Time on the snow can be hard to come by even if you live near a mountain and great snow. Seasoned snowboarders know this all too well, but for a beginner who is trying to build on their first steps towards learning to ride time away from the mountain can be incredibly frustrating.
If you know what we’re talking about, then we can help.
Even without snow you can work on becoming a better snowboarder. To show you how, we’ve put together a guide on how to practice snowboarding at home below. Check it out and start practicing for your next trip to Mammoth today!
Practice Snowboarding at Home by Getting Comfortable with Your Stance
If you have access to snowboard gear at home then you’ve probably already spent some time practicing putting on your boots and strapping into your bindings. Now, take the next step and practice getting comfortable with your stance.
What we mean by stance is how you stand on your board when riding. It doesn’t matter how good you are at turning, what gear you have, or what you can do in the air if you can’t ride down the mountain, so prioritize practicing your stance. Having a good stance means that your knees are bent and your back is straight, allowing you to balance on your board and shift your weight.
Balance on Your Edges
Once you’re comfortable in your stance, you can test yourself by shifting your weight to your edges.
If you’re on a soft surface like carpet or cardboard, you can lean onto your heels or toes to practice shifting and balancing as you would while stopping on a snowboard. Most people have an easier time getting comfortable with their heel edge, so we recommend starting there by leaning back on your heels so that your toe edge lifts off the ground. It’s easier to balance on your heels if you squat down, but don’t go too low or you’ll form a bad habit that will be hard to break on the mountain. Also, make sure you stick to the stance you were just practicing.
Once you’re comfortable on your heels, shift over to your toes where you’ll want to lift your heels up off the ground and put your weight on your toes as if you were reaching up high for something. Remember, you’ll want to practice staying in your knees bent back straight stance while practicing on your toe edge.
Exercise
If you’re a beginner then you probably remember how sore your muscles were after your first day of snowboarding. Although you can’t always make it to the snow, all you need to prevent more soreness is a little bit of space and time to exercise.
Snowboarders will want to focus on their core and legs. Fortunately, there are several exercises that only use your bodyweight to work these areas. For example, planks will engage most of your core muscles and are easy to master. Russian twists are not as beginner friendly as planks, but as you progress can be a great exercise to build core strength. Squats or any of their variants, such as the squat jump, will also pay off big time when you hit the mountain again.
Read more about how to get in shape for the ski season here!
Find a Balance Board
A great way to get more comfortable with balancing on your snowboard is by purchasing a balance board.
There are many different kinds, but we suggest staying away from the ones designed purely for fitness and instead using something closer to the Indo Board. Learning to use a balance board can take some time, so take it slow and make sure you’re on a soft surface in case of falls.
What do you do to practice snowboarding at home? Let us know in the comments below!