Welcome to the tips section. Top snowboarder Lesley McKenna will take you through some of the basics of looking as cool as she does.
Always use suncream.
Check you have good eye protection. You can go riding in any old clothes but if you are going to spend a bit of cash on anything buy good goggles.
Make sure you drink plenty of water. It's really easy to dehydrate on the mountains.
Wear pads and a helmet if you are riding a park or pipe. I always do and they save me a lot of pain.
Don't go off piste without checking the conditions first, without a transceiver and shovel or on your own.
Check you have a comfortable stance and it isn't too wide or too narrow and the angles are alright. There is no right or wrong stance, it should simply be comfortable. I ride 50cm wide with 18 degs on the front and -3 on the back. I change my stance all the time so don't be afraid to experiment.
Work up to things slowly. Don't feel pressured into going off the big jumps before you are ready. Once you can land a trick 90% of the time on a small jump move on up to a bigger one.
Get out onto the slopes and have fun.
