Snowboard Hut

Amy N. asked:


Snowboarding is a winter sport that has seen a remarkable increase in popularity over the years. Learning to snowboard can seem difficult to the novice, but with a little motivation and patience, one will soon discover the fun and excitement of snowboarding down a hill.

If you are a first time snowboarder, you need to be aware of the equipment and clothing required for snowboarding. Equipment you will need include a snowboard, snowboard boots, goggles or sunglasses, helmet, comfortable clothing, gloves, winter hat, sunscreen, and lip balm. You can even purchase snowboard pants and a jacket. Long underwear underneath relaxing pants is preferred choice. A turtleneck or sweatshirt is a good choice. You should also have a cloth to wipe goggles.

Before you purchase a snowboard and boots, rent the equipment to make sure that it is a sport you will be participating in often. When you are walking on the slope, watch out for other people or objects that you might hit with your snowboard.

How well you snowboard depends on how well you learn and use the various snowboard stances. Stances consist of a mix of footing, width of a stance, centering, angles, and the offset.

The following are general basic tips for a snowboard stance:

Positioning: Choose the foot that you will place in the front. This will be the foot that is the easiest to control.

Width of your Stance: The ‘Stance Width’ is the distance between the center of your front and back binding. The width of the stance usually depends on your height. As well, the most comfortable width is typically equal to the width of the snowboard rider’s shoulders.

To help you get the best stance, the following is a height guide for setting one’s width stance:

Height (feet) Width (inch)

Less than 5′1″: 17-18

5′2″ - 5′4″: 18-19

5′5″ - 5′8″: 19-20

5′9″ - 6′0″: 20-21

Greater than 6′: 22-23

Set your Binding Angles: For the novice, a ‘forward stance’ is recommended as the easiest stance. Angles for this type of stance are +20 degrees / +6 degrees. Binding stance angles are the angles that the bindings are mounted in relation to the snowboard.

Set your Stance Offset: ‘Stance Offset’ is the distance between the middle of the bindings and the middle of the snowboard. One has to select their stance offset such as in the middle or set back towards the tail of the snowboard.

Stance Centering: ‘Centering the Stance’ is when the feet are centered across the width of the snowboard. This is achieved by shifting the binding disks.

The above snowboarding tips are met as an introduction to snowboarding. If you are new to the sport, you should enlist the services of a qualified snowboard instructor. A snowboard instructor will teach you such snowboarding techniques as Switching Edges, Gliding, Moving up the Slope, Sideslipping (Heelside), Sideslipping (Toeside), Traversing (Heelside), Traversing (Toeside), Falling Leaf, and Garlands.

With an understanding of the snowboarding basics, it won’t be long before you are soaring down the slopes.

Jasmine Stone asked:


Snowboarding accidents happen every single day and the reasons for this vary from person to person, and from accident to accident. Despite this, one thing remains prominent. Of those accidents, many of them could have been stopped with appropriate care and attention from the snowboarders involved. This is why we have to realise that snowboarding is a dangerous sport, and therefore health and safety should always remain an issue to any snowboarder.

The first thing that any snowboarder has to remember is to wear appropriate protective head wear. Protective head wear may not look as cool, or even be as warm as a hat, but when it comes to going down the slopes wearing one could save your life. In 2003 15 people suffered fatal head injuries whilst snowboarding. This number could have been reduced to 0 if those 15 people had chosen wear a helmet whilst snowboarding. When people go snowboarding and do not wear a helmet, they do not take precautions based on this, and are still happy to attempt stunts such as jumps, slaloms which involve dodging trees, and other activities that could not be recommended. People have to remember that snowboarding is in the top 10 most dangerous sports, and I would call on the authorities within the sport to drive even further towards excellence in health and safety.

My brother is a keen snowboarder and recently broke his leg whilst snowboarding. Although this was not his fault, many of the complications that went along with the injury could have been avoided with due care and attention. This includes the fact he was stranded on a slope for over 4 hours before he was noticed by a boarder who was then able to go and get help. But how could this have been avoided. Firstly he should not have chosen to hit the slopes on his own. Through doing this problems arise automatically, if you do have to go snowboarding on your own then make sure you tell people that you are away. I would also call on snowboarding facilities to keep better records of who is on the slope, and for what time. This could certainly help with many issues.

I would secondly advice and call for people to carry mobile phones with them when they go snowboarding. Even, a mobile phone on its own may not be enough if you do not have a signal or do not have any battery left in your phone. This is why I advise that you ensure that your battery is full at all times, and that you also take appropriate care to ensure that you have a replacement SIM card. If you have a replacement SIM card that works on your phone you may be doubling the chances of you being able to contact someone if you phone does not work. This is why people also choose to carry a torch, a flare or an air horn. All of these can work in alerting people to a situation as long as they are near where you currently are.

Health and safety are prominent issues in snowboarding and that is why we all, have to be careful that we abide by them. Through choosing to take simple measure we can all choose to snowboard, and enjoy ourselves at the same time. Do not make yourself another statistic.

nlwest21 asked:


Snowboarding is an extreme sport that should not be avoided. It is exhilarating and adventurous and when mastered is so much fun! I know that just thinking about it is daunting - but it might just be easier then you think - but it can still be tricky for many people to learn. Before you take your board out there on the slopes you need to know what you need and the basics of how to do it.

The first thing we want to talk about is how you need to dress when you go snowboarding. Make sure that you were a helmet that is specifically for snowboarders. Make sure it fits well and does not move around on your head or sit too low on your forehead. At the same time it shouldn’t be too tight.

Wearing the right type of boots is also important. Make sure that this too fit your feet well - but are not too tight. You want to be able to move around easily - but not have them fall off.

Underneath those shoes you should wear high socks. Tuck your pants into your boots. You’ll find that when your boots rub against your skin all day it will rub them raw. I don’t care what people say - you should never wear more then one pair of socks. It will make your boots tighter and decrease the circulation of blood that travels to your feet. This can increase your risks of frosty toes.

Snowboarding For Beginners

The first thing you need to do is figure out which foot will be your lead foot. It is common that people who are right handed will lead with their left foot or the other way around. Of course this does not always apply to everyone. If you are not quite sure which one you should lead with then you should just do what is comfortable for you.

Once you have figured it out place your lead foot into the front binding and fasten it tightly in. If you are using the step in type of board then you want to make sure that it fits in perfectly and tightly. Once the lead foot is secure place your other foot in the right position. Try to get a feel for the board by bouncing around and moving a little. Try not to fall over!

Obviously you should have someone with you who knows what they are doing so that if anything happens to you or you need any help then can assist you. Have them make sure that you put your board on right and let them lead you to the proper ski lift. Remember to get on and off the ski lift with your snowboard.

Once you have left the chairlift you will not start to go very fast down the mountain. You will be starting off on a small hill where you will be able to turn and board your way to a much larger hill. These small hills are called bunny hills or practice hills. Go to the edge of this hill. Sit down and make sure that your board is perpendicular to the hill and place your foot in the binding. Make sure that the binding is secure. You shouldn’t be able to move your foot around.

Stand up and then apply pressure to your lead foot - the one in front - and bend your knees and keep your back straight. You need to feel well balanced. When you apply pressure make sure that you and not leaning your body. Just pressing your feet firmly to the ground. Now you are ready to take off. Just remember that you are a beginner and you are going to fall down a few times before you get it right.

Reminders For Snowboarders

Please remember to follow any safety instructions that your trainer has told you. You also need to make sure that you have the proper snowboarding equipment before you hit the slopes. To make sure you have done this ask a clerk at the store which one would be best for you (a beginner) to use.