How to Carve a Turn on a Snowboard

Carving'linking a toe-side turn with a heel-side turn'is one of the most basic maneuvers in snowboarding and one of the most pleasant experiences on earth.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Helmets
• Snowboard Bag
• Snowboard Bindings
• Snowboard Boots
• Snowboard Clothing
• Snowboard Goggles
• Snowboard Hats
• Snowboard Leash
• Snowboards
• Helmets

1. 

   Start by making a toe-side turn. Do this by leaning forward slightly, lifting your heels, and turning your shoulders to the right. (Reverse these directions if you ride goofy foot; see 'Determine if You're a Regular or Goofy Foot.')

2. Straighten up as you come to the end of your toe turn; face your shoulders straight ahead and arch your back slightly. In this position, your board should be flat on the snow, with neither edge engaged.

3. 

   Lean forward with your knees bent, keeping your body low and flexible.

4. 

   Make a heel-side turn: Rotate your shoulders to the left while lifting your toes and leaning back slightly.

5. Straighten up as you come to the end of your heel-side turn, and face your shoulders downhill.

6. 

   Start your second toe-side turn. Lean forward, keep your body low and flexible (with your knees bent), and rotate your shoulders to the toe side while lifting your heels slightly.

Tips & Warnings

• Combining toe-side and heel-side turns is the key to carving (see related eHows).
• As you get more advanced, you can stay lower, face your shoulders downhill more and go faster. You also won't need to consciously go flat in between edges'you'll make a smooth transition.
• The transition between the heel turn and the toe turn is where people often catch an edge and fall. It helps to have your weight low and slightly forward on the board.
• 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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[yomamma]

on 2/10/2009 Turning by rotating your arms/shoulders means that the rotation has to travel through your abs, hips, down your legs and finally into your feet (your feet ultimately control the snowboard). Arm movement is very inefficient and can throw you off balance.


This lesson may have been okay in 1992, but it's completely incorrect today. http://SnowProfessor.com is a good resource for videos that have really good step-by-step lessons that are up-to-date.

[yomamma]

on 2/10/2009 This step-by-step is wrong by current standards. The current AASI teaching standard is against rotating your shoulders and moving arms to turn. Instead, all movements should come from the feet and knees. Also, you should not ride hunched over at the waist...any bend should come from the knees and ankles.

For a toe skidded turn, you should press down on your front foot toes, then back foot toes, then rotate your front knee in. For a carved turn, use ankles and knees to tip the snowboard up on edge (starting by digging your front foot toes in, then back foot toes). Add pressure to your edge to power the carve. Drive your knees into the snow and get low with your ankles to tip the snowboard more on edge.

Practice tipping the board on edge with traverses, garlands and single turns before jumping into linked carves.

Turning by rotating your arms/shoulders means that the rotation ha

[yomamma]

on 2/10/2009 This step-by-step is wrong by current standards. The current AASI teaching standard is against rotating your shoulders and moving arms to turn. Instead, all movements should come from the feet and knees. Also, you should not ride hunched over at the waist...any bend should come from the knees and ankles.

For a toe skidded turn, you should press down on your front foot toes, then back foot toes, then rotate your front knee in. For a carved turn, use ankles and knees to tip the snowboard up on edge (starting by digging your front foot toes in, then back foot toes). Add pressure to your edge to power the carve. Drive your knees into the snow and get low with your ankles to tip the snowboard more on edge.

Practice tipping the board on edge with traverses, garlands and single turns before jumping into linked carves.

Turning by rotating your arms/shoulders means that the rotation ha

on 1/9/2008 The step-by-step mentioned above is a sound way to learn basic carving.
I'd like to think of linking turns like a basketball player's feet pivoting. Imagine when a basketball player stops his dibble, one foot is now planted on the ground as a pivot, and the other is free to move around.

Think of your downhill foot as your planted/pivot foot, and you back foot as the one that is doing the movement.

In regular foot, when doing your toe edge turn, imagine using your front foot as a pivot, and your back foot in a swinging motion.

Picture a grandfather clock. Like an old grandfather clock that has a large pendulum swinging back and fourth. This is a similar movement when linking turns.

As you raise your heels and dig your toe edge into the snow. Imagine (like a clock pendulum) swinging your right shoulder and right foot behind you. This will have you on your toe edge turning right.

Conversely, raise your toes and dig your heal edge into the now. Imagine (like a clock pendulum) swinging your right shoulder and right foot in front of you. This will have you on your heel edge turning left.

Notice how, in regular foot, the right shoulder and right foot do most of the swinging, while the lead left foot only is used to lift the toe or raise the heel.

Picture a pivot!

on 11/22/2005 During the transition between edges, I've found it helps to insert your backmost leg-knee into the back of your forward leg-knee. Doing this will help bend your board resulting in a curvier carve.