Snowboarding Tips: Spinning 1`s and 3`s

Spinning 180

First off, how strong is your switch riding? It really helps a lot if you are somewhat comfortable riding switch. If you are not, I highly recommend spending some time getting comfortable with it. Additionally, you should be able to do 180 flat spins (some people refer to this as helicopter) easily. This is where you spin around without your board actually leaving the snow, just turning the board up through the fall line to switch ride. Ideally, you should be comfortable doing this move in both directions. You can begin dialing this in if you like by doing at home on the carpet to get your spin down while you have some good solid footing to work with before you add the slippery snow and movement to the mix.
Terrain:
Pick gentle green terrain that is smooth and well groomed.

Movement and performance concepts to think about:

You will be rotating your body to pivot the board around it`s center.
You will flex, then extend your legs to push yourself off the ground, then flex your legs to draw the board up towards your body for the rotation, then extending your legs to prepare for landing, keeping your knees bent a little to absorb the shock as you land.
you will want to maintain a low edge angle for this maneuver and keep equal weight on both feet.

Performing FS 180 while riding gentle, green terrain:

Find a flat spot to begin practice without directional movement. To jump up off the ground, start low with your legs flexed, briskly extend your legs to "pop" off the ground. As you come back down, keep your legs extended slightly (not locked) bending the knees to soften the landing. Do this a few times until you are comfortable and stable.
Now you are ready to throw some rotation into this jumping. Again, start low with your legs flexed, looking at the tail of your board. To do a frontside 180 powerfully extend your legs and as the body starts to move up, begin looking toward and past the nose of your board. The important thing to remember is the "head leads, and the body follows" your body will tend to go where your head is looking. Time the rotation with the extension and jump so that your shoulders have rotated past the nose of your board when the board leaves the ground. Much of the rotational power will come from the hips as your lower body follows the upper body around. Your front foot will travel "heelward' and your rear foot will travel "toeward". As you rotate around to the 180 point, stop your rotation by focusing on one spot at the 180 point (looking up the hill). Avoid the temptation to turn your head back toward the nose of the board (downhill) before you land, as this can cause you to prematurely halt your rotation and cause you to land with your board a bit sideways.

Remember to keep a low edge angle and slightly bend your legs to soften the landing. Doing this backside is the same except your rotation is opposite. You will start out by looking at the nose of your board, then as your body starts to move up, look at and past the tail of your board, rotating your hips so that your front foot moves "toeward" and the rear foot moves "heelward"
When you have mastered this rotation thing, you are ready to try this on the slope while moving...keep your speed low at first and try to find some soft areas. Some people find that it helps them if they start out switch, then do the 180 to land normal as they tend to be more stable on landing. Also, I find it is easier to do this as a gentle traverse across the fall line to avoid gaining too much speed while doing the maneuver. As you land, flex to absorb the landing and also get your center of gravity lower for stability. Keep your edge angle low so you don`t dig in and take an unexpected and sudden turn. Keep just a bit of pressure on your uphill edge.


Spinning 360
When doing 360`s it is common to try to wind up too aggressively and there is a risk of pulling muscles, especially in the lower back. A well executed 360 should not be a huge strain in your trunk muscles.
It is much easier, physically, to do a 360 with more speed and height but it is psychologically more difficult due to fear. Increase speed gradually as you gain confidence. Again, pick gentle green, well groomed terrain and pick a soft pow day if possible to minimize chance of injury.

Movement and performance concepts to think about:
As before, you will be rotating your body to pivot your board around it`s center. Additionally, you will work on "scissoring" your legs to further rotate the board.
You will be flexing and extending your legs as in the 180, but will try to do it more rapidly to gain more power and a higher jump. Remember to flex joints fat landing to soften impact. Attempt to maintain an erect posture and utilize a low edge angle with equal weight on both feet. You will try to take off and land flat when in the fall line.

Spinning FS 360:
Again, I suggest doing a little prep work on a flat spot before adding movement to the mix. When you do decide to do this in motion, watch your speed and select well groomed, even terrain. Leading with the head, practice 180`s using full body rotation. Generate rotational power from the upper body and relax the legs during the spin. Now try jumping straight up and scissoring your legs to produce a 180. Try to do this with just your legs, keeping the upper body quiet. At first you may only get 90 degrees of rotation, but keep at it until you make a full 180 by scissoring your legs. Practice completing your 180 by the apex of your jump. Practice jumping your board as high off the ground as possible when spinning. The 360 is basically two 180`s. Make the first 180 by rotating the entire body. Make the second 180 by scissoring your legs.
You will likely find that in the first few attempts you will make it about 270. You can complete the final 90 degrees as a flat board spin upon landing (remember to use a low edge angle). Keep practicing and eventually you will start landing them correctly. In learning these, you can "cheat" a little and spin a 270. To do this, you carve the first 90 degrees before takeoff. This is`nt a true 3, but it is a helpful way to get used to the feeling of the 3 and spotting your landing before committing to the full 3.
One nice thing about 3`s is that you can start and complete them riding the same direction, unlike a 180 where you will be switch either taking off or landing. As you gain some confidence, you will find that 3`s are easier with more speed and more air time. Gradually increase speed and height as you feel comfortable.

