When Can A Child Learn To Snowboard?
Does My Child Need Lessons?
How Do I Know If My Child Is Ready?
What Equipment Does My Child Need?
Safety And Other Concerns
When Your Child Is In Snowboard School
Snowboard Schools: What To Look For
Snowboard Terminology

Unless you've been living on a deserted island in the South Pacific, you probably know that snowboarding has become the winter sport. In fact, it is one of the fastest growing sports, period. Snowboarding has had a huge impact on the culture of an entire generation of young people, from music to fashion and lifestyle. If you have kids that ski, they may already have asked if they can learn to snowboard. Whether you are a snowboarder yourself or not, if you want your kids to learn the sport from a young age, you probably have lots of questions about kids and snowboarding. This article will provide some of the answers.

While a child may be able to first get on skis as young as three, snowboarding should be started a couple of years later, around age five. This is because snowboarding:

• Requires more muscle strength and coordination. When 3 year-olds are put on skis, they often are just getting used to standing on them, then learning to slide short distances, which requires only the ability to stay over the skis. Because you cannot simply slide straight on snowboard, a child must have the muscle development to start turning the board.

• Is a harder sport to learn. Learning to snowboard requires more focus and a longer attention span.

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Absolutely. Most parents of aspiring snowboarders have never tried the sport, and because snowboarding is different from skiing in so many ways, such as where your weight should be distributed, it would be very difficult to teach if you haven't done it yourself. Even if you are a snowboarder, it is in you child's best interest for them to take some lessons from a professional youth snowboard instructor. Professional instructors are trained to teach your child in a safe and fun environment that will insure a positive experience and instill the desire to keep learning.

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The development of all children varies, but here are some questions to ask:

• Is he comfortable in a school environment?

• Does he have the strength and endurance to be physical for up to one hour in adverse conditions, such as cold, wind and snow?

• Will my child wear proper clothing without argument? If you can answer yes to all three, your child is ready to learn to snowboard.

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It is important to have the proper equipment in order to make the experience a productive and enjoyable one for your child. Consider renting equipment the first few times until you are sure your child likes the sport. Also, if you are only going to go several times a year, it will be expensive to buy equipment and to keep replacing boots and boards as your child outgrows them each season.

Here's an equipment checklist:

Snowboard length by age

Kids ages 5-7 years: The board, standing on its end, should reach no higher than your child's armpits.

Kids ages 8-15 years: The board, when standing on its end, should reach between the armpits and chin.

Type of boots by age

Kids ages 5-7 years: Because a child's dorsal flexors (lower leg muscles) usually haven't developed enough coordination to allow him to use both edges of the board, a hard boot is needed to prevent ankle flexion and allow the child to use the toe side edge of the board. The Aspen Skiing Company uses children's ski bindings mounted on small snowboards for young kids to use with their ski boots. Call the resort you are going to ask if it can provide this type of set-up. Another advantage of hard boots is that kids can get in and out of their snowboard by themselves, which at this level really helps to promote independence and fun.

Kids 8-15: Soft boots and regular strap bindings are a good choice for this age group because they allow them to utilize ankle movements to create balance.

Additional equipment (all ages)

• Helmet

• Wrist guards

• Goggles or glasses

• Waterproof gloves

• Waterproof pants (your child will be spending a lot of time on their backside at the beginning)

• Coat

• Long underwear

• Ski socks (not cotton; one pair only)

• Neck gator

• Sunscreen (essential)

HELPFUL HINT: For younger kids, label all belongings and attach all items when possible.

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Is snowboarding dangerous?

• Snowboarding involves a slightly higher risk of injury than skiing (around 3-5 injuries per thousand days riding compare to 2-3 injuries per thousand days of skiing).

• The majority of injuries are to young men who are new to the sport and have not taken any lessons.

• Most injuries, especially to young riders, are to the upper limbs, the most common being wrist injuries. Wearing wrist guards can cut that risk by as much as half.

• The next most common injuries are head injuries (a good reason for your child to wear a helmet, and then lower limb, mostly ankle injuries.

