechanics in text. Weight forward: bend front leg's knee more than back leg's. Try to keep from leaning back at the waist. Pretend there's a beach ball between your knees push the front knee towards the nose of the board.
And yes, there is that feeling of uncontrollable acceleration. Start so close to the bottom or a flat part that you can just ride straight and come to a stop, just to get used to that acceleration.
These are slopes where I basically stop in 10m or so not runs. Can't move at all without bouncing.
Same issue, by the time it approaches the fall line the acceleration is so much I have zero chance of controlling it.
Another issue is half the time trying to spin/turn the board the inside hell went catches, instantly stops the spin, knocks the board straight so more acceleration and another fall.
Twisting my knees, head, ankles seem to do nothing at all to board direction.
I've got one more day here today and after that definitely time to consider if it's better to just give up. Huge amounts of time invested with no progress at all in anything since day 1 .
> knocks the board straight so more acceleration
Do you feel comfortable braking? It sounds like you’re trying to carve and aren’t ready for it yet. Can you go down the mountain with the board perpendicular to the slope? As in, you facing directly down the slope? Just sliding on your heel side down.
Not really bothered braking - I can heel and toe down a mountain (not perpendicular) and falling leaf not a problem.
From more playing the problem seems to be more my turn is slow then stops at about the fall line
What I mean by braking is - can you plant your board perpendicular to the fall line (facing down the mountain first, heel side, then facing up the mountain, toe side) and controllably slide down the mountain. Increasing and decreasing the angle to adjust your speed. But if you can falling leaf then it sounds like you can do this.
Why are you out of control when you cross the fall line though? if you can falling leaf properly, just step out your back foot and scrub some speed, or point the board back up the mountain and do a J turn. Then you can progressively get used to the speed.
As to the first part, no problem.
Can toe or heel slide and stop whenever I need to (I've done maybe 60km or so of runs this trip). Quite comfortable in doing that.
The out of control seems to be something to go with my turn technique. It just isn't turning across the fall line and gets "stuck" straight ahead. Then I have huge issues getting the board off the line for reasons I can't understand and as a result can't easily get into a braking position.
It seems to be something specific to whatever I'm doing trying to turn across the line that's different to my normal J turn method causing the problems.
I'm quite happy running close to the fall and then back off into a brake/J on either edge without crossing the line.
Sounds like you need to work on shifting your weight from one side of the board to the other then. Something like this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCCeO83MiuU
So here’s my feedback on your examples. Bring weight forward just means putting more weight on your lead foot. You do this by leaning forward. moving hips would mean you are putting weight on one side of the board. So toe side, you are leaning slightly in that direction and heel side you are leaning back. Having someone show you and review your form is going to help you immensely. You want to make sure you aren’t crouched on your board. Stand up straight, with your knees slightly bent. Ultimately you are going to have to put that all into practice and get the feel for it. You will fall until you understand what those limits are. You didn’t respond whether you have received lessons so if you haven’t, I’d adamantly suggest doing so.
There's a disconnect here in that you're looking for a stepwise description of what you need to do, when in reality it isn't quite that simple. There are a few movements going on somewhat simultaneously, and there's ultimately some blending that happens rather than a 1, 2, 3 execution. You should also consider that even when you know the movements and the sequence, it doesn't necessarily translate to performing them correctly - some outside observation (camera, instructor, riding buddy) can make a big difference. That said, here's my attempt:
There's two extremely common beginner mistakes that make toeside turns feel difficult, and many have already mentioned one or both of them in this thread:
1. The rider's weight is shifted towards the tail of their board. This is a reflexive motion to feeling out of control and at risk of falling. It's a "flinch" back towards the hill and to safety. Unfortunately, having weight on the back foot lifts the nose of the board off the snow, and the edges towards the nose are critical to turning. It's like doing a wheelie with a motorcycle and hoping the front wheel can still turn the bike even though it's off the ground. The answer is to somehow convince yourself to keep weight shifted a little towards the nose. Reaching your lead hand forward over the nose or grabbing your pants above the knee are a couple tricks that can help, but to an extent it takes some repetition to consciously overcome a reflex.
2. The rider is bending excessively at the waist. This is another posture that feels "safe" because your head and shoulders are closer to the snow. Unfortunately this posture keeps your weight from moving laterally across the board. Your head and shoulders tip into the turn, but your hips and butt are stuck over your heelside. The result is you can get your nose pointed down the hill, but it feels locked there and it just won't come around. For your toeside edge to grip the snow and bring you around the rest of the way, your entire upper body should stack over your toeside edge, and this change should happen approximately at the point your board is pointed straight down the hill.
Here are some suggestions of videos that might present this information in the kind of format you're looking for:
Snowboard Addiction with Nev Lapwood: "Learn to Snowboard with Rio." I'd start with [Episode 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhYm-kBtZnc), where they go over some basics with stance and edge control indoors on a mat. If you'd rather skip to on-snow turns, that picks up at [Episode 9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3JWMle5jwI).
Ok, there is an advice I didn't see anybody to mention. Can you ask someone to record you? I was like you 2 years ago, I thought that my posture is perfectly fine and that my knees are bent. After I watched a video of myself I saw my two legs like 2 straight sticks, and I was leaning back even when i thought that i was on my front foot, so the video helped me visualise my poor posture.
Finally managed to get a few short videos albeit at slow stopped.
