Category Archives: Snowboard Gear Reviews

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Snowboard Scouting and Fishing Alaska

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , , ,

With the pandemic closing everything folks started doing things outdoors more. We saw outdoor recreation increase by three times last year. We had booked our Alaska adventure before all this happened. I got to Scout Alaskan Terrain For Snowboarding & Caught Big Fish. Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Bumpy Terrain, Snake Course, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Active Passive Absorption, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles & Snowboarding Moguls.

I know a lot of my mates that snowboard in the winter participate in other outdoor recreation activities in the summer like rafting, biking, hiking and fishing. I’ve started raft guiding on the Weber outside of Park City. I’ve fished the rivers around here too. I like going to the lake to fish because they stock the lakes and it’s easier to fish on lakes because you don’t have to deal with fast moving water. Taking kids to the lake is good fun and I just use worms for bait. It is usually non-stop and I’m constantly baiting, tying hooks and casting. I release most of them or give them to friends I meet out there that aren’t catching. Being outdoors is brilliant and good for the mind and soul. Fishing is something I can do with the wee lads. They can swim and play around the water.

Alaska has a ton of great snowboard terrain. I was out deep sea fishing on the Cook Inlet and I saw a ton of peaks that still had tons of snow on them in the middle of July. I asked my captain about those peaks. He said that people go out there to snowboard in the summer. It does cost lots of money to get there and usually use helicopters to fly them to the top. I would love to go Heli-Boarding sometime up there. The best day I’ve ever had snowboarding is when a client took me out heli-boarding. The snowboard resorts have good terrain but if you can book a guide to take you heli-boarding in Alaska.

We went out deep sea fishing three times whilst there. We went out from Ninilchik, Seward and Homer. We caught lots of halibut, sea bass, rockfish, cod, dogfish and stingray. We didn’t keep the dogfish or stingray but had loads of the others. I also fished on the Kenai and Russian River near the falls. The Kenai has been overfished and we only caught one king salmon that was too big to keep. It’s not the river but out in the ocean they use a drag net or other nets that catch anything. If they catch fish that they’re not fishing for then they throw them overboard and most die. It’s too bad what is happening to the fishery. We caught lots of sockeye salmon below the Russian River Falls. It’s called flossing because the fish aren’t feeding and you snag them. They weren’t as big as the halibut we were catching but much more fun and sporty. Deep sea fishing was much easier and everyone could catch out on the boat.

Fishing in the Rockies in the lower 48 is a great time and when you are good there, step it up and fish Alaska. The snow lasts much longer in Alaska and April is one of the best months to snowboard up there. There isn’t much daylight during the winter and almost endless sun during the summer. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! Online snowboard resources like videos on our YouTube Channel and articles like these can help you a ton. Professional snowboard lessons help even more. My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Why Alta Doesn’t Allow Snowboarding

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The world as a whole has changed drastically over the last year. We’ve had the Covid-19 pandemic, a president that had his base raid the capitol and cops that have killed innocent people. There is a ton of hate that needs to be changed. Fight To Free Alta & Allow Snowboarding! Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Bumpy Terrain, Snake Course, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Active Passive Absorption, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles & Snowboarding Moguls.

The term Free Alta came from my mate Michael Johnstone. He along with his other 2 business partners George Media and Brandon Peterson had a snowboard shop called Experience in Angel Fire, New Mexico. I took a position down there. The determining factor was that they had a race team that I was on. I wanted to make sure that I could take time off to compete. Most of the competitions for that region were all at Angel Fire Resort. I quickly got sponsored and was spending a lot of time at the shop. I coached the race team. I was getting paid to compete and coach. The Experience team had come up with the saying Free Taos because they wanted Taos to allow snowboarding. They were successful and in 2009 Taos started allowing snowboarding! Johnstone saw on social media that I was hiking and snowboarding Alta a lot. Alta still doesn’t allow snowboarding and he would always post #FREEALTA!

