Tag Archives: snowboard

Featured Video Play Icon

Snowboard Responsibility Code #6 Obey All Signs

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

This online snowboard lesson will go over the Snowboarder Responsibility Code #6 Obey All Signs. I know that some of the rules of the mountain are pretty obvious but people do stupid stuff. If there are ropes and signs saying something is closed there’s a reason. Sometimes you dropping a rope puts others lives in danger causing an avalanche to trigger and come inbounds. In some resorts they won’t come rescue you if you go in out of bounds areas. That’s something to keep in mind if you decide not to follow the rules. 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 Beginner Snowboard Skills & Drills on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos;  Snowboard Responsibility Code #1, Snowboard Responsibility Code #2, Snowboard Responsibility Code #3, Snowboard Responsibility Code #4, Snowboard Responsibility Code # 5, Snowboard Responsibility Code #7, Beginner Snowboard Lesson on Steering, Toeside Heelside Stance, Learn How To Ride The Lifts Safely, 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!

I know it’s tempting to jump a rope when you see a perfect powder field on the other side. Those ropes are there to keep everyone safe. Use the gates to enter the backcountry or side country. Ski Patrol has gone through and made sure conditions are safe. It might look great on top but underneath there’s rock and other obstacles. There might be machines on the trail or wildlife. I like to hike and rip powder but I want to return home safe and able to snowboard another day. The big thing to signs is staying out of closed areas. You might duck a rope and land on another trail or end up at the bottom of a huge kicker in the park. It’s not smart and it’s not safe to jump over ropes or duck under them to go into closed areas.

The other signs out here on the mountain are for safety. Look up the trail when you see trail merging signs and really be careful in the slow areas. There’s a joke amongst us snowboarders that we say if snowboarding was invented first all the slow signs would say speed up. Slow signs are at the bottom or in flatter areas and ironically we need to keep our speed to get through the flats. I like to take trails that avoid these areas if possible or ones with the least amount of traffic. Let’s face it we need our speed. When we see these signs try to take paths that are safe and to stay in control at a safe speed. I always look at my terrain and pick a line where I’m higher up on the mountain. You need to have some basic skills on how to survey the terrain to pick the best line that avoids the flats.

If you’re a beginner try to avoid crowded slow areas and know bamboo rope fences are closed areas. Bouncing and jumping on the lift can damage it and endanger other passengers. Other signs exist and depending where you are in the world you’ll want to have some understanding of their language and what warning signs are. In Europe Blue trails are equivalent to Green trails or easy in America, Red equals Blue or Intermediate and Black Trails are still Difficult. There were other things that differed from the US but I researched and talked to locals about safety signs and topics to think safety first. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about kids and beginner movements. You can signup to get 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.

Featured Video Play Icon

Snowboarding Teaching Tips For Little Kids

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

This online snowboard lesson will go over Snowboard Tutorial For Teaching Kids. I’m going to let Dante give you some tips that he’s learned from Flowing Freeride’s Techniques. I have another video about Teaching Kids To Snowboard on our FFR YouTube Channel. You’ll have access to all our snowboard tutorials when you signup that cover every step and feedback from your coach. 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 Freestyle Boards, What To Wear Snowboarding, Demo Boards, Snowboard Camber, Freeride Boards, Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, & How To Size Your Snowboard 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!

One big tip for teaching kids is to stay near shelter, food, bathrooms, water and near transport. They wear out especially at young ages. If you’re teaching your kids to snowboard then you’re probably a decent rider and you want to share your love and passion of the snowsport. Be patient and make things fun. Let the child think they knew the answer by giving them clues to what you want done. Guide them towards the correct stance, body movements and position. Make things into games and competition. You might know the kids personality and play off that to your advantage. Get down to their level and when they’re doing well let them go on their own for a bit so they can learn by just doing it. Get them to go as much as they can when they’re happy. Don’t take a break when they want to snowboard. Believe me they will want to take many breaks so if they’re doing well don’t stop them. When they do want to stop make the time in the lodge fun. If all they can remember is a good time then they’ll want to come up again and again. As soon as they want to get off the snow do it. Sometimes they just like to ride on the gondola or play in the snow or make snow angels. Whatever the activity is in the snow that they like do it. Spending time together as a family on the snow will create awesome memories and the kids will want to keep coming up.

