Back to Q&A Index of Questions
Q and A with snowboard instructor and author
Chickie Rosenberg, author of:
Snowboarding for Women: a guide for the Betty Shred wannabe
and
Snowboarding for Men: a Guide for Guys
Frequently asked Snowboarding Questions
Question: Why does my board shoot forward out of control?
Answer: You have too much weight concentrated on the tail of the board, most
probably because your upper body is leaning rearward. This is a natural
reaction of your brain telling your body that it is crazy to lean forward
while heading downhill. Try to maintain a more centered stance and stay on
less steep terrain.
Question: Why do I keep
falling when trying to turn onto my heelside?
Answer: You
must allow the board to go flat between the sequence of toeside onto
heelside. The problem usually arises because your vision looks downhill
during that period of sequence. Focus your eyes across not down the hill,
and be sure that you allow the turn to be rounded in shape.
Question: What caused me to crash forward onto
the snow doing a face plant?
Answer: You mistakenly put
your weight on the downhill edge of your snowboard.
Question: Why does my board "chatter" on a
steep slope?
Answer: You are putting too much pressure on
the board because you are leaning back into the hill.
Question: Why do I seem unable to look ahead
and instead keep looking down ?
Answer: Looking at the
board is usually a reaction to nervousness and lack of confidence. Stay on
easy terrain until you have better control which will enable you to look up
and ahead.
Question: After riding a while I
get a nagging pain in by back leg. Is this because of my binding setting?
Answer: Your binding is set too close to zero which creates undue pressure
when you bend your knees. Dial it up a bit to a higher number and see if
your knee can bend more easily. Also, check if your legs are too far apart.
The distance between the centers of each binding should be close to your
shoulder width.
Question: How can I go faster without being
out of control?
Answer: Heading more into the fall line will increase your acceleration,
but the key is to make carved, not skidded, turns.
Question: I've seen photos of myself
snowboarding and I do not look cool: either my butt sticks out or I look
like a stiff. What is the better stance?
Answer: A good
stance is one that is constantly changing, but, in general, one should stand
with knees supple, ready to absorb the irregularities of the terrain. As to
your butt, that is because you are bending over at the waist instead of
bending your knees. This is particularly a problem with tall people who try
to stabilize themselves on the board by lowering their center of mass.
Question: I have been riding a while but
don't seem to get better. Any suggestions?
Answer: Stay on
easier not harder terrain. And, take a lesson.
