Tag Archives: backcountry

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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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Celebrating Our 100th YouTube Video

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

We have over 200 videos on YouTube and our website FFR. We provide a ton of free content and this is our 100th Video On YouTube. We are looking for more good riders and videographers so we can continue providing free content to our subscribers. Hit us up in the comments or click on Contact Us here or on our site. 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.

We have started collaborating with other folks and companies to promote snowboarding and other businesses. If you are in the Park City area, have good riding skills and good video talent then we’d like to chat. We’ve discovered that YouTube is our main source of income. Our website always needs updates and that takes time and money. YouTube videos are free and once we post a video it’s done. Websites have hosting charges and our videos for the site live on AWS. The site was making more than YouTube for the first few years. We now have over 100 videos and have lots of ideas on creating new content. We are looking for Rippers like yourselves.

I’ve been hiking up in Alta a lot and created a ton of content up there in early and late season. The snow isn’t always great during these times. I’ve been working full time as a snowboard coach, trainer, TV producer and instructor during the last few snowboard seasons. During this time I’ve only been able to release a few videos on YouTube. I’ve taken a full time position at PCTV and will not be teaching near as much. It will be good to work more on my own riding instead of others. Last season was not a fun season and we had a low snowpack. Our summer run off wasn’t much and our reservoirs are turning into puddles. Motor boats aren’t allowed in some lakes because there isn’t enough water. It will be good to get some video when winter is at its peak instead of spring conditions up at Alta. 

I just looked at the conditions in the southern hemisphere and they are getting snow. I’ve snowboarded in Australia and had a job in New Zealand but Covid hit and changed everyone’s lives. Keep on ripping mates! 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 To Snowboard & Snowmobile

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When Covid hit everything closed up including the resorts. I was laid off and only got 1 week of pay. I had a job at Cardrona, New Zealand. It would have been exquisite to live and ride there for a season. Covid hit some of us real hard. We were getting good March storms and I called around for snowmobile rentals. I found a place on Daniel’s Summit & Went Snowboarding Behind A Snowmobile. I’ll give you some tips on how to snowboard whilst 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.

If you are not a good snowboarder already I do not recommend you doing this. I’ve waterskied and wakeboarded behind boats since I was a wee lad. If you have experience getting pulled then you should be able to do this. You want to get all the slack out before you start. It is important to get the slack out or you can get injured pulling your shoulder out or catching an edge. Start slowly and increase the speed. The driver needs to have the skill to pull you just like in wakeboarding. Once you start going, keep your knees, ankles and hips slightly bent. You will still initiate your turns with your front foot but I put more weight on my back leg. I’ve done this by being pulled by a car when I lived on Donner Summit, California. Two of us were pulled behind my car. If you do it on a road, keep the board flat. Too much edge angle will dig down to the street and you’ll crash. It hurts, believe me!

It’s best to do this with fresh powder. Good snow conditions give you more confidence with big rewards and smaller consequences. It’s easier to go up the snow walls and banks. The powder will spray out and look cooler. If the conditions aren’t good then you probably should reconsider getting pulled. Nothing wrong with being safe rather than sorry. As a well weathered veteran I want you to learn from my mistakes.

Riding the snowmobile is fun. I started renting and driving snowmobiles when I was 14. My mum told the snowmobile outfitters that I was legal to drive, thanks mum! We went up to West Yellowstone a couple times and all the streets have snow on them sharing the roads with the snow machines and automobiles. There are tours into the park if you don’t want to drive. I recommend doing it at least once just to see nature’s beauty. I grew up near the mountains and we had 4 wheelers and motorcycles. At 14 I drove the snowmobile like a 16 year old. You might have to wait until you’re at least 16. Most folks reading this according to YouTube analytics are over 18. That means you should be able to rent and drive a snowmobile and have a marvelous time!

