How to snowboard comes down to a short list you can sort out before the hills open, plus a few skills you learn on the snow. This guide covers your stance, binding angles, a lesson and a helmet, then how to fall, stand up, stop and turn on firm Ontario snow, with a first-day plan at the end.
To learn to snowboard, take a lesson, wear a certified snowboard helmet, and start on your heel edge on a gentle slope. Set your bindings at +12° on the front and -12° on the back, with a stance width close to the board's reference stance, so the board rides the same with either foot forward. Learn to fall low onto your butt or knees, stand up, and slow to a stop on your heel edge before you try a turn.
Am I regular or goofy, and how do I tell before setting up my bindings?
You ride regular if your left foot goes forward and goofy if your right foot goes forward. Your dominant foot usually goes at the back, so if you kick a ball with your right foot, you're likely regular. Run three quick checks at home before anyone mounts your bindings.
- Kick test. Kick an imaginary ball. That foot is probably your back foot.
- Slide test. Take a running start in socks on a smooth floor and slide, or picture sliding across a patch of ice. The foot you put in front is your front foot.
- Nudge test. Stand with your feet together and have someone give you a light push from behind. The foot you step forward with is usually your front foot.
If you already skate or surf, use the same front foot on snow. When the tests disagree, trust the slide. The starting binding angles below let you switch feet on the hill if the slide got it wrong.
What binding angles should I use on my first day?
Start with +12° on the front binding and -12° on the back. A binding angle is how far the binding turns from straight across the board: a plus number points it toward the nose and a minus number points it toward the tail. Set your stance width close to the board's reference stance, which is the binding position the maker marks as the starting width.
We'd rather you learn on this even setup because it rides the same with either foot forward. If your first day shows you guessed regular or goofy wrong, you lead with the other foot and keep going, with no remount. Once you know which way you ride, move the angles toward what feels natural, a few degrees at a time.
Set the angles at home or in the shop, then check that every binding screw is snug before you leave.
We set up bindings for customers, including stance width and angles. Bring in your board and boots and we'll mount the bindings at +12° and -12° for your first days, then adjust them once you know how you like to ride.
Should a friend teach me, or should I take a lesson?
Take a lesson. Burton's learn-to-ride guide puts lessons ahead of brand-new equipment for riders on a tight budget, and suggests renting while you learn.
Our read: a friend who rides well knows what to do on a board. A trained instructor knows how to teach it one step at a time and can spot what your hips, knees and eyes are doing wrong.
Book the lesson at your local hill for your first morning. Spend the afternoon repeating its drills on a gentle slope.
Do I need a helmet as a beginner?
Wear a certified snowboard helmet from your first run. Canada's national snow-sports council recommends a helmet for riding and says your main safety duty under the Alpine Responsibility Code is to ride in a controlled and responsible way. The same council says a bike helmet should never stand in for a snowboard helmet, and that a helmet has to fit properly to work, so pass on one bought to grow into.
Health Canada classes snowboard helmets as single-impact helmets, which must be replaced after an impact even when there's no visible damage. Health Canada's helmet page also tells buyers to look for certification marks before they buy.
Try helmets on with the goggles you'll ride in, and check there's no gap between them across your forehead. If you're renting, ask for a helmet with the rest of the kit.
Why do I keep falling, and how do I fall without getting hurt?
The hard, sudden falls come from catching an edge. The downhill edge digs into the snow, the board stops, and your body keeps going. On your heel edge that throws you backward, and on your toe edge it pitches you forward onto your knees. Keep the board tilted onto your uphill edge, keep your knees bent and look where you want to go, so the downhill edge stays off the snow.
When a fall is coming, Burton's guide says to get low and sit or roll onto your butt or knees, and to avoid bracing with your hands so you don't injure your wrists. Make fists and keep your arms tucked in as you go down. Practise this early, because Ontario hills run mostly on made snow and hardpack, and firm snow gives very little when you land on it.
How do I stand up once I'm strapped in on a slope?
Turn the board across the hill first so it can't slide away, then stand up on the edge that faces uphill. From sitting and facing downhill, follow these steps.
- Sit with the board below you and across the slope.
