Snow Skills

Snowboarding is surely a pledge to the edge in that creating balance on one edge is more challenging than how our skier friends create balance on two edges. The sideways stance in snowboarding dictates that creating edging to each side is inherently a different set of movements. Whether you are regular stance or goofy stance, every rider has a toeside and a heelside for edging purposes. Unless you’re incredibly double-jointed, the way in which you flex your legs to create toeside and heelside edging is significantly different.

To explore these movements, place your board on a flat surface and stand in the bindings without racheting them. To place your board on your toeside edge, flex your knees downward while matching that amount of flex in your ankles. Notice that your balance has been driven forward onto your forefeet while the heelside of the board has moved about a centimeter off the floor. Practice the degree to which you can bring the board up onto the toeside by gently rocking your knees forward and back. Strive to keep these moves supple, without over-extending any one joint and become comfortable with building your balance on the toeside edge on the forefeet.

To place your board on your heelside edge, raise your toes towards your knees. Notice that the knees need to stay flexed, but do not bend significantly. Your balance should have been sent onto the heels of your feet with the toeside edge of the board coming off the floor by about a centimeter. Practice bringing the board onto its heelside edge by bending and extending your ankles with just enough flexing in your knees to stay athletic.

There’s the major different between toeside and heelside edging: toeside relies mostly on the movements of the knee supported by the ankles while heelside relies most on the movements of the ankle supported by the knees.