For a lot of snowboarders their goal is to learn how to carve. Carving is being able to go from side to side down the mountain without skidding. It will be a nicer and neater ride for you. It will draw your friends' attention and it will amaze them. If you skid then you will be on the snow's surface, but in a carved turn then the board will go through the snow and it will look and feel great. To start out on carving you can be either on your heel side edge or your toe side edge. You have to really try to drive your knees forward. Carving feels better and it also sounds better than the screeching sound you make when you skid.
Snowboarding Conditions
Different types of snow conditions will affect you when you are snowboarding. Here is some information about different types of snow.
Powder Snow
Powder snow is the best snow to land on because it does not hurt as much as hard, compact snow. It is easier to carve turns when the snow is like powder. It is also easier to control your speed and hold your edge.
Wet Snow
Wet snow is the stickiest snow in the world. It is the easiest to make snowballs and snowmen out of, but when you are trying to do tricks you can't go very fast in wet snow. It is also harder to turn.
Corn Snow
Corn Snow is powder that has thawed and refrozen. The snow becomes shaped like little kernels of corn. You can control your speed easily in corn snow.
Granular
When powders snow thaws and then freezes again, the surface gets hard. This type of snow is called granular. If you are snowboarding in granular snow, it is very hard to control your speed. It is also hard to hold an edge.