2 Easy Guides On How to Learn To Ski And Snowboard

If you are brand new to skiing and snowboarding, have never tried to ski or snowboard and are intending to try them out now, then prepare yourself for some initial challenges. The reality of learning how to ski and snowboard is that even the most gifted athlete has a tough time in the beginning. You will fall many times in the beginning, and might even get hurt a little bit with some cuts and bruises.

If you are trying to choose between one or the other, there is a general criticism that most people discover in their experience with the snow. That is, skiing is not difficult to learn, however it is difficult to master, while snowboarding is more difficult to learn, but easier to master.

In addition, with skiing, beginner techniques can be disintegrated into the modular approach, but perfection requires you to become highly technical.

With snowboarding, beginner techniques are placed at the edges (both heels and toes). As most snowboarders will tell you, this is the hardest part, but once this is mastered, you can reach a pretty impressive level very quickly with snowboarding, especially if you are bold.

One of the most valuable advice to have in the back of your mind when learning how to ski and snowboard, is that no matter how hard both of them can be, there is still a lot of fun to be had with both. You just need a lot of endurance and continued practice to perfect your skills. For you to be a professional in skiing and snowboarding you have to learn from a good instructor, but there are a few ways that you can learn the slopes on your own too.

How to Ski

1. It’s All About Body Position

Skiing is achieved with a straightforward, straight-on stance. The beginner skier has complete use of their vision (especially with goggles on) and have a clearer idea of where they are going as well as everything that might be in front of them. On the other hand, snowboarding positions are from the side, so the beginner skier will have less use of their vision, only seeing around 50% of what is in front of them while traveling down the hills. This can also take a little bit of getting used to for the beginner skier.

Learn the skills slowly and gradually. You have to build your foundation. At the start of your practice, you might find yourself surrounded by lots of kids younger than you that are also trying to learn the slopes, but this is only temporary. Once your foundation is built, you will be successful in addressing the major slopes with confidence and ease. Learning to properly balance your body is the first major step.

2. Overall Fitness

Cycling a form of exercise that is SnowSkool recommended, especially for skiers, because it strengthens the possibility of the legs, but has less impact than running on the knees and joints. General exercise for strengthening your legs will also help in your ability to handle skiing. This is also a great tip that can be carried over to snowboarding.

If you want to be a good skier or snowboarder, you must be fit in order to be able to properly do the sport. Overall fitness will aid you in both, but if you are looking for a more targeted experience, skiing asks more of you from your legs, while snowboarding needs more core energy. The upper body is more utilized due to the turning and balance involved in skiing. For more tips on snowboarding, continue reading below.

How to Snowboard

1. Follow the Powder

Ice should always be avoided. Ice is either the result of artificial snow made by a snow cannon or the result of snow when it hasn’t snowed in a while. Either way, ice makes it difficult to maintain control while snowboarding. You will learn quickly, that powder is what you’d prefer to snowboard on. As soon as you can make turns, you’ll understand why. It allows you to make weightless bends as if you were surfing. It turns little spring beds and gullies into mile-long half channels.

2. Avoid Learning in “Boilerplate” Conditions

Learning to ride in hard, icy conditions may be a rite of passage in certain parts of the world, but it’s also mostly avoidable, depending on the time of day and the time of year. For example, once spring conditions arrive and snow melts in the afternoon and refreezes at night, wait to begin your lessons/practice until the afternoon when snow lowers. If it’s the middle of winter and there’s been no new snow for three weeks, plan to visit the hill the next time there’s fresh snow to make snowboarding easier.

An important part of your progression is keeping yourself knowledgeable about weather conditions. Access the weather report before you head up to the mountain to snowboard.

However, take some time to excel at it. You will be rewarded with a delicious experience after you have learned all that you need to know.

The post 2 Easy Guides On How to Learn To Ski And Snowboard appeared first on Lifehack.