Awhile ago when there seemed to be more than 24 hours in one day I had created a few snowboard designs using both Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. Considering I have not used my snowboard templates for a long time I am offering out to the public.
If you are familiar with any vector based graphic program than feel free to take these outlines for your own personal or commercial use. Click the link or you may have to right click and “save as”.
To pull off a tasty backside noseslide you need to be more than comfortable with a frontside boardslide. Begin by dropping into the feature like your going for a backside boardslide, but line yourself up just slightly unparallel to the box. Unless your riding goofy, line yourself up about 6 inches to the right of the box, if your goofy than just go to the left!
The tecnique is basically the same as the backside boardslide, but because of your unparallel entrance, your going to really need to hold your weight towards your nose, otherwise you will slide right off the edge. Once again, the key is commitment. Dont be afraid to really push your bodyweight onto your front foot.
For a clean finish, try the trick with a smooth slow spin and land it fakie. A nice long and smooth noseslide is a great addition to any riding style.
The next step after learning to stick the 50/50 like a pro is to move onto the backside boardslide. This involves sliding perpendicular to the rail or box facing downhill. While most amateur boarders are intimidated by the looks of this trick, it’s really quite easy once you nail it.
I recommend practicing on a nice jib box that is at least 12 inches wide. The wide surface area allows for more error in the placement of your board without slipping off the edge. Begin by dropping into the box as if you were going to hit it 50/50. At about the time the nose of your board reaches the box, pull your back leg around as if you were going to slow yourself down, but heres the key, do NOT lean back. Pulling off a successful front side requires you to lean forward slightly to avoid falling on your rear. As with any trick you really have to commit to it if you want to stick it like a pro, so spin that board 90 degrees and make sure to look forward, not down!
This may seem awkward at first but as always, practice makes perfect. To understand how much you have to lean forward try practicing on flat ground with your board strapped on. Your not going to be standing up straight when you hit the box, so give those knees some flex and see how much balance you need to stand like that. If you were actually moving you are going to want to balance just a hair more on your toes because many factor such as wind, momentum, or a slight incline will require it.
Once your on the box it’s time to prepare for that landing. You have two options, pull your board back to land the way you entered or continue your spin and land fakie. First timers will find it more comfortable to land regular. If you find that your body naturally wants to spin and land fakie than go for it, just make sure you can ride out of that landing.
Remember to keep those knees bent and relax a little, you will find it really isn’t hard at all. Perfecting this trick is the first step to some serious jibbing.
Obviously everyone knows how to stay warm by piling on the layers, but we are going to focus on staying warm by actually cutting down the layers, which in turn, will increase your mobility.
With one good pair of snowboarding socks and boots your feet should be fine. Don’t double or triple up the socks to keep those toes warm because if one good pair of thermal socks isn’t working than the problem may lie in your boot. If your hands get cold, hand warmer inserts are always good or a pair of Gore-Tex gloves.
Now for your body, Gore-Tex is awesome because it is very breathable and traps the warmth against your body. The problem most people don’t know is that too much Gore-Tex ruins the effect. Gore-Tex works by creating a heat zone between itself and your body by allowing the moisture to escape while keeping you dry underneath, but if you have two layers of Gore-Tex then that barrier is ruined. The inside layer wont be able to get the moisture away from your body and in turn the wetness will start to chill from the outside temps thus making you colder. So if your jacket or pants already have Gore-Tex in them then don’t worry about another layer, but if they don’t, then a layer against your body and a sweatshirt will be plenty to keep you toasty warm on the coldest mountains. And if you are still a little cold the lodge is at the bottom of the mountain and mommy’s car is out in the lot.
This great information was provided to me by an ex-military soldier and a good friend of mine. These are the same basic principles that the military use in the coldest environments. Hope these tips work great for you and if you want to add more to this or maybe some hot tips of your own please feel free. We always looking for newer and better tips.
So you want to hit rails and boxes yeah? Well heres where you start, the 50/50 boardslide. Think of it as sliding with your board parrallel to the rail. Theres really not much to it when it comes down to it.
I always tell my buddies that the best way to start hitting rails is to imagine them as ice. On solid ice you cant carve or turn well. So cruise onto that rail, balance your weight and don’t move your legs. Put a little weight on your front foot towards the end of the rail or box. Before you know it you will be sliding off the end everytime
