If you’ve been snowboarding for a while now or have pro snowboarders around you, then you are probably familiar with the term jibbing. It’s a famous skateboard and now snowboard trick that most people wish to master. Like any other snowboarding trick, jibbing is best learned through practice.
What is Jibbing on a Snowboard
Jibbing is best described as riding, jumping, or sliding on top of objects or railings with a snowboard. It is influenced by skateboard grinding.
How is Jibbing Different from Regular Snowboarding?
When you’re snowboarding on the regular, you use your edges to speed up and slow down. But when you’re jibbing, you do not use your edges; instead, you want to keep your edges as flat as possible so that you don’t end up slipping.
Snowboarders take comfort in knowing that when they fall from snowboard jibbing, they are less likely to hurt themselves as they land on snow than when a skater lands on concrete land.
Here are some easy tips to get you jibbing snowboard:
Keeping a Flat Base
It’s essential to keep a dead base flat against the rail or whatever it is that you’re jibbing over at all times; otherwise, you will slip down. Now how does one keep a flat base? Your body position here is critical. If you put a little too much weight towards your toe edge, you will create a toe edge angle which can cause serious problems when you’re jibbing.
If you put a little bit too much weight backwards, you’re going to be creating that heel edge angle. The key is to have your body position and weight fixed over your board so you can keep the base flat.
Jibbing Basics
You will have to face two main obstacles when applying your jibbing skills: boxes and rails.
It is best to start with a simple box in a terrain park. Boxes are not so scary because they are wide and make jibbing slightly easier. You can gain your confidence quickly if you start with boxes. Rails, on the other hand, are thinner and harder to ride. So when you’re comfortable jumping boxes, then you can move on to rails.
Snowboard Jibbing
Learning how to jib for the first time is challenging, especially if you haven’t ever gone skateboarding. Here are a few steps to make the learning easy for you.
- Try to maintain your balance.
- Ride straight towards the jib and try not to make too many turns.
- Keep your eyes straight at the end of the jib so that you know where you’re traveling and what’s ahead.
- Pick up speed. The faster you’re going, the sooner you’ll get to the end of your jib.
- As you get near your jib, jump up onto it. Your snowboard will follow as you’re strapped into it.
- Don’t put too much weight on the toes or heels; keep a neutral stance.
- Your drive will take you back to the edge of your jib and onto the snow.
- Remember to land with your knees bent.
- Once you land, continue riding forward to prevent a hole at the end of the jib.
- Take a turn when you’re ready to slow and stop.
Note: During all these steps, it is essential to keep your board flat at all times. Avoid using edges, as you can lose your balance and slip. Most people get unique jibbing boards that have smooth edges to prevent them from falling.
How to 50-50 on a Snowboard
A 50 -50 snowboard is probably the first thing you want to learn when jibbing on a snowboard. 50-50 is a position that your snowboard has when sliding down a box. During a 50-50, your board is parallel to the obstacle you are riding or jumping. If you don’t wish to ride a box at first, then draw one on the snow and try jumping over that.
Once you get good at this, then find a wide box that’s close to the ground. When riding the box, try to keep your body weight over the board at all times so that your board stays flat. Once you feel comfortable with this, move on to the next steps.
What to Avoid?
Once you’ve gotten the basics of jibbing, it is crucial to know what you are in for and what you need to avoid. Certain terrains and mountain slopes have hidden branches and deep holes under the snow that could catch your snowboard or make you collapse if you land on them.
The other most dangerous thing is hidden cliffs on the other side of large objects. Even though it may seem like you know what’s at the end of the path, it gets tricky to keep track when you’re sliding through trees and jumping constantly. So keep a steady pace and always be sure to know what’s ahead and where you’re going.
Our Final Thoughts
Jibbing is one of the most exciting and thrilling snowboard activities out there. Once you get the hang of it, you can learn various tips and tricks on how to improve your jibbing skills constantly. Keep in mind that practice makes perfect, so be sure to start with the basics (boxes) and then move on to the railings.