What if they don’t want to go snowboarding? It’s a good idea to have another adult with you so the kids can see one adult snowboarding while the other helps. You can also take ride breaks while one teaches the other gets to snowboard. Let’s face it we’re up on the mountain to snowboard and when a child doesn’t want to go then it’s nice to have some adult time of your own. Be patient and know every child is different with their own personality. My first son loved snowboarding right away the first time we went up we were snowboarding for a few hours. Dante is ripping now at age 8 and going down black runs with me. My youngest wasn’t having it and threw tantrums but the last two times this season were great. The last day was on Easter and there were eggs all over. He found an egg that had a toy in it. I told him that it was magic kind of like the feather in Dumbo and it gave him snowboarding power. He totally dug on that and did the best he’s ever done. We did six runs in a row, took a break and then did two more. I was lucky if I got two the whole day.

Make everything a game and guide them to play and skills will follow. Rule #1 In Snowboarding Is Have Fun! Make sure you bring snacks and treats so they remember how fun it is and take lots of breaks so they stay warm and energized. Don’t do a ton of talking do a lot of snowboarding and demos. Kids development differs from adults so spread their stance out a little wider and make your teaching info easy. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about kids and beginner movements. You can signup to get 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.

Featured Video Play Icon

Snowboard Lesson On Binding Types

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

This online snowboard lesson will go over Free Snowboard Tips On Binding Types. When you’re ready to take your riding to the next level get your own custom bindings.  There are many types of bindings but the most common binding is two straps that ratchet tighter. There are some systems where you step-in or Burton’s New System You Step On to your bindindings. The rear entry system has been made popular by Flow. There are different advantages and cons to the bindings so let’s take a look at some snowboard binding systems. 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 educate you on  Snowboard Equipment on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Snowboard Freestyle Boards, What To Wear Snowboarding, Demo Boards, Snowboard Camber, Freeride Boards, Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, & How To Size Your Snowboard 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!

The big benefits to step-ins or step-ons is the quickness of getting in and out of your bindings. If you’ve ever been out riding with skiers they get off the lift and go. Snowboarders have to take time and strap in. Quickly step your foot in and pull the lever or it clicks in. It saves time and you don’t have to bend over as much. If you range of movement doesn’t allow you to bend over very well these step-in bindings save time and energy. A guy I work with teaches and only has one arm, he uses the Flow system to get him in and out with just one arm. I’ve demoed all types of bindings and really liked the Flow system. When I worked in Ski Patrol I was required to have a step-in system so I could get in and out of my bindings fast so I could work setting up poles, signs and ropes. The Flow Rear Entry Snowboard Binding System is what I used. The binding is compatible with any snowboard boot. The first step-ins required you have the boot and binding. The boots wore out quickly and the system would jam a lot. It was a good idea but had flaws and inefficiencies. Flow made adjustments to it’s rear entry system and has remained one of the best step-in bindings. It has a lot of positive uses. Flow is a great name and having good flow and rhythm is why I chose the name Flowing Freeride for my Online Snowboard School, it’s a big part of good snowboarding. Gatorade Flow has come out as well because basketball is all about flow, rhythm, running downhill, momentum & pace and that’s where the saying comes from “he’s on fire!”

There are many pros to step-in systems so why don’t more snowboarders ride on step-in bindings? The two strap ratchet system is more reliable and is very unlikely to fail. Even if the system brakes you’re still able to get down the mountain and it’s easy to fix. After riding my Flow bindings for a few years the high back broke when I was out on the mountain. I’m pretty sure it was the low clearance when getting on the lift or maybe something else. Always fold your high backs down when getting on the lift because they can break. When my high back broke it was still held together enough to get me down the mountain. Most times when things break on step-in bindings you’re walking down the mountain. You usually can get down the mountain if one of straps breaks with the two strap system. A broken binding can really put a damper on your day. My personal experience was a scary one. I had just bought some new Flow bindings and I was going very fast around a trail with some bumps on it. The binding failed and the rear entry opened while I was going 40 mph. My back foot came out of the binding and I flipped out of control down into a valley out of bounds. Luckily it was full of powder and I was unharmed. I took them back and like the two strap system.

