Beginner Snowboard Foundation

Welcome to Gulmarg and the WeSkiHimalayas family! Upon your arrival, check into your accommodation and take some time to rest and let your body acclimatize to the mountain altitude. Later in the day, you will meet your instructors for a welcome briefing to get an overview of the week ahead and review basic safety protocols.

We start the day by getting you fitted with your essential snowboard gear, including boots, a snowboard, and a helmet. Once geared up, we head right out to the snow. You will learn how to strap into your bindings, skate with one foot attached (similar to a skateboard), and glide on flat terrain. We also cover the most important beginner skill: how to fall safely without hurting your wrists or tailbone, and how to easily stand back up.

We move to the gentle beginner slopes to learn the fundamentals of edge control. You will practice sliding down the slope on your heel edge, controlling your speed by raising and lowering your toes. Once comfortable, we introduce the "falling leaf" technique. By shifting your weight slightly left and right, you will learn to zigzag across the slope while remaining entirely on your heel edge, allowing you to navigate down safely.

Today we flip things around and focus on your toe edge. Facing up the mountain, you will learn to slide down backward, controlling your speed by pressing your shins into your boots and lifting your heels. We will practice the falling leaf on the toe edge, building your muscle memory and ensuring you are perfectly comfortable balancing on both sides of the snowboard.

Now that you can brake and control your edges, it is time to start pointing the board downhill. We introduce J-turns, where you start riding straight down the slope and then smoothly transition onto your heel or toe edge to bring the board across the hill to a stop. This teaches you how to initiate turns and steer the board using your shoulders, hips, and lower body.

To maximize your time riding down, you need to learn how to get up efficiently. We introduce you to the surface lifts (button lifts or T-bars) on the beginner slopes. Riding a lift on a snowboard is a unique skill! You will learn the etiquette, how to balance with only your front foot strapped in, glide smoothly up the hill, and safely detach at the top.

The ultimate goal of basic snowboarding! Today we focus on linking your heel-side and toe-side turns together. You will learn to smoothly transfer your weight from one edge to the other without catching an edge in the snow. Instructors will work closely with you on your posture and rhythm, helping you carve a fluid, continuous 'S' shape down the mountain.

Your final day features a free practice session where you can apply everything you have learned and cruise the beginner slopes at your own pace. If your progression is strong and you are confidently linking your turns, you might get the exciting opportunity to head up the Gulmarg Gondola to Phase 1! It is a thrilling chance to experience a higher elevation and test your new snowboarding skills on a longer run to cap off the week.