If you enjoy snowboarding, you’d know how thrilling it feels to have a speed. Speed certainly adds another entertaining element when you’re in the snow. It helps you experience an adrenaline rush like never before. However, you also need to know when and how to slow down.
As a skier, you must master the skill of slowing down on your snowboard, especially if you don’t want anything catastrophic to happen. If you continue with the high speed, you might injure yourself, preventing you from getting on a snowboard. Hence, it’s better to know when to stop.
This article will guide you regarding the importance of slowing down and how to do it.
The Importance of Slowing Down
Imagine driving a car that has no brakes? Doesn’t make sense, right? That’s equivalent to getting on a snowboard without knowing how to slow down in the snow. If you’re new to snowboarding, we suggest you never try to amp up your speed until you know what you’re doing. As a frequent snowboarder, you must master all skills and techniques to have an excellent time and be safe.
Snowboarding at speed can be dangerous to you and other riders on the mountain. It’ll be somewhat reckless of you to increase the speed without knowing how to slow down. If you don’t want your experience to be terrible or cook yourself a recipe for disaster, we suggest you understand how necessary it is to learn snowboarding skills that can land you safely. Please be considerate of yourself and others around you while snowboarding.
How to Slow Down on a Snowboard?
Coming to the main section of the article: how do you slow down on a snowboard? There are numerous techniques you can use to ensure you land safely without getting hurt. You’re in luck if you’ve never heard of these techniques before. We’ve compiled a few methods or ways to teach you how to slow down your snowboard without getting any injuries. Without further ado, let’s begin!
Learn Edge Control
You might not have known this, but your snowboard’s edges act as brakes to help you slow down. The edges can help you turn or carve in the snow if you observe clearly. The metal strips over the edges of your snowboard can help you dig deeper into the snow, helping you increase or decrease your speed. It’s simple physics – the metal edges create friction in the snow that aids in adjusting your speed. If you want to learn how to slow down on your snowboard, you’ll ultimately have to make friends with your snowboard’s edges.
Master Your Slide
Another effective technique to master is the sliding technique. This is quite a beginner-level skill, and you must take it seriously if you want to learn how to slow down. All you need to do is learn how to slide perpendicular. It helps one gain control of their snowboard and helps them survive the tricky snow. Yes, you won’t look cool doing it, but that doesn’t matter. Many snowboarders ditch this technique when they think they know enough. However, in reality, professional snowboarders to date use this technique to gain control and slow down.
Turn and Carve
Mastering speed control is no child’s play, and you’ll have to put in several hours of practice to learn it. In the meantime, another technique you should be aware of is the “turn and carve” technique. It’s an adequate method to slow down, and learning it can take some time. You’ll be unphased once you master this skill, no matter how weary the snow conditions are. Here are a few steps you should follow to learn this skill:
- You’ll have to learn all about edge control first. Once you do so, you’ll have to use the toe side and the heel side edge to slow down.
- Initially, you’ll have to point downhill to generate enough speed.
- After you accelerate enough speed, slowly start leaning into your first turn. The uphill edge will help you dig into the snow.
- After completing your first turn, turn in the opposite direction with the edge pointing upwards.
- If you want to control your speed in the snow, you’ll have to dig your uphill edge into the snow. The more you do so, the more control you gain.
- The sharper your turn will be, the more quickly you can slow down. The narrower your turn, the faster you will go in the snow.
The Speed Stop
The last technique we’re going to discuss is the speed stop. This method is risky, and we don’t recommend it to anyone who’s a beginner. One must master this skill to implement it properly. When you feel like immediately stopping, just turn quickly and dig your uphill edge into the snow to stop right then and there. This method is also called the gravity stop and the hockey stop. This technique comes in handy if you sense danger and need to stop immediately. Here are a few things to remember when practicing this technique:
- The speed stop is a mixture of the turn and slide technique. You start by turning, but instead of going downhill to maintain the speed, you dig the uphill edge in the snow.
- When practicing the speed stop, please remember to bend your hips and knees to prepare yourself for the impact.
- When you take the turn, remember to point your snowboard uphill so that the gravitational force of the snowboard makes you stop.
- If you want to master this skill, you’ll have to practice it on a less steep terrain than an advanced one.
Our Final Thoughts
As mentioned earlier, it’s pretty necessary to learn how to slow down or stop your snowboard if you don’t want to injure yourself. Snow safety is essential, and you should acknowledge that as a frequent snowboarder. If you aren’t vigilant in the snow, you might get yourself into tricky situations that you will regret in the future. Hence, always better to be safe than sorry!
