Freestyle
snowboarding
Riding Fakie and other variations of freestyle snowboarding.
When most people think of snowboarding they think of freestyle
snowboarding. Freestyle riding focuses on trick riding and
is derived from skateboarding. Freestyle snowboarding is hard
to miss thanks to the amazing scene of a rider performing
the tricks and the stunning sight of ramps; jumps and obstacles
made of snow.
Most people who try freestyle snowboarding are either drawn
to it by the excitement or are familiar with it due to skateboarding.
It is very exciting to be able to launch off ramps, grind
your snowboard on handrails or perform an air or ground spin.
While having experience from skateboarding is a definite asset,
you can perform many of these tricks with just a little practice.
While the physical aptitude for freestyle riding is undeniable,
many tricks can be preformed with a little understanding of
how they work. Before considering trying any tricks you must
ensure that you have the correct gear and have preformed the
usual physical steps required for any snowboarding experience.
Freestyle snowboarding requires a slightly different boot
and binding than other styles of snowboarding. Generally you
will want to have a snowboard that is more flexible than most
and one that is wider and shorter than the standard snowboard.
The flexibility of your snowboard will allow you to "dumb
bell" off rails and your snowboard to bend enough to
contour itself to the shape of any transitions in half pipes
or other obstacles that you may be riding. For boots you will
want to have a pair of soft shelled boots as they will allow
you to flex enough to make the tight turns that will be required
for many tricks.
Now comes the fun part, learning some of the basic tricks.
One of the first places to start is "riding Fakie".
To ride Fakie simply means to ride your snowboard with your
back foot on the front of the snowboard; reverse of how you
would normally ride. This is a stance that is very important
to learn as many tricks will either start this way or end
this way.
When learning to ride Fakie you almost need to learn how
to snowboard all over again. Up until this point you have
been working hard to master snowboarding with your best foot
forward however riding Fakie style changes everything. Start
simple and begin riding down easy slopes Fakie style. Once
you get used to it begin carving corners. With a little practice
you will soon be able to ride down any hill or ramp with either
foot forward.
Another important skill to learn is how to wheelie. A wheelie
is basically what it sounds like, lifting the nose of your
snowboard off the ground while riding it. Being able to wheelie
will allow you to progress to more advanced tricks such as
the Ollie.
Tail wheelies are the easiest to learn for most people. Begin
practicing by riding down a gentle slope and lifting the nose
of your snowboard up by leaning backwards. As you practice
you will become comfortable with the feeling of falling backwards
and will be able to hold the position for longer periods of
time.
Of course there are many variations to the age-old wheelie.
The blunt nose wheelie, for example, is preformed while riding
down hill sideways. While sliding sideways down the slopes
begin to pull the rear 2/3 of your snowboard off the ground
until only the front 1/3 is on the ground. If you do this
same trick with the nose in the air it is called a switch
stance blunt nose slide.
The last trick to cover here is the Ollie, an invaluable
aid to jumping. Jumping off a ramp is straightforward; you
ride up the ramp and get some air. Learning to get vast amounts
of air straight up is not so easy to learn. An Ollie is a
way to use your snowboard as a springboard to launch you straight
up in the air higher than you could with just momentum.
To perform an Ollie ride into the top of the launch point
with your knees bent, ready to spring, and the nose of your
snowboard slightly elevated. As the front of your snowboard
glides past the lip of the ramp shift your weight to your
rear foot thus rising the nose of the snowboard even higher.
Now comes the spring like release of energy. As the rear lip
of your snowboard passes the lip of the ramp jump hard off
your rear foot. This action will cause your snowboard, and
by proxy you, to spring off the edge of the ramp to higher
heights than you could have by simply launching and will also
keep you inline with the ramp for re-entry.
As you can imagine from the text here, freestyle riding is
fun, challenging and invigorating. If you like to amaze your
friends and challenge yourself and your abilities than this
is the style of snowboarding for you. Trick riding will never
go out of style and no matter how many tricks you have mastered
there will always be a new one to learn thus keeping the sport
fresh for as long as you wish to enjoy it. |
