Learning to shift your body weight between your heels and toes is an essential snowboarding technique. Many novice riders are intimidated by this maneuver because it causes your snowboard to change directions. The sharpened edges of the board will allow you to connect your heelside and toeside turns without catching in the snow. When changing from your heels to your toes, ABC-of-Snowboarding recommends keeping your shoulders parallel with the snowboard. Choose a gradual slope that features a groomed terrain to maintain a comfortable speed throughout the learning process.
Step 1
Choose a low-traffic area of the snowboarding slope to practice your heelside and toeside turns. Ride forward with your non-dominant foot in the lead position. Bend your knees to stabilize your snowboarding stance.
Step 2
Lean onto your heels to dig the outer edge of the snowboard into the riding terrain. Extend your arms for balance while executing the heelside carve. Transfer your body weight onto your toes as you begin to lose momentum.
Step 3
Apply downward pressure to dig the toe-edge of the board into the snow. Keep your center of gravity low while performing the toeside carve. Transfer your body weight back onto your heels to maintain your momentum.
Step 4
Connect your heelside and toeside carves down the mountain slope to perform a fluid S-shaped turn. Keep your shoulders parallel with the snowboard throughout this riding technique. Rotate your snowboard to a horizontal position as you reach the bottom of the slope.
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