How to Get Off A Chairlift – Snowboarding for Beginners

Getting off the chairlift has to be one of the most difficult things for a beginner snowboarder to get the hang of. I’ve got three tips that will make getting off the chairlift easy!

1. Skating – Practice how to skate on your snowboard before getting on the chairlift. Skating is basically walking around with one foot strapped into your snowboard. You need to skate to the chair, and skate away from it. So if you practice allot of skating you’ll have more confidence when its time to attempt the chair.

2. One Foot – Find a small hill to practice riding down with one foot strapped in. When your riding the chair you have to do it with only one foot in. So when you get off you’ll have to ride down a small hill with one foot. At the bottom of the hill practice riding your snowboard with only one foot stapped in. Put your free foot in the middle of your snowboard pushed against your back binding. Your knees should be bent, and your hands should be over the nose and tail of your board. Practice riding down a small pitch with one foot until your feeling confident.

3. Stopping – When you get off the chairlift at the top, there may be people in your way. Being able to stop will save you a collision. To stop keep your heel on your snowboard and drag your toe to slow you down. Another way is to keep your toe on the board and drag your heel in the snow.

Master these three things before you get on the chairlift, and you’ll ride away clean on the top.

How to do a Backside 180 on a Snowboard

ENTER CONTEST TO WIN FREE GEAR! Want to learn how to 180 like the pros?Welcome to your online snowboard camp. This video breaks down how to do a backside 180. Our how to snowboard videos are filmed using real students in the Whistler terrain park. In this video I break the 180's down into three parts. Your line into the jump, wind up and rotation, and your jump (pop) off the lip. 180's are where you learn the basics of spinning. So If you can nail your 180's, the rest of the spins will come naturally. There are other how to snowboard videos on the channel to help improve any area of your snowboarding. Including trick tips in the terrain park, tips for in the alpine, and beginner snowboard lessons(coming soon). All the snowboarders in the video are actual students. So whether your an advanced snowboarder or a beginner, there's something on this channel for you. Subscribe to get updates as new videos are released.

Snowboard Boots Buying Guide

A couple tips for buying snowboard boots. Your most important piece of equipment on the mountain!

1. Boots that fit - A good rule is your snowboard boot should be a size smaller than your shoe size. You would them snug and your toes to be touching because they will pack out a bit. But If your toes are too jammed in there thats not good either.

2. Lacing system - If you have laces make sure you can get them really tight and that they stay tight. If you have problems getting your laces really tight you can try the cable system boots. They have seperate cords for the upper and lower half of your boot. You just pull the cords to tighten your boots and lock them into place.  The Boa system is great aswell. It gives you a knob to crank that tightens your boots. But make sure they have the upper and lower cranks seperate for different tightness at the ankle to toes.

3. Water Proof - It sounds crazy but some boots are not water proof. Nothings worse than wet feet on a cold day!

4. Stiffness - I prefer my boots a bit softer for when I ride. But some people prefer a stiffer boot. Be aware of stiffness when your buying boots. Stiff boots give you lots of ankle support for  carving and powder. Where a soft boot give you flexibility to pull of freestyle tricks in the park.

5. Price - You get what you pay for. I recommend putting out the few extra dollars for a mid to high end boot. If this is out of your price range you can probably get a pair of last years boot for cheaper. Cheap boots are going to kill your feet and that translates into less fun on the mountain.