Req 7c7 — Beginning & Intermediate Maneuvers

Requirement 7c7 has two parts: basic maneuvers on a gentle slope (7c7a), then traversing on slightly steeper terrain (7c7b). Master the gentle slope skills before moving to steeper ground.

Requirement 7c7a

Snowboarding on a gentle slope introduces you to the fundamental sensations of edge control: the board grips when you apply pressure to an edge, and slides when you flatten it.

Sideslipping

Sideslipping is the most basic control technique. Standing sideways to the slope with your board across the hill (heel-side or toe-side edge engaged), release edge pressure slightly and let the board slide sideways down the slope. Re-engage the edge to slow and stop. Practice on both:

• Heel-side: Facing downhill, digging in your heels
• Toe-side: Facing uphill, digging in your toes

Sideslipping teaches you the feel of edge engagement and gives you a way to descend terrain that is too steep to ride otherwise.

Speed and Direction Control

On a gentle slope with both feet strapped in:

• Flat board (straight run): Let the board run flat to build speed and feel the glide.
• Heel-side edge: Flex your ankles and knees back to engage the heel edge — this slows you down and turns you toward your heel side (toe side of the hill).
• Toe-side edge: Flex your ankles forward to engage the toe edge — turns you toward your toe side.
• Falling leaf: Sideslip slightly forward (down the fall line) by shifting weight to the nose, then shift back to the tail to slide slightly backward — like a leaf falling. Good for introducing directional movement without full turns.

Official Resources

Requirement 7c7b

A traverse is riding across the slope at an angle — not straight downhill. It is one of the most useful tools for managing speed on steeper terrain.

Heel-Side Traverse

Face downhill with your heel-side edge pressed into the hill. Shift weight slightly toward the nose of the board to move across the slope. The board tracks diagonally across the hill, neither going straight down nor stopping.

Toe-Side Traverse

Face uphill with your toe-side edge pressing into the hill. Shift weight toward the nose to move across the slope in the other direction.

Combining both traverse directions with heel-side and toe-side turns between them is the building block of linked turns — the next step in snowboard progression.

Official Resources