Consonantal

Am I really lucky that even after 3 years of riding regular, I picked up switch pretty quickly?

It felt awkward at first but I started linking turns really easily after a couple runs.

blockay

i personally would think that you pick it up quicker if you already have a good feel of the board, i haven't tried it too much on green runs. when i tried i fell like 4 times on a blue and gave up haha. im probably not snowboarding for a while 3 weeks+ but i feel like i can do it now.

i can go pretty quick regular stance on groomed runs but moguls are challenging for me. i ride a magnetraction 161 wide (supposedly flex rating of 7), size 12 feet, 6'3, 135-140 pounds. would a smaller flexier board be easier in the moguls? or should i stick with it?

liner

Eh. It's just one if those things you gotta practice and stick with to get good. If you have the willpower to constantly ride back and forth more power to you!

pencap75

Resist the urge to switch back to regular when things get gnarly.
I used to do it all time, so I wouldn't crash and look stupid, but the only way to learn switch is stay committed to it until its in muscle memory.

Don't be embarrassed to go back to the bunny hill. Just don't wear your snowboard thug outfit that day that all the kids like to dress these days.

ARSENALFAN

I was doing pretty good and decided to pick up the tempo on a blue run. Then I caught a nasty edge and wrenched my wrist. At that point I pretty much decided that switch riding will be used when coming out of 180s and that is it. I get too cocky and confident riding switch on groomers and then always pay a price with a nasty fall. I don't find it difficult at all to ride switch. It is difficult to avoid injury....haha

Sudden_Death

It really is a weird feeling. I have been riding 24 years and never felt the need to ride switch but decided this year I'd give it a try. I REALLY wish I had tried sooner as that is a lot of years of habit to overcome. I will get it one day.

david_z

Here's a comment to similar question that I posted elsewhere... maybe this will help you.

Remember the first time you ever strapped in? You probably sucked riding regular, too. I did. So did pretty much everyone else. You got good at riding regular only through days or weeks of practice and repetition, developing your muscle memory, board feel, balance, etc.

If you have no control it's probably because you're favoring your back leg (which is normally your front leg -- there's that pesky muscle memory doing you a disservice!). You want your weight forward when riding regular and likewise for switch. But you're very accustomed to weighting a particular leg, and this habit is impeding your ability to ride switch. When you're in the back seat, you lose the ability to effectively control your board. (Think of all the beginners who, when riding regular, instinctually "lean back" like they're afraid of the hill, and weight the back leg which results in crashes).

When teaching yourself how to ride switch, you're gonna have to break it down to baby steps.

First, start riding regular and actually pause to reflect on what you're doing, and why (if you can't mentally break down your motions, you're going to have a hard time trying to reconstruct that technique to switch stance). If you can't do this, do not proceed to steps 2 et seq. Get a lesson and tell them you are specifically interested in learning how to ride switch.

Then, apply it. Take those steps (where do I weight, how should I properly initiate a turn, then how do I link another turn, balance, etc.) and very deliberately put them in to practice.

Third, once you're OK linking the pieces, force yourself to ride an entire trail in your switch stance. Do it until you can ride the entire trail without falling or stopping. You can go as slow as you need, just don't stop, stay in motion.

Fourth Once your comfy riding switch, pop some 180s at low, then moderate, then higher speeds and make at least a few turns before reverting to forward stance. Get used to riding switch at higher speeds. Then go back to step three and ride an entire trail a little faster.

Lather, rinse, repeat. Just like riding regular, practice makes perfect.

Do these slowly at first. Preferably on blue terrain. You will fall a few times. You will probably be able to negotiate a trail within 1-2 days. With repeated practice, you'll increase confidence. Shortly, you'll be decent enough that you don't fall anymore. Then it's just a matter of practice, practice, practice as you increase the speeds at which you're comfortable.

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slyder

Like Wolf said, keeping the weight forward or stance centered was/is hardest for me. I will be riding and start to get sketchy it is almost always because my weight is back. I often tell myself, even out loud at times. " Keep your weight forward " and as stated already take it on greens and gentle blues. I'm glad I learned it. If nothing it is another skill I have learned during my short career as a snowboarder

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Thanks
-Slyder

IdahoFreshies

through my 2 day instructor training I spend 80% of the time riding switch, so i basically learned how to ride switch by practicing and revisiting the very basics, in level 1-3 rider progression. After 2 days of doing this I can ride switch very confidently on steeper/rough blue terrain (at night with 3" of fresh snow to be precise )

Biggest things I had to fix when taking my switch to blue terrain where I really found where my weak points were, basic skills that seemed to just get lost when I went switch:

Commit the entire edge to the turn! Because you are not confident with the switch turn you are not mentally fully committing the entire edge into that turn, so make sure when you are going to turn you take special note to just sack up and push that entire edge in the snow.

Dip your body to match the slope of the hill through the turn! It was amazing the difference it made when when i went to switch, and I committed that edge and I put more weight on that front foot and i laterally dipped my upper body to the slope of the hill through the turn.

Until you can carve switch and get more comfortable, get that back leg around quickly soy you are not lingering on finishing the turn. Weather this is with a sweeping motion or some counter rotation get that turn done.


jumping and spinning 180 on a run then ripping down half the hill switch feels great

Good luck with it!

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If you don't like the way I drive, stay off the sidewalk.

liner

Not to get OT to much, but I love it when the apline skiers try to race by me through the rolls and ill pop back to back 180's, end on switch and keep cruisin with them.

Prob one of the coolest "oh yea" moments haha