• RIDING ABILITY -Before you even think about attempting any feature in the park you must be a competent rider. This includes being able to turn, stop and preferably ride switch comfortably. Being able to go straight down the hill without falling does not qualify as a competent rider. And you must also be able to get up quickly after a fall.
• HELMET -Learning in the park without a helmet could cost you more than you should be willing to risk. Wrist Guards help too!
• CONFIDENCE -Believing in yourself is as important in snowboarding as any other activity in life, if not more. You CAN do it, you just have to believe.
• FINALLY -Always ride with a buddy b/c they can boost your confidence, give you pointers and be there for you if something were to go wrong.

Key Terms:

• "Manual": To “load up” your weight on your back foot and pull your front foot up and towards you so that the nose of your board is lifted off of the snow (looks like a wheelie).
• "Nollie": Opposite of the Manual. To “load up” your weight on your front foot and pull your back foot up and towards you so that the tail of your board is lifted off the snow.

NOTE*
You should be able to perform the basic manual and nollie before trying the butter. Some people prefer a wider stance to add leverage, which may make buttering easier.

The Butter:
You can butter your board on its nose or tail, and in many combinations. You can butter in the terrain park and you can butter simply to liven up a monotonous run. So master the spin on your nose and tail and you’ll be buttering up hill in no time!

Tail:
To begin, load up your weight on your back foot into manual position. When you are in the manual, rotate your upper body toward the tail of your board to initiate a spin. Continue to turn with the board’s nose in the air. Be sure not to bring the board up too high off the snow as this could cause you to lose your balance. Once the nose of your board has reached 180 degrees in the spin (you should be riding switch now), put the board down and finish your rotation with a flat board spin. Keep practicing with more and more speed until you can keep from setting the board down mid-rotation. The trick is finding that sweet spot where you can keep your balance while completing a full rotation with only your tail on the ground.

Nose:
Exactly the opposite of the tail butter! Load up your weight on your front foot into nollie position. When you are in the nollie, rotate your upper body toward the nose of your board to initiate a spin. Hint: always rotate downhill. Continue to turn with the board’s nose in the air. Again, don’t raise the board up too high. When you have reached 180 degrees finish with a flat board spin.