Skater going snowboarding for first time!

Hey guys, I am going snowboarding for my first time ever down at Thredbo this August,I’m 16 and i am a proficient skater and wakeboarder i am just wondering how well i will be able to use these skills my first time snowboarding?

Hey shredderst8er,

You will probably find that your balance will come to you much faster than that of a normal learner. You’ll find you will be able to turn easier and possibly pop some flatland spins maybe even some small jumps within a day or two depending on how much you wakeboard. The two are similar a way especially with spins. Although don’t expect it to be easy, water and snow feel quite different.

Good luck. Let us know how you get on

I usually find skateboarders and especially wakeboarders pick up snowboarding much faster than most people. The techniques are different, but the basic foundations are there, specifically stance and balance.

I would strongly suggest reading over the lessons in the Rider Progression section of the main menu. I have broken down skill by skill, lesson by lesson, and reading/understanding those articles will definately help you progress faster. Start visualising the skills and techniques I talk about in those articles and you will be shredding in no time.

Have fun! Let us know how it goes…

I agree. Skateboarders/wakeboarders will ‘naturally’ pick up snowboarding a lot quicker. I say naturally because it is the little things like balance and stand that will come as second nature and you won’t have to think about. It will still not be a walk in the park by any means but if you were to compare against someone that has never been on any type of board, you will progress much quicker.

sounds like you will go well, but maybe sign up for a lesson first up and see how you go!

Hi I’ll just pass on some good advice I got off an international I met once. Go with your feelings (feel the move) rather than over thinking things. Trust your natural instincts. You’ll have an awesome time.

For sure, most time when snowboarding you need to react on instinct and feel. I think feel is very important, feeling what is under your feet, feeling the board as an extension of your body. That doesn’t apply as much with someone learning the basic skills but rather something one develops with time. Take a lesson, read the rider progression articles, it will help you progress. With your background in skate and wake you will pick it up easy (snowboarding is easier than skating IMHO).

shredsk8,
You’re going to have a blast!

Your skills from knowing how to wake and skate will help you greatly.
Ever caught a toe edge wakeboarding? so you know what that is like, the same thing can happen on snow. SLAM!keep that toe edge off the ground when rotating in that direction.

Dont expect to just stand up and start making turns down the hill.
Take your time and do some of those things you can see in the videos on this site.
One thing you dont have in wakeboarding is the true use of your ankles. See the snowboard is much softer and thinner than the wakeboard, and it will respond differently when you move your legs.

Hopefully you’ll have a nice snow day and get to ride IN the snow, rather than ON the snow. this will help and feel more like wakeboarding, as your board’s tail will be in the snow a little more than the nose.

Think about this though… you’re not traveling on a flat ground, and being pulled by a rope.
You are going DOWN a hill. so the tendency to have extra weight on the back foot, because that part of the board is in the water, and the tendency to push down on that back end of the board is VERY different.
When wakeboarding you steer the whole board, but in snowboarding your most basic turns will be to steer the back end of the board.

A lot of beginners learn by putting extra weight on the FRONT foot, and steering, or moving the back end of the board side to side.

You know that powerful edge control you have when cutting sharply to one side or another on the wake? you can get to that point on a snowboard with CARVED turns…. your first turns will be what we call skidded turns, where the board will swish around on top of the snow… you’ll get to the carved turn once your balance and confidence increases.

These are just some quick thoughts about how wakeboarding will help.
Try to strap into the snowboard at home or something before you get on the snow. learn the equipment first.

You’re going to have a great time!
Let us know how it goes.

Hey mate. i was in the same situation as u last year, i have had a lot of experience in wakeboarding and skating so when i got on the snowboard everything felt fairly natural. i found that (because of wakeboarding) i was leaning back too much, making agile turns fairly difficult, once i started consciously leaning forward a bit everything became so much more natural. Trust me u are going to have a blast. I do recommend a lesson or two to get started so you don’t develop any bad habits.

Have a great time!

The whole “lean forward” thing can be explained a little.
See, technically you’re not leaning forward…
What you want is to keep your spine perpendicular to the terrain you are on.
This makes you feel like you are leaning down the hill.
So, the steeper the terrain - the more you will be leaning down the hill.

The first turns that more riders make, and beginner turns tend to be performed with A LOT of weight on the foot. This requires a lof of leaning forward.

More advanced riders find benefits from having a more equal weight distribution on both feet. This is usually a natural progression from having all your weight on the front foot. As your skills increase and your balance, strength and confidence all increase this may be a natural progression to a more equally weighted stance. An equally weighted stance allows the rider a greater range of motion for both legs, and more versatile body position for changes in terrain.