I had some experience skiing during various travel trips, but it wasn’t until the winter of 2009 that I had my first snowboarding lesson in Taos, NM. I have to say, I wasn’t very good at it. I had good balance but I wasn’t mastering the turns.  In snowboarding you must master the basic turns (heelside, toeside) independently before linking the turns in order to go down a slope. I fell so many times that I ended up with a bruised tailbone (ouch!).

I was determined to improve, so I made a commitment to take lessons every year. During the next two years I traveled to Colorado during the winter to take snowboarding lessons. My perseverance paid off. Although I am not a pro, I now have the necessary skills to enjoy a whole day of snowboarding without falling repeatedly. Snowboarding provides a great cardiovascular workout as well as strenghtening your major muscles. Balance and coordination are also a very important part of the sport.

I would recommend everyone to give it a try, and be consistent with your practice. For me, hiring a private instructor made a big difference in my technique. So if you would like to try a new sport to stay active during the winter, snowboarding is a great alternative.

Effective edge
The length of your snowboard’s metal edge that makes contact with the snow. When you turn, you shift your weight to your effective edge.

Fakie
Riding backwards, meaning the opposite direction than your usual stance.

Fall line
Like a plumb line is to wallpaper, the fall line is to a slope. It’s the path of gravity’s pull on you down the hill.

Flat bottom
The part of the halfpipe between the two walls.

Flex
Describes the stiffness of a snowboard. Different degrees of flex are better for different styles of riding.

Forward Lean
The degree to which the highbacks of traditional bindings or the boots of plate bindings keep your ankles and calves bent over your toes.

Freeriding
Snowboarding for fun on any terrain, not including a halfpipe.

Freestyle snowboarding
Usually associated with riding a halfpipe, but encompasses any kind of riding that includes tricks.

Front hand/foot
The hand/foot closest to the nose of the snowboard. For regular-footed riders, the front is the left hand and foot. For goofy footed riders, the front is the right hand and foot.

Frontside
The frontside of the snowboard is the side where your toes sit. The frontside of a snowboarder is the side to which his/her front faces

Goofy footed
Riding with the right foot closest to the nose of the snowboard.

Grab
To hold the edge of the snowboard with one or both hands during an air or other trick.

Halfpipe
Built with snow, a halfpipe is a vertical U-shaped structure used in freestyle snowboarding. Like a skateboarding halfpipe, riders use the opposing walls to get air and perform tricks as they travel down the fall line of the slope.

Hard boots
Similar to ski boots, hard boots are rigid and made from hard plastic. They are typically used for carving and racing. Many freeriders dislike the stiffness and prefer the soft boots typically used with strap bindings. The Belligerent” Sinch Strap gives the convenience of step-ins without sacrificing the comfort of soft boots.

Heel Drag/Overhang
Bindings should as centered as possible between the toe and heel edges. When they are placed too far toward the heel side, the heels drag in the snow while riding and interfere with turns, etc.

Heel edge
The edge of the snowboard where the heels sit.

Heelside turn
A turn made on the heelside edge.

Highback bindings
This type of binding includes a piece that supports the ankle and calf while edging and making heelside turns.

Hole Pattern
The layout of holes on the top of a snowboard, through which the bindings are fastened. Both three- and four-hole patterns are standard, but most snowboard companies use the 4-hole pattern.

Insert
The piece of metal laminated within a snowboard in order to secure the screws that attach the bindings.