Pressure Through Turns

Being able to correctly apply pressure throughout a turn means your carves will be looking cleaner, feeling more stable and be more efficient. That's why in this tutorial, we are teach you how to Pressure Through Turns on a snowboard. Check out the full tutorial below.

(Narrating/Riding: Duncan Mainland. Filmed At: Whistler Blackcomb)

The Fastest Stop You Can Do On A Snowboard!

A fast stop is a great way to improve your pressure control through turns on a snowboard. Learning this skill will allow you to stop within metres to avoid objects, people and little furry animals. The biggest perk to learning to stop faster, is you will be able to slash skiers and your friends with more snow than you ever thought possible!

How To Heel Side Fast Stop

1. Pick up speed, heading straight down the mountain
2. Start to turn onto your heel edge by leaning on your heels and opening up your chest and shoulders to face down the mountain. Allow your hips, ankles and board to follow. Please make sure you are distinctly on your heels from this step onwards, otherwise you will catch an almighty toe edge!
3. As you begin to turn your shoulders down the mountain, absorb your board to your butt, and your butt to your board. The more you can bring your but and board closer, while keeping a straight back, the faster and safer your stop!
4. Adjust to the pressure of the fast stop by absorbing the built up pressure through your ankles, knees and hips

Duncan pressuring into a heel edge stop.

Heel Side Bad Habits To Shake and Bake:

Chatter! Chatter is from the underneath of the snowboard gaining too much pressure due to the rider having stiff and straight legs when trying to slow down/stop. Riders incurring chatter are pushing the board away to stop, instead of absorbing the board through their ankles, knees and hips.

Standing tall and stiff legs = chatter, chatter and even more chatter.

Another bad habit is body position. A bad habit is riders bending at the waist and back, instead of keeping your back straight and absorbing through your ankles, knees and hips.

Don't be like Ben Dover with straight legs, head down and bending down at the hips.

How To Toe Side Fast Stop

1. Pick up speed, heading straight down the mountain. Start to turn onto your toe edge. Make sure you are distinctly on your toes from this step onwards, otherwise you will catch an almighty back heel edge! I have lost many of my brains cells from the ol’ back edge!
2. Turn your head and shoulders up the mountain, allowing your hips and ankles to follow. As you are beginning to turn your head and shoulders up the mountain, allow your hips, ankles and board to follow. Keep everything from your board to your head in line as much as possible
3. Lean into the mountain with your hips and knees as you begin to rotate. This will ensure you keep on your toe edge, while also building up more pressure and more snow…to spray at stuff ;)
4. Adjust to the pressure of the fast stop by absorbing the built up pressure of the stop, through your ankles, knees and hips

When you feel yourself coming to the stop, begin to stand back up.

Toe Side Bad Habits To Shake & Bake

Riders struggling with the Toeside Fast stop are generally not looking up the mountain when initiating the stop and not keeping their body (ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, head) and board in line with one another.

This is bad because Duncan is not looking up the mountain & his body and board alignment is off.

Pressure Control Through Turns

When you are confident with fast stops, you can then start applying your pressure control skills laterally across the mountain, when you initiate your turns.

How To Apply Correct Pressure Through Turns

1. When we apply pressure control to turns, apply pressure earlier in the turn, when the board is facing the sides of the hill. You will know if you have done this correctly, as you should spray snow into the trees off to the side of the run and NOT down the run
2. It is important when doing this, not to focus on how much snow you are spraying. Guaranteed...if you are checking out how much snow you sprayed, you won’t spray nearly much snow as you want to (especially on a toe side turn)

Instead, focus on what direction you are wanting to turn. This will allow you to read the terrain, and also keep your body aligned correctly throughout the turn.

Once you complete your turn, you can release the built up pressure by standing out of the turn. From here, you simply move on into the next traverse/turn.

Duncan standing up out of the turn.

Get MAXIMUM Spray Out Of Your Slash!

Now that you are the master of pressure control on a snowboard, you will want to spray your friends with snow! To get the maximum out of a slash, follow these steps:

1. Make sure you don't have heel or toe drag!
2. Get extremely low as you commit to your slash! The lower you go, the more pressure you can apply to the snow
3. Lean as much as possible into the edge you are on for maximum height and dispersal of snow
4. You can counter rotate a slash if you want to make a quick escape and not stop (after slashing someone)

There you go, all the tips you need to improve your pressure control through turns and make your riding a whole lot more fun!

Want Even More Training Tips?

Alex McCann
Snowboard Addiction
Our Goal Is To Improve Your Riding