Riding switch

Snowboarding / Popular

Ride and turn with your opposite foot forward.

What coaches agree on

  • Your regular turning skills carry over directly to switch — you can already control your speed and turn on both edges, so the only new thing is which foot leads down the hill.
  • Learn your first switch turns on mellow, beginner-friendly terrain, like a green run or bunny slope, before taking it onto anything steeper.
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  • Start every run in your switch stance and ride until it feels uncomfortable, then finish the run on your regular stance — aim to get a little further with each run after that.

Common mistakes

  • Learners keep their weight on their old front (now back) foot instead of committing forward, which opens up their shoulders, drags the tail, and catches an edge.
  • Rushing the turns or trying to ride switch at the same speed as normal gets learners twisted up, off balance, and catching an edge.
INTRO TO RIDING SWITCH
Beginner

INTRO TO RIDING SWITCH

Coach's take: Solid intro - gives you an actual sequence to feel for, not just 'go slow and try it.'

3.3
10 Switch Snowboarding Tricks
Intermediate

10 Switch Snowboarding Tricks

Coach's take: A good checklist once you can already ride switch — don't expect deep coaching on any one trick.

2.9