Snowboard Heel-Side Turns
You'll feel safer and more stable on the heel edge, which gives you the confidence to control speed and commit to linked turns.
Using your heel edge to shape the board into a controlled turn while staying strong, stacked, and secure over the uphill side.
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Watch & Learn
Key Moments
Create pressure through the heels while keeping the hips open enough to stay balanced.
Aim your eyes and chest where the board should finish instead of staring at the nose.
Let the turn complete across the hill so it naturally controls speed for you.
What It Should Feel Like
- ✓Like standing taller and stronger against the hill
- ✓The edge grips because your whole body is aligned behind it
- ✓A finished heel-side turn automatically calms the speed down
Common Mistakes & Fixes
Folding at the waist toward the snow
Stay stacked and let ankle and knee flex do more of the work.
Bailing out before the turn finishes
Hold the heel edge a little longer until the board points more across the hill.
Letting the back hand drag behind you
Keep both hands quiet and your chest more centered over the board.
Practice Drills
Heel-edge J turns: start in a traverse and finish one controlled heel-side turn to a stop, then repeat.
Hold-the-finish drill: count one extra second at the end of each heel-side turn before changing edges.
Slow linked heel exits: on easy terrain, prioritize clean heel-side finishes over making many turns quickly.
The full guide
Reviewed September 2026
How to learn Snowboard Heel-Side Turns
A heel-side turn is the turn you make on the edge under your heels, facing down the hill, standing tall with your ankles and knees flexed and your weight settling into your heels. Most beginners find it the more comfortable of the two turns because you can see where you're going. This guide covers how to start, hold, and finish a heel-side turn so it reliably controls your speed.
What it is and when you'll use it
In a heel-side turn the board arcs from pointing downhill to pointing across the slope, with the heel edge doing the gripping. By the end you're still facing down the hill, but slower, because the board is no longer aimed at the bottom.
It's half of every linked turn you will make, and a well-finished heel-side turn is also the way many snowboarders stop. If you ride regular, with your left foot forward, a heel-side turn curves toward the left side of the run as you look down it. Goofy riders curve to the right.
Before you start
You should be comfortable with the falling leaf on your heel edge and able to glide a short distance on a flat base without catching an edge.
Choose a wide, gentle green with an easy runout and light traffic. You'll point the board farther downhill than in the falling leaf, so you'll briefly gain a little speed. That's expected, and the turn itself is what takes it away.
Snug your boots and straps; if your foot can move inside the boot or binding, the board reacts late to what your ankles and knees do.
Step by step
Build the turn from a slow, gentle glide so you can focus on one arc at a time.
- Look uphill to make sure the way is clear, then start from a slow traverse on your heel edge. Or, on very gentle terrain with a flat runout, point the board a little downhill so it glides forward along its length on a flat base.
- Settle into a balanced stance with ankles and knees flexed, weight slightly favoring your front foot, and hands relaxed in front of you.
- Turn your head toward where you want the turn to end, across the hill on your heel side, and let your chest follow naturally.
- Lift your toes slightly and sink through your ankles and knees so the board tips onto its heel edge. Keep your hips over your heels rather than pushing them out behind the board.
- Let the front of the board engage first. The back foot comes along, and the whole board curves as one piece.
- As the arc develops, add a little more edge angle if you want a tighter turn, and keep your upper body upright and quiet.
- Hold the edge until the board points across the hill or slightly uphill. Your speed will fade on its own.
- Stop on your heel edge, check uphill again, and reset before the next one.
Why it works
A snowboard's edges are curved slightly along their length, a shape called sidecut. When you tip the board and put weight on it, that curve bends into the snow and the board wants to travel along an arc. Your job is to tip and pressure the board; the board does much of the turning.
Leading with the front foot matters because the nose sets the direction. If it engages first, the rest of the board follows the same line. If the back foot swings the tail around, the board skids sideways instead.
Staying stacked, with hips over heels and chest up, puts your weight directly above the edge. Bending at the waist pushes your hips back, which flattens the board into a skid or sits you down in the snow. Finishing across the hill works as a brake because gravity has far less pull on a board pointed sideways.
How to practice it
Begin with turns that start almost across the hill. Each time the finish feels solid, aim the nose a little farther downhill at the start, so you gradually learn to handle more speed at the top of the turn.
Then vary the shape, from a long, lazy arc to a slightly tighter one. Once your finishes are dependable, start heel-side turns from your toe edge, which is where linking begins.
Common questions
Why does my heel-side turn skid instead of grip?
Usually your hips have dropped behind your heels or the board isn't tipped enough. Flex through the ankles and knees, keep your chest up, and lift your toes a little more so the edge has a real angle to bite with.
Why do I keep falling backward on my heel edge?
That usually means you're sitting too far back or straightening your legs. Bend through the knees, not the waist. If you do fall, sit down onto your backside, tuck your chin, and keep your arms bent rather than reaching behind you. If something hurts afterward, stop and have it checked by a professional.
Are heel-side turns easier than toe-side turns?
For most beginners they are, mainly because you can see downhill, though some riders find the opposite. Practice both until they feel equally dependable.
Should I push the tail around with my back foot?
It can get you around at very slow speeds, but it creates a skidded turn and a habit that's hard to break later. Let the front foot lead and let the board's shape do the steering.
Prerequisites
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Your Progression
← Previous
Snowboard Falling Leaf
Level 2
Current
Snowboard Heel-Side Turns
Level 2
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Snowboard Toe-Side Turns
Level 2