Manuel

From Niftytricks

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Manual

Otherwise known as a Wheelie

Manual -

The manual is a when you ride down the hill with your board flexed so that all of it except your tail are just above the snow. The hardest part of this trick is being able to find then hold a balance point.

To start find a flat place where you will not start sliding no matter which direction you are facing. (not a parking lot, there is gravel in that snow that is just waiting to take a bite out of your base).

Practice standing centered and flat and then rocking your weight backwards onto your back foot then onto your tail. Don’t go overboard at first, this takes a while learn. Rock further and further back each time and try holding your body and board a little longer in that position each time. You want to do this until you put too much weight on your tail and it butters out and you fall on your butt, this way you know how far back is too far. When you are doing this make sure you are staying centered over your board/tail each time you do this as it is very important later on.

After you rock your weight back and find a good balance on your tail and can hold it for a few seconds on flat ground then it is time to move to a mellow slope and basically repeat what you have been practicing.

Start slow. The more mellow (flat) the slope is the easier it will be. I would also recommend to keep your manual practice to groomers. As you find your magic zen balance spot at each speed time, try going a little faster and always try to hold the manual as long as you can. The faster you get going the harder it will be to find that balance spot because the contours and bumps in the snow will be knocking your board around. Same thing with non groomers, ruts and soft spots make learning to manual a lot harder.

If you are blessed, you can also practice your manual in deep fresh powder. In powder you will have to be riding with most of your weight on your back foot anyway so you don’t catch your nose under the snow and tumble. The fresh powder makes it a lot easier to stay in a manual.

After you think you are a manual master then it is time to ollie from a manual or even start and land spins in a manual.

A note about snowboard flex – Snowboards are designed to flex and for the most part are very strong. However, all snowboards flex differently, that is one of the major things that makes them unique. Being able to “tune” into how your board flexes will make you a better rider as well as make your manuals that much cooler. Typically your board will flex more then you think but breaking a board sucks so use some common sense.

-Lakes