How to Ride a Snowboard Switch

Riding switch--or backwards--is an essential skill for snowboarders looking to hone their freestyle skills. Pro riders like Shaun White or Scotty Lago can often ride switch just as strongly as they can ride forward. Becoming comfortable riding switch requires constant and deliberate practice.

Instructions

  1. Preparing to Ride Switch

    • 1

      Hone your motor skills. Practice using your non-dominant hand and foot for daily tasks. Changing which hand you write with, which leg you use to push off on your skateboard, and which foot you use to kick a soccer ball can sharpen the fine motor skills switch riding requires.

    • 2

      Use a twin-tip board when first learning to ride switch. The symmetrical shape and sidecut and centered stance cause the board to perform in the same manner when ridden switch as when ridden traditionally. Fortunately, most entry-level snowboards are twin tips.

    • 3

      Adjust your stance to make riding switch easier. If both your front and rear bindings are angled forward, you will have less control when riding switch. Most freestyle riders avoid this problem by riding with a "duck" stance. When riding duck, your front binding is angled toward the nose (front) of your board (typically a positive angle in the 15- to 20-degree range) and your back binding is angled toward the tail (back) of your board (typically a negative angle between 3 and 15 degrees). A positive angle on your front foot and negative angle on your rear foot allows you to have more control when riding switch. This ensures that regardless of whether your nose or tail is pointing down the hill, your lead foot will be angled forward. This makes initiating turns easier and allows riding switch to feel more natural.

    Practicing on the Snow

    • 4

      Evenly distribute your weight between your feet. Many beginners are initially reluctant to trust leading with a new foot and tend to lean back. Just like riding forward, however, your shoulders and knees need to be evenly balanced over your feet.

    • 5

      Practice linking turns on gentle terrain. Use your quads, calves and ankles to initiate turns in the same fashion as riding forward. Remember to think like a beginner: avoid learning on steep terrain and think deliberately about how to initiate each turn.

    • 6

      Transition to more challenging terrain. As you become better at riding switch, tackle steeper terrain and initiate turns at higher speeds. Also, as your comfort zone expands seek out additional opportunities for riding switch, such as hitting jumps in the terrain park or dropping into a halfpipe.