# Longboarding to Snowboarding



## CMSbored

I did it opposite so my peception might be skewed. (snowboarded first, then longboarding) I feel that the main difference is stearing. i ride goofy snowboarding and regular longboarding. it seams to me that you stear with more of the back of the board snowboarding while longboarding is in the front. if you slide good longboarding, i think you should be able to pick up snowboarding farily quick. it takes balance to slide good on a longboard which translates to snowboarding. i started longboarding last spring and by mid summer i was busting out slides and all kinds of jazz. (maybe because of snowboarding) Hope that helped

you should be able to pick it really quick... but then again, maybe not. you just have to try


----------



## GC24

Having experience riding a longboard will make the learning curve a little easier since you are used to board sports.
I went from snowboarding to longboarding and picked it up pretty easy so I am sure their are similarities.

However, I am going to have to disagree with the post above mine and say that while snowboarding you keep your weight more towards your front foot and steer with your front foot.


----------



## CMSbored

GC24 said:


> Having experience riding a longboard will make the learning curve a little easier since you are used to board sports.
> I went from snowboarding to longboarding and picked it up pretty easy so I am sure their are similarities.
> 
> However, I am going to have to disagree with the post above mine and say that while snowboarding you keep your weight more towards your front foot and steer with your front foot.




I'm pretty sure most of the steering is actually done with your rear foot. thats why i am opposite from how i longboard. longboarding is definitely down with all the front.

i guess people are different thought, so some may do it one way and others will do it a different way.


----------



## AWNOW

In snowboarding, you keep your weight towards your rear foot.


----------



## GC24

I was trained to be a snowboard instructor at Sunrise ski resort two winters ago. While snowboarding unless in deep powder you keep your wait on your front foot. You want to keep your weight parallel to the mountain thus the majority on your front foot.
Try skating around or getting off of a lift with your weight on your backfoot and you will inevitably fall.
Check out the videos from snowprofessor if you don't believe me.

Also will snowolf or someone will more credibility on this forum please chime in and help this person understand their midunderstanding.


----------



## dharmashred

Dude...I went from longboarding to snowboarding and i ride goofy and longboard regular. I did this because it felt natural, and since my right foot is my dominant foot since that is what i use to push off, it just seemed like the right choice. It's worked out perfectly for me. One huge problem I found and I still struggle with...Getting on my front leg. I still have a tendency to lean back cause that's what I'm used to. The body mechanism for steering is different for the two. I managed to learn a shitload last season, but with bad form cause I was still on my damn back leg. That is my achilles heal and I intend to concquer that bitch this season. I went into it expecting to naturally pick it up because I longboarded and I was shut down. You've got balance already - just go into it without putting expectations on yourself but yes....please do get on that front foot! Hope that was helpful. 

And to clarify, I ride goofy because it is my dominant foot, i.e. the foot I use to push off, so I thought I would try it out and it worked well for me. In snowboarding your front foot should be your dominant foot because for sure that is what you use to steer...(still working on that...) You start leaning on that back foot on the mountain and your shit's getting out of control...I don't have a ton of street cred here - but I know this from personal experience, I've eaten my fair share of shit. Front foot is the key.


----------



## AWNOW

GC24 said:


> I was trained to be a snowboard instructor at Sunrise ski resort two winters ago. While snowboarding unless in deep powder you keep your wait on your front foot. You want to keep your weight parallel to the mountain thus the majority on your front foot.
> Try skating around or getting off of a lift with your weight on your backfoot and you will inevitably fall.
> Check out the videos from snowprofessor if you don't believe me.
> 
> Also will snowolf or someone will more credibility on this forum please chime in and help this person understand their midunderstanding.


You couldn't be more wrong. 

The reason you fall when you get off the lift by placing weight on your backfoot is because it isn't in a binding. 

Perhaps what you are having trouble with is understanding the effective edge points and weight distribution. For example, to deep carve you have to sink in your edge up close to the front of the board to really hook it in. For anything else it is not as critical. The point where the edge initiates with the snow is not necessarily a correlary of weight distribution, at least in this situation. 
Another application would be the various styles of buttering people are doing now, because placing more weight on your front foot enables you to lose contact from the snow and slide easier.

If you have ever surfed you will understand the difference between using your front foot to steer (surf) verses back foot to steer (snowboarding).

In order to ollie, you need to load up your tail (your back foot) and pop out. The less prevalent nollie requires you to load up your nose (your front foot) and pop out. 

Then of course as you gain speed you need to place more and more weight on your back foot to maintain stability.


----------



## Guest

AWNOW said:


> You couldn't be more wrong.
> 
> The reason you fall when you get off the lift by placing weight on your backfoot is because it isn't in a binding.
> 
> Perhaps what you are having trouble with is understanding the effective edge points and weight distribution. For example, to deep carve you have to sink in your edge up close to the front of the board to really hook it in. For anything else it is not as critical. The point where the edge initiates with the snow is not necessarily a correlary of weight distribution, at least in this situation.
> Another application would be the various styles of buttering people are doing now, because placing more weight on your front foot enables you to lose contact from the snow and slide easier.
> 
> If you have ever surfed you will understand the difference between using your front foot to steer (surf) verses back foot to steer (snowboarding).
> 
> In order to ollie, you need to load up your tail (your back foot) and pop out. The less prevalent nollie requires you to load up your nose (your front foot) and pop out.
> 
> Then of course as you gain speed you need to place more and more weight on your back foot to maintain stability.


