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Snowboarding 101
Beginning Exercises
By Peter Stark

Trailside
Adapted from
Winter Adventure
by Peter Stark
You can overcome the initial awkwardness of snowboarding—that steel-plate- welded-to-your-feet feeling—with the help of these exercises:

Before attempting to slide downhill on a board, spend some time walking around on the flat ground with your front foot in the binding and your rear foot out. Push the board along until you get up speed, then glide with your rear foot on the stomp plate.

* Try"pivoting." Find a flat spot, put both feet in the board''s bindings, and rotate your shoulders and hips to make the board swivel back and forth. This will help you get the feel of swinging your rear foot around in your first turns.

* Practice edge control by"sideslipping." Choose a short slope with a bit of pitch to it and slide down sideways with your toes pointing into the hill. Try to control the bite of your edge by rocking up on your toes so that you slide, stop, slide, stop. Climb back up again to try your "heel edge." Be sure to keep your knees bent when you do this maneuver.

* Start easy. When you''re ready to board your first slope, choose the most gentle"bunny hill." Make your first descents straight down it, and as your balance and confidence build, try your first turns. By gradually building up to the steeper stuff, you''ll save yourself a lot of falls.

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