Last Updated25 October 2024

Competitive Snowboarding explores the main competitive disciplines and some techniques to help young riders when preparing to take part in their first contests. The sample progressions used in this chapter are less skill based on more tactic focused. They build on the skills established in the previous three chapters; Advanced Freeriding, Advanced Carving and Advanced Freestyle.

Freeride Contests

What, Why, How

Freeride contests utilise steep, off-piste terrain with natural features, to showcase a rider’s ability to freeride in challenging environments.

The focus here is on spending time developing the skills required to join a freeride contest safely for the first time, yet still be able to express their riding when doing so.

Building General Freeride Skills

Spend time building both extended and flexed-edge-change turns, providing riders with options in varying snow conditions and terrain, and focusing on the skills required to maintain a smooth turn shape.

Explore all potential snow conditions on a regular basis, looking at how both techniques and tactics need to adjust to suit.

Work on adapting the freestyle skills from the park to the off-trail, focusing on important aspects such as speed, pop, edging, and retracting in the air.

Learning to take drops and air off other natural features such as windlips is key.

Encourage flow, smoothness and consistency in riding, rather than power and variation.

Shutting Down Landings

Controlling speed after a big drop is essential in freeride contests. Encourage decision making and choosing which edge is best to shut down on, depending on their line, the snow conditions and individual abilities.

Spend time working on increasing edge angle progressively whilst absorbing and steering progressively. Practise this regularly on both edges, with a big focus on where to look.

Build awareness on distance required to shut down effectively, with enough space to control speed properly before the next feature.

Planning a Run

Spend time getting to know the venue, either by riding it regularly or scoping from the side and below. Note that freeride contests often have closed venues on the build up to the event day.

Ensure athletes know where the biggest risk areas are and any specific “no-fall zones”.

Take photos of the venue and spend time off-snow planning a run. Numbering features that can easily be seen from above or the side is a useful way to stay on track.

Plan for line options B and C, should a specific feature not be possible or the athlete loses their line on the face.

Movements & Board Performance

Vertical & Lateral with Edging & Pressuring

As with riding all steep terrain, the blend of vertical and lateral movement is crucial to maintaining edge grip. Range of vertical movement is important but is also limited without effective lateral blending. Chatter occurs more frequently on the heelside than toeside as a result, due to the lack of ankle joint when absorbing. Nervous riders will often use larger joints such as the hips, leading to an over-flex at the waist and lack of edge control.

Rotational with Steering

Consistent steering utilising both upper and lower body, with the ability to adjust timing and power, is necessary to perform well in freeride contests. Focusing on where a rider is looking throughout their turn is a useful tactic here. Unfinished toeside turns and poorly shaped heelside turns are common issues, due to the challenging environment.

Longitudinal

Fore-aft movements should be matched to the snow conditions and use of natural features.

Terrain & Group Management

Managing a group of young riders when preparing for a freeride contest can often be the most challenging aspects. Safety is always the number one priority, so ensure the balance of risk and reward is continually assessed. Bring awareness to where other riders in the group are located when practising riding faces and team athletes up for scoping of features, in particular landings.

When riding steep faces with high consequences, it is natural for riders to constantly look straight down the hill below them, to ensure they know where they are on the face. Looking straight down the fall line often brings riders into a sideslip on the heelside or leaves turns incomplete on the toeside. This tendency is one of the biggest challenges when coaching development level freeriding, as it creates hesitancy in the rider, limits their flow, and affects their turn shape. Time should be spent building comfort and confidence in mellow terrain, before committing to the steeper faces.

Corrective Teaching

Rider spends much more time on their heel edge when freeriding:

Ensure the rider has smooth steering through the completion of the heelside turn, whilst looking across the hill, to help them avoid coming into a sideslip.

Develop their toeside turn more, encouraging effective use of edge-pressure-steer in smaller turns. Spend time focusing on how the ankles and hips can absorb undulating terrain together on the toeside.

Encourage the athlete to assess distance and space more when on their heelside and can see more of the run.

Rider becomes extended in the air when hitting drops or other features:

Focus on a strong pop or ollie during takeoff, with a large range of vertical movement to retract in the air.

Encourage sensations in the body that help to retract the legs.

Keep hands low or encourage safety grabs.

Rider butt checks when shutting down speed on their heelside:

Focus on edging progressively by pulling the toes up (dorsiflexion) rather than dumping the hips back over the edge.

Encourage smooth steering through the whole body with a big focus on looking across the hill.

Build leg strength off the snow.

Rider struggles in specific snow conditions:

Revisit techniques and tactics for Situational Freeriding.

Self Reflection

“Did I balance my choice of terrain and snow condition to ensure the challenge level did not exceed the rider’s abilities?”

“Could I have chosen a different time of day to practise these skills, ensuring the snow conditions are more beneficial to the rider’s progress?”