Holding the rope with one hand will keep your upper body aligned with your lower body. When you’re going uphill you should hold on with both hands because you get worn out. When it’s flat is when it’s the best to cut back and forth. Your driver needs to keep the rope tight and keep a constant speed. The driver needs to look back or you can use your mirrors but they need to keep an eye on their rider. If you start going downhill be careful the rope doesn’t get caught in the snowmobile’s tracks. The rider should let go of the rope and just snowboard like normal.

I recommend doing it on a machine that holds two peeps. That will let you be able to ride back if you’re not keen to continue. It was a great way to get my snowboard on during the pandemic of Covid-19! 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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Summer Snowboarding Main Chute, Alta

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My 2018-19 snowboard season was epic. We had record snowpack and I was snowboarding until July 7th. I got over 200 days on snow and this video is My 200th Day Snowboarding Main Chute, Alta. 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 season started on October 10, 2018. Some resorts like Brighton opened up in October. I hiked almost everyday until my resort Park City opened around ThanksGiving and I had over 30 days of snowboarding by then. With the snow conditions this good the whole mountain was able to open early. This gave a lot of terrain to spread out. I didn’t have to worry as much about rogue skiers and boarders. I love the trees because they don’t move. Some of them have been in the same spot for hundreds of years. Floridians don’t and tourists have been known to crash into others. Glades are a safer choice for me because I know how to ride them. If you don’t you should watch Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles.

Park City Resort closed early April but the Epic Pass allows you to snowboard other resorts and Vail stayed open for 3 more weeks and Abasin was open till July. I had some mates invite me out there and I rode Beaver Creek, Vail, Abasin and Breckenridge with my pass. I left a board out there and that gave me an excuse to go back out there. I stayed out there until the end of May and then made another trip out there in June. I made some good connections out there in Colorado and would love to move out there. Colorado has the better bigger mountains but Utah has better snow and more of it. When the resort’s base elevation is higher the snow doesn’t melt as fast.

When I was in Utah I would hike Alta. Alta has good steep terrain that is great for snowboarders. Alta is a skier only mountain watch Free Alta to learn more about why that is. My mate Johnstone would always comment on my social media #FreeAlta and we had planned on snowboarding Alta together. We lost a couple of Snowboard Legends Mike Johnstone and George Medina last year. They were on the front lines to Free Taos to allow snowboarding. They were successful in 2009 they were able to buy a ticket and snowboard Taos. It’s too bad that Alta has to keep the attitude that skiers are better than snowboarders. The resort wouldn’t allow children or women on the slopes when they first opened and they like discriminating. 

Snowboarding in the summer is brilliant. The days are much longer and sometimes I would snowboard late in the evening. I drove up to Alta after work to get my snowboard fix. When I realized I could get over 200 days on snow I made it a goal to snowboard everyday. Hiking is great exercise and I would get to snowboard down. The conditions weren’t the greatest but being able to snowboard Alta in July was a nice treat.

On day 200 I decided to hike all the way up Baldy. It took over 3 hours to hike up. I would usually hike to the top of Collins lift or Wildcat because a lot of the time I had other things I needed to do. I met some other hikers along the way and that made the hike more enjoyable. We all got to the top of Baldy and we could see the tram at Snowbird running. It stayed open until July 4th that season. We took a few minutes to rest and to enjoy the views. Main Chute was still filled in with decent conditions. I took video and you can see how beautiful the scenery was. The ride down Main Chute was amazing! After exiting the chute I had another ten minutes of snowboarding to get to the base.

If you go out hiking in your area try to find slopes that have good vertical. I can park my car at Alta, walk 30 meters and be on snow. Alta makes snow and that gives a deeper base making the snow last longer. You cannot hike on private property. Alta is forest service land and when they close anyone can use the land to recreate. 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 Snowboard Deep Powder At Alta

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We’ve been getting tons of powder for an Early Start To the 2020-21 Snowboard Season! There is over 3 feet of powder that I’ve been shredding up at Alta. I’ll give you important tips on how to ride deep powder and to be safe. 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, Snowboard Lesson Navigating Trees & Obstacles, Active Passive Absorption, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles & Snowboarding Moguls.