• You can reduce the risk that your child will suffer an ankle injury by making sure he wears boots that are soft, but not too soft. Newer hybrid style boots are now available that offer a stiffer inner boot with more support within a soft outer boot.

What about jumping or doing tricks?

• The riders you see jumping and performing tricks in videos and on television are professional riders.

• A Warning: your child will want to do jumps and tricks too. Don't be surprised if the moment your child gets on a snowboard he develops an uncontrollable urge to jump or "catch air."

• Make sure your child's instructor is aware of his ability level and, if he is ready to start jumping, can teach proper methods for jumping safely.

• If your child is going into a snowboard park, make sure he knows park etiquette:

  • Do not stop on or below jumps.

  • Make sure the landing area is clear before jumping.

  • If it is a new jump/feature, ride over it before attempting to jump it.

  • Stay in control.

• Have your child show you his latest trick. It's good to know what they are attempting when you are not around.

Finding your child's proper stance.

• Because a snowboarder stands sideways on the board, he has to have to decide which foot goes towards the tip of the board, there are two types of stance on a snowboard, depending on which foot is forward: "goofy" and "regular" (No, it doesn't refer to your child's character).

• A "goofy" rider will place his right foot closest to the tip.

• A "regular" rider will have his left foot forward.

• If your child participates in another board sport like skateboarding, wake boarding or riding a push scooter, they can use the same stance. You can also judge proper stance by which foot they usually put forward when sliding on the ice or into home plate.

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Here are some dos and don'ts:

• Do encourage small successes - children need positive reinforcement.

• Don't push your child past her limits.

• Do know when it's time to stop. Parents and instructors need to be conscious of when a child is tired. A child can be like the Energizer Bunny, always going and going. Remember, as with adults, accidents are most likely to happen when a rider is tired. You don't want your child to get so totally exhausted that she won't want to snowboard at all the next day!

• Don't hover. Hanging around too much while your child is taking a lesson makes it difficult for an instructor to teach; she shouldn't have to compete with parents for a child's attention.

• Do try to find out why if your child is having a difficult time in snowboard school. It could be due to separation anxiety or simple fear. A good instructor will work with you and your child to ensure a positive experience.

• Do try to sign your child up for three days of lessons in a row. Continuity, familiarity, and repetition reinforce movement patterns. Most children 5 years and older can successfully learn to stop and turn on easy novice runs over the course of three days.

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Many snowboard schools will take children as young as 5 years old. Find out the details of a specific program. Snowboard school quality is truly a function of the quality of the staff.In selecting a school for your child, ask:

• Is the staff certified and experienced working with young children? If a snowboard school uses its kids program to train adult instructors, it may be a telltale sign that it is not geared to kids. Look for programs that hire staff specifically to work with children and have low staff turnover; these are signs that it is probably more committed to the specific needs of children.

• Is the staff screened and trained to provide childcare? Training should include a mixture of on-mountain instruction and childcare.

• Are parents welcome to observe from a distance? Ask if you and your child can observe a class before signing up.

• Does the program track where each class is on the mountain? That way you can check in on how your child is doing or if you need to cut the day short unexpectedly.

• Does the school provide progress reports for each child? Getting feedback is helpful in deciding whether more lessons are needed and to help insure proper placement if you enroll your child in a school at another ski area.

• Are private lessons available? If you child has a difficult time in a large group environment, you should have the option of investing in private lessons with a children's snowboard instructor.

• Is adequate security provided at drop-off and pick-up? Investigate whether or not the program has a security system in place for when kids are dropped off and picked up.

• Are safety and fun the program's main goals? They should be.

Keep these pointers in mind, and your child should have a safe, enjoyable experience learning to snowboard!

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Want to really impress your kids? Drop some basic snowboarding terms on them:

Fakie - Riding backward
Dude - Snowboarder
Nose Slide - Riding down the hill on the nose of the board
180* - Turning from forwards to backwards either in the air or on the ground
360* - Turning full circle
Rad - Cool

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