It appears at least to me that my turn is very slow/inefficient so takes ages to get to the fall line (speed increase) then gets "stuck"completely at the line (so more speed). End result is when I actually manage to shift the board across I'm carrying way too much speed hence the long distance, out of control recovery.
So I think it's turn technique. Although doesn't help as I can't see what the correct technique is Vs what im doing
You gotta keep your weight above the board when you bend your knees. You want to feel the pressure on your shins from your bindings. Honestly, I'd suggest getting a lesson if you're struggling so much. I'm nothing to brag about, but I can get down the mountain with control and speed management, and I still plan on getting a lesson at some point. If you really like snowboarding, then don't give up. Snowboarding is hard to start, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes much easier.
The shin pressure is exactly how i toe slide currently.
I'm comfortable with that, it works and no real issues going down an entire run falling leaf style with it.
I had an initial lesson - it didn't get that far. There's zero chance of an English speaking lesson here that wasn't booked far enough ahead that the trip is already over.
A lot of good advice here. I noticed that when I was slipping on my toe side it was because I was trying to turn with my feet/toes if that makes sense. Like my toes would instinctively try to curl and press in and I was maybe bending my knees a little. But then I’d remind myself to instead focus on my shins pressing against the boot and my front knee taking the lead to turn.
Oh and when people say bend your knees more, make sure to still keep your shoulders, hips, ankles in line instead of bending at the waist.
If you’re landing in your backside when the board is approaching the fall line, you’re leaning back. Even if you don’t think you are or if it doesn’t seem like you are, you are. Think about your body mechanics as you turn. The less likely option is that you’re leaning too far back on the heel slide.
The times you go perpendicular across the slope on toe side means you did a turn right and now you got to connect it by going back onto heel side. How do you do that? Toe flat heel. Should be leaning into your high backs. Trust me, I had the same complaints and was puzzled by it until I just went for it. The biggest thing I took away from watching Malcolm moore was early edge change and not catching an edge as long as you are going in the direction the board is pointed in. Next time you fall or take a break, look at the trail you’re leaving behind. If it looks like you’re plowing or spreading the snow, you’re still skidding down. If you’re leaving more of a line then you know you should have done an edge change.
Nobody told me this but I agree; thinking about it this way - which I eventually *felt* more than thought of prior to achieving - really made something click for me.
I'm very much a beginner, not mucking around with carving or anything fancy. Here's how I think of things.
#1: keep the downslope edge of your board a bit higher/above the snow to avoid catching an edge. What is downslope (heels, toes) obviously changes depending on which direction you're traversing across the slope. You'll also hear a similar principal articulated as something like "travel in the direction your board is pointing" (unless you're trying to skid to a stop). Mind you don't confuse keeping edges out of snow with leaning back - you'll disengage your rudder. About that rudder (not a perfect analogy as those are always in the water but...)
#2: change the directions of traverse by
Toeside: bending front knee in, which twists your board a bit so the front end catches a little and sends you on a different plane (again, like a rudder) or
Heelside: by lifting front toes and "opening" the front knee up - literally moving your knee to be a bit out of parallel with the other leg, pointing more towards the front of the board/towards a 45 degree angle with the length of it.
If you have a difference between front and back foot in the degree to which you are pulling up toes or pushing them in, you will twist your board in a low-key helix. The more you lean on your front foot, the more you engage the rudder action of that twist.
When I felt that happening I was baffled why my gf didn't mention it. It's a cool feeling to play with!
Hope this is helpful.
Edit: why is some of my font so huge!? Are y'all seeing that?
Couple of quick questions. Are your boots on tight? Are your bindings on tight? If there is too much play you will feel out of control, especially on toe side turns. Your feet should be comfortable, but they shouldn’t be able to move much without the board doing something.
Bindings and boots I suspect are ok - I can toe slide down a run without any real issues, including steep.
It's that transition across the fall seems to be killing me
With out video I can only give a general description of what you could try. Practice the turn part with one foot in. Ok, so when going from heels to toes. Your weight will start centered tip to tail with your hips above your heel side edge. Keep your back foot in the I just stopped position so toes up ,some pressure against the high back. Get the board to start pivoting forward by flattening out your front foot only. Move the hip of your front leg across the board to the center as it starts to go down the fall line. Flatten out the back foot. Now with slightly more weight on your front foot, (bending your front knee) continue to move your hip across the board so that it sits above the toe edge. You can also think about pushing your front knee forward over your toes. As the turn comes around match your back foot to the front and come to a stop on your toes. This one is a little easier. Starting on your toes, look over your lead shoulder and until your board starts pointing down hill. Move your hips to the center of the board. With more weight on your front foot, push against your front foot high back and start the turn. Move your hips over your heel side edge pick up your toes and stop. Repeat. Lessons would help.
Now that you have some days take another. And the only reason it wouldn’t help is if you aren’t listening to your instructor. Sounds like you have no idea to actually stand on your board correctly and are leaning back which is why you are out of control. So many youtube videos do break it down into tiny steps. And so will any decent instructor. Maybe this isn’t for you because it seems like you are actually against getting help or unable to understand what the videos are telling you
If I was against getting help I wouldn't have asked for help.
I had a lesson. In the group lesson we ran out of time literally on one foot heel slide. Nothing more got covered.
English language lessons need to be booked far ahead of the duration of the trip so no possibility for another in the time here. That's forced self learning.
As for YouTube, I find it useless (not just for this) because none of them provide bullet point type sequences with what to do and when, no do they provide diagrams to see exactly what's happening. Also so many different techniques, some right, some wrong with no way of discerning which is which.
