Anyone who has ever stepped foot on a snowboard will understand the thrill of gliding down a snow-covered mountain attached to it.
Once you can get air through, especially in a controlled way, that thrill is amplified like you wouldn’t believe.
In this article, you will find out the simple tips on how to jump on a snowboard, so without further a due let’s get into it.
Before you begin to learn how to jump on a snowboard make sure to check out how to fall down to make sure you prevent yourself from injuring yourself.
Learn how to Fall to Prevent Injury
First time Snowboarding? Read this
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For those who’ve never yet reached these heights (so to speak), it’s best to start off with a simple, basic jump. So here it is, the first step; how to jump on a snowboard.
First off, practice off of your board.
This is, unfortunately, the most boring step, but it is a necessary evil and at least you get to get it out of the way first.
plus, doing it this way will help to minimize the embarrassing stacks which inevitably come with learning something new.
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How to Jump on a Snowboard
Step 1: So, stand on a flat surface in the very same position you would be standing in if you were actually snowboarding.
Crouch slightly, keeping your chest and body in an upright position, and spring upwards. When you land, make sure your legs have some give in them; land soft.
Your knees should bend slightly before returning back to the neutral position.
Repeat this until it becomes embedded in your muscle memory, and believe it or not you’re halfway there.
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Step 2: The next step involves doing the jump on an actual snowboard. Exciting.
Make sure you find a nice gentle slope to start off with – trying to be a hero and doing it on a run which is out of your league is sure to result in humiliation – and get riding.
Once you’ve found your groove, and have a little bit of pace, repeat step 1.
Most likely, it will be slightly harder this time.
After all, you are on a moving object.
Provided you don’t panic and repeat the same motions you’ve practised in the comfort of your living room, you’ll be fine, and before you know it you’ll be hopping your way down the mountain.
Now that you’ve figured out how to jump on a snowboard, let’s take things up a notch and learn how to 180 on a snowboard.
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Not surprisingly, this is a little more difficult than the first move.
There are two kinds of 180s; a front side and a backside.
Frontside is a little easier, so we’ll stick with that for now.
What we mean by a frontside 180 is simply that you will rotate your torso in the direction you’re facing, meaning you’ll be looking down the mountain throughout the move.
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Step 1: As we did when learning how to jump on a snowboard, we’re going to start from the comfort of our own home for this one.
After all, if you can’t do a 180 jump standing on your own two feet, you’ll probably struggle to do it on a snowboard.
Stand as though you were on your snowboard, jump, and spin frontside in the air.
If you’re goofy, this means you’ll turn your body clockwise, while regular’s will turn counter-clockwise.
Step 2: Again, step 2 involves repeating step 1 on your snowboard, but this time we’re not going to be moving.
Find a flat area of snow, and strap yourself into your board. Take your neutral position, but place a little extra weight on your heels.
To build up momentum for your turn, begin to rotate your torso in the opposite direction to the way you wish to turn in the air.
Crouch down while keeping your back straight, as you would for a normal jump, and begin to spin your torso in the direction you wish to turn as you come up for the jump.
Then, jump, continue to spin, and land softly with both knees bent. Voila. You’ve done a 180 on a snowboard. On the flats.
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Step 3: And now comes the moment of truth.
Again, find a gentle slope, and start slowly working your way into a groove.
As you move slowly across the slope, set yourself up on your heel edge once again and repeat step 2.
Make sure to land softly.
Obviously, you’ll be set up in the opposite stance once you land, so either spin back into your normal stance or alternatively, turn and go back the other way across the slope and repeat the move in reverse, to return yourself to your normal stance.
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Now for the piece de resistance. Let’s learn how to 360 on a snowboard.
Naturally, this requires more spinning than a 180 – roughly twice as much, in fact.
The beauty of a 360 though, is that you land in the same position you started in.
If you’re no good at riding switch, that isn’t a problem with 360s.
We won’t explain this one in steps because you’re going to follow much the same formula as you did when learning how to 180 on a snowboard.
Practice in your living room, practice on the flats, etc. Get comfortable doing it.
Once you’re ready to give it a go while you’re actually moving, there are some key points to remember.
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Firstly, don’t try too hard. This may seem counter-intuitive, particularly considering 360 is a lot of degrees, but if you try to madly fling your body around you’ll end up with a mouthful of snow.
Secondly, keep your head facing the direction in which you are spinning. A common mistake for people trying to perfect this move is to throw their head back so as to continue looking down the mountain.
All this will achieve is a loss of balance, and once again is likely to send your face hurtling towards the floor.
Finally, focus on rotating your upper body.
As long as the top part of you moves, the rest will follow, whereas moving hips don’t necessarily result in everything moving and can also result in a loss of balance.
If you ensure the top part of your body is moving in unison, you’ll find it much easier to complete this move.
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These moves can all feel uncomfortable at first, particularly for those who are not experienced board riders.
Follow these steps though and after a bit of practice, you will learn how to jump on your snowboard, which in turn will make snowboarding a hell of a lot more fun.
Have you ever tried jumping on a snowboard? What were your experiences? Write them down in the comments and make sure to share.
For more interesting snowboarding articles check out
Feature Image: picture.4ever.eu
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