What Is Freestyle Snowboarding?

Master1305/Shutterstock.com

Snowboards were made to catch air. With a bit of momentum and enough of an incline, you and your board can take flight as you master a range of elevated tricks. Such is the way of freestyle snowboarding. 

Instead of racing to the base of the mountain, freestyling focuses on defying gravity while twisting, turning, leaning or flipping before sticking your landing. Learning how to snowboard freestyle opens a wealth of new possibilities. Discover how it compares to traditional riding and what it takes to land all those outrageous moves you’ve seen on YouTube. 

What Is Freestyle Snowboarding?

Freestyle snowboarding involves doing tricks, including spins, extensions, ollies, carves and butters. Terrain parks have man-made structures like half-pipes, rails, steps and ramps to help riders get off the ground. They are designed explicitly for freestyling, but you can practice these moves on bumps, edges, hills and cliffs that form naturally in the wild. 

Downhill snowboarders focus on maximizing their speed and finding the fastest way to the bottom. Freestyling requires more balance, precision and hand-eye coordination as you use your body to complete a move before returning to a traditional stance when the board touches down. 

Freestyle Snowboarding Essential Gear

When busting a move, you’ll need a lightweight, flexible board that adapts quickly to the changing terrain. They give you more wiggle room to bend or curve when needed without snapping the board in two. A twin-tip shape helps you grab onto inclines before launching into the air. The fit should be semi-locked in to give you more room to shift your balance. You can also use an all-mountain board to try freestyling before upgrading to a more flexible ride.

Freestyling increases the distance between you and the ground, which can lead to more serious injuries. Wear a full-face helmet to protect your skull, eyes and forehead from falls. Your outfit should be loose enough to expand your range of movement but not too baggy that it starts to drag. Create a waterproof outer layer to stay dry when you land face down in a snowbank. 

Pair your gear with snowboard helmet speakers to communicate with your companion or coach while riding. It syncs automatically when in range and mounts directly onto your helmet for a seamless experience. Your pal can share tips and give feedback on your stance in real-time to help you land upright. Just speak into the device to ask a question when you need a reminder mid-action. You can practice all day without having to reconnect. Wear knee, shoulder and elbow pads to soften your landing when you strike out. No one masters a trick on the first try. 

Kofimage/Shutterstock.com

How to Get Good at Freestyle Snowboarding

Freestyling isn’t as straightforward as downhill snowboarding because you’re free to try any trick wherever you can. You won’t follow a set course and can decide when and how to launch into a move. Many riders even backtrack to hit the same ramp or ledge multiple times. Find a terrain park or hillside with moderate jumps to start practicing.

Ollies and butters are the easiest to master because they require less elevation. You can then move onto cliffs and full 180- or 360-degree rotations as you build confidence. 

When starting out, avoid overly crowded parks with riders zipping to and fro in every direction to focus on the trick instead of dodging bystanders. Moderate hills, bumps and ledges to the sides of trails will help you ease into the sport before attempting a half-pipe. 

Use snowboarding headphones to have a professional talk you through each trick. They can tell you when to change your stance and get back into position so you have enough time to complete the move. Having another person evaluate your approach is the best way to fix common mistakes. 

Freestyling works your body differently than downhill snowboarding. Your first day on the slopes can be especially brutal after a long hiatus. The more you wipe out, the more calories you’ll burn. You’ll need strong core and leg muscles to initiate the move and maintain balance post-landing. Do yoga, squats, deadlifts, lunges and abdominal exercises in the lead-up to your first outing to maintain control. What's harder, snowboarding or skiing?

Flystock/Shutterstock.com

Your Freestyle Snowboarding Journey

You can apply the skills you learned from skiing and downhill snowboarding to freestyling, but you need to get comfortable falling to get back up and try again. Tricks require more trial and error than trail riding. Wear the proper safety gear and coordinate with a more experienced rider to make this transition as smooth as possible.