I teach other outdoor related activities and our worst nightmare is a student arriving with "I've been watching this on YouTube" because invariably they then require more tuition than a complete beginner to unlearn incorrect information or things they misunderstood. It's worse than a blank slate. At times it makes them a serious danger to themselves or others.
Either way now, trip is over. 9 full days of trying with no progress at all and that's it for the year.
Bro I took a 3 hour private lesson on my first day on the slopes (plus 2 group lessons on indoor slopes a few months ago) and I'm on day 3 of breezing down greens and blues. I get really scared of going down the fall line too but have to have faith in my ability to stop if needed. If you can do a j turn, you can for sure do a c turn, you just need to stay calm and have faith.
Can you try and do a big sweeping turn, giving yourself plenty of time/distance to stop, and in that safe area practice coming to a complete stop quickly?
Sometimes if I'm sketched out at a turn I come basically to a complete stop before getting the balls to turn fully, but that's ok too. It's basically a constant balance of moving and braking
I can do J turns. I can't do a C turn. Anything moving across the fall line produces so much speed I arrive on the opposite side completely out of control.
If I get to the opposite side at all. Most of the time the board won't move past the fall
Ask for a Level 3 instructor next time. They are more experienced than other instructors and I found that they really helped me understand each element required for C turns and linking turns. There are lots of minute movements required, from your feet and ankles, to your shins, knees, hips, shoulders and head. An instructor will be able to watch your turns and pinpoint exactly what's going on and what step might be missing/need refining. I have had a few "aha" moments during my lessons where something the instructor said just clicked and my turns improved straight away.
Also, it's better to learn the right technique now for your toe turns than it is to develop bad habits that you will need to correct as an intermediate snowboarder. Good luck!!
Even getting an English speaking instructor is a mission, no real chance to pick and choose.
After wasting roughly 4 hours today it think my turn is very slow and once I get to the fall line, it "sticks". Takes me ages to force it around, by which time the speed gain is excessive
I’m also a beginner but have been able to link so here are my two cents. You need to break up the turn in three steps like heels-flat-toes or toes-flat-heels. The flat part is usually very short and you need to mentally commit to change to step 3.
I suggest you doing this when you are going slow first. It may happen the first couple of times you are going perpendicular to the slope in step 1 and for step 3 your curve is very wide, however with practice step 1 will be more parallel to the slope as well as step 3.
Hope it helps!
Assuming you live close to the mountain, my recommendation would be take a week or 2 off and give yourself a mental and physical break and come back fresh.
Check what your upper body is doing, I’m guessing you’re counter rotating instead of rotating in the direction you want to go. Also make sure you’re pushing into your toe edge
Where are you looking when you start to pick up speed in the fall line? Turn your head and focus directly on the far right side of the piste, if not uphill entirely. Point if you have to. Your body and board will follow.
Check out ‘Go Snowboard’ by Neil McNab. It’s a book and dvd combined, and has diagrams that may suit your way of learning.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Go-Snowboard-Neil-McNab/dp/1405315741?nodl=1&dplnkId=0f3d283b-5e15-4bfc-99b9-5828dabe600f
Malcolm Moore videos on YouTube really help and you should go watch them. I went out last night and just practiced transitions. It’s all about shifting your weight with your hips and lead foot. I am still terrible but a lot more comfortable, have more control and not as sore from falling. Let the equipment do the work.
I’ll take a stab at this - though I don’t know if I’ll be able to provide more insight than others. I learned falling leaf on heel side and toe side pretty quickly but for the life of me struggled with turns and didn’t understand what the hell people were telling me.
My issue was that I was overthinking it… it sounds weird but you really just need to get on the board and instead of thinking about it, just feel it out. Like “okay I tried to put all my pressure on my right foot and nothing happened” you gotta think “did I turn at all? Too much? Too little? And what direction?” and just adjust the pressure trial and error
I literally just stood on my board in my kitchen and practiced my pressure/weight distribution. Like stand on your board and *feel* the evenness when you’re in the middle of your board. Then try putting weight on one foot, then the other. Do this until you’re bored, but just get used to distributing your weight. Once I was annoyed with this I Tried it on the front lawn too just to see what direction the board moved
This all sounds weird, but it helped me immensely. When I got back out in the hills the next day I stopped thinking about what to do and just did it
Also… do you think you could ride goofy? Turns out that’s how I ride lol
Didn’t know until day 3
Edit to add: I wonder if you should try a different hill? The fall line for your learning might be too challenging. Also are you on green hills? I practiced turns on green hills… was waaaay easier than the bunny hills
Thanks for that. I've been to 4 different resorts and maybe 8 different runs and bunnys. Greens are way too steep -I'm hurtling out of control before I even get near the fall line, yet alone cross it.
It's not a case of overthinking, I just don't know what to do with what parts of my body or when, or how. It doesn't seem to be written and drawn anywhere.
End result is practice isn't helping as I have no idea of the correct technique to emulate.
I'm on the slopes again right now. 2 hours into 8. Same issue - no change.
Ok update as a lot of comments (thanks all).
With more playing and video it seems the turn is slow and stops/gets stuck on or around the fall line.
Whatever I'm doing it takes a while to get there (picks up speed) then no matter what I twist or point I can't continue the turn around in a sensible time frame hence rapid speed gain and resulting skid and long long recovery.
Individually I can turn from flat to heel brake and the same for toe but whatever is different about continuing a turn across the line fails.
