Falling Leaf on a Snowboard

Falling leaf is an essential part of the snowboarding progression, the technique you are about to learn will teach you how to steer your snowboard around the mountain on one edge at a time.

If you don’t master this skill, you will not be able to ride the steeper runs on the mountain!

You won’t even be able to ride the green runs, your legs will burn out and more than likely, you will give up learning how to snowboard.

Falling leaf is similar to side slipping but this time you are going to learn more about

• pressure control 
• steering

these exercises will help you get comfortable with switch as well…

Heelside Falling Leaf Technique:

Here’s how:

Step 1: Start with the snowboard across the fall line or in a slow slide slip.

Remember your basic stance? ‘You should by now!’

Step 2: Slowly move your hips towards the nose of your snowboard, looking and pointing across the hill at the same time.

Step 3: Same thing when going in the opposite direction, shift your weight and look and point.

How To control your Descent when performing the Falling Leaf Technique:

Here’s how:

Step 1: If you need to slow down, shift your center of mass back to Even weight on both feet, this will bring your snowboard back across the fall line, slowing you down!

You can do it this way, or you can…

Step 2: Point and look  back up the hill more and you will naturally slow down!

Once you have made it too the opposite side of the trail, stop!

Transfer your weight onto the opposite foot and repeat the process, look and point to where you want to go, weight on the leading foot.

Toeside Falling Leaf:

Here’s how:

Step 1: Exactly the same as your Heel side edge, Shift your weight depending on what direction you would like to travel, look and point to where you want to go.

Step 2: Slow down with even weight on both feet! (side slip)

Practice this for a minimum of 3 runs down a green trail on each edge, Rest or change edges if your legs start burning out when doing Toeside Falling leaf. 

RELATED: How to Snowboard

NOTE: Want to learn how to shortcut your frustrating beginner snowboarding progression? Simply download this beginner snowboarder roadmap to learn all aspects of learning how to turn. Learn what bad habits beginners tend to make so you can avoid them to progress faster and maintain balance and control easier…check it out now!

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