All posts by Blake Clark

How To Snowboard: Funnel Turns

October 11, 2017Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, Snowboarding Tips, UncategorizedHow To Snowboard, intermediate snowboarder, snowboard, snowboard lesson, snowboard tips, snowboard tutorial, snowboard videoBlake Clark

You’ve got off the easy trails (easy is marked by Green in America and Blue in Europe) and are exploring the mountain as a L2 Rider. You’ll be riding more of the mountain getting into intermediate terrain (Blue trails in America and Red trails in Europe). Riding steeper terrain can be super stoke especially when you’re using efficient movements and alignments. This online snowboard lesson will go over Funnel Turns Drill. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for ‘Snowboarding Backcountry’ on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching and mastering these L1 RAW snowboard videos before riding Steeper Terrain; Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist & Beginner Snowboard Stance. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and learn to snowboard right!

Think of the shape of a funnel making large turns, then medium and last small/fast turns. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for steeper terrain on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching and mastering these L1 RAW snowboard videos before riding Steeper Terrain; Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist & Beginner Snowboard Stance . Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at Our Blog for more free content and learn to snowboard right.

The focus on this drill is to be able to turn and different speeds and multiple size radius of our turns. Let’s face it snowboarding is about turning. I love to just point it and not turn when conditions and safety allow. Before we get into pure speed and adrenaline we need to be able to turn as quickly as possible. There are dangers and obstacles all over the mountain. Once we get off the easy trails the slopes become more steep and narrow. For your safety and those on the mountain you’ll want to practice changing the size of your turns. The Funnel Drill is perfect to help you practice the size of your turns. It will help you develop ‘Rhythm & Flow’ key to everything we do.

Start making 4-5 turns that are very large, then make 4-5 turns that are medium in radius shape. Make 4-5 turns that are small and quick and then see how quick and fast you can make your turns. You’ll want to be using a lot of lower body movements and really focus initiating your turns with your ankle. There you’ve done it Funnel Turns. Drills really help you explore you snowboarding body movement and develop muscle memory. Get out there and Ride Right!

You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right.

How To Snowboard: Active Passive Absorption

October 5, 2017Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Free Snowboarding Lessons, Snowboarding TipsAdvance snowboarder, snowboard, snowboard tips, snowboard tutorialBlake Clark

At Level 3 Ripper you’re an advanced snowboarder and are using advanced movements that help you absorb the many obstacles that exist out on the mountain. This online snowboard lesson will go over Active Passive Absorption. Get to know what type of absorption is best in certain situations. We have some videos to prepare for advanced snowboard movements on our YouTube Page. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step. I recommend watching and mastering these free Youtube L3 Ripper snowboard videos before riding advanced absorption movements; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, & Snowboarding Moguls. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right.

We want to explore different movements once we become advanced Level 3 Rippers. Take two ways of doing something and get more minds thinking how to make yourself a better snowboarder. I take a lot of my snowboard training into other sports like mountain biking. When you’re on terrain with lots of rollers you can shoot off or jump off a roller and skip some and that would be more like Passive Absorption or keep your wheels on the ground and go over each roller Active Absorption. On a Snowboard X course or Motor X course you find rollers and jumps one after another. The riders can actively absorb each bump or use them to shoot off or passive absorb. Knowing when to use each movement can be beneficial and improve your riding.

To practice the Active Passive Absorption Drill find a trail with a lot of bumps, moguls or rollers on them. Go through practicing just Active Absorption first. Keep you board on the snow. Use your legs to really absorb everything. You’ll really need to be bending your ankles, knees, hips and spine to stay low. The animation in the video shows this. You move fore and aft on your board. As your front leg comes to the bump actively lift up your foot and then really press down as you go over it and repeat with your back leg. This is more movement and can give you a work out. We move our legs independently pushing them up and down. Flexing and extending very aggressively using our legs as shock absorbers.

Now go through the same run with a lot of bumps, moguls or rollers on them. Practice Passive Absorption now on every bump that is safe. When getting air we want to consider a down hill landing and not an uphill landing slope. We start getting air and shoot off the jumps. There may be three rollers in a row and you shoot off the first shoot over the second and land on the third. Then go through the same run and blend your Active and Passive Absorption and see how that drill helps you become a more versatile rider. It will help you to improve your quickness and speed in bumpy terrain and if you’re really good you’ll be able to compete in Boarder X competitions. Our Full Course goes step by step through drills to build your skills if competing is the level of snowboarder you want to become.