- Pull your heels in toward your butt so your knees are fully bent.
- Grab the toe edge with one hand or push off the snow behind you, and stand while pressing through your heels.
If that takes too much leg strength, flip over. Lie back, lift the board off the snow, roll onto your stomach, and push up from your knees onto your toe edge, facing up the hill. Practise both ways on flat snow at the base before you need them on the run.
Heel edge or toe edge: which do I learn first?
Learn your heel edge first. You face downhill, you can see where you're going, and a fall puts you on your butt. The first drill on either edge is the side-slip, where the board stays across the hill and you slide straight down, controlling speed by how far you tilt the edge.
Once your heel edge feels steady, repeat every drill on your toe edge before you try to turn.
How do I stop on a snowboard without catching an edge?
Turn the board across the hill and press your uphill edge harder into the snow until you slow to a stop, keeping the downhill edge lifted the whole time. For a heel edge stop, work through it in order.
- Start from a slow side-slip with your knees bent.
- Lift your toes to tilt the board further onto your heel edge.
- Keep your weight centred over the board instead of leaning up the hill.
- Hold the board across the slope until you stop, then ease off.
A toe edge stop works the same way, with your toes and shins pressing forward. On firm Ontario snow a dull edge or a dry base makes stops slower and less predictable, so tune the edges and wax the board before your first day. Wax wears off as you ride, faster on firm made snow, so wax again every few days on the hill or whenever the base looks dry or white. We hot wax and edge tune boards in the shop when your own board needs it.
What comes after the falling leaf?
After the falling leaf, learn a J-turn, then a C-turn, then link two turns together. The falling leaf is a side-slip where you drift left and right across the hill on one edge by weighting your front foot, then your back foot. When it feels easy on both edges, move through these in order.
- J-turn. On a gentle slope, point the board straight down for a moment, then press onto your heel edge to bring it back across the hill and stop. Repeat on your toe edge.
- C-turn. Start across the hill on your heel edge, flatten the board so the nose drifts downhill, then roll onto your toe edge to finish across the hill the other way. Do it in both directions.
- Linked turns. Finish one C-turn and roll straight into the next before you stop. Two in a row is a real milestone.
Stay on the gentlest run until you can stop on either edge whenever you choose. Steeper green runs come after that.
Frequently asked questions
Should I rent or buy for my first season?
We'd rather you rent for your first day or two, then buy once you know you'll keep riding this winter. Your own board and boots stay the same every trip, so you aren't relearning a new rental setup each time. Once you're linking turns, our all-mountain snowboards picks and our freestyle snowboards review cover the next board up.
What should I wear for my first day?
Wear a waterproof jacket and pants over warm base layers, one pair of snowboard socks, goggles, and waterproof mitts or gloves. Avoid cotton as a base layer, since it holds sweat and melted snow. Pull your pant cuffs down over your boots so snow stays out when you sit to strap in.
Is hard early-season snow OK to learn on?
You can learn on made snow and hardpack, and most Ontario riding happens on it. A sharp edge grips firm snow well, and a caught edge hurts more there than in soft snow. Keep the board tuned, practise falling low, and stay on the gentlest slope for your first runs.
Can I change my binding angles later?
Binding angles and stance width change with a screwdriver whenever you want. Once you're sure which foot leads, ride a few full days, then move one binding a few degrees at a time toward what feels natural. Bring the board in if you'd like us to reset your stance width and angles.
What should I do before my first day?
Sort out your gear and your plan before the hills open. Work through this list in order.
- Find your front foot with the slide test.
- Set your bindings at +12° front and -12° back with a stance near the reference width, then check the screws.
- Book a lesson at your local hill for your first morning.
- Get a snowboard helmet that fits now and carries certification marks.
- Tune the edges and wax the board.
- Pack water, since Burton's guide says to aim for one to two litres through the day because you feel less thirsty in the cold.
- On the hill, practise falling, standing up, side-slipping and stopping on your heel edge, then repeat it all on your toe edge.
We'd rather you book the lesson before you buy anything else. If you're getting your own board for this winter, start with our beginner snowboards built for your first season, and bring it in with your boots so we can set your stance before day one.
