# first time... what to expect?



## Telosin

You will fall. A lot. When I started, it took me about 5 days to get it. Granted, I was really young, I didn't listen to instructions, and I only had 1 lesson. 

You'll pick it up over time, but I'd say the biggest thing is probably to be confident and stick with it. If you're afraid to go fast, your progression will be much slower since you won't be able to get comfortable with changing edges. I used to wait until all the people on the mountain within view had passed me before I stood up because I was worried that I would cut someone off, but you've just gotta ignore everyone and focus on what you're doing. They'll get out of the way as long as you're kinda off to the side. Also, don't get discouraged. For me at least, I went from absolutely sucking for 5 days to actually being decent in the period of like an hour. Once you get it, it will just click. Then it's just a matter of getting more comfortable on the board.

Anyways, just stick with it and you'll pick it up! It's definitely worth it once you get it down.


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## wrathfuldeity

First, learn how to fall...tuck and roll, slide, heelside fall...sit and roll on hip, grab your self (i.e. don't put your arms/hands out to break fall) and predose with ibuprofen to prevent swelling before it starts.


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## razzle

With your difficulty skiing then my experience may not be relevant but if you exagerated then you should pick it up quickly.

I picked up snowboarding quickly. One decent lesson and I was comfortable pretty much anywhere I went. I found that a lot of the skills carried over from skiing, edge control, comfort at speed, balance.

If it is just fear holding you back then don't fear the snowboard. Snowboards are like dogs, they can smell fear and it will smash you. You have to be aggressive (within your limits obviously.)

Momentum is your friend. You will never learn to ride unless you get enough speed up to actually get over the edge and turn. Once you do that you own the mountain and it's just a matter of progression which I expect is more difficult but heaps of fun.


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## InfiniteEclipse

razzle said:


> Snowboards are like dogs, they can smell fear and it will smash you.


Dude..... thats going in the snowboard quotes thread... soon as I find it


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## HoboMaster

Prepare to fall a lot.... You will fall more learning to snowboard then you will skiing, that's for sure. As long as you pay attention to what your instructor has to say, and muster up some courage to make yourself transition your turns, all the puzzle pieces will fall into place.

It's also a pretty common occurrence that people who hate skiing hop on a snowboard and end up loving it.


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## NWBoarder

You can expect to fall, fall some more, get back up and then fall again. My pointer for you is to not give up. The falling is temporary and the reward is worth every bruise and muscle ache you get. Once the falling stops the fun begins. From there on out, you will be a snowboarder, not just some nub who can't get down a snowy hill.


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## ski_trip

I agree with NWBoarder28, when you fall don't stop. Get up and don't give up. It is really expected if it is your first time to ride your board you will fall. Practice more and don't lose hope. Practice, practice until you can make it perfect.


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## wrathfuldeity

snowboarding is falling...gravity sucking you down....just gota do controlled falling


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## ZOOM 3

just hope you can nail that first successful chairlift ride! at least that's about all i could take away from my first time out lol


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## gjsnowboarder

evilfeline007 said:


> Hi everybody!!
> So my question is: What can I expect from myself skills wise? I'm taking a package that includes ticket and rentals for 4 trips and a 2 hour group lesson (with max 5 people) the first three trips.
> 
> So 4 days and 6 hours of lessons should get me in the ball park of what abilities/level of runs? Will I finally get off the greens?
> 
> I'm planning on wearing knee pads, helmet, wrist guard, butt pad, etc so I can just give it my all out there (i'm naturally a chicken... but i push myself)
> 
> Any other words of wisdom?


 You are being very smart starting off with lessons. They will help you ease into snowboarding and if your instructor is any close to be competent you should experience a lot less slams or falls.

As for your abilites and runs that you will be able to do that is typically an individual thing. Typically after about fours hours of lesson you will most likely be starting to or have been linking turns. Depending on how well you are linking turns and the mountain profile there is a chance come the third or fourth day you might make it too blues. To progress faster try to be a sponge for the information is given and make sure to ASK questions of your instructor so that they are better able to assist you.

To help you succeed I suggest making sure you get good sleep at night and make sure to stay hydrated. And after lessons if you do free-runs if start noticing yourself becoming fatigued or falling a lot make sure to take a rest or call it a day. You will have more in the tank for the next day and will probably avoid and terrible wrecks that might set you back.

Also remember you are there to have fun so remember to breath, laugh, and play in the snow and you will have a great time.


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## JoeR

evilfeline007 said:


> So 4 days and 6 hours of lessons should get me in the ball park of what abilities/level of runs? Will I finally get off the greens?


Don't worry about timetables. Your goal is not to meet a schedule, nor to match the pace of progression claimed by some other rider. Instead, just try to improve each time you go out. For each session, your goal should be to do something you couldn't do before, or to do something better than you could do it before. If you improve _steadily_, the speed of your improvement won't matter.