I knew Johnstone had brain cancer and was in a constant battle. I made sure to follow his stories on social media. Johnstone and I started making plans to ride Alta and I started posting hashtag Free Alta whenever I was up there. Folks started to see that they could snowboard Alta when the resort closed. The resort leases the land from the Forest Service and anyone can come up and use the land. We never got to ride Alta because he passed away last year. George was his best friend and he rolled his cement truck and died. This was too much for Johnstone and a few days later he went to sleep and didn’t wake up. 

Why do skiers think that snowboarders are bad people and shouldn’t be allowed on “their” slopes? When snowboarding first came out there weren’t schools teaching you how to ride. You learned on your own. They would just get down however they could. Slide slipping or skidding down scraped all the good snow off and made conditions worse. Folks were out of control and crashed sometimes into others. We snowboarders got a bad reputation. Resorts started making snowboarders take a safety test before they could ride. Really I think everybody should be tested because I’ve been hit by skiers that don’t know how to stay in control. Skiers have kept that hate for snowboarders for over 40 years. Snowboard schools have been teaching students how to ride for over 30 years. A lot of snowboarders are younger and older folks don’t like change. Well, times have changed and hating somebody for the color of their skin or the way they get down the mountain is segregation and discrimination. Skiers that hold this hate might realize that this behaviour is not acceptable anymore but closed minded folks can’t see the writing on the wall.

Resorts like Mad River Glen, Deer Valley and Alta pride themselves on not allowing snowboarding. I don’t think they will ever change. When Alta first opened in 1938 only men were allowed. No women and children permitted. I would like to think they could change since they did start allowing women and kids. People come to Utah to ski Alta because there are no snowboarders. I’ve traveled all over the world for snowboarding/video and I was told by a few folks in management that when Colorado resorts allowed snowboarding at all their resorts they saw that they lost clients that would rather go to Utah and have no snowboarders. I have given up hope on people to change. I will keep enjoying my time snowboarding Alta but will just have to hike up it or access it from Snowbird where snowboarders can ride the lifts and are welcome.

Snowboarders got a bad wrap and have been banned. Snowboarding is an Olympic sport that is recognized around the world. Resorts like Alta could give a shit less and will remain prejudice to anyone that snowboards. The mentality of skiers are better won’t change unless you are a skier and tell others that we are equals and that’s what FREE ALTA means! You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! Online snowboard resources like videos on our YouTube Channel and articles like these can help you a ton. Professional snowboard lessons help even more. My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Learn How To Carry Your Snowboard Right!

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , ,

You will need to carry your equipment and might as well Learn To Carry Your Snowboard Right! I can spot a gaper from far away. A gaper is short for gaper gap, that’s when there’s a gap between your goggles and helmet. Folks that don’t know what they are doing walk, dress and carry their equipment not quite right. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Great Tips To Tune Your Snowboard, How To Repair Snowboard Part 2, How To Repair Core Shots, Learn The Pros & Cons To Snowboard Bindings, Snowboard Binding Types, Binding Angles, Picking The Right Size of Snowboard, Demo Snowboards, Snowboard Camber Technology, & Sizing Boots & Bindings.

To carry your snowboard correctly, put your arm under your binding and let it hang. This will help relieve pressure on your fingers from the sharp edge. The board should be parallel to your body especially in crowded areas like lift queues. If the board is perpendicular to your body you hit others when you move or turn. Skiers are infamous for doing this when they put the skis on their shoulders. They turn and will hit others in the head. I’ve had to dodge skiers doing this or block the skis with my hand. A big thing I teach is safety and this is a big safety tip.

You don’t want to be a gaper. There are racks that hold your equipment. The thin longer slots are for snowboards. The wider slots are for skis. I like to strap my board to the rack if there aren’t thin long slots so my snowboard doesn’t fall over. If there aren’t racks then flip your board upside down so it doesn’t blow away. If you snowboard starts going down the hill by itself it becomes a projectile. I’ve seen some bad accidents when this happens so be safe and not a gaper.

