How to Pressure the Edge

Snowboarding technique has come a long way since its earliest days, when it mostly mimicked the movements of other sports like surfing and skateboarding. Today, the sport has developed techniques such as using the edge, the long axis, of the board to evoke subtle and effective movements. If you want to learn to pressure the edge on your ride, follow these steps to learn how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Get the basics down. Before you can learn how to pressure the edge, you need to be able to snowboard proficiently and consistently. Get to a point where basic moves are natural to you so you can shift your attention to an entirely different axis of the board, the long axis, in order to pressure the edge.
2. Start playing with the edge. You will find that as you shift your body weight along different segments of the edge, the board responds differently, and so does your ride. Start to move your weight to different parts of the board by bending your knees one at a time and shifting your weight differently on the board.
3. Start with a heelside slip. Taking the concept of adjusting your weight on the length of the board, use less edge with your back foot to get the nose of the snowboard to plummet down the hill. This will give you an added burst of speed since the board is almost literally falling down the hill without much resistance.
4. Apply more edge with your front foot to gain control and maneuverability. Using your front foot to position the front of the board at an angle to the hill helps slow you down and provide you with an amount of control over the board. Ease up on the back foot edge and apply the front foot to navigate moguls, trees or other obstacles.