I rode the Burton Step On Bindings this year at the 2018 Rider Rally. A bunch of AASI Instructors get together to share new ideas, concepts, movements, skills, drills and progressions to further improve your snowboard style. I like how Burton is using new technology. The binding had a lot of pros similar to the Flow system. The fall back was I had to have that snowboard boot and I was riding boots a bit too small, so I couldn’t wear my boot. Once I was in I was locked in. I found it a little bit difficult to get locked in everytime and sometimes had to do a good heelside turn to click and lock in. While riding the bindings felt real secure and safe. They were responsive to my movements. It was great that the guys at Burton came out and let us demo their bindings, boots and boards. They’re making tweaks every year to this system to make it better. I snowboarded all day on my Custom Wide 158 Regular Camber Twin Tip Burton Snowboard and really liked the speed and flex of the board. The bindings have a slot to slide your snowboard pants to prevent jamming but on my very last run I couldn’t get out of binding. My pants had jammed into the locking mechanism of the bindings. Luckily I was down at the bottom where the Burton Tent was. I was rescued by the tech taking the binding off with a screwdriver. I applaud these Snowboard Companies for pushing snowboard technologies and hope to see more new ideas next season.

If you get an old setup somewhere like at a pawn shop or yard sale try to get bindings that are two straps since the older technologies aren’t as safe. Snowboarding is expensive but there are ways to get hooked up. I talk about demo days. Do a little research, I talk about this in the snowboard tutorial Learn Demo Snowboards, and find free demo days at snowboard resorts near you. It’s a good idea to take a lesson and watch FFR’s videos to prepare you. You can practice efficiently with Snowboardclass/FlowingFreeride’s techniques so go back to earlier snowboard videos that teach you about equipment and movements. You can signup to get 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 through my local resort or have any questions about Snowboarding.

 

Featured Video Play Icon

Learn How To Snowboard Getting Big Air Step 1

Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, From Your Snowboard Coach, , , , , ,

This online snowboard lesson will go over Getting Big Air In Snowboarding Step 1. Your biggest key to getting big air is your speed. 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 ‘Big Air’ on our YouTube Page. I recommend watching these snowboard videos; Building Rhythm, Advanced Snowboarding Getting Air, Snowboard Dynamic Flex & Extend, Active Passive Absorption, Upper/Lower Body Separation, Basics For Freestyle Features & Snowboarding Moguls. Learn to snowboard online with flowingfreeride.com, Take Placement Quiz, take a look at Our Blog for more free content, and learn to Ride Right!

We want to break up the steps to going off jumps and features into four steps: The Approach, Take-Off, Maneuver & Landing-ATML. The first step is the most important part of hitting kickers and getting Big Air! Speed kills, don’t hesitate be confident with your acceleration. You need to be comfortable going straight and fast for at least 5-10 meters or 10-30 feet. An excellent drill to practice is the flat board drill. This is where you keep your board flat and straight. You’ll pick up a lot of momentum and then you do a quick stop/power stop. You practice two skills here. You’re carrying speed and you’re doing a freestyle movement using a lot of hip rotation to stop. Do your power stops on both toeside, heelside and fakie to improve your skill. Build up on your speed also going flat and straight for longer and longer distances going right down the fall line.

This drill is all about your approach to your feature. When you first start going off jumps you want your snowboard flat and straight, same with your landing. Jumps and kickers have ramps that go up the mountain so you need a lot of momentum just to get back up them. Most people make the mistake of going too slow and don’t even have enough speed to go off the kicker and get stuck. Practice these drills outside of the park first until you’re able to go straight and flat with lots of speed. Flat board drills build your confidence to carry speed and to be able to stop quickly. It’s a freestyle movement that’s used to make spinning tricks. Upper/Lower Body Separation shows you the type of movement you want to practice if you’re not quite getting how to stop quickly.

Step 1 to getting Big Air is to practice being flat and straight with lots of speed. Get out on some groomed wide terrain that doesn’t have a lot of traffic to build your confidence going fast. Go into the park and start on small jumps and progress up. If you’re not fast enough pull out of the park and practice more Flat Snowboard Drills outside and then go back in to get some Big Air! 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.

 

Featured Video Play Icon

How To Snowboard: Funnel Turns

Blake Tholen Clark Certified Snowboard Instructor, Flowing Freeride Online Snowboard School, Free Snowboarding Lessons, Snowboarding Tips, Uncategorized, , , , , ,

 

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.

 

 

Featured Video Play Icon

How To Snowboard: Active Passive Absorption

Awe-Inspiring Snowboarding Videos, Free Snowboarding Lessons, Snowboarding Tips, , ,

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.