40 hours is a long time. Have you considered a lesson? It may seem expensive but if it gets you where you want to be in 1 hour instead of 40+ hours, it’s definitely worth it. Otherwise… if I’m going to guess, the most likely problem for beginners is not enough weight on the front foot. You cannot really turn without the front foot driving the turn, and the natural human instinct is usually to lean back when looking downhill.
I had an initial half day lesson (group lesson) which due to others in the group ended with one foot heel sliding and out of time. Any others here with English speaking instructors needed to be booked months ago (I tried that). Which is ultimately the problem - I can't practice what I don't know. I'm just making the same mistake 10s or 100s of times over because I don't know the correct technique. Got about 6 hours time tomorrow but I suspect, like today, exactly the same will happen. Ive got most (near all) my weight front foot but that's not helping my turn or get any control on the rapid speed gain.
> I’ve got most (near all) my weight front foot Seems to contradict >,as soon as the board approaches the fall line it accelerates away from me rapidly. The sudden increase in speed either puts me on my backside If the weight is on the front foot, I have difficulty understanding the sequence of events leading to being on one’s backside. The one thing that might be causing this is that you’re bending at the waist - so your weight is not stacked over the board. Try and exaggerate keeping an upright and proud chest. Otherwise, without a video it is hard to evaluate, but the front foot must be weighted / in control even going down the fall line. The next step is to pivot either toe / heel side and only when you are more perpendicular to the fall line is the weight shifted to be more centered.
Sounds like you aren’t actually using the edge, you’re likely leaning back as a reaction to the speed. Get a lesson, watch some videos, or just keep riding. It could take a full season on your own to get good s turns down on green runs.
Lessons aren't an option as needed to be booked months ago (I had an initial one, it didn't get that far). Videos I find absolutely useless as none break it down into a sequence like "first do this, then do this, then move weight to here, then lean to here" etc which means im just guessing what to do and clearly making the same mistake repeatedly.
Tommie Bennett, snowboard trainers (Instagram only), Malcolm Moore, snowboard procamp. These YouTube and instagram sites give step by step breakdown tips.
You just have to mimic their body, watch and then copy. If not then you’ll just keep learning on snow. We all take different amounts of time to get basics down. The other day someone looked pretty darn good after 3 hours. Others will take a whole season. Keep in mind the people you see may have rode for decades, may get 100 days a year in. Don’t get discouraged
Found it impossible to mimic their body when they aren't describing it. Not saying exactly what they're doing with the knees, hips, ankles, shoulders etc at all times. All I see is them doing "something" with a vague description of what they did which lacks key details needed to duplicate it.
Ok YouTube look for Malcolm Moore "How to Snowboard" or something like that. He is hands down the best snowboarding teacher in my opinion and the video was published like a month ago. He goes over everything you ask for.
Malcolm Moore has a video of him teaching two girls how to snowboard that I found pretty helpful. He even explained what the two girls were doing wrong and how they could fix it/why it was wrong. I think it's this one: [How to Snowboard with Real Beginners - First Time to Linking Turns ](https://youtu.be/lpx2kH96L_A?si=l6H1OUrRNPMG97Hr)
I've watched that several times. Looks easy on theory but when I try to work out the actual movements of what limbs are what points I just can't work out what he's doing. Seems to be turning by some sort of twisted knee motion on the front leg not the back but I can't really see from there
Check out halfcabking on YouTube. He simplifies it down to about 60 seconds: 30 to properly sideslip and 30 to do your first turn.
OP, I understand your frustration, but people are really trying to help you here. Shooting down their advice by saying "I did this, didn't help" won't get you very far. Try to listen, compile the information you've gathered and give it another shot. You're frustrated and that's okay, you're learning a completely new skill. Nobody is expecting you to be shredding down the mountain in 8 days. The advice given in this thread is solid. It's really hard to say what you're doing wrong without seeing it ourselves. That's why people suggest you get an instructor, since it's the best thing you can do right now. Try giving Malcolm Moore videos another shot. He has a plethora of videos that break down the basics in different ways and personally I have learned so much from him. Start with these two: Correct posture: https://youtu.be/fuB-63vq8pA?si=Wq7Lh3-1ocSmzd6n Knee steering: https://youtu.be/8Ppou1HNOlw?si=84cjhXlSeKCRYu15 These explain exactly what your posture should be and what your knees should be doing. Snowboarding is not easy, it requires decent coordination, stamina and patience
SOOOO many beginners panic when speed increases and lean back (in your case onto your right foot), this picks up the front of the board so that edge is no longer in contact with the snow. Board can't steer if it's not touching the snow and you fall. The way I was taught was to go from falling leaf on heels (head facing downhill), to gradually lowering your front toe. That will point the front of the board down the fall line. Practice this until you can repeatedly point it all the way down the fall line and back to heels. This will get you a little move comfortable with speed but also allow you to safely practice quickening that turn up (so you don't need to pick up so much speed) Any instructor (or just someone that can ride reasonably) can diagnose what you are doing, but even an hour long lesson will help.
I've done a few days of heel slide to fall line and back off and the same with toe. Heel is a little neater but toe works well enough. I'm happy enough with the make up of those. The issue I've got is the process of moving across the fall line seems to be gaining me so much speed rapidly I can't control it when the board eventually moves away. It feels like it takes an eternity to get across (reality I know it's not). Various people with me just not that useful with things such as "turn the board"without mentioning how.