When you’re out riding and you want to practice some movement and skills to improve your riding think about the Active Passive Absorption Drill. You can watch our other snowboard tutorials to improve your riding. The snow has already started falling so get snowboard fit and start practicing today. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Start snowboarding right at the beginning and you’ll excel quickly. Avoid injuries by using flowingfreerdie.com & snowboardclass.com snowboard video tutorials.

Learn to Snowboard Chutes and Couloirs

September 25, 2017Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, Snowboarding TipsAdvance snowboarder, Chutes, snowboard lesson, snowboard tutorialBlake Clark

Once you get to be an advanced snowboarder L3 Ripper you’ll be riding the whole mountain with every type of terrain. Riding steep terrain can be super stoke especially when you’re using efficient movements and alignments. This online snowboard lesson will go over Steep Chute Snowboarding. A chute or couloir is a narrow corridor created by obstacles such as rocks or trees. We have some videos to prepare for steeps on our YouTube Page. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step. I recommend watching and mastering these L3 Ripper snowboard videos before riding Chutes; Building Rhythm, Upper/Lower Body Separation, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Snowboarding Steeps & Alignments & Self Arrest Stops. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right.

You need to be very comfortable making very quick turns while keeping your board on the ground. It you have to jump turn you loose your friction or your brakes which is your edge. In steep terrain you gain speed fast so keep your board on the snow using more rotation movements and really twist your snowboard so much that your front foot is on the opposite edge of your back foot when transitioning edges. It’s also recommended being comfortable going straight and fast because some chutes are so narrow you might not be able to turn. We build up to these movements step by step. If your body isn’t perpendicular to the slope you’re leaning back. Your board, knees, hips & shoulders should be parallel to the slope. If you’re not comfortable riding steep terrain go back and practice these body movements and skills.

Go out and find steep terrain with a natural line such as trees or use the rope on the side. Draw a line in the snow that is about 5-10 feet wide. This creates a perfect chute simulation. I like to create a really narrow portion by drawing the line to be only 2-3 feet wide for a small portion of where I’m doing my chute drill. Steep Chute Snowboarding has examples and animations showing this drill. The goal is to be making all your turns within this corridor and keeping your board on the ground while turning, no jump turns. After you feel comfortable doing this go out and find real chutes/couloirs on the mountain. Remember a chute can be created by many things like rocks or trees but sometimes are formed by snow just being pushed around. This drill can help you get out of tight situations. I’ve been snowboarding before where the only way down is a chute so having this skill in your tool belt can save your snowboard from damage or prevent injury to yourself.

Experiment with your riding style and technique and you’ll be riding chutes like a pro. This video focused on riding steep narrow terrain and making quick turns. Remember the basics steer with your front foot and the back foot follows. You’ll want to be very dynamic in your riding and if you’re not watch Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend and get this movement dialed in. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Start snowboarding right at the beginning and you’ll excel quickly. Avoid injuries by using flowingfreerdie.com & snowboardclass.com snowboard video tutorials.

Snowboard Binding Angles

September 23, 2017Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessonssnowboard gear, snowboard lesson, snowboard tipsBlake Clark

Set your bindings angles up with your front foot more angled than your back foot. This online snowboard lesson will go over Snowboard Binding Angles. Once you’ve been snowboarding a few times you should know what binding angles you like. As a beginner you start out even with a 6º -6º or 9º -9º and stance in centered; your nose is same length as your tail. We talk about your beginner stance in an earlier video Beginner Stance. As an intermediate snowboarder you start to change your stance by moving the bindings and the angles. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com and take a look at our YouTube Page for more free content and learn to snowboard right.

As you gain more experience you’ll start to play with your binding angles. You will generally want to have a more aggressive angle for your front foot. Angles are set up in increments of 3º so 3,6,9,12,15 or -3,-6,-9,-12,-15 etc., You can set your angles up to be both positive which is more like an alpine stance. Your angles maybe 30º 15º which allows for faster turning. Alpine board setups are usually around 70º 67º and it looks like a slalom water skier. This can limit your flex and extension and makes it harder to absorb landings or bumping terrain. When I’m on my alpine board I like blue groomed terrain. Most riders are on All Mountain/Freeride or Freestyle snowboards and ride with a positive angle in the front and negative angle in the back. You need to keep in mind that the total between the two angles not be more than 30º’s. For example if my front foot is at 15º the most I would allow the back foot is -15º and the total is 30º. Another example is 24º in the front and -6º in the back. So if my front foot is at 21º what is the most my back angle should be?

