Child on Board: Tips For Learning

The Nintendo Snowboarding Game is an excellent way for parents to learn the jargon and mindset of snowboarding without ever setting foot on a snowboard.

Snowboard Paddles are great learning tools for boarding. They look like kayak paddles, but with round, soft ends, which the rider touches to the snow for support and stability. There's an accompanying three-step video program. Available atwww.applerise.com.

A good book for children and adults looking to learn the basics is The Young Snowboarder (The Horn Book, Inc.; $15.95). A brief text illustrated with captioned color photos presents a history of the sport, the necessary equipment and clothing, basic maneuvers and skills, how to fall, warm-up moves, turning, tricks, racing and competition. Pictures and text are clear, and parents will find they may actually come to know what it is their kids are doing out there.

For a really simple, fun way to learn the language, grown-ups should read the children's book Rhinos Who Snowboard (Chronicle Books; $12.95). Julie Mammano's story and illustrations will have you understanding what "totally aggro" means, as well as what exactly it means to "catch phat air" over an "insane gap."