Tips For The Beginner on Skiboards. A few things to know when starting out.
1) Make sure your boots are comfortable.
There’s nothing more miserable than boots that are too tight, lumpy, or ones that jab you in the wrong places. Make sure you can comfortably stand and walk in them (or as comfortable as you’ll ever get wearing hard, heavy plastic Frankenstein shoes on your feet.) For more info on this subject, go to the Frequently Asked Questions page.
2) Go straight to an intermediate run.
What? Am I serious? Yes, but if the idea of not starting out on a bunny run is terrifying, then do what is comfortable for you. The reason I suggest the intermediate runs first is that some beginner runs can be TOO flat, causing a loss of momentum and making you work harder to get down the mountain, which will cause you to wonder if you’re having any fun. If this happens, simply “skate” using a gentle side to side motion. But remember, you’re not there to cross country ski, so do something a little steeper your second run.
3) Stand on your boards naturally.
For you poor souls who have taken ski lessons, this will be a relief. There will be no more leaning over your front tips, which is not only unnatural, but always seems like a recipe for disaster. Just stand with a comfortable center of balance with your knees bent. Occasionally, a new skiboarder will keep falling on their rear. This is because their knees are not bent enough or they are actually leaning backward. There is a simple solution. Crouch down low enough to set your hands on your knees. You will feel stupid, but you can’t possibly fall over backward this way. The correct stance does feel a little ape-like at first.
But in soft powder, lean back. You do not really need for me to tell you this. You will fall forward if you are leaning over your tips at all in powder. It is a non-painful two second lesson. Go ahead, try it. It doesn’t hurt. But leaning slightly backwards will smoothly propel you through the soft stuff.
4) Be daring. Be adventurous!
Once you are comfortable on the flat runs, you may even find yourself a little bored with them. Allow yourself to experiment with the runs you vowed you would never go near in a million years. You will suddenly find that the moguls are easy and a lot of fun, unlike the time you tried them on your long skis and it took you an hour to get down sliding on your butt. And the glade runs (the moguls that have trees sticking out of them) are the most exhilarating of all. Let me tell you girls, skiboarding really is more fun than the three letter “S” word! You will be surprised and amazed at what you are really capable of!