The main thing about doing these is practice. Expect to fall a lot as you work on this. Pick soft days when pushing yourself and remember that you learn more going slow than you do when bombing along at high speed. Also, practicing on a stable surface like a carpeted floor is also a great way to get used to the maneuver prior to doing it on the fly out on the slope.

To do these spins backside, the concept is almost identical, but the feeling is different. Personally, I feel I can generate a lot more rotational force doing them BS. It is my opinion that the main reason for this is because a BS spin naturally causes you to "close" your upper body up tight whereas in a FS spin, you tend to open up your upper body. Some people feel more comfortable landing a BS 3 because you can spot your landing sooner than in a FS 3. Either way, the movement concepts are the same. Just be aware of the natural tendency to "open up" in A FS spin.

Snowboarding Tips: Learning to Turn

The heelside turn

Now for the turning thing.....On your toe edge, slow yourself down almost to a complete stall before starting the turn. With just your front foot, begin relaxing that toe pressure so the nose of the board begins to slide downhill toward the fall line. Shift your weight a tad toward your front foot and bend your knees a bit more than when traversing. Also, shift your front shoulder over the heel edge of the board. As the board rotates down the hill, begin to relax the toe pressure you were holding on the rear foot. The idea here is to have the board riding totally flat for a moment at the point it is gliding straight down the hill. Gradually increase the heel pressure on the front foot to get the heel edge to bite into the snow and start the turn. Once the turn is established and you are about halfway into the turn, follow through with the rear foot to bring the board up on it`s heel edge to carve the remainder of your turn. This is a timing thing and most people in the beginning tend to rock onto the heel edge too soon when the board is pointed down the fall line. Give yourself a count of 2 then come in with the rear foot.

To avoid overturning up the hill, a few degrees before you are across the fall line, ease up on that heel pressure on the front foot and the board will travel in a straight line across the hill.

Remember....DONT LEAN BACK! when pointed straight down the hill and accelerating. This "speed anxiety" will totally screw you because if you have no weight on the front of your board, it is never going to turn for you. Additionally, you can squat down a little in the turn to counteract the centrifugal forces that want to pull you to the outside of the turn. Also, it is important to look where you want to go. Sounds kinda funny, but really, your body will generally go where you are looking so turn your head and look over your lead should as you begin the heelside turn.

The toeside turn

Anyway, my advice is to go back to basics for a few runs. Get up toeside and learn to sideslip toeside then do the falling leaf thing and then some J turns to a stop then do Garlands. Stay on your toe edge the entire time when doing this. You might have to do this in sessions as people who are just beginning to do toeside work will get tired very quickly from their calf muscles burning. You don`t use these muscles like this in everyday life or other sports like you do in snowboarding. Conditioning makes this easier and you will be able to ride longer toeside with practice. Just remember that when you are on that toe edge, not to relax and let you`re heels drop and catch the edge causing a slam. When you start getting tired, take a break!

Now for the turning thing.....On your heel edge, slow yourself down almost to a complete stall before starting the turn. With just your front foot, begin relaxing that heel pressure so the nose of the board begins to slide downhill toward the fall line. Shift your weight a tad toward your front foot and bend your knees a bit more than when traversing. Also, shift your front shoulder over the toe edge of the board. As the board rotates down the hill, begin to relax the heel pressure you were holding on the rear foot. The idea here is to have the board riding totally flat for a moment at the point it is gliding straight down the hill. Gradually increase the toe pressure on the front foot to get the toe edge to bite into the snow and start the turn. Once the turn is established and you are about halfway into the turn, follow through with the rear foot to bring the board up on it`s toe edge to carve the remainder of your turn. This is a timing thing and most people in the beginning tend to rock onto the toe edge too soon when the board is pointed down the fall line. Give yourself a count of 2 then come in with the rear foot.

To avoid overturning up the hill, a few degrees before you are across the fall line, ease up on that toe pressure on the front foot and the board will travel in a straight line across the hill.

Remember....DONT LEAN BACK! when pointed straight down the hill and accelerating. This "speed anxiety" will totally screw you because if you have no weight on the front of your board, it is never going to turn for you.

