How to Learn to Carve on a Snowboard
Carving on a snowboard means linking turns from one side or the other--toeside or heelside, depending on which side of the board your toes or heels are pointing toward--as you slide down the hill. If you're properly carving, you'll be spending all your time coasting with just one edge of the board touching the snow; there won't be any skidding along on the bottom of the board at all. This is an advanced technique that must be learned before you try more technical tricks or tackle advanced slopes.
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Instructions
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Start sliding downhill on an easy or moderate slope. How difficult a slope you tackle depends on your comfort level. Be prepared to fall as you first learn to carve on a snowboard.
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Press down with the toes of your front foot. This will start your board turning toward the directions your toes point: a toeside turn. Once the board starts turning toward your toeside edge, you can apply pressure on the toes of your back foot, too.
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Start turning toward the other side of your board; this is a heelside turn. Keep your back foot level as you gradually apply pressure with the heel of your front foot. If you've let the board turn too far toward your toeside before beginning the heelside turn, or if you apply too much pressure with the heelside of your front foot too early, you'll fall down.
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Keep your back foot level as you apply pressure with your front heel, until you're sliding downhill on the heelside edge of your board. Then you can apply pressure with the back heel, too, if you want.
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Link the heelside turn you're currently in to another toeside turn by relaxing your back foot, then gradually applying pressure with the toes of your front foot to turn the board onto its toeside edge.
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Continue linking toeside and heelside turns all the way down the slope, so that you're constantly turning on one edge of the board or the other. This is carving.
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Tips & Warnings
Don't lean; that will make you fall over. Instead, navigate turns with your lower body, using your upper body for balance. If you've let your board turn too far to the toeside or heelside for you to dig the opposite edge in without falling over, just relax both feet with your weight distributed evenly. This will cause the front of your board to swing downhill again. From there, you can start carving again on either edge.
Beginning snowboarders almost always fall quite a lot. Consider using a helmet, wrist guards and even hip pads as protective gear to prevent injuries as you fall.