I wasn’t sure how much snow would be up at Alta when I went up for my first run of the season. When I got there the parking lot was full and tons of super stoked folks were coming to hike up and get some powder turns. The snow guns were blowing making more snow and conditions better. When I saw how much snow was up there I was ready to hike and shred the gnar! This is the 3rd season in a row that I’ve been able to hike and ride Alta before the resorts opened. Free Alta! Allow snowboarding during the regular season! It’s always great to get the early snow if you love flowing down the mountain on your snowboard. With Covid-19 sticking around being outside snowboarding is a great way to social distance whilst having a blast.

In deep powder you want to keep your speed and keep the board flatter. If you get the angle of the edge up to high the snowboard digs and it sinks. Keeping the board flat allows for more speed. I like to keep flat so I float on top of the snow and not let my nose dig in. This is great for safety incase I hit something underneath. If you hit something with your nose you’ll be pushed over the front and crash. Be cautious and ride light. When I say ride light I don’t want to sink. In flatter terrain pump like a surfer does to keep their speed on a wave. If you have good flow and rhythm you’ll rip down the mountain. Lower level riders can burn a lot of energy by getting stuck and having to dig themselves out.

It’s been real cold and the snow is in excellent condition. You don’t need to have a split board to go hike. Grab your Rock Board and get out and start ripping! Resorts are opened and Park City, Vail and other resorts are opening this Friday. 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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Learn How To Snowboard Early Conditions With A Rock Board

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It is snowboard season with resorts like Wolf Creek, CO opened and others like Keystone, CO that are opening this weekend. Early Conditions Are Rocky so don’t ruin your new equipment. Take out your rock board for these conditions. 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, 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, Funnel Turns For Navigating Obstacles & Snowboarding Moguls.

I do like to chase the snow. I’m making plans to head over to Keystone next weekend. Colorado has got some early snow and cold conditions to open up their resorts. Resorts are opening all over Colorado! Finally snowboarding is back in the US! It’s election day today so go vote! Today marks the 5 year mark of how long 2020 has lasted. Two more months and 2020 will be in the past. I know going riding will help to forget how bad things are. I was able to hike Alta, Utah the last couple years as you can see in the Alta Roctober. I have mates in Colorado that are asking me to come ride. With the lack of snow in Utah, Colorado is looking good. 

I love to hike and ride as soon as there’s enough snow. I scout places out so I know what’s underneath the snow. I like hiking/riding Alta (before they open or when they close snowboarders are allowed!) because it has graded ski runs with early man made snow. There are some risks like hidden obstacles under thin snow. Be safe when going out. It’s better to damage your equipment than yourself. Bring equipment that still works and no worries if it hits rocks. It should have functioning metal edges and a decent base. We call this a rock board or rock skis if you swing that way. Wax Your Snowboard that will protect the base and make it faster. Repair Core Shots and big scratches so that water doesn’t seep in and destroy your ride.

You can burn through equipment if you hit rocks. I ride the Rocky Mountains and they are just that, Rocky! Steeper mountains like A-basin, Snowbird/Alta, Telluride, Beaver Creek and of course Jackson Hole need a lot of snow to bury the sharp pointy rocks. I work in repair shops and have seen the most core shots at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. That place is one of my favorite mountains to ride in the world. It’s steep and deep. It can be icy and bullet proof as well. I usually wait until January to get on my new snowboard to avoid damaging it. You can avoid hitting rocks by riding terrain that doesn’t have rocks under it. Scout your terrain in the Summer by hiking or biking. I know what terrain has grass, shrubs, saplings or rocks underneath. 

It didn’t take me long to learn how to Ride Right™! It costs a lot of money to buy a new snowboard. It takes even more money and time if you hurt yourself. There are going to be risks in the early season or late season so take caution. Sometimes there is very little snow covering a huge obstacle. Early powder can deceive and temp you into riding into a boulder field. In late season one day there might be snow there and the next day it’s a big muddy rock patch. If you carry to much speed you can’t stop and you’re riding over all that mud and rocks. It’s going to scratch the base but better your snowboard than you. 

