Quick Tips — Snowboarding

By REI staff

Are you a freestyle rider with big feet and large boots? Prevent toe drag by using toe lifts.
They may look cool, but avoid ribbed or patterned knit socks that can cause ankle abrasions inside your boots.
Get into the habit of waxing your board every other outing. Fresh wax will make it will ride faster and actually help protect the base from abrasion from the snow. Rub-on wax is OK, but hot wax is best.
Check that your board's binding screws are tight every day. Some people put a dab of nail polish on the binding's screw threads to help keep the screws in place.
If you fall off a chairlift (hey, it happens) when loading or unloading, try to move to the side as quickly as possible so the chair doesn't hit you. You want to make sure that you are out of the way of the people coming off of the next chair.
When sliding, do not let the board go completely flat on the snow. This can allow the downhill edge to catch on the snow and--you guessed it--make you fall.
Do you suffer from chronic cold hands? Consider that mittens provide better insulation than gloves.
If you are a beginner, you might want a more flexible board, which takes a bit less technique to control than a very stiff board. Check the flex of your board by pushing it in the center while it is standing upright.

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