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The Illustrated Guide To Snowboarding
"As a PSIA examiner I have worked with Kevin on and off the snow for several years. His creativity and knowledge of what works comes through clearly in The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding . I'd recommend it as a reference to the professional instructor, as well as a how-to for the avid snowboarder and those who wish to be." -- J. Randy Price Member of the PSIA-AASI national demonstration team "As a professional athlete and instructor, working with Kevin and reading his book helped my riding immensely. One of Kevin's principles is straightforward and perfectly applicable for snowboarding, climbing or just about any sport--your mind leads and your body follows. It works!" -- Robyn Ebersfield 4-time World Cup rock climbing champion "Never in my thirty-three years of pioneering, shaping and defining the sport of snowboarding was there ever access to material explaining the technical aspects of riding in such an easy to understand manner. . . . This 'encyclopedia' of snowboarding how-to belongs on the shelf of every ski area, snowboard park and bookstore in the snowbelt." -- Paul Graves
- GenresSports
336 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 1998
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16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 2, 2011
Snowboarder's Bible ..., February 24, 2011
As someone who took up snowboarding at the end of last season, I was eager to make the most of the off-season and decided to purchase a "how to" book on the sport and settled on "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" ... I figured it would at least keep snowboarding on my mind during the summer. Unfortunately, it sat on my bookshelf all summer and through the first two months of this season. After a few trips boarding this season I caught a full-blown case of snowboard fever and decided to finally read this book. Understanding that reading a book is no substitute for time on the mountain and more importantly, lessons ... I pleasantly found "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" to be much more than a simple "how to" book.
Being 44 years old and taking on an endeavor dominated by people half my age, my initial experiences on a snowboard were fraught with frustration and to some degree, desperation. Having learned how to ski (snow and water), surf and skateboard when I was younger, I was somewhat dismayed at the awkwardness associated with being strapped to a board. My mind told me that it must be easier than skiing (two feet on one plane vs. each foot on its own plane) and actually doing it was another matter altogether. Lessons? Sure ... there is no substitute, but I needed to be educated on a few things prior to purchasing a lift ticket for lessons ... a prep course on everything from the necessary equipment, the anatomy and purpose of that equipment, snowboarder vernacular, etc. My goal was to have a basic knowledge of things in order to understand the instructor and more importantly, ask questions without sounding like a complete idiot. "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" provided virtually everything I was hoping for and much more.
The book is broken down into two parts: The first part (about one-third of the book) focuses on pre-mountain issues ("Before the snow") and the second part (remaining two-thirds of the book) is dedicated to time "on the snow". I found the first part of the book to be indispensible, as Kevin Ryan delves into the mental and physical aspects of snowboarding. Visualization, focus, fear, anxiety and "thinking vs. doing" are topics discussed in the first chapter. Ryan believes these issues are what usually determine whether or not people stick with the sport. Subsequent chapters detail the human body mechanics and how it applies to snowboarding, as well as the role physics plays into a boarder remaining on the board vs. on his/her back. The prep-work provided by these initial chapters prove their value as all the topics previously discussed come together when the book finally reaches the "on the snow" point. When the "on the snow" part of the book begins, the mental and physical aspects are applied to practical use which made this portion of the book easier to comprehend. I feel too many "how too" type books go straight to the subject without creating any base knowledge beforehand ... akin to teaching someone an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo when the person doesn't even know what a fret board is. "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" educates and expands the reader's knowledge on the subject, regardless of their snowboarding level. Chapters are dedicated to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced boarders with a "Q and A" segment at each chapter's end that I found particularly helpful. Chapters are also devoted to general knowledge (anatomy of a snowboard), snowboard lingo (names associated with tricks) and other necessities (what you will need to wear when snowboarding). Peppered throughout the book are "tips from the pros" that lend support to the topic being covered. The animated illustrations (in lieu of photos) that course through the book are extremely helpful as they assist with reader comprehension and are often entertaining.
