turned forward about 20 to 25 degrees from straight across the board. Pick the intermediate positions on the bindings you are using initially. Either or both foot positions can be adjusted and refined later on to fit your style of riding. See the section on bindings (pages 123-29).
The shop will also need to know your boot size. Renting special snowboarding boots is the best way to go. If the shop does not rent boots, and yours are not suitable, you may have a problem. In years past, any old boot worked, but it is now apparent that ankle injuries are the most common non-impact injury. A soft boot, for which the majority of rental bindings are designed, can be an ankle killer. Some bindings have shin straps. These can help, but even with these (or because of them) some sort of stiffening reinforcement and padding in the boot is required. To increase your comfort and safety, solve this problem before spending too much time on the slopes. See the section on boots (pages 119-23).
There is no need to worry about poles and other paraphernalia. Snowboarders don’t use them. Back in the privacy of your home, dig out your wool socks and put your boots and board on just as though you were ready to take off down the hill. Protect the floor and the board with newspapers if necessary. Now is the time to readjust bindings that are too loose, straps that are too tight, safety straps with squirrelly mechanisms, and so forth. Some bindings have more adjustments than you can easily check out in the shop, and having to fiddle with them on the slope will make for a hot temper and cold fingers. It’s far better to figure out the bindings on this dry run before they frustrate you or cause an injury.
Now is also the time to wiggle, lean, twist, rock and roll, and generally get the feel of being strapped onto a board. Practice some deep knee bends. Try jumping. Get used to the board’s weight. Gain authority over the board. Be prepared to grin until your cheeks cramp.
Other Preparations
For Experienced Skiers. You probably have all of the accessories you need and are ready to go. A few items need to be double-checked before using them for snowboarding. Foremost, be aware that some ski goggles do not provide enough peripheral vision for snowboarding. Standing sideways requires some getting used to visually. If you are traversing a slope with your toes facing uphill and your back downhill, you have to crane your neck to see where you are going. You have to twist your head even more when you first want to turn back the other way. Goggles that block the view out of the corners of your eyes will make this more difficult. It is much easier to use wide-angle frames or sport shields.
As an experienced skier, you may be used to falling down only occasionally. That is about to end for a while. Your stocking cap, which always stayed in place before, won’t last three minutes. Gloves and down parkas, which previously stayed dry all day, will be soaked. Plan ahead for such changes.
Experienced skiers naturally do not like the idea of going back to the bunny slope. But bypassing the bunny slope is the main reason that snowboarding has earned its “slam-dunk” image in certain quarters. If you head for the top of the mountain without preparation, you’ll just make face prints all the way down. Be smart. No one is going to recognize you down at the bunny slope anyway. You can wear a balaclava or a face mask to hide your identity if you want. You can also secretively go at night at some resorts. Admit you are a newcomer for a little while. You will soon be improving at a hundred miles an hour, and being hungry for some “vertical,” you will not have to endure the bunny slope for long.
If at all possible, do not go out your first time in icy, hard-packed conditions. If you have no choice, expect to have less fun and more bruises. Also your rate of learning will be diminished—perhaps so much that you will give up without knowing what you are missing.
For Non-skiers. Dress for winter; pile on the padding. No matter how “hot” you may be as an “otherboarder,” you are about to get snow up, down, and all around. Remember how much fun it was to make angels in the snow when you were little? You will make a few more before you become proficient at snowboarding.
Use the established layered clothing method: polypropylene or other “wicking” synthetic next to the skin, wool or bulky synthetic intermediate, and an outer layer for snow and wind proofing. No cotton anywhere. Use the heaviest winter hat you own. It will double as a helmet. Heavy mittens, knee pads, and a butt pad are helpful.
Eye protection is very important. Modern sport shields (frameless goggles) give excellent ultraviolet light protection. They also will crossover for use in other outdoor sports. The same goes for good-quality sport sunglasses with retainers—but be sure they will not cut you when (not if) you fall on your face. Wide-view ski goggles are also excellent. Full ski goggles are not necessary until you reach the stage of cruising very fast or unless it is snowing heavily. However, avoid goggles that block your peripheral vision. For more details, see the section on accessories, page 129.
Lessons
It’s well worth your time and money to take lessons from a professional snowboard instructor. There is little doubt that you will learn easier and faster. Just a few hours of instruction will put you well on your way to a safe and enjoyable experience.
If you do not have the money, and if you have been skateboarding, skiing, or surfing for a long time, you can combine your experience with what can be learned from this Complete Book of Snowboarding. Those related activities involve many skills that will transfer and be extremely helpful. This is not to say that snowboarding is the same as these activities. Snowboarding is unique—deceptively so. Still, balance is balance. And banking is banking. Videos can also help provide some instruction. For those who have skied, being able to recognize bad snow conditions at a distance and knowing your way around ski areas are huge advantages.
If you do not have a good background in skateboarding, surfing, or skiing, save up some more allowance or go back to work or go into debt, but take lessons. This is the consensus of snowboarders everywhere. (Many competent snowboarders enjoy teaching their friends.)
CHAPTER 2
First Runs
Setting Up
Finally the moment of truth has arrived. You can sense that you are about to embark on a challenging adventure. Who knows what exhilaration and thrills await you?
Make your way to the bottom of a small slope. The bunny slope at a ski resort is better than a snowy golf course or local sledding hill. Although local hills will work, there is sometimes a reduced fee for the use of bunny slope lifts compared to regular lifts. You will get your “snow legs” quickly, and you can log a lot more mileage with a simple lift. In fact, you can learn about the feel of the board and how it handles going both down the hill and up the hill on a surface lift. But don’t worry about lifts quite yet. Stay on the flats.
Find a flat area and strap in the front foot only. Sitting or standing while fixing the bindings is a matter of personal preference, but sitting or kneeling will probably work best initially. Attach the safety strap first and always brush away any loose snow from inside the binding. With high-back-style bindings, do the ankle strap first, then the toe, and then the shin strap (if there is one). See the section on bindings, page 123. There is no reason to tighten the toe strap down very hard. It just holds the boot in position between the stiff sides of the binding. Similarly, do not overly tighten shin straps. Some instructors recommend that you not use shin straps, especially the one on your rear foot, when you first start. Remember the safety strap is required at all ski areas.
Before clamping in your rear foot, pretend you are on a skateboard and “skate” around on the flats. Place the rear foot between the bindings and glide for a few feet. After skating around until you feel comfortable with the new sensations, you have several options.
Option 1. Walk up a little slope. This can be done for a short way with the board still on your front foot.
