Snowboarding is a great outdoor activity we can enjoy during the winter months. It’s the kind of sport that offers everything; There’s the thrill of the challenge of overcoming slopes, while you get a whole-body workout when you balance and control your board. And best of all, there’s the enjoyment of being outdoors, breathing in some fresh air as you move along the beautiful white landscapes.
As with any sport, you’re required to prepare both physically and equipment-wise to be able to master at least some of the basic skills. Of course, in addition to getting some training, watching tutorials, and acquiring the adequate waterproof and breathable snowboarding apparel, you need to focus on finding the suitable snowboard as the most crucial piece of gear.
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Types of Snowboards
As you’ll come to know, there are different types available:
- freestyle,
- all-mountain,
- freeride,
- powder.
Unlike the beginner-friendly all-mountain and freestyle, freeride and powder are specific designs meant for more adventurous rides. Freeride offers you speed. Whereas if you want to explore all the excitement fresh and deep bowls can provide you with, then it’ll have to be powder.
If you’d like to get that effortless float that’s close to the feeling of flying and beating gravity, try out turns, test out different speeds, and hold an edge, there’s no doubt powder snowboards Australia stores have would help you with all this.
What Does Powder Snowboard Mean?
It’s all about the shape and profile combined together for optimal performance. These boards are also known as powder specific because they’re created for staying afloat in the powder with their wider and longer nose higher than the centre, and narrower and shorter tail.
They’re not meant for various styles as they’re directional, so if that’s your focus you could do better with a hybrid board instead should you skip powder rides every day. What’s specific for the powder snowboards is the rocker profile, otherwise known as reverse camber, chosen to make these boards easier to carve in through deep snow.
Also, they differ in the position of the bindings that are more towards the tip which makes it easier to float through the snow as there’s more pressure to the back foot rather than the front. If it were the other way around, you’d have trouble with shifting the weight over all the time and get tired sooner than expected. So, all things considered, if you’re into some adrenaline rush from making it through the powder, look no further than powder snowboards Australia round retailers can provide you with.
How Do You Ride Powder Snowboard?
After you find the perfect board for you, with the proper profile, shape and perfect bindings setup, it’s all about paying attention to the stance, speed, and rhythm.
Stance
It’s all about the position if you want to master powder rides through fresh coats of snow. Considering the bindings are positioned at the back, your body should be more to the back as well. To simplify, about 60 to 70 per cent of your weight should be on your back foot instead of the front if you want to be floating easily, so lean on this foot and keep the knee bent.
To be able to keep up the control over the speed and better absorb the bumps along the way, it’s advisable to stay low. Keep the knees, shoulders, and hips in line to get balance, and steer with the front leg. Practice before you make it to the slopes, and be prepared for some falls at the beginning. If you do eventually fall, it’s not that big of a deal – it’s all part of the experience. Just stand up, and roll over, and get back on the board.
Speed
Don’t be afraid of high speeds. You need speed more than you fear it, because it’s what’ll help you make your way through deep snow, so master some techniques that are great for getting more speed and learn how to control it. Steeper terrain is better for catching a higher speed, and it’s great for gaining momentum especially if you have more turns ahead. For easier manoeuvring, try to learn how to do more open turns. Once you gain speed, you can do with closed turns.
Rhythm
Everything becomes easier when you find your rhythm. It’s what will help you gain speed, and master the turns and control over the board through the powder, so be sure to play some motivational music to keep up your rhythm off and on the snow. This will assist you with your edging which is necessary to master because it can mess with your rides and speed. Glide through with ease by learning how to smoothly shift your energy as you go from turn to turn, and you’ll be amazed at how fast you become a powder snowboarding pro.