You may have to lift up the padding on the binding to get to your base plate. From here you can see the lines and numbers in increments of 3. There will be an arrow or line showing what angle your bindings are at. You can always play with your binding angles. There isn’t just one standard on your binding angles. If you like speed, carving and to stay on groomed terrain than your angles may be more aggressive and both positive like 33º 15º. If you’re a freestyle rider you feet will be centered and binding angles maybe mirrored in front and back like 15º -15º. This is so you can ride fakie or switch and have exact stance no matter if you’re right foot is forward or your back. An All Mountain stance is usually set back a little bit. Your nose is longer than your tail. Your binding angles are usually more aggressive in the front and back foot is at negative like 18º -12º. You can ride fakie but it’s set to go in one direction better than the other.

Experiment with your stance and binding angles. This video focused on binding angles but there is more to your stance than just angles. Your sidecut comes into factor as well but let’s focus on getting your angles set and go from there. We talk about that in other snowboard videos. Take a look at Freestyle Snowboards & Freeride Snowboards to see and understand the differences. You can signup to get access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, text books, glossary, tests and direct feedback from your coach. Start snowboarding right at the beginning and you’ll excel quickly. Avoid injuries by using flowingfreerdie.com & snowboardclass.com snowboard video tutorials.

Learn To Snowboard Early Conditions

April 27, 2017Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard SchoolBlake Clark

It’s Early Conditions out there and the snow can vary. This can cause the snowboard to sink into slush or stick if the snow is dead with limited viscosity similar to Spring Conditions. Use flowingfreeride.com to help you learn to snowboard online. The snowboard videos give you knowledge of the mountain and muscle memory skills to progress from a beginner snowboard to an advanced snowboarder. These online snowboard lesson videos will help you progress safely while having fun. Watch the video at our YouTube Channel. Refer to our snowboard video drills that focus on fore/aft pressure along your snowboard and Funnel Turns changing turn sizes when you sign up.

Look at the weather and know which slopes or aspects are going to have the best conditions. Temperature is key. Know if it’s freezing at night or not. This can make aspects bullet proof or super hard. South face slopes get constant sun all day and East face slopes get early sun in the morning so those aspects can be softer in the morning and really slower in the afternoon. The North face will keep snow better because they don’t face the sun and usually have a lot of trees creating shade to cool down the snow.

The slow soft snow can be perfect conditions for beginner snowboarders. Our snowboard videos give you online snowboard lessons for a fraction of the price. These soft conditions will give beginner snowboarders confidence there just needs to be enough snow. Keep your snowboard tip/nose from burying into the snow and keep your board a bit more flat. If you lift your edge too high it can dig in and boot out. Drink water, put on sun protection and bring up layers to shed as the temperatures warm.

There can be great Early or Spring Conditions like last season. Some resorts are planning to stay open now like Arapahoe Basin. These slope faces that get a lot of sun may close and then reopen after a big early snowstorm. Some resorts have just got 2 feet of fresh powder perfect to hike! It will help to know the aspects for safety of snowpack and coverage. Learn to snowboard online with Flowingfreeride.com and go snowboarding with this great Early snow.

Intermediate Snowboard Equipment- Boots & Bindings

April 27, 2017Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding TipsBlake Clark

You’re flowing to your snowboard freestyle rhythm, carving, spinning, Flowingfreeride.com, Snowboardclass.com and you’re an Level 2 RIDER. Flowingfreeride is here to take you further than an intermediate snowboarder. It’s time to buy your equipment. Look at our previous article on the intermediate snowboard:
http://flowingfreeride.com/intermediate-snowboarder-equipment-the-snowboard/

Boots

Snowboard boots need to be comfortable and as an intermediate snowboarder you’ve tried some different makes and models of boots. They need to be the right size. Your heel should not move much when you stand on your toes. I like the laceless system. You don’t have to deal with tying and you get a better fit but check out snowboard reviews and go with what you like. There are many snowboard companies out there so it’s nice to go to the shop and try them on. Go with what feels best to you. If you like a medium flex you might want a soft boot. Stiff boots usually last longer but take a longer time to break in and don’t allow for as much forgiveness. The snowboard boot is the first piece of equipment you should get. Snowboard boots like most shoes start molding to your foot and are custom. Renting a board and bindings is simple. Boots are more unique to every person. A lot of people like foot beds. The shape of your foot varies from snowboarder to rider. Some feet are arched and others flat or a mixture. Boots are easy to transport as well. As an intermediate snowboarder you should have your own boots.

