How to Cross Hill in Snowboarding

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Kevin Byford with the Ski and Snowboard Schools of Aspen on behalf of the Expert Village. Okay, so after you've practiced going across the hill back and forth a number of times, maybe use the slope, just traversing. Repetition is key here. The next thing we're going to do is what are called garlands, which is basically turn the board down the hill and then skating back up the hill all staying on the same edge to maintain control. It kind of looks like the tree lights or Christmas lights in a Christmas tree when you look at the turns in the snow. Big things again, make sure your stance is correct. Flexed knees, back straight, no twisting of the lower body, and that your weight is equal on both foots, keeping the edge--your front foot is doing the steering. That's your steering wheel. To get going I'm just going to press down on my front toe, push my knee over, and the board will start going down the fall line. And to slow down, I pick my toe up, look up the hill, and I slow down. I'll speed up again, press down on my toe, and go a little further down the hill, slow down, pick my toe up, look up the hill."