I feel "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" is better than I ever anticipated. I found the manner in which Ryan organized his book extremely helpful as each chapter reinforces information learned in previous chapters to build a solid base of practical knowledge of snowboarding. Although no book can serve as a substitute for actually being on a snowboard, this book enhances the experience. I often refer to the first chapters when I go snowboarding (as recently as last night). The effective format and the abundance of useful, as well as practical information should be appealing to boarders of all levels. To the novice snowboarder, this book tends to generate a sense of appreciation for the sport and more importantly ... an eagerness to get on a board and ride.
As someone who took up snowboarding at the end of last season, I was eager to make the most of the off-season and decided to purchase a "how to" book on the sport and settled on "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" ... I figured it would at least keep snowboarding on my mind during the summer. Unfortunately, it sat on my bookshelf all summer and through the first two months of this season. After a few trips boarding this season I caught a full-blown case of snowboard fever and decided to finally read this book. Understanding that reading a book is no substitute for time on the mountain and more importantly, lessons ... I pleasantly found "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" to be much more than a simple "how to" book.
Being 44 years old and taking on an endeavor dominated by people half my age, my initial experiences on a snowboard were fraught with frustration and to some degree, desperation. Having learned how to ski (snow and water), surf and skateboard when I was younger, I was somewhat dismayed at the awkwardness associated with being strapped to a board. My mind told me that it must be easier than skiing (two feet on one plane vs. each foot on its own plane) and actually doing it was another matter altogether. Lessons? Sure ... there is no substitute, but I needed to be educated on a few things prior to purchasing a lift ticket for lessons ... a prep course on everything from the necessary equipment, the anatomy and purpose of that equipment, snowboarder vernacular, etc. My goal was to have a basic knowledge of things in order to understand the instructor and more importantly, ask questions without sounding like a complete idiot. "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" provided virtually everything I was hoping for and much more.
The book is broken down into two parts: The first part (about one-third of the book) focuses on pre-mountain issues ("Before the snow") and the second part (remaining two-thirds of the book) is dedicated to time "on the snow". I found the first part of the book to be indispensible, as Kevin Ryan delves into the mental and physical aspects of snowboarding. Visualization, focus, fear, anxiety and "thinking vs. doing" are topics discussed in the first chapter. Ryan believes these issues are what usually determine whether or not people stick with the sport. Subsequent chapters detail the human body mechanics and how it applies to snowboarding, as well as the role physics plays into a boarder remaining on the board vs. on his/her back. The prep-work provided by these initial chapters prove their value as all the topics previously discussed come together when the book finally reaches the "on the snow" point. When the "on the snow" part of the book begins, the mental and physical aspects are applied to practical use which made this portion of the book easier to comprehend. I feel too many "how too" type books go straight to the subject without creating any base knowledge beforehand ... akin to teaching someone an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo when the person doesn't even know what a fret board is. "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" educates and expands the reader's knowledge on the subject, regardless of their snowboarding level. Chapters are dedicated to Novice, Intermediate and Advanced boarders with a "Q and A" segment at each chapter's end that I found particularly helpful. Chapters are also devoted to general knowledge (anatomy of a snowboard), snowboard lingo (names associated with tricks) and other necessities (what you will need to wear when snowboarding). Peppered throughout the book are "tips from the pros" that lend support to the topic being covered. The animated illustrations (in lieu of photos) that course through the book are extremely helpful as they assist with reader comprehension and are often entertaining.
I feel "The Illustrated Guide to Snowboarding" is better than I ever anticipated. I found the manner in which Ryan organized his book extremely helpful as each chapter reinforces information learned in previous chapters to build a solid base of practical knowledge of snowboarding. Although no book can serve as a substitute for actually being on a snowboard, this book enhances the experience. I often refer to the first chapters when I go snowboarding (as recently as last night). The effective format and the abundance of useful, as well as practical information should be appealing to boarders of all levels. To the novice snowboarder, this book tends to generate a sense of appreciation for the sport and more importantly ... an eagerness to get on a board and ride.
December 30, 2008
If you snow board or are even thinking about snow board or simply interested in the sport, this book is the one to read! It has some great illustrations too. With sections devoted to the beginner, intermediate, or advanced rider include question and answer sections. Also covers briefly the history of snowboarding, taking care of your equipment, common boarding courtesy, tips from the experts, different snowboarding setups, dynamics, and how to prepare yourself for the sport.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews