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Archive for April, 2009

Tricks And Snowboard Rails

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snowboard tricks
anonymous asked:


If you are a trick rider on your snowboard, you are very familiar with snowboard rails. If you are a novice snowboarder that sticks to simple stuff on the hills, you are probably not all that familiar with snowboard rails. In any event, they will become prominent with snowboarders that are into the more extreme aspects and into showing off on your board for your friends or for those significant others that pack the hills.

Checking out snowboard tricks is a great way to spend some time in the season, so learning those tricks is a great way to get yourself some of that attention. Learning the rails is a great place to start for that type of thing.

Snowboard rails are metal bars that snowboarders use to slide off of when they are doing tricks. Sliding on the rail is often referred to by those in the know with snowboarding terms as “grinding”. Grinding is a popular way to snowboard and it has become so popular that the famous X-games cover a lot of grinding and snowboard tricks at their events.

The rails are popular at these sorts of events and gather a significant crowd. Tapping into that energy means getting to know your board and your riding style so that you can hop on the rail and start grinding in a style all your own.

Working The Crowd

There are a lot of “snow parks” that are like skate parks. These places are great for learning to ride the snowboard rails and get acquainted with a lot of the tricks. They are effectively safe havens for riding your board and getting the most out of the experience without falling flat on your face in front of a large crowd.

Snow parks attract a crowd all their own, from novices checking the place out to experts planting their feet on some fresh new moves for the rails. Either way you look at it, a snow park is a great way to learn how to work the crowd on the snowboard rails.

Since practice makes perfect and since you have obviously practiced until sundown at a snow park, you’re probably ready to ride the rails on a larger scale. If you’re not ready, you’re not confident, so don’t discount spending a lot of time riding the snowboard rails to get your footing and to get your own flow going.

Having your own pace and flow means that you will be able to control yourself and, more importantly, control the crowd as they react to your skills on the hills.



Ski Fitness Training

Written by Snowboard And Ski Guy

April 19th, 2009 at 6:40 am

Equipment Used For Snowboarding Can Be Found At Any Snowboarding Shop

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snowboard tricks
Scott asked:


For those who are interested in going on a first snowboarding holiday and need to know more about equipment used for snowboarding they would need to find a good snowboarding equipment outlet where they could find the type of board to use as well as other snowboarding equipment. The first and most important equipment used for snowboarding is obviously the snowboard and one may be quite surprised at first at the size of the snowboard, which is quite large.

When choosing equipment used for snowboarding and more specifically a snowboard, one should ensure that the length of the board should reach up to the person’s chin though there are exceptions such as heavier people need to choose a board that is longer and not so flexible. Also, in case of light persons, the board could be somewhat shorter and also more flexible. The width of the snowboard should be enough to prevent the feet from hanging over the edge and bigger feet necessarily require wider boards. One should also know that in the equipment used for snowboarding, snowboards can either be freestyle/freeriding or Alpine.

Snowboards, boots, clothes and glasses and helmets

The second equipment used for snowboarding is the boots which need to fit well and should also be comfortable. Not having the boots that fit correctly can inhibit control of snowboarding movements and correct fitting boots would boost self confidence and help in more adventurous snowboarding activities.

Generally, one may find soft snowboarding boots or hard snowboarding boots. Soft boots are light and provide good support and are most often used by beginners and are made up of an inner liner that is good for support and also an outer layer that provides traction and shock absorption and are flexible for performing tricks. Hard boots go hand in hand with Alpine snowboards and are quite like ski boots having a rigid back from the heel up and provides better edge when turning.

The next equipment used for snowboarding is the binding that links the above two items together and there are two types of bindings; one is the strap bindings and the other step-in bindings. Strap bindings are for beginner snowboarders and are mostly attached to the board, especially rented boards and have a high back plate to support the ankles and are similar to the support provided by the back of the ski boot. The strap-in bindings cause a lot of inconvenience as it involves a lot of bending to tighten the straps. Other equipment used for snowboarding includes clothing, glasses and helmets.



Best Online Snowboard Coaching!

Written by Snowboard And Ski Guy

April 14th, 2009 at 9:28 pm

Avoid Mistakes in Choosing Your First Snowboard

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snowboard tricks
Jim Garza asked:


Snowboarding is a great winter sport and in the past few years has attracted many new fans to the slopes. One common phase that all of these new converts go through is walking into the pro shop for the first time and choosing a snowboard. What are the important features to look for?

The first decision you have to make is are you going to get a cheap board or are you prepared to pay for a more expensive quality board? Many beginners believe that they will eventually graduate beyond the novice stage so why should they spend good money on a beginners snowboard. The answer to that is that a beginners board will not give you the same experience as a good quality board. A cheaper board will be made of cheaper materials and will not be constructed as well. A good decision is to go for the best quality board you can reasonably afford. A good beginners board should not cost you more than about $500.

Also, keep in mind that there is an after market for used snow boards – and a quality board will fetch more money and sell faster than a cheap board. When you are ready to move up to intermediate level and want to get a new board, you have a choice. Either resell your snowboard or pass it down to a younger sibling, relative, or friend.

The second decision you will probably make is whether you should get a men’s snowboard or a woman’s snowboard. For men and boys, the decision is simple – get a men’s snowboard. Women, however, have a choice. Many of the better quality women’s board were built specifically for women, for their shape. In addition, many of these snowboards were designed with input from women pro snowboard riders. But everyone is an individual and you may feel that the men’s boards suit you better. The best way to resolve the question is to RENT both a men’s snowboard and a women’s snowboard. Take to the slopes and go with whatever feels more natural to you.

Thirdly, you will have to decide what type of snowboarding you will be mainly participating in. Different snowboards are build for different terrains and different styles of riding.

Freecarve – This type of riding is equivalent to alpine sking. The focus is on speed racing and carving turns. Freecarve snow boards tend to be the stiffest. This lets them really bite into the snow and make turns with ease.

Freestyle – Like to do tricks on you snowboard? Spins? Halfpipes? Then you want more of a freestyle board. These boards tend to be short and very maneuverable.

Freeride – This is the “in-between” board. It’s good for a little bit of speed racing, but not as good as a freecarve board. It’s also good for doing some of the more common snowboard tricks – but not as good as a freestyle board. This type of board, also known as an all-mountain board is one of the most popular boards sold to beginners.

Now we look at some of the more minor decisions. Pick up the board and feel the weight. All things being equal, you’ll want the lighter board. It’ll be more maneuverable. You’ll be able to handle it better and it’ll be lighter to carry.

What about the length of the board? Manufacturers post suggested heights and weights on the back of their boards. But these are just suggestions. Ultimately you want the board that feels most natural to you. As a general rule, however, a longer board will give you more stability at high speeds while a shorter board will let you spin and do tricks easier.

Also, factor in the stiffness of the board. As a beginner, you will probably want a soft-flexing board. One that is forgiving of mistakes.

And lastly, don’t forget style. Pick the most stylish board you can find and enjoy yourself on the slopes.



Best Online Snowboard Coaching!

Written by Snowboard And Ski Guy

April 13th, 2009 at 2:32 am