Bindings

Stepping it up as an intermediate snowboarder you purchase your bindings. Most bindings will be fine to put on any board. There is a base plate that will need to be used. Burton makes their boards with two or three holes instead of four with other boards. This makes different pattern base plates to fit the the bindings onto the board. I prefer the standard four holes base plate. I feel that my binding is more secure to the board and I don’t have to tighten the screws. I like the ratchet system with a toe strap and ankle strap. There are binding systems that click you in or something similar but I highly caution these systems due to safety flaws or you have to wear only a certain boot. These systems can get jammed up with snow and powder so they can release on accident and cause just that a crash. Try different setups out by visiting a demo center where you can rent high end equipment and there’s the option to put the rent towards buying the deck. The highback is on the heelside and should be able to adjust the angle of lean. Make sure you get the right size of snowboard binding that matches your boot size.

Intermediate Snowboarder Equipment – The Snowboard

April 3, 2017Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Free Snowboarding Lessons, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding TipsBlake Clark

By the time you have got off the bunny hill and are able to keep some rhythm you’ll want to get a snowboard that is specific to you and your riding style. I recommend a snowboard with some shape or camber. You may want a board with a deep side cut. Possibly you might want beveled edges or a hard stiff snowboard or soft flexible snowboard. You may not know what you want. You can go into a shop and tell them your style. They can size the board to your body while you are there. Usually the more you weigh/taller the bigger the snowboard. The snowboard plays such a big part of how you ride especially as an intermediate snowboarder.

This is where you get to experiment and explore. Spend more time out on the mountain riding. I usually will buy a set up after researching what technology is offered by the boots, snowboard, bindings and price. Demo shops are convenient if you don’t know what you want to ride for sure. By the time you spend as much time riding as me you know exactly how to set up everything. Your stance, angles, beveled edges, forward lean will change from the type of riding you’re doing or conditions on the mountain. There are reference alignments or standards that can be used to refer to for the most efficient movements and performances. You are unique so log some more days in the mountains riding different conditions and terrain.

Most mountains/resorts will have a snowboard demo day where several companies come out and let you ride the snowboards for free. This saves money no matter what level you are; Beginner Snowboarder, Intermediate Snowboarder or Advanced Snowboarder. Demo snowboards, ride your friends snowboard or borrow one. My mates and I will sometimes switch our snowboard setups for a run if our boots fit the bindings. This is great if you’re a new rider getting into snowboarding because you get to test the different snowboard technologies out there.

Park/Freestyle Rider

March 11, 2017Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Snowboard Gear ReviewsBlake Clark

A park is an area step-up on the mountain that has features used to practice tricks and freestyle snowboarding. Most parks will have some of the following: boxes, rails, jumps, handrails, vehicles, stairs, bumps, rollers, half-pipes, berms, and/or other features. Some parks will be set up for the Boarder X, which is a race course with features, or more freestyle like pipe, jumps and rails. Most mountains that have good parks have a lot of mild slopes with no double fall lines. Parks are set up on terrain similar to beginner slopes like green or mild blue trails. Of course, more extreme parks use very steep slopes. Park riders may not care about the rest of the mountain trails and many areas specialize just in parks and pipe. They ride freestyle snowboards which are designed for freestyle riding (soft flex, twin tip, detuned edges). You want to be an intermediate snowboarder before going into the park.

Where To Find Parks?

If you’re a park snowboarder, do your research, since a lot of resort areas either specialize in great parks or great trails and steep slopes. When you can find a resort that has both you’re in a prime spot. But, in general, it is unusual for a mountain to have great parks and pipe along with great free ride trails. If they have a great park, they may not have as many black trails or steeps. For instance, Copper Mountain Resort in Colorado has great parks/pipe along with steep terrain and lots of off piste, trees, steeps, and black diamond trails. The parks are setup so you can hit the small park at top, the medium park midway, the big park near the bottom and the pipe at the bottom. It’s where I got my freestyle certification. However, Park City Resort base in Utah has great park/pipe but not many long steep off piste trails, it is still a nice beautiful mountain great for families, but if you’re looking to go off piste or in the backcountry there isn’t as many options. Park City merged with Canyons to become a super resort. If you’re looking for parks/pipe ride the Park City base side and hit Canyons base side for the off piste freeriding. Since they’re one now it’s a great resort for freeriding and freestyle riding.