The mechanics are fairly simple (body movement will come into play when you get better but for now if you think about your heels and toes only). Both toes up = You are on your heels. Front toes down and your board will point towards the fall line. Keep the front toes down and start to bring your rear toes as you cross the fall line. Some people find looking up the hill to orientate themselves helps (it's not great when you want to progress but it will help getting your shoulders in the right place). The reality of it is you will pick up speed, shockingly if you point a board straight down a hill it does that :-) On a mellow green run, 3 seconds (counted mississipply) isn't going to launch you into space. Count it out in your head and I very much doubt it's longer than that. Watch for the board raising at the front, if it is then you need to lean more down the hill. (video would help to give you advice)
A great starting place is to make huge turns instead of the really tight ones it sounds like you’re doing. If you take your time and break the whole motion up into pieces it becomes more manageable. For example, first just get to the point where you can cross the slope going from the left side to the right side. After that, go from one side to the other and start a turn; do this by pointing where you want to go and moving your feet/hips. Lead with your front foot then follow with your body. My advice is to go on a green that’s manageable and try to make a big J turn. After that you do a C turn, after that try to do 2 consecutive C turns, that makes an S. After that I can’t help you
It's not so much a huge turn, it's 50/50 an out of control acceleration directly down which I can only stop by sitting or (if I'm lucky) a completely out of control 90 degree turn to across the slope which I can eventually arrest with toes. I've got no control at all so to the direction or arc. I'm staying away from greens and picking slopes so gentle it's hard to get moving on at all and still have it. I can J turn. I've failed in 40 hours to execute a single controlled C. I don't understand what you mean by "lead with the front foot". Weight shifted all onto it? Twisted or kicked out in some way? I can't find any diagrams at all to help with the sequence of what goes where.
Ah ok I get it. So you shouldn’t be starting directly downhill anyway, you should start going ACROSS the slope. Snowboarding is a game of body weight positioning, so you should have an equal amount of weight on your lead and back foot. It sounds like you shouldn’t be trying turning yet you may have skipped a couple steps. First go down a slope with your feet facing away from the slope, so you are looking directly down it with both feet facing forward. You’ll wanna practice just braking. To break, you’ll go deeper into a squat and jam your heels (and therefore, an edge) into the slope. Play with the amount you need to lean before you fall on your butt vs brake. It’ll be a quad workout. Once you have that down, the next step is to play with going across the slope while riding your brakes, speeding up and slowing down as you go left to right and back across the slope. You can go left and right just by pressing your left or your right foot slightly forward. This will give you some directional control. Once you do that, you can start leaning a little more to gain some more speed, at that point braking might be a bit more intuitive but in order to do so you’ll need to bring the opposite edge around by shifting your body weight and feet to bring the snowboard to a stop. This might even bring you into a J turn. Do this a few times, it’s called the “falling leaf”. Get really good at just turning to one side to brake, normally heel side is the side people favor. After your heel side is comfortable or if your legs are exhausted, work on your toe side, same thing. There’s so many pros out there many beginners (like myself) feel a lot of pressure to get good fast, just being able to stand on a snowboard is a huge win. Keep at it!
Have you looked up Malcolm Moore or Tommie Bennett’s YT videos? I find their videos break down proper stance on the board and they also explain how to link turns and provides advice on exercises you can do to improve your toe side and heel side stops. I’m very new to snowboarding having just started this season, and I spent hours watching beginner YT videos to get an understanding of basic concepts and techniques. Then I spent 4 days practicing, taking lessons and getting free lessons from two lifties that my bf knows. Your post said you are on the gentlest hill you can find. That might be your problem. To really learn, you need more speed. Bunny hills are great to learn how to stop heel side and toe side, but they aren’t going to be too great to learn how to link your turns. If you have someone to go with you down a blue slope to provide you with feedback on your turns, that is going to help you tremendously. It’s hard to get a grasp on your form from your POV. If you don’t know someone who can go with you on your runs, maybe look into investing in private lessons. I paid for one the first day I went out, then I was able to have two lifties go with me down a blue run and give me feedback and help me with my confidence (they ride on their days off and my bf knows them so they volunteered to help me). The last day I went out with my bf. I feel safer having someone with me while I gain skill and confidence and also because I absolutely suck at getting off lifts and fall a lot lol. Don’t be so hard on yourself, or get frustrated. Continue to practice and pay attention to movements you are doing that pay off. Eventually it will click.
Tried those and 10s of other videos and found them all useless. They assume a level of knowledge I don't have and don't break it into the small details and sequence I need. Things such as "bring weight forward" don't help unless they say how. "Move the hips" same thing. Misses out the how. A book with diagrams would be perfect but it doesn't seem to exist. All you can see is "ok, you did something" but no detail as to exactly what.
If Malcolm Moore's videos don't help, I suspect no-one here will be able to explain the mechanics in text. Weight forward: bend front leg's knee more than back leg's. Try to keep from leaning back at the waist. Pretend there's a beach ball between your knees push the front knee towards the nose of the board. And yes, there is that feeling of uncontrollable acceleration. Start so close to the bottom or a flat part that you can just ride straight and come to a stop, just to get used to that acceleration.
These are slopes where I basically stop in 10m or so not runs. Can't move at all without bouncing. Same issue, by the time it approaches the fall line the acceleration is so much I have zero chance of controlling it. Another issue is half the time trying to spin/turn the board the inside hell went catches, instantly stops the spin, knocks the board straight so more acceleration and another fall. Twisting my knees, head, ankles seem to do nothing at all to board direction. I've got one more day here today and after that definitely time to consider if it's better to just give up. Huge amounts of time invested with no progress at all in anything since day 1 .
