Snowboard turns are fundamental maneuvers that rely on shifting your weight and applying pressure to your board's edges to control direction.
Learning to turn on a snowboard involves mastering the use of your board's two edges: the heelside edge (controlled by pressing down with your heels) and the toeside edge (controlled by pressing down with your toes). Turns are typically made by transitioning from one edge to the other or by using edge pressure to steer while traversing the slope.
Here's a breakdown of a basic turning method, often used to transition from a heelside traverse to a toeside turn:
Executing a Basic Turn
Follow these steps to initiate and complete a fundamental turn on your snowboard:
- Start from a heelside traverse. Begin riding across the slope with your weight primarily on your heels, balancing on the heelside edge of your snowboard. This provides stability and allows you to control your speed.
- Press down on your front toes, the board will begin to point downhill. Gently shift your weight forward and apply pressure to the toes of your front foot. This slight movement causes the board's nose to drop towards the fall line (the steepest part of the slope), initiating the turn.
- When you feel the snowboard start to turn and point straight downhill, press down on the toes of your back foot. As the board becomes flat on the snow or starts to carve slightly towards the toeside, increase pressure on the toes of your back foot. This engages the toeside edge and helps steer the board through the turn.
- Rotate your front knee in slightly to make a complete C-shaped turn and come to a stop. Continue applying pressure to your toeside edge and slightly rotate your lead knee inward. This body movement helps carve a smooth, C-shaped turn back across the slope and allows you to control your speed or come to a stop on your toeside edge.
Key Concepts for Turning
- Edge Pressure: Applying pressure to either your heels or toes determines which edge is engaged, controlling your direction and ability to carve or slide.
- Weight Distribution: Shifting your weight between your front and back foot, and between your heels and toes, is crucial for initiating and controlling turns.
- Looking Ahead: Always look where you want to go. Your body tends to follow your line of sight, which helps guide the turn.
Mastering turns takes practice. Start on gentle slopes and focus on smooth, controlled movements rather than sharp, abrupt turns.