Make sure when you come up to the slopes that you’ve watched videos on how to Ride Right™ like How To Put Your Snowboard Boots On Right! I talked about a gaper and not having your boots on right but having the right clothing also. Do not come up in sweat pants and no gloves. You need waterproof clothing or you’ll be having a bad time. I see Raw beginners coming up to lessons with things not zipped and clothing hanging out. I don’t even ask what level they are because I know they’re beginners with no clue to what they are doing. If I’m new to something I will research it and usually watch YouTube videos that give me some basic knowledge.

Lose the gaper gap. Put your snowboard clothing on right. Make sure you carry your equipment correctly so you’re not injuring others. Take the time to research and that way you don’t look silly. We’ve had some hard times with Covid-19 so make things better. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! Online snowboard resources like videos on our YouTube Channel and articles like these can help you a ton. Professional snowboard lessons help even more. My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboard Bindings Pros & Cons

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Equipment can play a big part in your snowboarding. Learn The Pros & Cons To Snowboard Bindings to help you have a better time on the slopes. Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Great Tips To Tune Your Snowboard, How To Repair Snowboard Part 2, How To Repair Core Shots, Snowboard Binding Types, Binding Angles, Picking The Right Size of Snowboard, Demo Snowboards, Snowboard Camber Technology, & Sizing Boots & Bindings.

The most common snowboard binding is the two strap ratchet system. There are different types of snowboard bindings, but I prefer the 2 strap ratchet system and here’s why. They keep you locked in and if one strap breaks whilst you’re on the mountain you can fix them or at least get down the slope. The most important strap is your ankle strap. If your toe strap breaks it won’t be that difficult to snowboard down the run. If the ankle strap does break you can try to connect the toe strap or use its parts to fix the ankle strap. If that doesn’t work you can skid down on your heelside edge. If you go to your toeside then your heel can lift out and your foot can come out completely. You don’t want that to happen and it can cause injury. I’ve found this system keeps you locked in the best and most reliable. The con to this system is that you have to reach down to put it on and off. You have to be able to touch your toes. This is hard for heavy set folks and it takes more time.

I have to give a shout out to the late Jake Burton for pushing snowboard technology. I found one of the first Burton setups with bindings that had three straps at a pawn shop in Truckee, California over 20 years ago. It must have been built in the 80’s. The snowboard was convex and shaped like a boat, great for powder but that’s about it. I didn’t like Burton bindings and boards because you had to buy their equipment. They are definitely the Mac of the snowboard world with all the Fucking Dongles! Their boards had a three hole screw system and you had to have a base plate that was compatible with their system. Bindings had to provide 2 base plates, one for normal four screw holes and the three screw holes for Burton. I call bollocks on that and now they’ve gone to just two screws, even worse. I’m an advanced snowboarder. I have the highest level of certification and bought one of their bindings that only works on their snowboards. I’ve had to really research what all their equipment does so I don’t make that mistake again. I ended up buying a used Burton demo board so I could use those bindings. With fewer points of contact to hold your binding to the board the screws come loose. Your toes and heels come off the board causing inefficiencies. They have pushed snowboard companies to make better products.

There are step-in or step-on binding systems. Flow is a company that developed a rear entry binding. You release the system by opening the high back or the rear and your foot slides in. You then pull the highback up and that locks the binding. It’s less work and much quicker than the 2 strap system. The bad thing is that if the wire that holds that in breaks you’re screwed. No way to fix it and you’re walking down. Another negative is that the locking system can fail. It happened to me at a high speed on my toeside. My foot came out and I flew out of control off the run. Lucky for me it was soft powder. I could have been seriously injured and haven’t ridden them since. You might be able to find older systems but they’ve had too many problems and you had to have their boots to fit their binding. Some didn’t even have a high back.

Burton has a step-on system that has a high back. These are very fast to get into. All you do is lineup your boots and step in. To release you do need to reach down so you still need to have some flexibility. Jake Burton designed these bindings so older guys 50’s plus good go out and ride. You do have to buy their boot and binding with this system. They are not great because snow gets into the binding and boot making them jam up. They have tried to perfect them but your snowboard pants can get jammed in them and then you can’t release them. If that happens you’re either ripping your pants or taking the binding off. That doesn’t save time and if you rip your pants you’ve just spent a good chunk of change for new pants. I feel a wee bit more of movement with this system. They are also very expensive.

