How to Ride Ice on a Snowboard

Snowboarding on ice is only better than not snowboarding at all. Use proper technique to make the most of those icy days and avoid injury.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Ski And Snowboard Stone
• Helmets
• Snowboard Bag
• Snowboard Bindings
• Snowboard Boots
• Snowboard Clothing
• Snowboard Goggles
• Snowboard Hats
• Snowboard Leash
• Snowboards
• Waxes
• Helmets

1. Sharpen your edges before boarding on icy days. Carry a small edge stone to keep your edges sharp all day.

2. Make sure your bindings are very tight. You may want to consider wearing harder boots on icy days.

3. Consider wearing kneepads and wrist guards. (Wear them under your clothes and no one will even know how you are attempting to avoid pain.)

4. Start out slow. Do "check turns" (short, quick turns) and some sidesliding to get a feel for the ice.

5. Carve smooth, subtle turns. Avoid jamming too much weight into a turn. Ice tends to amplify your mistakes.

6. Listen to your edges. If you hear them chattering, it's time to turn.

7. Watch the snow ahead of you for soft patches. Your speed will decrease as you switch from ice to snow and increase as you ride from snow to ice - be prepared.

Tips & Warnings

• Ice tends to be worse at lower elevations.
• Check out your landing area before jumping. Or at least do a low test jump before getting too slick. Ice can be very unforgiving.
• Keep an edge engaged with the ice at all times.
• Take everything a little slower on icy days. Your chances of injury are dramatically increased on the harder surface.
• Stop snowboarding if you feel the ice is making the conditions too dangerous - better to miss an afternoon of snowboarding than an entire season from an injury.
• Snowboarding is an inherently dangerous activity that can result in serious injury or death. We recommend that you seek proper training and equipment before attempting this activity.

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[snowboardLT]

on 6/4/2007 Sharp edges can make all the difference as I found one icy day when I was doing fine with my freshly sharpened board, and my friend actually had to take the gondola back down because she didn't have enough edge to dig in.

[snowboardLT]

on 6/4/2007 Sharp edges can make all the difference as I found one icy day when I was doing fine with my freshly sharpened board, and my friend actually had to take the gondola back down because she didn't have enough edge to dig in.

on 3/15/2006 When you're riding your edges or turning; use your back foot to keep your snowboard under you and use your arms by your hips to balance better.

on 3/15/2006 One common response when hitting an icy patch is to immediately speed check (hit an edge to try to slow down) because of the fear of realizing you're on ice. This often results in a spill - and ice is painful. If the ice is patchy the best thing to do it just go straight through and save your carve/speed check for the snow immediately after the icy patch. It's scary at first you'll wreck less and if you do wreck it won't be on the ice.

Another thing when riding snow with ice patches is to keep your knees loose. You'll have to be ready to loosen up the pressure you're putting into your carve when the ice section turns into a powder section. Ride them like a car's suspension so when you hit that powder patch you can absorb it in the knees.

on 11/22/2005 Some snowboards are far better on ice than others. This year (2005), Libtech came out with the magnetraction (which is great on ice), and Santa Cruz has a rubber strip in their sidewalls that is good on ice. If your home resort has ice a lot, look for a board that's good on ice.