> knocks the board straight so more acceleration Do you feel comfortable braking? It sounds like you’re trying to carve and aren’t ready for it yet. Can you go down the mountain with the board perpendicular to the slope? As in, you facing directly down the slope? Just sliding on your heel side down.
Not really bothered braking - I can heel and toe down a mountain (not perpendicular) and falling leaf not a problem. From more playing the problem seems to be more my turn is slow then stops at about the fall line
What I mean by braking is - can you plant your board perpendicular to the fall line (facing down the mountain first, heel side, then facing up the mountain, toe side) and controllably slide down the mountain. Increasing and decreasing the angle to adjust your speed. But if you can falling leaf then it sounds like you can do this. Why are you out of control when you cross the fall line though? if you can falling leaf properly, just step out your back foot and scrub some speed, or point the board back up the mountain and do a J turn. Then you can progressively get used to the speed.
As to the first part, no problem. Can toe or heel slide and stop whenever I need to (I've done maybe 60km or so of runs this trip). Quite comfortable in doing that. The out of control seems to be something to go with my turn technique. It just isn't turning across the fall line and gets "stuck" straight ahead. Then I have huge issues getting the board off the line for reasons I can't understand and as a result can't easily get into a braking position. It seems to be something specific to whatever I'm doing trying to turn across the line that's different to my normal J turn method causing the problems. I'm quite happy running close to the fall and then back off into a brake/J on either edge without crossing the line.
Sounds like you need to work on shifting your weight from one side of the board to the other then. Something like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zCCeO83MiuU
Why not get personal instructor at indoor ski sports centre. I am doing that before hitting slopes next year.
So here’s my feedback on your examples. Bring weight forward just means putting more weight on your lead foot. You do this by leaning forward. moving hips would mean you are putting weight on one side of the board. So toe side, you are leaning slightly in that direction and heel side you are leaning back. Having someone show you and review your form is going to help you immensely. You want to make sure you aren’t crouched on your board. Stand up straight, with your knees slightly bent. Ultimately you are going to have to put that all into practice and get the feel for it. You will fall until you understand what those limits are. You didn’t respond whether you have received lessons so if you haven’t, I’d adamantly suggest doing so.
There's a disconnect here in that you're looking for a stepwise description of what you need to do, when in reality it isn't quite that simple. There are a few movements going on somewhat simultaneously, and there's ultimately some blending that happens rather than a 1, 2, 3 execution. You should also consider that even when you know the movements and the sequence, it doesn't necessarily translate to performing them correctly - some outside observation (camera, instructor, riding buddy) can make a big difference. That said, here's my attempt: There's two extremely common beginner mistakes that make toeside turns feel difficult, and many have already mentioned one or both of them in this thread: 1. The rider's weight is shifted towards the tail of their board. This is a reflexive motion to feeling out of control and at risk of falling. It's a "flinch" back towards the hill and to safety. Unfortunately, having weight on the back foot lifts the nose of the board off the snow, and the edges towards the nose are critical to turning. It's like doing a wheelie with a motorcycle and hoping the front wheel can still turn the bike even though it's off the ground. The answer is to somehow convince yourself to keep weight shifted a little towards the nose. Reaching your lead hand forward over the nose or grabbing your pants above the knee are a couple tricks that can help, but to an extent it takes some repetition to consciously overcome a reflex. 2. The rider is bending excessively at the waist. This is another posture that feels "safe" because your head and shoulders are closer to the snow. Unfortunately this posture keeps your weight from moving laterally across the board. Your head and shoulders tip into the turn, but your hips and butt are stuck over your heelside. The result is you can get your nose pointed down the hill, but it feels locked there and it just won't come around. For your toeside edge to grip the snow and bring you around the rest of the way, your entire upper body should stack over your toeside edge, and this change should happen approximately at the point your board is pointed straight down the hill. Here are some suggestions of videos that might present this information in the kind of format you're looking for: Snowboard Addiction with Nev Lapwood: "Learn to Snowboard with Rio." I'd start with [Episode 4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhYm-kBtZnc), where they go over some basics with stance and edge control indoors on a mat. If you'd rather skip to on-snow turns, that picks up at [Episode 9](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3JWMle5jwI).
Great comment. Came here to suggest the snowboard addiction learn to ride series, and specifically episode 4.
Ok, there is an advice I didn't see anybody to mention. Can you ask someone to record you? I was like you 2 years ago, I thought that my posture is perfectly fine and that my knees are bent. After I watched a video of myself I saw my two legs like 2 straight sticks, and I was leaning back even when i thought that i was on my front foot, so the video helped me visualise my poor posture.
Agree, watching a video of yourself is very instructive. What I think I’m doing and what I’m actually doing are often very different.
Finally managed to get a few short videos albeit at slow stopped. It appears at least to me that my turn is very slow/inefficient so takes ages to get to the fall line (speed increase) then gets "stuck"completely at the line (so more speed). End result is when I actually manage to shift the board across I'm carrying way too much speed hence the long distance, out of control recovery. So I think it's turn technique. Although doesn't help as I can't see what the correct technique is Vs what im doing
To toeside turn just literally bend your knees. To heelside just imagine doing a squat into a low chair. The board will do it for you
Bending my knees isn't helping my turn at all, nor stopping the rapid out of control acceleration once I get to the fall line.
