# Riding switch



## pennyjoann (Feb 21, 2016)

Who here can ride switch, when did you learn to ride switch and how long did it take you? I've only been snowboarding about 2 months, been going 1-2 times a week for 3 hours at a time and getting pretty confident riding goofy. Later on I want to get into freestyle. Is it best to learn switch early on or should I wait till I'm a lot better? 

Thanks guys 


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## sabatoa (Jan 18, 2011)

Learn ASAP.

The longer you wait, the less inclined you're going to be to "start over" and learn switch. 

/.02


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## pennyjoann (Feb 21, 2016)

Ok cool, that's what I thought but wanted some opinions  thank you 


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## jae (Nov 27, 2015)

BURN IT INTO YOUR HEAD! or your body atleast. learning later sucks ass, it feels like the day is wasted.


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## XxGoGirlxX (Jan 15, 2016)

pennyjoann said:


> Who here can ride switch, when did you learn to ride switch and how long did it take you? I've only been snowboarding about 2 months, been going 1-2 times a week for 3 hours at a time and getting pretty confident riding goofy. Later on I want to get into freestyle. Is it best to learn switch early on or should I wait till I'm a lot better?
> 
> Thanks guys
> 
> ...


I've been riding 5 seasons, since 2006 just came back to riding after taking 5 years off. Everyone is different but IMHO don't push yourself to do it too early, I don't agree that you will resist it more later... 

I think it's important to get solid on one side until things click to a certain point before working on riding switch! I can't remember much of my attempts at riding switch in my early years except that it was probably like the blind leading the blind, as I did not really understand what I was doing wrong or why catching edges etc. 

This season, things seriously clicked for me in a big way and riding switch was something I was able to progress at well. I decided to make myself ride switch for full runs on greens, partial runs on blues. Because my edge control and agility and confidence were there. 

Good luck!!


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

Once you have the basics of riding in your preferred stance (Smoothly linking turns at decent speed), I'd suggest spending at least 20% of your time working on switch, especially if you want to get into freestyle. Switch is the biggest thing holding my freestyle back, and I can get down any black riding switch, it's just not smooth/intuitive yet. I wish I focused on it more earlier on, really I could have been where I am now switch after day 50 rather than day 100 hah.


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## snowangel99 (Mar 11, 2016)

I sometimes ask my instructor to ride switch so I can mimic his run (we ride opposite) and he looks so awkward! It makes me giggle. And sometimes I do it just for fun. I am a so bad!!!! But it's so fun.
The funny thing is my kids are so new to snowboarding they ride either side. It's weird. They flip flop. Is that a kid thing?

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## MMSlasher (Mar 18, 2016)

I'd learn it now just to get it over with. If you don't mind falling now, what is a few more days/weeks to get comfortable with riding switch. I regret not learning it when I was younger cuz I hate falling now. I tend to ride directional boards with a slight set back stance so riding switch now is sort of out of the question for my set up.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

My daughter learned the first 2 years as switched/regular...then figured out she was naturally goofy...then not much of an issue riding either way.


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## Phedder (Sep 13, 2014)

MMSlasher said:


> I'd learn it now just to get it over with. If you don't mind falling now, what is a few more days/weeks to get comfortable with riding switch. I regret not learning it when I was younger cuz I hate falling now. I tend to ride directional boards with a slight set back stance so riding switch now is sort of out of the question for my set up.


Anything can be ridden switch. Swallow tails can be ridden switch... I ride both my Flight Attendant and Highlife switch all the time to take pressure off my back leg. I'm not charging on them switch but it's totally doable for mellow riding. Don't use your board as an excuse not to practice or develop that skill, it opens up so much more fun.


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## XxGoGirlxX (Jan 15, 2016)

Phedder said:


> Anything can be ridden switch. Swallow tails can be ridden switch... I ride both my Flight Attendant and Highlife switch all the time to take pressure off my back leg. I'm not charging on them switch but it's totally doable for mellow riding. Don't use your board as an excuse not to practice or develop that skill, it opens up so much more fun.


^ +1, no excuses. So fun.


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## pennyjoann (Feb 21, 2016)

It does look like so much fun, I was on a coaching session yesterday with a bunch of guys who have been riding 3+ years, they were doing a lot of flat tricks that I noticed required switch. At the moment I'm stuck in a dome till next season and I don't want to limit myself to just getting to the bottom of the very short slope if you get what I mean. I'm in the UK so I'm only likely to get to a mountain once or twice a year, so I want to learn as many skills as I can to make the most of my time when I do get to a mountain! 

Thanks for the thoughts guys! Got the boyfriends opinion as well, he did a few seasons instructing in Canada so I suppose I should take his opinion on board too  he says to just start incorporating little bits of switch into my run at first rather than trying to do a whole run switch. I'll see how it goes! 


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## robotfood99 (Mar 19, 2016)

Make a habit of starting your runs switch, that way you are not going too fast that you can't safely bail. Then when the speed picks up, go regular. Link them in style and it will be a solid foundation to learning butters and other ground tricks. 


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## ekb18c (Mar 11, 2013)

Learning how to ride switch actually gave me more confidence going regular.

It is such a great feeling that you can ride either way. Towards the end of this season I was finally able to really carve (not skidded turns) going switch.


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## raffertyk2 (Dec 16, 2014)

I ride switch all the time mostly because I love swapping boards with people and must of my friends ride goofy so if I want to get a real feel for the board that is the direction I need to ride it in without switching the bindings. 

It is funny to see them ride my board especially when I have it setup in forward angles haha


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## Cinic (Mar 14, 2016)

How do you guys setup your boards when you're learning to ride switch? Duck with equal angles front and back? Stance centered on the board?


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## raffertyk2 (Dec 16, 2014)

Cinic said:


> How do you guys setup your boards when you're learning to ride switch? Duck with equal angles front and back? Stance centered on the board?


Keep it setup the way you naturally setup your board. The only reason I would change my stance to ride switch is if I was planning to keep it that way to ride even after I learned.

For example
If you ride with forward angles you will learn switch with your feet pointed uphill, it is weird as f**k but if you switch to duck to learn switch you will not be able to ride switch when you go back to forward angles

A duck stance is certainly easier though to ride switch. When I learned to ride switch I learned on forward angles and it was a cinch when I switched to a slightly ducked stance later on


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## SteezyRidah303 (Oct 5, 2010)

pennyjoann said:


> Who here can ride switch, when did you learn to ride switch and how long did it take you? I've only been snowboarding about 2 months, been going 1-2 times a week for 3 hours at a time and getting pretty confident riding goofy. Later on I want to get into freestyle. Is it best to learn switch early on or should I wait till I'm a lot better?
> 
> Thanks guys
> 
> ...


Learn as EARLY AS YOU CAN!!! i learned by riding the lift switch...Pushing switch and having your legs torqued switch on the lift really helped me get more comfortable landing and riding switch...


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## emt.elikahan (Mar 12, 2014)

pennyjoann said:


> At the moment I'm stuck in a dome till next season...


I wish I could be 'stuck' in a dome until next season! 
I agree with your boyfriend and Robotfood. Start off your runs switch and ride easy sections switch. This way your intro to switch is low risk. As you get more comfortable then ride switch more..
When I first started riding switch, I would start my runs switch and ride all the flats switch.


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