Case in point: if you’re vacationing or new to an area and looking for a great freestyle park, don’t randomly pick a resort, ask around or you may be disappointed. Take a look at the resort map and you’ll see the areas that are parks. This will help you to Ride Right.

Other Places Snowboarders Can Ride For Free

March 7, 2017Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding LessonsBlake Clark

Here are a few tips on how to ride for free. One is to ride the free lift (which is usually just a beginner trail & I talked about that earlier), there are days or nights that certain resorts offer a free day (usually for locals or other stipulations), but my favorite free way is hiking. If you’re a little more aggressive of a rider meaning, you’re an intermediate snowboarder or advanced snowboarder strap the board to your backpack and start hiking. Look at weather reports and know what the avalanche danger is. If the danger is high you’ll want to stay on slopes less than 30º or just wait and don’t risk it. When the conditions are good and you feel ready, get out and hike.

I like to hike where there’s a bit of slope. In the backcountry the conditions vary. The snow is usually powdery and you’ll need more momentum to plow through fluffy white. Groomers pack the snow down in the resorts and make the trails fast. There are pros and cons to hiking. Hours of hiking could lead to just one run depending on how fast you hike and how fast you ride. The best thing is that you’ll be out in the serene mountains with some of the best snow to be had.

There are ways to get out there and to enjoy the sport for free. Hiking allows you to go big without going big on your pocketbook. Make sure to bring some food and plenty of liquids just to be prepared. It is also advised to always go with a partner and to have safety equipment like backpack, shovel, probe and peeps.

A lot of resorts are on National Forest land in the US. Look up the laws in your area. Resorts can also be privately owned land. Veer onto private land at your own risk. Depending on the rights of the land you can hike and use it to snowboard. I do this a lot during the pre/post seasons at resorts that are on a lease with the Forest Service. There’s a lot of snow and it’s public land free for anyone to use. During the season the resort runs the groomers and other equipment so find other places to hike. During the season there’s a lot of other National Forest land I ride. There are a lot of areas like this where you can find backcountry trails to hike. If you’re serious you’ll have a splitboard setup.

Other Info

The slopes are marked with green circle- easy very mild slope. Blue square- intermediate steeper. Black diamond- expert steepest slopes. In Europe it goes Blue- Easy, Red-Intermediate & Black stays as expert. There are double greens, blues and blacks which means more difficult that a single shape (example: double blue is harder than blue but not as difficult as a black). This is a basic description of the trails but, most importantly stay on green terrain when you’re a beginner snowboarder.

Safety for A Beginner Snowboarder Equipment

March 7, 2017From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboarding TipsBlake Clark

There are some really good technologies out there to protect our bodies. The snowboarder is a large lever so when the if you “catch an edge” your body is whipped. Depending on the rider especially beginner snowboarders, it’s a good idea to have knee pads, wrist guards, spine guard/body pads and impact shorts. I strongly recommend a helmet for everyone. You’ll want a beginner snowboard with technology and design that will help you learn to snowboard better. (Soft flex, flat or reverse camber, bevel edges, etc.,) The snow conditions can be very soft or very icy. If the snow is really hard and icy then plan on harder falls. It’s easier to learn how to snowboard with soft snow. You’ll want to get equipment that is more function than fashion.

Beginner snowboarders can rent a lot of this equipment and most resorts have “Learn to Snowboard” packages. Check out beginner snowboard deals in your area. You may want to rent at first to test the equipment and see what you like. If you go out and buy all your equipment it might not be what you like and renting can save some money for you.
Some gloves come with the option to have wrist guards. If you have any worry about your wrists then wear guards. Snowboard pants have pads in some clothing lines or you can get your own. If you feel like you might fall or perhaps your balance is off then get a ‘butt’ pad or impact shorts. It’s what hockey players wear on the ice. As a beginner snowboarder your first day out you’ll be skating a lot and might shed layers but once you start moving down the slope you’ll want to put the armor on.

Here’s the basic equipment list I recommend: Waterproof snowboard jacket, snowboard pants, gloves, Under Armor material that will stretch to tuck in so you don’t get snow up your back or worse down your pants, good comfortable tight boots, board and bindings non cotton socks, good goggles that fit around a helmet and a helmet. The helmet protects the most important organ you have and keeps your head warm. Layer up clothing so you can stay warm or cool. Most snowboard clothing lines have vents to cool you off if needed.

Boots

Bindings

Where To Find Parks?

Other Info

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