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  First introduced in the 1920’s with very limited success snowboarding is now one of the fastest (and most exciting) growing sports. For many decades snowboards were banned in almost all ski areas worldwide. Now snowboarding has become increasingly commercial and a common site on the slopes. This is partly due to the fact that snowboards (with the evolution of technology) are no longer that difficult to manoeuvre. For a sport that can be considered quite extreme, obviously safety is of utmost importance. Even professional snowboarders would never hit the slopes without protective gear.   If you are snowboarding, the body parts that are most prone to injury are the head, wrists, ankles, knee ligaments, and tailbone but especially your wrists since you’ll mostly likely land on all fours. Unlike many other sports snowboard brands and styles are quite hip especially Bonfire snowboarding apparel. At a bare minimum ensure you purchase a helmet, snowboard pants, snowboard boots, wrist guards and goggles before you do anything. You wouldn’t want to spend months sitting at home in pain and miss out on all the action! Since its establishment as a winter sport in 1998, snowboarding has developed into different styles, and each has its own set of special equipment and techniques.


The common snowboarding styles today are the freestyle, free ride, and free carve (or free race).

Free Ride  

 

This is the most common and easiest snowboarding style. Essentially it entails riding down any terrain, from a bunny slope to a 60-degree slope. A rider that has acquired the basic stability skills can then incorporate various jib tricks or even aerial tricks borrowed from other snowboarding styles.  

Equipment for free riding usually includes soft boots and a snowboard that is longer and has a stiffer overall flex. This type of snowboard is ideal for breezing through any terrain, from rock hard ice to powdery snow terrain.  

The majority of snowboarders compete for this snowboarding style.

Freestyle

This snowboarding style is where the rider practices by jumping over artificial hurdles such as boxes, jumps, snowboarding rails, handrails, pipes, amongst other hurdles. Snowboarders are expected to use the installed features to perform jibs or an aerial snowboarding trick.  

Freestyle snowboarders use soft boots with a twin-tipped snowboard. The most common stance utilised in this style is the “duck foot” stance where the back foot faces the end of the snowboard.

Free Carve or Free Race

This is the least popular of the styles but is also arguably the most difficult. This style is mainly used for racing or carving so jumps are not incorporated in this style. You usually would have to wear hard boots on a stiff and narrow snowboard so it’s easier to turn.

Whatever style you use please remember that snowboarding requires plenty of practice and patience so make sure you take things at a reasonable pace and don’t try to advance to more difficult moves too early. Once you’ve mastered the key skills of stability and control and other snowboarding tips you can progress to incorporating jib tricks and aerial tricks.

Get some good kit, hit the slopes and above all have fun!

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