How to Fall on a Snowboard

Even the most skilled snowboarder will sometimes can an edge, lose his balance or mess up a trick and end up falling down. Beginner riders often spend most of their first days on the ground. With the right practice, falling on a snowboard can be as painless as falling in a pile of fresh snow. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Fall on a Snowboard

1. Try to sit down. If you aren't going too fast and you start to lose control of your snowboard, you should put more weight on your rear foot and swing the board around so that it's facing across the trail and you're looking down the mountain. While changing to this position, you'll naturally slow down. You can then easily fall backwards onto your bottom.

2. Fall forward onto your hands and knees. It's the same as falling backwards, except you're using the weight on your rear foot to rotate the snowboard and stop with your back facing down the trail.

3. Use the edge of the board to stop yourself from sliding. If you fall on ice or a particularly steep area, you might end up sliding after you hit the ground. Dig the edges of the board into the trail to slow down and stop yourself.

4. Wave your hand in the air after you've fallen and come to a complete stop. This gesture is to alert other people on the mountain of your presence. People who see where you've fallen can stay clear and avoid a collision.

5. Ride with your knees slightly bent to anticipate a terrain change or a fall. You can easily get lower to the ground and gently fall over from this posture. Having your knees bent also makes them work like natural shock absorbers when you're riding.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid falling down the trail. If you're facing up the trail when you fall on a snowboard, you won't slide down the mountain as much.
• If you're falling within 5 feet of another person, try to warn him that you're going to fall. Verbal communication can help prevent a collision.
• Avoid catching your toe-side edge. This fall happens when you're turning with your toe-side facing down the mountain and you lean forward too far. The front edge of the board will catch the ground and you'll fall on your face.
• The most common cause of painful falls is excessive speed. Don't go too fast if you can't control your board well.

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