How-To Turn On a Snowboard

Turning - by Frosty Rider

Well, to narrow it down, there are 2 kinds of turns: the heelside and toeside.

You have to choose one or the other to turn to. To perform edge-to-edge turns, your board should be first steered straight so as not to “catch the downhill edge”.

Here are some tips on turning.

** Toeside turn
- Lower your knees towards the snow
- Shift balance of weight over the toe side edge of the board
- Stick belly out
- Move front hand over the toe edge of the board to “close” your stance
- Pull up on your front heel for tighter turn

** Heelside turn
- Sit back slightly
- Shift balance of weight over the heel side edge of the board
- Look over front shoulder
- Move front hand over the heel edge of the board to “open” your stance
- Pull up on your front toes for tighter turn

Both turns should activate the sidecut and de-camber the flex of the board. The turning action of the board should ideally be a cross between a “sideslip” and a “carve”, so call it a “skidded carve”. Once you gain more skill you can get into pure carving turns, but BE CAREFUL, a carve turn performed by an unskilled rider can be dangerous (especially where it is very steep) and could result in injury!

There you have it -- directly from the SnowMan himself.