The best thing to do is demo different types and see what you like. Most aggressive high end Rippers use the two strap system because of how reliable they are. I like being able to buy any boot that will work on any binding and give my money to a company that wants to be a monopoly. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! Online snowboard resources like videos on our YouTube Channel and articles like these can help you a ton. Professional snowboard lessons help even more. My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

 

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Snowboard Tuning Tips With Australian Snowboard Legend Grant Elliot

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It’s snowboard season for those of you lucky enough to be down in the Southern Hemisphere. My good mate Grant Elliot gives us some Great Tips To Tune Your Snowboard. Covid has changed a lot of peeps lives. I was supposed to be down in New Zealand but hope things get back to normal soon. Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; How To Repair Snowboard Part 2, How To Repair Core Shots, Snowboard Binding Types, Binding Angles, Picking The Right Size of Snowboard, Demo Snowboards, Snowboard Camber Technology, & Sizing Boots & Bindings.

As you ride your snowboard it gets wear and tear. If you ride a bike or drive a car you have to do maintenance on your tires. It’s good to do the same for your snowboard. If you like to ride powder you will sometimes hit obstacles under the snow. Rocks, trees and dirt damage your base and edges. I like to use a stone to get the burrs off of my edges. This will let your board flow smoothly through the snow. It will help you go off jumps better and ride with less friction. There are other files that can sharpen your edges and let you cut into stiff hard snow conditions. Keeping your edges tuned are little things that can make a huge improvement to you snowboarding.

I have videos that teach you How To Wax Your Board, but we go into more depth with @Instagrunta. I prefer not to use base cleaners because they can dry out and damage your base. Instead you can do a hot wax and scrape. Most folks will wax their snowboard and let it sit but if your board is dirty then do a hot scrape as soon as you wax it. This will suck all of the dirt and unwanted materials out of your base without drying it out. I would do another wax and let it sit for a while before you scrape it. This is a great way to keep your snowboard flowing at it’s best capability. 

I like to keep my edges sharp but my style of riding is Freeride. If you’re a park Freestyle rider you may want to detune your snowboard. That means instead of making the edges sharper we round them. This will help you from grabbing your edge on rails and boxes. A lot of Rippers will just make park laps all day. When I was living in Australia there wasn’t much snow or vertical. Me and a couple others set up boxes and just hit those all day practicing our board slides. I’ve done this in the postseason up at Alta, Utah. We’ve been able to snowboard there in the preseason and postseason. Watch Free Alta and join us to start allowing snowboarding there.

Grant talked about tuning tips and you can go to CustomCult.com/GrantElliot to get his design or choose from other riders’ designs. You can also design your own with different lengths, widths, sidecuts, camber shape and flex patterns. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! Online snowboard resources like videos on our YouTube Channel and articles like these can help you a ton. Professional snowboard lessons help even more. My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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How To Put On Burton Bindings Custom EST 2 Screws

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , , ,

This snowboard tutorial gives tips on How To Set Up Burton Bindings Custom EST. I bought these EST Burton Bindings and found out that I can only use them on Burton Boards! I just want to warn peeps of this money making scheme that Burton has created. Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; How To Repair Snowboard Part 2, How To Repair Core Shots, Snowboard Binding Types, Binding Angles, Picking The Right Size of Snowboard, Demo Snowboards, Snowboard Camber Technology, & Sizing Boots & Bindings.

When I first bought this board it didn’t have all the parts I needed. There are unique screws for the bindings and the female parts for the board. I had the bindings for over a year because I couldn’t use them with other boards. I had to go back to the shop to get the female parts for the board. I know this whole process is cumbersome. I had to talk to lots of people and research about how to use the system. I feel like I went to university just to get all the knowledge of how to set up this Burton board and bindings. Hopefully this article saves you time and money if you’re thinking about going Burton. 