Don't hit the blues until you can go down the greens smoothly and confidently. If you're still sideslipping much of the time, and/or falling after every second turn, when on the greens, there's no point to transferring those techniques to the blues just so you can say that you went down a blue.


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## HoboMaster

JoeR said:


> Don't worry about timetables. Your goal is not to meet a schedule, nor to match the pace of progression claimed by some other rider. Instead, just try to improve each time you go out. For each session, your goal should be to do something you couldn't do before, or to do something better than you could do it before. If you improve _steadily_, the speed of your improvement won't matter.
> 
> Don't hit the blues until you can go down the greens smoothly and confidently. If you're still sideslipping much of the time, and/or falling after every second turn, when on the greens, there's no point to transferring those techniques to the blues just so you can say that you went down a blue.


Totally true, keep in mind however that many resorts green runs are painfully flat, and let me tell you, there is nothing harder then making turns when you are barely moving. Speed, just enough of it mind you, is very beneficial to linking turns.


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## carsbybigd

Good thing you are getting a lesson[perhaps 2 or more will greatly help] Above all else LISTEN to your instructor [I tried teaching my son and he thought he knew it all so he didn't listen to me and struggled,got him a lesson and he was taught the same things I tried to pass on but listened to a stranger].Like everyone else said ..be prepared to fall and fall and fall.You will get it in time so don't worry about going down Blue's or blacks. Enjoy.


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## AdrenalinPlease

The info given is fantastic!!! I did not listen to anyone when I started snowboarding, I went straight from skis to a board. It hurt for a good couple days but I picked it up quick, if I had taken lessons I would have progressed much faster and more technically sound. I think I might take some lessons to get better.


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## seanboobs

When I started in the 7th grade it took me around a year to have my balls drop and go for linking turns. As long as you can get over the silly fears you're golden. Once I did one TINY s-turn it just happened, in the next few years I progressed past everybody in my high school and family. So once you get it, you just get it. Expect to fall and hate it for a few days or possibly more then prepare to fall in love. I swear if my board had a vagina I would f*ck it till it snapped hahha


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## GSXRBry

Lessons to start are always beneficial, hell..lessons at any level are great. Don't be afraid to ask the instructor questions. You're paying for it so get all the knowledge you can..some people in the group will pick it up faster, pay no attention to them (unless they're offering advice) since this can intimidate and hamper your progression. Hit up youtube and google to check out some beginner videos before you go. Don't get discouraged..you can do this! Above all, have fun! Having a terrible time can make you not want to go again.


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## vitrify

If you're going four days in a row, for six hours a day, prepare to feel some serious soreness by the second or third days. It was hell for me, getting out of bed on the third day, but I went through with it, and it was the third day that I was really able to start linking turns and going down the hill. Snowboarding will hurt much less once you stop falling, and stop heelsiding down the hill. Try to avoid heelside/toesiding down the whole hill, 'cause it'll burn your muscles like hell, not to mention you look like crap. Alternative between the two gives each set of muscles some time to relax.


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## arnold757

*The First Day*

On your first day snowboarding you should go up on a weekday or _find a slope with almost no one on it_. You want lots of room to room to get the feel of your board. When you start snowboarding you are not under full control. It's easy to avoid large objects, like the forest, but when you have small moving objects all around you it's more dangerous and less fun.


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## neednsnow

Laugh, Smile, Fall, Giggle, be Sore, you know all of that. Here's my advice, mainly a reiteration of what others have said.

3. Love the edges! If you ride the board flat, you are essentially riding the fence between two feisty board edges. If you catch the wrong one, you'll get a little ass-whooping. However, if you narrow the edge that makes contact with the snow to one-at-a-time and make your turns from edge to edge you'll have control of the board. 

2. Learn that you will need to point your board downhill. Too many people are afraid to point downhill because boards gain speed in that direction. However, it is necessary, even if for a quick second, to successfully complete a turn.

3. Learn to get comfortable with speed. Not blowing down the mountain speed, but the board needs speed. You need to go from point A to point B to make a turn and there is distance between those two points and the only to get there is by moving. 

4. Get from greens to blues real quickly. Blues are slightly steeper, but as someone said greens are often too flat for snowboards. Also, greens tend to have more people on them that tend to get in your way. On greens, most people are newbies and can't maneuver around you. On blues, most people can see where you are and what you are doing and go around you. I'd be willing to bet that more collision accidents happen on greens than blues and blacks, if for no other reason than sheer numbers.

Have fun!


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## Magnum626

Hope you have a good instructor. Mine sucked first time out, sorta like he was forced to teach the class but that was 15 years ago.

Don't try to hard. (picturing that scene from forgetting sarah marshall) I was trying so hard the first few times I tried boarding. It didn't click until I finally relaxed my body and stopped 'forcing' my turns.

Have a good time. 

Have a good time.

Definitely pre-dose with motrin and get some good rest the night before.

Did I mention have a good time?


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