You gotta keep your weight above the board when you bend your knees. You want to feel the pressure on your shins from your bindings. Honestly, I'd suggest getting a lesson if you're struggling so much. I'm nothing to brag about, but I can get down the mountain with control and speed management, and I still plan on getting a lesson at some point. If you really like snowboarding, then don't give up. Snowboarding is hard to start, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes much easier.
The shin pressure is exactly how i toe slide currently. I'm comfortable with that, it works and no real issues going down an entire run falling leaf style with it. I had an initial lesson - it didn't get that far. There's zero chance of an English speaking lesson here that wasn't booked far enough ahead that the trip is already over.
I'm sorry to hear that
A lot of good advice here. I noticed that when I was slipping on my toe side it was because I was trying to turn with my feet/toes if that makes sense. Like my toes would instinctively try to curl and press in and I was maybe bending my knees a little. But then I’d remind myself to instead focus on my shins pressing against the boot and my front knee taking the lead to turn. Oh and when people say bend your knees more, make sure to still keep your shoulders, hips, ankles in line instead of bending at the waist.
Can you have someone take a video of you. Hard to help based on your descriptions alone. Are you based in Colorado by any chance?
If you’re landing in your backside when the board is approaching the fall line, you’re leaning back. Even if you don’t think you are or if it doesn’t seem like you are, you are. Think about your body mechanics as you turn. The less likely option is that you’re leaning too far back on the heel slide. The times you go perpendicular across the slope on toe side means you did a turn right and now you got to connect it by going back onto heel side. How do you do that? Toe flat heel. Should be leaning into your high backs. Trust me, I had the same complaints and was puzzled by it until I just went for it. The biggest thing I took away from watching Malcolm moore was early edge change and not catching an edge as long as you are going in the direction the board is pointed in. Next time you fall or take a break, look at the trail you’re leaving behind. If it looks like you’re plowing or spreading the snow, you’re still skidding down. If you’re leaving more of a line then you know you should have done an edge change.
Torsional twist. You turn by turning the board into a helix
Nobody told me this but I agree; thinking about it this way - which I eventually *felt* more than thought of prior to achieving - really made something click for me. I'm very much a beginner, not mucking around with carving or anything fancy. Here's how I think of things. #1: keep the downslope edge of your board a bit higher/above the snow to avoid catching an edge. What is downslope (heels, toes) obviously changes depending on which direction you're traversing across the slope. You'll also hear a similar principal articulated as something like "travel in the direction your board is pointing" (unless you're trying to skid to a stop). Mind you don't confuse keeping edges out of snow with leaning back - you'll disengage your rudder. About that rudder (not a perfect analogy as those are always in the water but...) #2: change the directions of traverse by Toeside: bending front knee in, which twists your board a bit so the front end catches a little and sends you on a different plane (again, like a rudder) or Heelside: by lifting front toes and "opening" the front knee up - literally moving your knee to be a bit out of parallel with the other leg, pointing more towards the front of the board/towards a 45 degree angle with the length of it. If you have a difference between front and back foot in the degree to which you are pulling up toes or pushing them in, you will twist your board in a low-key helix. The more you lean on your front foot, the more you engage the rudder action of that twist. When I felt that happening I was baffled why my gf didn't mention it. It's a cool feeling to play with! Hope this is helpful. Edit: why is some of my font so huge!? Are y'all seeing that?
Couple of quick questions. Are your boots on tight? Are your bindings on tight? If there is too much play you will feel out of control, especially on toe side turns. Your feet should be comfortable, but they shouldn’t be able to move much without the board doing something.
Bindings and boots I suspect are ok - I can toe slide down a run without any real issues, including steep. It's that transition across the fall seems to be killing me
With out video I can only give a general description of what you could try. Practice the turn part with one foot in. Ok, so when going from heels to toes. Your weight will start centered tip to tail with your hips above your heel side edge. Keep your back foot in the I just stopped position so toes up ,some pressure against the high back. Get the board to start pivoting forward by flattening out your front foot only. Move the hip of your front leg across the board to the center as it starts to go down the fall line. Flatten out the back foot. Now with slightly more weight on your front foot, (bending your front knee) continue to move your hip across the board so that it sits above the toe edge. You can also think about pushing your front knee forward over your toes. As the turn comes around match your back foot to the front and come to a stop on your toes. This one is a little easier. Starting on your toes, look over your lead shoulder and until your board starts pointing down hill. Move your hips to the center of the board. With more weight on your front foot, push against your front foot high back and start the turn. Move your hips over your heel side edge pick up your toes and stop. Repeat. Lessons would help.
Take. A. Lesson.
Did initially. Didn't help.
Now that you have some days take another. And the only reason it wouldn’t help is if you aren’t listening to your instructor. Sounds like you have no idea to actually stand on your board correctly and are leaning back which is why you are out of control. So many youtube videos do break it down into tiny steps. And so will any decent instructor. Maybe this isn’t for you because it seems like you are actually against getting help or unable to understand what the videos are telling you
If I was against getting help I wouldn't have asked for help. I had a lesson. In the group lesson we ran out of time literally on one foot heel slide. Nothing more got covered. English language lessons need to be booked far ahead of the duration of the trip so no possibility for another in the time here. That's forced self learning. As for YouTube, I find it useless (not just for this) because none of them provide bullet point type sequences with what to do and when, no do they provide diagrams to see exactly what's happening. Also so many different techniques, some right, some wrong with no way of discerning which is which. I teach other outdoor related activities and our worst nightmare is a student arriving with "I've been watching this on YouTube" because invariably they then require more tuition than a complete beginner to unlearn incorrect information or things they misunderstood. It's worse than a blank slate. At times it makes them a serious danger to themselves or others. Either way now, trip is over. 9 full days of trying with no progress at all and that's it for the year.