I’ve been riding the Custom EST Bindings on a Custom Wide 158. I’ve noticed that I have had to tighten my front binding several times. There are only 2 points of contact for the binding and that makes the screws come loose much quicker. I have noticed when I’m out on the slopes and folks come up to me asking for my screwdriver that they are riding Burton boards. Burton boards originally came with a 3 hole triangle system that made mate sawed off. Why can’t they just use the 4 hole system that everyone else uses? It’s all about the Benjamins! 

Once you have all the unique pieces for this setup it’s easy. You’ll just need a screwdriver. There are markings for width and binding angles. The bindings move toward the toeside edge and heelside edge smoothly. I do like that it is easy to move the bindings. I’ve just seen too many riders have the screws come loose and then the bindings move so they are riding a super wide stance.

Setup of Burton boards and EST Custom binding systems are quick but they come loose. I always carry a screwdriver in case binding screws come loose. I now need to carry glue or nail polish to keep these Burton Bindings tight. Get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/Flowing Freeride’s techniques by going back to other snowboard videos that teach how to improve your skills, improve your knowledge on equipment, safety, terrain and weather. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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How To Put Snowboard Boots On Right!

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , , , ,

Putting on your boots can be a difficult task for folks new to snowboarding. Learn How To Put Your Snowboard Boots On and Ride Right™! Snowboard boots are much more comfortable than ski boots. If they’re not put on right then it can cause uncomfort and pain. Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; How To Repair Snowboard Part 2, How To Repair Core Shots, Snowboard Binding Types, Binding Angles, Picking The Right Size of Snowboard, Demo Snowboards, Snowboard Camber Technology, & Sizing Boots & Bindings.

I can’t believe how many students show up to my snowboard classes with their boots put on wrong. Part of my job as a coach is to make my students better. Equipment adjustments like putting your snowboard boots on correctly will make your riding improve. Most snowboard boots will come with two tongues. Yeah that sounds like a cow with multiple stomachs but the first tongue should go right against your shin without overlapping. These types of mistakes can cause actual bruising on your leg. In my lessons I will check everyone’s boots right off.

Your socks should be pulled up without wrinkles. The snowboard pants have a snow skirt that goes over the boot. Stuffing it down in, multiple socks or other layers can cause big problems. Other problems are that you use way more movement and energy to get the same result. If your heel is coming up out of your boot on the toeside then something is loose. Little things can make huge differences in your riding. 

The inside laces need to be tight. Most boots will have a locking mechanism that keeps the boot tight. Pull the inside and outside laces tight to make sure you have a snug fit. If you don’t the laces will come loose. A loose boot will make your foot swim in the boot. That can cause and ankle injury. Keep that foot secure in your boot. There is a lot that can be done to make snowboarding have a better flow state to it. Be the best you can be with proper techniques!

Hope you’re staying safe during the holidays and these odd times of Covid-19. It help me and my fellow coaches stay safe if we don’t have to fix your boots. Your snowboarding will be much better with tight boots. Get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/Flowing Freeride’s techniques by going back to other snowboard videos that teach how to improve your skills, improve your knowledge on equipment, safety, terrain and weather. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Tips For How To Wax A Snowboard

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, Snowboard Gear Reviews, Snowboarding Tips, , , , , , , , ,

Get Super Stoked for Winter! Snowboarding is much better if you can go fast! I’ll give some snowboard tips on Waxing Your Board. If you wax your board it will go faster and protect the base. Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; How To Repair Snowboard Part 2, How To Repair Core Shots, Snowboard Binding Types, Binding Angles, Picking The Right Size of Snowboard, Demo Snowboards, Snowboard Camber Technology, & Sizing Boots & Bindings.

Who doesn’t want to go faster on a snowboard?! You can learn riding techniques and skills that will help you to be more comfortable on your ride. Building Rhythm in snowboarding will help you to transition from edge to edge smoother.

 

There are many other snowboard tutorials you can watch to learn those movements but what about your equipment. Your snowboard can go faster if the base is free of core shots, scratches and has wax on it. There was a tennis player named John McEnroe that would never blame himself. It was always the refs, the weather, the court or tennis racket. You too can blame your equipment especially if you’re not using it how it should be used.