If you really enjoy snowboarding you probably get a new board and keep the old one. Boards love to be waxed and tuned. Take care of your ride and you can keep riding it as your Rock Board! 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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Learn How To Snowboard Tips to Respond to Weather

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Weather is a huge part of winter sports and snowboarding. This snowboard tutorial will go over Tips to Respond to Winter Weather. I watch the weather and plan my snowboard day according to the weather. 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;  Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, Learn How To Ride The Lifts Safely, How to Snowboard: Balance Twist, Beginner Snowboard Stance, Snowboard Pads, Snowboard Training Hill, Demo Boards, Snowboard Camber, Building Rhythm, Snowboard Freestyle Boards, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, How To Size Your 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.

Respond to weather by being prepared. It’s a good idea to look at the weather conditions and the temperatures this way you know what to expect. It’s easier to take layers off than to put layers on. If it’s a cold day bring a few extra layers. If it starts getting too warm for you, you can start layering them off. If it’s a cold day and you don’t have more layers you’re kind of out of luck. You might miss some epic runs if you’re in the lodge warming up during a cold day or in blizzard conditions. I love snowboarding in a blizzard because every run I get freshies and there is a ton of powder!

The snow reflects the Sun Rays 10 times so you can really get sunburned out there. You want to have the proper protection for your skin by wearing waterproof clothing or snowboard pants and a coat. A lot of people don’t think about their eyes. They can get sun burned or wind burned by the elements. It’s a great idea to have some type of eye protection like goggles or sunglasses when you’re out on the mountain. You’ll enjoy snowboarding much more if you don’t injure yourself by not having the proper equipment.

A lot of snowboard and ski clothes have vents. You can open your vents to cool you off if you’re getting too hot. Most vents are going to be under your arms on your jackets or between your legs on snowboard pants. Your head is where you lose the most heat. I always recommend that you keep your helmet on while riding. If it’s too hot, stop, pull off the side of the run where you can be seen from above and do not obstruct the trail. You’ll cool down much quicker if you take your hat or helmet off. It’s best if you can just get to the chairlift and take your helmet or hat off on the chairlift ride up.

Have waterproof gloves or mitten on cold days. Mittens will keep your hands warmer and gloves cooler. I wear spring gloves or pipe gloves when the weather is warm. You can get ice burns if you don’t wear them so have lighter gloves and hotter days. If you want to ride better and learn more snowboard weather tips, 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.

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Snowboard Avalanche Resources

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This online snowboard lesson will give Safety Tips For Snowboarding Avalanche Conditions. There is nothing better when snowboard conditions are full of deep powder. These conditions provide soft fluffy SuperHero Snow. These conditions make for epic days but all that snow can cause avalanches. I’ll give you some snowboard tips to help you scope out sketchy terrain. 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.

It’s September 8, 2020 and I woke up to cold weather and snow covered mountain tops today. This is the first snow of the 2020-21 snowboard season! It’s time to get you boards out and start to tune and wax them. Winter will be here soon. If you’re like me you’ll be wanting to get as soon as there’s enough snow accumulation to ride. I know it’s tempting to go out in the backcountry to get those early freshies. Be cautious because we had several early slides last season that took a few snowboarder’s lives. You need to have some basic skills on how to survey mountain avalanche terrain. Watch this snowboard video 30º Slopes In Backcountry.

Slides occur when there is a layer of Faceted Snow or a weak layer of snow. There is a science to this. If the snow melts or heats up then cools down and freezes it creates a layer of snow that when new snow packs up that layer can fail and slide. There have been many winter sports Olympic athletes that have been caught in avalanches and been killed. A lot of people just don’t know the dangers of being in the backcountry. There is avalanche equipment like airbags, beacons, probes, shovels, snow saws and ropes that can help save lives when used correctly. 

