The purpose of this article is to help you more accurately identify the different snowboarding skill levels and, more importantly, where you currently fit in terms of snowboarding ability.
First let's look at some ability levels and see where you might fit, and then let's take a look at why you might want to know your skill level.
SNOWBOARDING SKILL LEVELS 1-8
(click on the relevant tabs for more info)
- INTERMEDIATE 5-6
- ADVANCED 7
- EXPERT 8+
Beginner Level 1: This is your first day (or first couple of days). You are brand new. You start out learning how to control your speed and get some distance down a slope without bailing! You are learning how to stop yourself without falling.
Beginner Level 2: You are now relatively comfortable snowflaking, that is guiding yourself down the slope on the same edge. You are becoming more adept at being able to stop yourself without falling. You are probably starting to try linking turns but not very successfully just yet.
Beginner Level 3: You can now link turns in both directions (i.e. from your heel edge to your toe edge and your toe edge to your heel edge) on gentle slopes. Your turns are probably C shape turns at this point. You might be branching out into the intermediate runs but not so comfortable linking turns on those yet. Sliding (falling leaf) on intermediate runs is probably within your realm though.
Beginner Level 4: You can now link turns in both directions (i.e. from your heel edge to your toe edge and your toe edge to your heel edge) on green (beginner) and intermediate (blue) slopes. Your turns are now becoming "S" shape turns. You can now control your speed well.
Progressing Through the Levels
It's important to note that most people move through the beginner stages quicker than they move through the other phases. A very quick learner, who takes lessons from a quality instructor might get to beginner level 4 in a matter of a handful of days on the mountain.
For most it will be longer than that but usually not too long. But for those who only spend 2-4 days a season on the mountain, it can take 3-4 seasons, or more.
But that same person will spend longer in level 4, and may be at level 5 for 3 times as long as what they took to get through 4 levels.
Then progressing from level 5 to 6 might take twice as long again.
The higher the level, the slower you tend to move to the next level - especially if you aren't setting goals and aren't getting regular lessons. A lot of riders find they can get stuck in the intermediate phase indefinitely. And a lot are perfectly happy to be at that level too, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
But if you do want to break through to the advanced level, it is often more difficult. requires a desire and a plan, and takes more time than moving through the earlier levels. Each level is progressively harder to reach.
Reasons Why You Might Want to Know Your Ability Level
Below are a few reasons why you might want to know where you're at (besides curiosity).
Reason Number 1: The Right Snowboard Gear
Probably the most important reason you need to know your level of ability is to help you choose the right snowboard, bindings and boots.
The right board can make learning much easier for beginners and if you are an expert rider you want a board that can do everything you need it to.
One of the specs you will see when you are buying is whether the board is for Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert. Often it is the case the board may cover a range - i.e. Beginner to Advanced.
When you are hiring a board, one of the first questions you are asked is ‘What is your ability level?”
If you are a beginner, check out the following on how to choose a beginner snowboard.
>>How to Choose the best Snowboard for a Beginner
Reason Number 2
The second reason is for goal setting. If you are someone who likes to set goals to help yourself improve (which is a great idea as you will progress much faster if you have something to aim for) then you will need to know where you are.
In order to get to where you want to be, you need a map with 3 things on it:
1. Where you want to go (your goal, your aim, your target);
2. A plan of how to get there; and
3. Where you currently are (the “you are here” on your map)
If you don’t know where you are then you won’t know what direction you need to go in to arrive at your target. Discovering your ability level fulfills number 3 above.
Reason Number 3
If you are looking to take lessons then it is very beneficial to know your level so you know which level of lesson is the best for you - a lot of lessons even state what ability level that they are designed for (usually on a 1-7 or 1-8 system).
There could also be other reasons why you would want to know your snowboard ability level - maybe even just curiosity. Whichever reason you fit under, you will be able to get a better gauge of just what your level is in the next section.
Finding out Where you Fit
Generally speaking, from what I have seen anyway, there are two different systems various groups use to rank snowboarding abilities. The first is using the Beginner to Expert system and the second is using the Level 1-7 or 1-8 system.
Beginner to Expert System
In this system you will need to decide if you are Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert.
This is mostly used for gear buying decisions - but also used in general discussion with other riders - e.g. if you were part of a snowboard club and were looking for riders of similar ability.
When you are searching for a snowboard to buy. you will notice that they sometimes determine the level of ability that the snowboard is designed for. This can be anything from Beginner to Expert or a combination e.g. Advanced to Expert.
The other place you will see these is on the mountain itself. Typically downhill runs are classified as either Beginner (Green) Intermediate (Blue) Advanced (Black Diamond) or Expert (Double Black Diamond). Some mountains/countries might use different color codes (e.g. in Europe Green, Blue, Red and Black, where green is learning slopes, blue, easy, red intermediate and black expert).
These tie in somewhat with the ability levels but it is definitely a blurry line.
Check Out the tabbed Skill Levels box at the top of this post for a description of what skills are typically associated with the different levels.
Levels 1-7 or 1-8 System
The other system I’ve seen used is the 1-8 grading system (which can sometimes be 1-7 or 1-9). This gives a wider range than the beginner to expert ratings, so allows a more accurate reading.
A system like this is often used for determining an appropriate level for snowboard lessons. And is a good way to determine your ability level for your own self-directed progression.
A typical system like this will have:
- 3-4 Beginner Levels
- 2-3 Intermediate Levels
- 1 Advanced Level
- 1 Expert Level
Check Out the tabbed Skill Levels box at the top of this post for a description of what skills are typically associated with the different levels.
What’s Your Snowboarding Ability Level?
Hopefully, this information has helped you to more accurately classify your own ability level. Of course you may be at one level in some aspects and another at other aspects.
It’s best to be honest about this with yourself. If your picture of where you are on the map is accurate it will make it easier to navigate to where you want to be.
It will also help you to make a more accurate board purchase.
Finally, if you are looking to take lessons then it is better to be in a lesson level that is best suited to your progression. If you rate yourself too high, you may end up doing things beyond your level and miss out on things that you really needed to learn. If you rate yourself too low, you won’t be challenging yourself to improve.
Personally I classify myself as higher level intermediate (level 6) bordering on advanced (level 7). I am confident on black runs and uneven terrain off the groomers and in the backcountry, fairly competent riding switch, confident straight airing small, medium and large jumps in the park and ollies off rollers and lips, turning sharply and at speed, adequate carving, relatively down with down-unweighted turns, boxes in the park, grabs, 180s of smaller features, manuals, butters.
Where do you Fit?
I am always curious to know how others are progressing. If you want to, you can leave a comment below describing where you think you fit in the spectrum. We are all at different levels so there is no right or wrong place to be. Any general comments, questions or feedback are, as always, very welcome.
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