I’ve been competing, teaching and coaching snowboarding for a long time and it works to not get down on yourself. Blame your equipment and if you fall off a horse get back on it. It really works to have a competitive spirit and to be your best. If you’ve snowboarded think how many times you’ve been a wee bit too slow or when you’ve got stuck. If you had waxed your board you probably wouldn’t have lost as much speed. I’ve seen a lot of peeps get stuck in deep powder fields and have to expend a ton of energy to get free. If you have the right movement patterns and good equipment it can make your day on the mountain that much better.

There are different temperatures of wax you can apply. All purpose or all temp is a good choice. I will sometimes blend that with either a colder wax or warmer wax depending on conditions. If you apply the wrong wax it can cause more friction so choose wisely. Melting the wax into the board’s base is easy, just use an iron. There are irons that you can buy that don’t have holes in the iron for steam. They will cost a bit more. They will give a more even melt and application but a clothes iron will work fine and is cheaper. Make sure the iron temp isn’t too hot. You will see smoke if it is and you don’t want burnt wax on your base. Too cool won’t melt the wax so find the perfect temp and then mark it on your temperature dial.

I like to let the snowboard dry out before waxing. Waxing in the morning gives my snowboard plenty of time to dry out and to warn up. The wax will bond better to a board that is warm compared to a cold board left outside. Get it all melted in and then let it sit for at least 30 minutes. The longer you can let it sit the better. You can then scrape the excess wax off with a plastic scraper. A metal one can scratch the base. It is alright to not scrape and just let the snow do it but you will get a little more speed if you do. If you race you want to scrape right before your run. You can also but other things like hydrofluorocarbons you can add to the base but Hydrofluorocarbon Can Be Bad To Environment and Health. There are saver alternatives or just use wax.

Take care of you snowboard and wax it about every 3-5 days you snowboard. Scrape of any excess wax and repeat. You’ll protect your snowboard, give it more life and you’ll go faster if you learn to wax your snowboard right! Get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/Flowing Freeride’s techniques by going back to other snowboard videos that teach how to improve your skills, improve your knowledge on equipment, safety, terrain and weather. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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How To Fix A Snowboard Part 2

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We haven’t had snow for a few weeks but the weather is staying cold enough to make snow. There isn’t any off piste riding yet and with little terrain the slopes get crowded. Thin patches may hide rocks that can damage your board. This tutorial will give tips on How To Repair Snowboard Part 2. Follow us by subscribing on YouTube to get all our new videos & tips. Flowing Freeride will teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Waxing Your Board, How To Repair Core Shots, Snowboard Binding Types, Binding Angles, Picking The Right Size of Snowboard, Demo Snowboards, Snowboard Camber Technology, & Sizing Boots & Bindings.

This is the time you should visit shops to get any supplies you need to fix your snowboard. Find a cool shop that likes chatting about all things snowboarding. The main thing you want is a p-tex color that matches the color of your snowboard base. You can buy a p-tex gun to fix your core shots or you can just use a lighter. You do need to melt the p-tex into the base at the right temperature. Too hot will burn it causing carbon to appear making it not bond well. Too low of a temp will not bond well either. If you have a really deep core shot or the damage is near the edge you may need to base weld the board. That would involve getting a torch and clamps. I would clamp a piece of wood over the repaired area and let it bond over night. I could also use some adhesive glue mixed with p-tex pieces. If you can’t fix it, take it to the cool snowboard shop you found.

You can buy an expensive iron or just get one for cheaper at a retail store. I use an iron to help pressure in the material whilst it heats. Heat and pressure will pack the p-tex into the hole tight to give a solid bond. If you start seeing smoke from the iron your temp is too hot and you might damage your snowboard. I recommend trying to fix older boards first so you can learn from your mistakes. Snowboards are expensive and you don’t need to ruin them by burning them. I would look online for local classifieds. There are always folks selling used snowboards. That could become your new junk board that you can trash and learn how to fix it without breaking your budget.

