While accomplished riders often make difficult tricks appear effortless, even the most elementary maneuvers demand advanced balance. Maintaining a balanced snowboarding stance will help to prevent painful slide outs and bone crunching falls. When learning the balancing technique, choose a snowboard that features centered bindings. A centered stance will help you to keep your body weight evenly distributed across the top of the snowboard deck. For increased balance, ABC-of-Snowboarding recommends choosing a stance that is slightly wider than the width of your shoulders.
Step 1
Ride with your non-dominant foot in the lead position when learning the balancing technique. Choose a mellow snowboarding slope that features a low-traffic flow. Rotate your snowboard until the nose points toward the bottom of the slope.
Step 2
Bend your knees to a 45-degree angle as your board begins to glide across the snow. Hold your arms parallel to the ground to increase the balance of your stance. Lift your front foot to prevent the nose of the board from catching in the snow.
Step 3
Lean onto your heels to dig the outer edge of the board into the snow. Distribute your body weight evenly between your feet to perform a balanced heel-side carve. Shift your weight onto your toes and repeat the balancing technique.
Step 4
Keep your shoulders parallel with the snowboard while linking your heel-side and toe-side turns. Steer your snowboard toward a small jump to practice your airborne balance. Lean onto your back foot while ascending the ramp.
Step 5
Extend your legs and jump vertically as you reach the summit of the ramp. Rotate your arms in a circular motion to keep the underside of your snowboard parallel to the ground. Bend your knees as your snowboard touches down to ensure a balanced landing.
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