Avalanche awareness is a backcountry essential skill. If I’m traveling somewhere in the snowboard season, I really watch their avalanche reports. This lets me know what the layers are underneath when I get there. Here in the United States we have the Avalanche Center and the National Forest Service that provide avalanche reports that are posted for those areas. It’s a good idea to take a look at those reports especially if you’re going to be traveling to that area. Watch in advance so that you know what the layers are and when you arrive there. I like to build a snow pit and do tests on the layers of snow. It’s a good idea to take an avalanche course. That gives you the knowledge of what snow layers are like. 

If you’re out there and you dig a pit you see a layer of snow at the very bottom, that’s icy the layers on top are probably going to slide. If you’re out in the snow covered mountain and you see failures on the slopes or cracks that means they’re about ready to slide. Stay away from those slopes. It’s a really good idea to actually pay attention to these avalanche reports and the weather reports so that you know what kind of conditions they’re going to be when you get to that resort.

The biggest Red Flag of Avalanches is seeing other avalanches. If you want to ride better and learn more snowboard safety, 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.

 

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Snowboard Tips For A Lone Wolf

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This online snowboard lesson will give safety Snowboarding Tips For A Lone Wolf. Snowboarding is a sport that you can do solo. Nothing is wrong going out on the mountain by yourself. I’ll give you some snowboard tips that will keep you safe. 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.

There’s a saying for a lot of snowboarders, “no friends on a powder day.” When there’s a fresh storm everybody calls in sick and hits the slopes as soon as they open. Common excuses are the white flu or the powder bug and bosses expect employees to hit the slopes for a couple hours in the morning. The first few runs the snow is untouched and those runs are something you’ll never forget. The snow gets tracked out and lots of snowboarders are done by noon. Those days are epic and worth taking a sick day. You may not tell your boss where you are but let somebody know if you’re going up as a lone wolf.

Keep your phone charged and stay inbounds if you’re going at it by yourself. You’ll need a way to call for help if something God forbid, goes wrong. Sometimes you might be with someone but they’re slow so you can get 2 runs in the time it takes them to do one. A lot of powder can make it difficult for lower level riders so think about that if you’re taking someone at a lower level. If you’ve ever experienced a powder day you probably have been hooked on snowboarding because of that day.

Stay safe out there and have the right gear to make you experience one to last a lifetime. If you’re not at that level signup 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.

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SNOWBOARDING UTAH POWDER

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This online snowboard lesson will Highlight Snowboarding Utah Powder. What makes Utah so good? There is the lake effect up around Salt Lake and Park City. The Great Salt Lake is a huge body of water that is very salty and it doesn’t freeze over in the Winter. That makes clouds dump their moisture to get up over the Rockies. We get tons of light powder that makes snowboarding Utah Powder amazing. 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 signup 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.

You may have seen Utah’s license plates that say “Greatest Snow On Earth” and it holds up. The snow is dryer here with less water content making it crisp, light and fluffy. Snow that has more water content is heavier and harder to move around. It takes more muscle to move it and wetter snow is slower. You have more friction with wet snow and it compacts faster turning into ice quicker. Utah snow is known as Champagne Powder and this keeps conditions better longer. There are less people is Utah also that helps runs to not get tracked out as fast. Utah also has the biggest ski/snowboard resort in the U.S. Park City Mountain with over 8,000 acres of terrain.

Utah mountains get more than Colorado and that makes the snowpack deeper. Utah is further West getting more of that moisture first. I love snowboarding in the Big Rocky Mountains. I’ve worked and lived in many states like California, Washington, New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Wyoming & Utah. Snow conditions make all the difference. I do like going out to Colorado because they do have bigger mountains but Utah has the better snow. Colorado is at a higher elevation making folks coming from sea level get altitude sickness. Utah powder is something you need to experience first hand.

Getting to Utah mountains is fast since there are 7 resorts you can get to within 30-60 minutes of the airport. The roads get salt brined before storms and salted during making the roads clear and safe. Hope you get to Rip Some Utah Powder Soon! 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 signup 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.