The best thing to do is avoid rocks. Easier said than done but if you do you can DIY for little money. You might be able to fix your friends’ stuff now too. Get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/Flowing Freeride’s techniques by going back to other snowboard videos that teach how to improve your skills, improve your knowledge on equipment, safety, terrain and weather. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.

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Snowboard Lesson: The 3 Main Types Of Riding Styles

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You can learn how to snowboard online staying safe during the Covid-19 pandemic. This snowboard tutorial will go over 3 Main Types Of Snowboarding. Knowing what type of snowboarder you are will help you to get the right gear, the right terrain and the right area. Other Snowboard Videos on YouTube & Flowing Freeride teach how to pick the right snowboard gear best for you and drills to improve your skills. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you sign up that cover every step and feedback from your coach. We also have some free snowboard videos to prepare for snowboard safety on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos;  Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Superman Eruo Carves, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Advance Snowboard Lesson: Dropping Cliffs, Snowboarding Off Piste, Snowboarding Chutes, Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles, Active Passive Absorption, Eruo Surfer Carves, Basics For Freestyle Features, Advance Snowboard Carving: Surfer Turns & Grab Carves, Snowboard Responsibility Code #1, Snowboard Responsibility Code #2, Snowboard Responsibility Code #3, Responsibility Code #4 Look Uphill, Snowboard Responsibility Code # 5, #6 Obey All Signs, Snowboard Responsibility Code #7,Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles & Snowboarding Moguls.

Think about what I mean by finding the right gear. If you’re into tricks and jumps then you want a softer flex board that is a little shorter because your style is Freestyle. Softer flex in boots allows you to flex and extend to give you more power for tricks. It’s a twin tip or that it’s meant to be able to go goofy or regular with the same performances. Your camber preference will probably be reversed or hybrid with detuned edges. These board features will be more forgiving. You’ll be able to spin faster with a shorter board. Softer flex will give you more bend to absorb landings. It’s less likely to catch edges with that camber shape and the board likes to butter. Dull edges don’t hook up on rails and boxes. 

Finding the right terrain helps with your style. If you like to carve, turn and go fast then you might get an alpine setup. Alpine setups have sharp angles both towards the nose or front of the snowboard. The snowboard is directional or meant to be ridden one way. Your boots are hard like a skier making it harder to walk around. One main reason I liked snowboarding over skiing was the soft boot. Alpine boards are longer, stiffer and narrow. This allows them to go from edge to edge quickly. Terrain that is wide open, groomed and a bit steeper is perfect if you’re and Alpine rider.

Some resorts are known for their parks and pipes. Some are known for their epic race course and others are known for they’re deep powder. Freeride style is where I came up with the name Flowing Freeride. The Freeride snowboard style is a combination of Freestyle and Alpine snowboarding. You ride everything. You might lean more towards freestyle and have a twin tip board. The side cut starts going back up in the center of the board and the flex is the same. If you ride a lot of powder your stance will be set back so you have a longer nose than tail. The flex is softer at the nose and stiffer at the tail so you float on the pow better. It might be asymmetrical. The board might be wider for more surface area that will also help you float in the powder. I like resorts in Utah, Colorado, California, Wyoming and Montana because they’re Big Mountains with steep terrain and Deep Powder!

The 3 main types of snowboarding are Alpine, Freestyle and Freeride. Depending on what you like will help you get the right equipment. It will help you decide what conditions and trails to ride. You will know what resorts you like to ride. A perfect fit will be like a fairytale with a happy ending! If you want to ride better and learn more snowboard freestyle, freeride or alpine drills, sign up for a lesson with me and use my online school to get you to Ride Right™! Get Hooked On Snowboarding with Snowboardclass/Flowing Freeride’s techniques by going back to other snowboard videos that teach how to improve your skills, improve your knowledge on equipment, safety, terrain and weather. You can sign up for the full course to gain access to all of our snowboard lessons, study guides, textbooks, 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! My name is Blake Tholen Clark Contact Me if you want to book a lesson or have any questions about Snowboarding.