Snowboard Tips: The Chairlift

One of the more frustrating things for the new rider is the chairlift. The first few days on the hill, this thing can become a person`s personal demon. Many instructors do not spend any time providing their students with good information and tips that will make negotiating this beast a piece of cake. As riders we all see it; that poor "newbie" starfishing on the unloading ramp or the human debris pile as all of the occupants of a given chair end up in a tangle of limbs and snowboards. Much of this can be avoided with some simple tips, thus avoiding embarrassment for the "victim" and frustration for the other riders waiting to unload.

Loading the Chairlift

As you skate through the maze and await your turn to load, remember to keep your shoulders parallel and over your board. Lead with your shoulder; don`t turn your upper body to face forward as this will ultimately cause your lower body and board to rotate. As soon as the person in front of you is in the loading position, be ready to immediately skate out right behind their chair as it passes in front of you. Don`t delay here, or you will set yourself up for trouble by being chased by your chair. When you are in the loading position, remember to remain standing sideways, that is with your board pointing the direction the chair is going to take you. When the front edge of the seat nudges you in the leg, sit down on the butt cheek attached to your back (free) foot, grasping the back of the chair with your back hand, lifting your back foot up out of the snow. Once seated, keep your board straight and keep the tip lifted. The reason you do not want to sit back right away and let your board rotate across the direction of travel is because it can catch in the snow and pull you off of the chair. Usually the very next thing that occurs is the chair hits you in the back of the head. As soon as you leave the ground and have the clearance, go ahead and sit back comfortably and enjoy the ride.

Unloading the Chairlift

Just like an aircraft on final approach, you need to lower the landing gear and prepare for landing. As you start coming toward the unloading area, say at the last tower, you need to position your body to ride off of the chair. Do this by raising the safety bar if you had it down and grabbing the back of the chair with your back hand. Slide yourself around so you are now sitting half on-half off of the chair. You are simply moving your body to the same position it was in to load the chair. Your front foot should be hanging down relaxed and tip of your board should be pointing the direction of travel (no sideways boards here, keeping your board straight and true is crucial to getting off of the chair smoothly). One tip that seldom gets passed on is, as you are about to land, put your back foot on your stomp pad, or on your board next to the rear binding. The idea here is to simply stand up and ride away without having to stand up one footed and find your board with the free foot as you`re gliding off of the ramp. Just like that aircraft coming in to land, you need to flare by raising the nose of your board so that it makes contact with the snow under your bindings. At this point, all you need to do is stand up. Use the chair for balance as you are getting up. I recommend putting the flat of your rear hand on the seat cushion and pushing off of it gently. Again, there is nothing special about this; you are now in position to perform a basic, simple glide away from the chairlift. One of the biggest problems for the new rider is they lean back when getting off of the lift and their board goes out from under them, dumping them on their butts.This is alleviated by aggressively leaning forward (toward the nose of your board). Leaning back is a recipe for disaster...DO NOT LEAN BACK! . When getting off of the lift, if you think you are leaning too far forward, you are probably just about right. Don`t let the steepness or iciness of the ramp freak you out. They all have good runouts usually. The steeper the ramp, the quicker your board will take off and the farther you should lean forward; stay ahead of the board and be ready to anticipate how it is going to react! Also, keep your knees bent so you can shift your weight as needed for balance. Try not to worry about turning or doing anything fancy when gliding away from the lift other than avoiding other riders or fixed objects of course.

Multiple riders on a chair

A lot of new riders get freaked out on a high speed quad loaded with 4 other happy riders or skiers. Don`t let this scare you. If possible, ride on the outside of the chair. This allows you a clear escape route away from your chairmates. If you are very new to riding, it is almost always true that your chairmates will ride away much faster than you do, so be patient and let them get out of your way, taking the rear position. Ideally, the two outside riders will steer a bit away from the center path, keeping it clear for the center riders. Think of it like a four lane street coming to T intersection. Two right turn lanes and two left turn lanes. Don`t try to turn right from a left turn lane!

When you fall

I say when not if because we all sometimes fall for a variety of reasons...alcohol being a big factor! The number one thing on your mind when you fall getting off of the lift, should be getting off of the "runway" as you have landing traffic right behind you. This is not the time to adjust your bindings, or brush snow off, get the hell out of the way ASAP! Having said that, be very careful about raising your head up as there may be a chair right above you. Stay low and crawl or slide left or right, whichever is closest to leave that runway clear. Then get up an act like it`s no big deal because as long as you get out of the way, it is`nt.

Additional thoughts

(1) Get in the habit of collapsing your rear binding highback while waiting in the lift line; often there is not much clearance under the chair and highbacks get broken when caught under the chair.

(2) If you are loading on either end, sit as close to the end as possible and give the middle people room to load.

(3) If you have the option, regular riders should favor sitting to the right and goofy riders to the left so boards are pointing in opposite directions under the chair during the ride up.

(4) Always Make sure no loose clothing has become looped around or stuck in the chair.

(5) When exiting the chair, try to ride angled away from each other so as to provide maneuvering room.