SnowWind
Beginners
Articles tagged “Beginners”.
13 articles
ArticlesHow to choose a ski or snowboard instructor: certifications, riding videos and the pre-lesson conversation
Principal KAKU's three steps (certification system and level, riding videos against official demos, teaching logic) plus two things to watch on lesson day.
Read →Snowboard Instructor Says Never Open Your Shoulders: Is That Right? Opening the Shoulders and Counter-Rotation
Told not to open your shoulders or that counter-rotation is wrong, then told to open up? KAKU: you didn't learn it wrong. Only what fits; systems set limits.
Read →What length snowboard do I need? Decide what it's for first, then check your height
Choose by use first: all-round, carving, ground-trick and powder boards each have trade-offs. Then pick a length; 'height minus X cm' is only a final check.
Read →Beginner ski gear: what to rent, what to buy, what to bring from home
Rent most gear your first season; if you buy, buy boots first. From home, a waterproof, breathable jacket and gloves matter most. Goggle fog has other causes.
Read →Japan ski resort safety rules: runaway boards, riding the lift, and stopping when you hit someone
Stay with your board while strapping in or out, learn to ride the lift with it on, and stop if you hit someone. KAKU on what the instructors saw in 2025–26.
Read →How Do You Get Over Heelside Fear on a Snowboard? Split the Fear in Two
Two heelside fears, looking back and falling backward, each with a fix. Plus what to do after a fall, and the root fix: build skill on a slope you can control.
Read →Which ski or snowboard lesson should I book? Start with your level, then compare five courses
Zero experience: the Beginner Lesson. Linking turns: a Progression Lesson. Fluent S turns on red runs: Tree & Powder. The Companion is not a lesson.
Read →Snowboard or ski for your first time? KAKU's five answers
Ski first? Which is harder, riskier, where people get hurt, what each does best. KAKU answers from teaching; injury notes are not medical statistics.
Read →How long does it take to learn to snowboard? SnowWind's seven-stage lesson plan
From zero to linked S turns: the seven stages of SnowWind's Beginner Lesson, what each unlocks, where people get stuck, and why progress varies.
Read →How Do You Fall Safely on a Snowboard? Tuck Your Chin When You Fall Backwards
When beginner snowboarders fall backwards, the head often tips back and can hit the snow. Chin tucked, eyes on navel, back rounded: drill these before you go.
Read →Stuck Halfway Through a Snowboard Turn? Check for a Fake Weight Shift First
Head reach and hip push are fake weight shifts. KAKU says a real one is your whole body matching the slope and following the board. Plus a 30-second self-check.
Read →Which ski resort near Sapporo for beginners? Teine, Sapporo Kokusai, Asarigawa Onsen and ONZE compared
SnowWind teaches at all four; Asarigawa Onsen and ONZE are in Otaru. Compared by stage: day-one stance, turn rhythm, and where to go once you can stop.
Read →Niseko or Rusutsu? Snow quality, tree riding and who each one suits
Of the two, SnowWind teaches at Rusutsu. KAKU on the three kinds of people Niseko suits, plus vice principal 西西 on the snow and trees at both resorts.
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