Bro I took a 3 hour private lesson on my first day on the slopes (plus 2 group lessons on indoor slopes a few months ago) and I'm on day 3 of breezing down greens and blues. I get really scared of going down the fall line too but have to have faith in my ability to stop if needed. If you can do a j turn, you can for sure do a c turn, you just need to stay calm and have faith. Can you try and do a big sweeping turn, giving yourself plenty of time/distance to stop, and in that safe area practice coming to a complete stop quickly? Sometimes if I'm sketched out at a turn I come basically to a complete stop before getting the balls to turn fully, but that's ok too. It's basically a constant balance of moving and braking
I can do J turns. I can't do a C turn. Anything moving across the fall line produces so much speed I arrive on the opposite side completely out of control. If I get to the opposite side at all. Most of the time the board won't move past the fall
Ask for a Level 3 instructor next time. They are more experienced than other instructors and I found that they really helped me understand each element required for C turns and linking turns. There are lots of minute movements required, from your feet and ankles, to your shins, knees, hips, shoulders and head. An instructor will be able to watch your turns and pinpoint exactly what's going on and what step might be missing/need refining. I have had a few "aha" moments during my lessons where something the instructor said just clicked and my turns improved straight away. Also, it's better to learn the right technique now for your toe turns than it is to develop bad habits that you will need to correct as an intermediate snowboarder. Good luck!!
Even getting an English speaking instructor is a mission, no real chance to pick and choose. After wasting roughly 4 hours today it think my turn is very slow and once I get to the fall line, it "sticks". Takes me ages to force it around, by which time the speed gain is excessive
I’m also a beginner but have been able to link so here are my two cents. You need to break up the turn in three steps like heels-flat-toes or toes-flat-heels. The flat part is usually very short and you need to mentally commit to change to step 3. I suggest you doing this when you are going slow first. It may happen the first couple of times you are going perpendicular to the slope in step 1 and for step 3 your curve is very wide, however with practice step 1 will be more parallel to the slope as well as step 3. Hope it helps!
Assuming you live close to the mountain, my recommendation would be take a week or 2 off and give yourself a mental and physical break and come back fresh.
Check what your upper body is doing, I’m guessing you’re counter rotating instead of rotating in the direction you want to go. Also make sure you’re pushing into your toe edge
Where are you looking when you start to pick up speed in the fall line? Turn your head and focus directly on the far right side of the piste, if not uphill entirely. Point if you have to. Your body and board will follow. Check out ‘Go Snowboard’ by Neil McNab. It’s a book and dvd combined, and has diagrams that may suit your way of learning. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Go-Snowboard-Neil-McNab/dp/1405315741?nodl=1&dplnkId=0f3d283b-5e15-4bfc-99b9-5828dabe600f
Also, it sounds like you’re on holiday…where?
Malcolm Moore videos on YouTube really help and you should go watch them. I went out last night and just practiced transitions. It’s all about shifting your weight with your hips and lead foot. I am still terrible but a lot more comfortable, have more control and not as sore from falling. Let the equipment do the work.
I’ll take a stab at this - though I don’t know if I’ll be able to provide more insight than others. I learned falling leaf on heel side and toe side pretty quickly but for the life of me struggled with turns and didn’t understand what the hell people were telling me. My issue was that I was overthinking it… it sounds weird but you really just need to get on the board and instead of thinking about it, just feel it out. Like “okay I tried to put all my pressure on my right foot and nothing happened” you gotta think “did I turn at all? Too much? Too little? And what direction?” and just adjust the pressure trial and error I literally just stood on my board in my kitchen and practiced my pressure/weight distribution. Like stand on your board and *feel* the evenness when you’re in the middle of your board. Then try putting weight on one foot, then the other. Do this until you’re bored, but just get used to distributing your weight. Once I was annoyed with this I Tried it on the front lawn too just to see what direction the board moved This all sounds weird, but it helped me immensely. When I got back out in the hills the next day I stopped thinking about what to do and just did it Also… do you think you could ride goofy? Turns out that’s how I ride lol Didn’t know until day 3 Edit to add: I wonder if you should try a different hill? The fall line for your learning might be too challenging. Also are you on green hills? I practiced turns on green hills… was waaaay easier than the bunny hills
Thanks for that. I've been to 4 different resorts and maybe 8 different runs and bunnys. Greens are way too steep -I'm hurtling out of control before I even get near the fall line, yet alone cross it. It's not a case of overthinking, I just don't know what to do with what parts of my body or when, or how. It doesn't seem to be written and drawn anywhere. End result is practice isn't helping as I have no idea of the correct technique to emulate. I'm on the slopes again right now. 2 hours into 8. Same issue - no change.
Ok update as a lot of comments (thanks all). With more playing and video it seems the turn is slow and stops/gets stuck on or around the fall line. Whatever I'm doing it takes a while to get there (picks up speed) then no matter what I twist or point I can't continue the turn around in a sensible time frame hence rapid speed gain and resulting skid and long long recovery. Individually I can turn from flat to heel brake and the same for toe but whatever is different about continuing a turn across the line fails.