This post is not going to make you the ultimate snowboarder. I can only give you so many tips, the snowboarding part is all up to you. How can this post help you manage speed and maintain control? Let’s start with speed. If you have had past experience with skateboarding you will know ways to stop yourself while staying on the board. You will do that on the snowboard too, just easier to do it in my opinion. This is how you brake and slow down the snowboard. If you don’t have prior boarding experience, the general idea is to use the bottom of the board to slow add resistance against the hill. The movement for this consists of flipping the board so you are facing down the hill and lifting your toes to have only your heels and back of the board touching the ground. That sounds pretty confusing until you actually see it done or do it yourself. Do you remember Heely’s? That heel back movement is the same movement you will use to brake, except you are using the back of the board to scrape against the mountain and stop your movement. Alternating from having your left foot forward to your right foot forward will also slow you down and provide more control of your speed. This along with braking will ensure you keep manageable speeds for yourself. The more you practice, the more efficient you will be. Always start on small hills to get a general idea of how breaking works before going up on the real mountain.

To maintain control while going down, you will need balance. Stretching and working on your balance will make the experience much more relaxing. You are strapped in, you will have to bend and twist a lot. Being flexible always helps and reduces strain on muscles. Balance is what is going to keep you on the board. You will tilt back and force, you must use your core to keep you upright and strong. If you haven’t squatted before, it is time to start. Squatting not only makes you stronger but gets your leg muscles ready for the strain they’ll be put through holding yourself on the board. Not to mention you will be semi-squatting most of your way down the mountain. Squatting low and flying down the mountain is something everyone has got to try.