Steering with you back foot doesn't mean putting your weight on your back foot. when learing to snowboard you should keep your weight near the front, in order to facilitate easier rear foot control/board steering. as exemplefied by a snowboarder tackling steeps. his weight is foward so he can make turns with the rear easier. as a snowboarder progresses he learns how to distribute his weight according to what he's riding. but rarely is most of the weight put on the rear of the board. and eventually the board isn't 'steered' with the rear as much as carving does.

I'm no expert, this is just what Ive experienced and have heard from instructors.


----------



## AWNOW

ThirdEye said:


> Steering with you back foot doesn't mean putting your weight on your back foot


 like I said in what you quoted, the poster is confusing effective edge initiation and weight distribution 



> when learing to snowboard you should keep your weight near the front, in order to facilitate easier rear foot control/board steering. as exemplefied by a snowboarder tackling steeps. his weight is foward so he can make turns with the rear easier. as a snowboarder progresses he learns how to distribute his weight according to what he's riding. but rarely is most of the weight put on the rear of the board. and eventually the board isn't 'steered' with the rear as much as carving does.


Your weight distribution changes throughout the course of the turn, from back, neutral, front. but it ultimately returns to your back foot. I am not talking like 75% weight on the back, however, which is important to understand.


----------



## GC24

While carving on a snowboard you should be initiating your heelside turns by lifting your toes, transferring your weight to your heels, while opening up your hips and shoulders simultaneously to initiate a heelside turn. You do the reverse for toeside carves.

When people steer with their backfoot they tend to kick out the back of the board to initiate their turns and counter-rotate their shoulders which is terrible form. This technique should only be used on extremely steep terrain when the rider is uncomfortable carving down the mountain and is taking it as slow as possible. The only time a rider should be kicking out the rear of the board is to stop.


----------



## Guest

GC24 said:


> While carving on a snowboard you should be initiating your heelside turns by lifting your toes, transferring your weight to your heels, while opening up your hips and shoulders simultaneously to initiate a heelside turn. You do the reverse for toeside carves.
> 
> When people steer with their backfoot they tend to kick out the back of the board to initiate their turns and counter-rotate their shoulders which is terrible form. This technique should only be used on extremely steep terrain when the rider is uncomfortable carving down the mountain and is taking it as slow as possible. The only time a rider should be kicking out the rear of the board is to stop.


That sounds pretty similar to my longboard. It's symettrical, so instead of using a particular end to steer, you just lean yourself into the turns.

And to stop, you just deweight the board, kick it out and swing it around into a powerslide.


----------



## GC24

AFTT said:


> That sounds pretty similar to my longboard. It's symettrical, so instead of using a particular end to steer, you just lean yourself into the turns.
> 
> And to stop, you just deweight the board, kick it out and swing it around into a powerslide.


Exactly just swing the board around 90 degrees to the fall line. You can do this on either your heel or toe edge. Most beginners will stop facing the bottom of the mountain so that they can just sit down on their butt if they lose balance, but I have found that I can stop faster on my toes. Just do whatever you feel more comfortable with.


----------



## DiamondCarver

dharmashred said:


> In snowboarding your front foot should be your dominant foot because for sure that is what you use to steer...


Me and everyone i know ride regular and our right foot is dominant. And my only friend who rides goofy has a dominant left foot. :dunno:


----------



## dharmashred

I could be wrong about the dominant foot thing, I'm no expert by any means. Just speaking from my personal experience with the transition, that's the way it felt right for me.


----------



## Guest

My dominant foot is my left foot and I ride Goofy on snow and on a Skateboard. I believe that is the way it is supposed to be. Your dominant foot is your back foot.


----------



## Guest

*Freebord*

Try going from longboarding to freebording then to snowboarding

If you learn to freebord snowboarding will come easier especially if your not around snow all season long


----------



## Guest

GC24 said:


> While carving on a snowboard you should be initiating your heelside turns by lifting your toes, transferring your weight to your heels, while opening up your hips and shoulders simultaneously to initiate a heelside turn. You do the reverse for toeside carves.
> 
> When people steer with their backfoot they tend to kick out the back of the board to initiate their turns and counter-rotate their shoulders which is terrible form. This technique should only be used on extremely steep terrain when the rider is uncomfortable carving down the mountain and is taking it as slow as possible. The only time a rider should be kicking out the rear of the board is to stop.


dude u couldnt be more wrong about "form". keeping your weight on you back foot or front foot is completely different depending where you are in your turn or what terrain. in pow go and put any substantial weight on your front foot. (have fun eating sh!t) learn to ride


----------



## Guest

oh and u should be working your whole effective edge...


----------



## Guest

thehancheck said:


> dude u couldnt be more wrong about "form". keeping your weight on you back foot or front foot is completely different depending where you are in your turn or what terrain. in pow go and put any substantial weight on your front foot. (have fun eating sh!t) learn to ride





GC24 said:


> I was trained to be a snowboard instructor at Sunrise ski resort two winters ago. While snowboarding *unless in deep powder* you keep your wait on your front foot. You want to keep your weight parallel to the mountain thus the majority on your front foot.



This thread is from November BTW.

Regardless, I was taught to ride with my weight perfectly centered over the board and body perpendicular to the ground. My instructor had me initiating turns by "squashing the tomato" with my front foot. I was under the impression that using your back leg to turn was called "skidding." Different depending on the terrain of course.


----------

