I’ve been trying to merge all the content from our old site to this one and found a few gems of knowledge that were collected from various other websites over the years… here’s the first:

When learning to snowboard remember that the first day or two will be damn difficult and its normal for those learning to want to give up during this period.

Hang in there. Those that persevere will reap the rewards. Basically if you want to take-up snowboarding you’ll just need to persevere over the first day or two or until you can feel confident with your ability to stop, control your speed and turn. Once you have learned those basics techniques you rapidly progress from the beginner to the intermediate stage.

In the beginning: The first few days of learning you’ll spend loads of time falling, sitting on your bum, and from a psychological perspective it’s torturous because you’ll need to start right from the very beginning – so it’ll be back to the baby slopes for you – augh!

You’ll have to roll with the punches. It pays to anticipate what you are going to do and think about it as you are doing it. Because snowboarding is energetically demanding, and because your level of focus influences your success, I suggest getting a decent night’s sleep. It also helps to be courageous and to be fit (I don’t mean you have to be able to run a marathon, but any leg strengthening done prior to riding the first time will only make you better).

If you are having a crappy day and feel like you just aren’t getting it, keep at it; it could turn into your best snowboarding day!

ACCEPTING IT: EVERYONE FALLS DOWN

You WILL fall. Not knowing how to fall can mean spending the day in the ER and missing days of snowboarding fun. You don’t want to do anything that will deny you of your snowboarding experience, especially if it can be easily avoided by reading a simple paragraph. So, even though falling down is quite an odd thing to be learning, it makes sense to learn it. There are also times you may want to fall down on purpose. This may sound like a stupid thing to do, but if you are on a collision course with a child, tree, rock, or metal post, kissing the snow is far preferable.

• Falling Forward
  When falling forward, your fingers, wrists, and elbows are at risk. The natural inclination is to extend your hands out in front of you to break your fall. Make sure you RESIST this temptation. Doing it can break your fingers, or worse, your wrists. Instead, make fists (to prevent your fingers from breaking), hold your arms in front of your chest (bent, not extended), and fall on your forearms, not your elbows. The surface of your forearms you should fall on is the one that makes contact with the dinner table when you rest your arms comfortably on it.
• Falling Backward
  When falling backward, your head and tailbone are at risk. If you feel yourself falling backward, tuck your chin toward your chest. This is good advice for beginners on the bunny hill, but before you hit the slopes, get a helmet. When you are going fast, the chin tuck doesn’t afford much protection. Your melon will bounce off the ground anyway. The other thing you need to protect is your tailbone. Falling flat on your back is better than falling on your rear while bent over. If you feel yourself falling backward, twist a little while falling so you end up on one butt cheek or the other.

Falling is just part of the sport. If you become all bent out of shape and uptight about not wanting to fall, when you do, it is more likely to be a painful experience, physically and emotionally. The unnecessary anxiety can also seriously hinder or halt any improvement in your abilities. The key is to relax about it. If you lose your balance but remain relaxed, you can probably adjust and save yourself or prepare for a less painful fall.

TAKE A LESSON OR THREE*

Yeah, yeah, we know. Lessons are for wusses. Well guess what: you’re a wuss. Unless you are completely confident because you’ve skied, surfed, or skateboarded before, you want to see your knee hanging casually around your neck, you’ll NEED a snowboarding lesson. This initial investment will prove more valuable than a Roth IRA or a good fake ID. Here are the benefits of lessons:

• The first day is always the roughest, so a lesson will help lessen the inevitable aches, pains, and black and blues.
• A lesson will help you build a solid repertoire of strong techniques initially.
• A lesson will allow you to share your frustration and successes with other starters.
• One of the largest benefits to taking a lesson is that you usually get to bypass all of the lift lines and get directly on the ski lift.

You don’t have to take 20 lessons; just take one and see how you feel.

Here’s what to expect in a snowboarding lesson:

• The best way to get started is to head straight for the snowboard school at the resort and sign up for a group lesson. Lessons usually consist of group sizes of 5-10 people.
• Lessons will teach the basics of stopping, turning, falling, skating (that is: getting around when only one foot is strapped into the board), and sliding on the board in different directions.
• Lessons usually start with the very basics of snowboarding such as balancing oneself on both edges (the toe and the heel) and then gradually progress to the art of making turns in each direction (again both toeside and heelside).
• Most group lessons range from 1 ½ hours to half a day. Shorter group lessons cost $18 – $30 per person, while longer lessons at the pricier resorts (such as Vail) cost $95 – $105 per person for a half day (the half-day lessons usually include the $55 lift ticket).
• Lessons are often grouped by ability level.
• Private lessons are available, but these are usually targeted towards those who already know how to snowboard and just need help refining their skills, and with prices hovering around $400-500 for a full day private lesson during the high season, most people are economically placed out of this opportunity.