Snowboarding Skills: The Back-To-Basics Essentials for All Levels [Paperback]

Cindy Kleh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2002

This best-selling guide is ideal for those starting out as well as the more experienced boarders looking to fix a persistent problem or just improve their skills. Along with dozens of color photographs, Snowboarding Skills features:

• Pro tips from the world's top boarders
• Action photo sequences with explanatory diagrams
• Directional arrows showing exactly how and where to turn
• "Don't" and "do" photo comparisons
• Troubleshooting sidebars
• Lessons to improve skills
• Explanations on understanding snow and weather conditions
• Safety tips and equipment maintenance
• Hill etiquette, avoiding injury, and more.

From the basics of standing up and stopping to the challenges of pivoting and jumping, Snowboarding Skills covers everything a boarder needs to know.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School-A visual feast. Graphically appealing, wonderful color photographs show snowboarders involved in a variety of activities. Captions, labels, and step-by-step directions further extend the usefulness of the pictures. The colorful borders, use of white space, boxes with information on troubleshooting common problems, and sections with tips from professionals make this book reader friendly. The sport has a language of its own, and placing the glossary at the beginning is helpful to beginners. Teens will find a wealth of information on taking lessons, proper nutrition before hitting the slopes, safety, clothing, stretching and preseason exercises, maintaining the equipment, basic moves, proper etiquette, and riding in a variety of snow conditions. (Comments include, "snowboarding is the most fun you can have with your clothes on" and "avoid drinking alcohol the night before snowboarding.") The full-page diagram on what to look for in a board and terms to know will be helpful to potential buyers. A solid addition to winter sports collections.
Michael McCullough, Byron-Bergen Middle School, Bergen, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. "Keep your booty over the board!" Kleh's combination of dead-on practical advice, insider lingo, and near-religious enthusiasm makes this guide to snowboarding an invaluable resource for anyone wanting to try the sport or to advance his or her skills. The thorough text covers all stages of preparation, including toning exercises, and gear. Later chapters give precise, step-by-step instructions for everything from the simplest movements and mastering the chair lift to "riding the gnarly" and handling rough conditions such as ice. Crisp color photos demonstrate the moves, and boxed troubleshooting tips and quotes from the pros add more insight. Even though Kleh writes, "Helmets! That's a no-brainer!" not all of the photos feature riders wearing protective gear. But Kleh, a championship snowboarder and journalist, writes in laid-back, teen-friendly language that makes it clear that safety and preparation aren't uncool or uptight; they make people better riders. A "Board Talk" glossary opens this excellent title. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Firefly Books (October 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1552976262
• ISBN-13: 978-1552976265
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #17 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Snowboarding
  • #86 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Skiing

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In-depth principles., February 15, 2005

By 

faust_g - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snowboarding Skills: The Back-To-Basics Essentials for All Levels (Paperback)

After a few days in the slopes, I purchased this book along with "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" (mostly due to the positive reviews here). After reading both books from cover to cover, it is my conclusion that "Snowboarding Skills" is, without a doubt, a better book.

It seems that most snowboarding books either describe techniques through indirect principles or abstract concepts such as "... turn your upper body into the new direction" (Illus. Guide). Few books went into the *absolutely* essential details of how and why a board turns. Hands down, the pivoting exercise in the "Snowboarding Skills" book is far more helpful to my snowboarding that the entire 312 pages of the Illustrated Guide. Now that I know how to turn a snowboard, the pictures of actual snowboarders with annotated "force vectors" tell me exactly *how* to implement a move -- the art is in the detail.

This is not to say that the "Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" is a bad book. It just covers a bit more than "Snowboarding Skills" and goes into a little less technical detail. I use it as more of a secondary reference. For beginner to intermediate, this book is an absolute must.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars good for beginners, October 2, 2004

By 

John Gill "Oz boarder" (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snowboarding Skills: The Back-To-Basics Essentials for All Levels (Paperback)

I first read this book after my first 5 days on a snowboard, and like many other reviews of snowboarding books have stated there is no substitute for being on the mountain and/or getting a few lessons. Having said that everyone has different ways of explaining concepts, and this book helped to reinforce some of the basics for me like keeping weight forward. After having read this book I had a few principles in the back of my head the next time I went boarding . another good feature is the authors use of other snowboarders to explain key concepts discussed in the book. Also the photos used where excellent better than the diagrams and pics in some other books i have seen.

In summary for a beginner snowboard there is sure to be something useful in this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great supplement!, November 16, 2007

By 

Stacia (Columbus, Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snowboarding Skills: The Back-To-Basics Essentials for All Levels (Paperback)

I received this book as a Christmas present one year. I found it helpful to look through and reinforce some of the things I'd been learning on the slopes. My boyfriend (who taught himself how to snowboard) used this book to teach me. It was great because before we had this book it was difficult for him to help me out because he just went out and snowboarded without any formal instruction. This book gave him the steps to use to teach ME. I'd recommend this for people who are just learning, especially people who have a more experienced snowboarder they can ride with. You can have a little personal instruction for free (or maybe the price of a beer!).