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Step 1
If you are a beginner, build a backyard kicker. Find a snow covered slope in your area (or backyard) with suitable snow coverage and a decent amount of speed. The hill should at least be as large as a decent sledding hill.
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Step 2
To start out, build the jump by piling snow in a pile about three or four feet high at the steepest part on the top of the slope. Part of building a jump is having slope to ride out on. Don't build it on the very bottom or you'll land on flat ground that has no ride out.
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Step 3
Once you have a pile of snow about four feet high, use your shovel to pack it down into a ramp shape. The snow will compress to make a jump about two or three feet high. The jump might seem small, but it's fine for learning basic jumping skills.
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Step 4
Let the jump sit overnight before you hit it. The jump needs to freeze and become solid. Otherwise, it will get destroyed after just a few hits. Create a run in by riding up to the jump and turning off to the side before you hit it. These tracks will freeze and create a fast path to the hit.
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Step 5
When you hit the jump for the first time, do a straight air. Ride up to the jump with your base flat, catch air, and try to ride away without falling. A common mistake for beginners is to freak out with all the speed they carry and land on their butts. This is a actually an instinctive response that needs to be overcome. Start with the slowest jump you can land on your board. Then move up to faster and faster run-ins.
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Step 6
Do grabs next, build a bigger jump, have fun, etc....
