# What I wish people had told me when I learned to board...



## Guest (Oct 6, 2009)

I figured I would post this because I wish someone had told me these things when I was first starting out. It would have made things a lot easier. Also, please understand this is just my personal view but I have seen it reinforced by real life examples time and time again. Here are just a few basic lessons that I have learned over the years.

1) The real instructor in snowboarding is pain.
Snowboarding has an advantage over most sports because there is no way to half-ass at it. What I mean is in some sports you are able to perform them without actually putting effort into it. Example: hitting a baseball... you can hit a baseball with an incorrect stance/force/direction and fool yourself into thinking that you can hit a baseball. With snowboarding you are DIRECTLY penalized for doing something incorrectly. The snowboard instructors at resorts are only snowboard ADVISORS. The REAL snowboard instructor is something found at every mountain. PAIN. Pain is your instructor. Think about it. What teaches you to not ride flat on a mountain for an extended period of time? The time you learn this is when you catch an edge and faceplant on the ground. Pain then shows you that you are doing it wrong. You soon come to understand that you are going to fall, a lot while learning this sport. Tips, tricks, and advice can only lessen the frequency and severity. Your going to fall while your muscles build the muscle memory and balance to move your feet correctly.

2) Do what feels right.
When I started out snowboarding I took a lesson that came with the rental from the snowboard. The guy took me out on the mountain, taught the little turns, what they were called and how to do them. I soon then started learning how to snowboard by falling over and over again trying to learn how to toe edge and heel edge. I hated it. I gave up, walked back into the lodge, threw my gear at the ground and told my dad that this wasn't for me. He sat there and said, "Just go out there and do what feels right, if you don't like it then, just come back in and we can go home." So I did that, I walked out to the mountain, strapped my snowboard on and pointed it down the mountain. I flew down the beginner slope racing past everyone in a direct line. I made it down in one go and then bailed at the end. I got up out of the snow and was laughing. That was the moment that I was hooked. For the rest of the day, it didn't matter how much I fell because I knew how awesome this sport was going to be. So how can my experience help you? I can honestly say that everytime I take ive-always-wanted-to-learn-how-to-snowboard friend with me to the mountain, the ones that stick with it are the ones that just let me leave them to learn on their own. The ones that insist on their hands being held never stick with it. They usually quit the first day. So when learning to snowboard, take some advice from friends, maybe an instructor, watch other people and then do it. Just do what you think feels right. Lesson 1 will remind you if your doing it wrong.

3) Give it 3 days before you quit.
I tell everyone that if you want to learn, the best way is to do 3 solid days preferrably close to each other. (Fri/Sat/Sunday, 1 day a week for 3 weeks, etc). I cannot stress this one enough. Snowboarding is a muscle memory sport and it takes your body time to move and react in ways it has never done before. This takes time. But once you get it, you will never lose it, like riding a bike. The first day you will learn what NOT to do(ie: pain day), the second day you will learn to respect the mountain and slowly start to get a hold of it. The third day you will be able to make it down the mountain and bail only in minor ways. By the end of the first year, you should be able to make it down the mountain without falling. This seems to be the pattern I have noticed with myself and with all the friends I have gotten into the sport and watched progress. If you honestly give it 3 days and you still are not getting it, you may just need more time, or in reality, you may just not be in the proper physical shape to snowboard. Its called a sport for a reason.

4) Your friend teaching you to snowboard isn't there to teach you, they are there to encourage you. Constantly.
When your learning to snowboard the number one thing you are going to need is someone there telling you to get up and do it again. DO NOT SIT IN THE SNOW LONGER THAN A MINUTE. Once you start relaxing in the snow after you fall, your heartrate drops, your adrenaline drops, and you start to lose passion for learning how to do it right. Your friends are there to make sure you get up and keep at it. I would do this by leaving my friend on the mountain to learn after giving them a few tips and then going down the mountain, taking the lift up, riding down to them again, and encouraging them for a couple minutes, give a few more tips and repeat, ALL DAY LONG. DO NOT STOP ENCOURAGING THEM. Do not be selfish unless they are being selfish. If they are there really trying to learn and just getting discouraged, keep em going with positive reinforcement. (insert sexual joke here). If they are all, "Forget this" or just sitting in the snow constantly just let them be, enjoy your day. If they don't want to learn, there is nothing you can tell them to change their mind. Vice-versa, if they want to learn, it doesnt matter how hard they bail or how uncoordinated they are, they will learn.

More to come, but I'm at work and need to get back at it.


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## mikez (May 12, 2009)

Off the top of my head, these simple rules would have helped me hugely.

(1) Be a learner/stay within your limits.
There's nothing more discouraging than trying to do something you just can't do. The first time I stepped on a board was at the top of a red run. It was stupid. Worse, I took a lesson, then went straight to the top of a tricky blue run (and ruined all the good work done in the lesson). Don't try to progress too quickly; it will be frustrating and you will pick up bad habits. Take it easy, stay within your limits.

(2) Steer the board with your front foot.
My first lessons were in Austria where they still teach turning with the body/shoulders. It wasn't until I did a refresher lesson in the UK that I learned about foot steering. Foot steering works where no amount of trying to throw your shoulders/the board around will.

(3) Know that you're not going too fast.
You know how it goes: you hit the fall line and the board refuses to turn. You pick up speed and panic sets in. One of the best tips for overcoming the fear: look (much) further down the slope, rather than at the snow at your feet. You will realise you're not going too fast and you have plenty of time to let the turn happen.


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## arsenic0 (Nov 11, 2008)

Mine would be related to #3 above..

Know that its not that steep...i always look at the black diamond run or something going up the lift and people going down it...im like thats not that steep. Then i ride up to it and it looks like a sheer cliff in my eyes.


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## AngryHugo (Oct 8, 2009)

I just wish I heard "Ya know what? It's icy today. Let's try this another day."

oof....


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## ComicStix (Oct 9, 2009)

I wish someone told me that I looked like a fool the first time I went. 
JK
Also I wish people told me that the really steep hill I was learning on wasn't very steep. My mom made fun of me because I kept falling


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## lisevolution (Sep 20, 2007)

arsenic0 said:


> Mine would be related to #3 above..
> 
> Know that its not that steep...i always look at the black diamond run or something going up the lift and people going down it...im like thats not that steep. Then i ride up to it and it looks like a sheer cliff in my eyes.


Totally agree with this. There have been so many times heading up the lift and your looking down on a run and think that's not that steep, i'm gonna hit that. Then you get off get to that ledge and everything changes, all of a sudden your about to descend K2 on a snowboard! 

I also totally agree with the 3day trial. I tell all of my friends that have asked about learning snowboarding that it takes 3-5 days of pain and suffering before you really "get it" and feel somewhat comfortable on the board.


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## trevk#07 (Nov 3, 2008)

AngryHugo said:


> I just wish I heard "Ya know what? It's icy today. Let's try this another day."
> 
> oof....


my little brother would probably say the same thing... :laugh:


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## Zee (Feb 21, 2008)

Go board shopping with someone experienced, sales people are full of crap.
Your first (and maybe even the second) board should be a softer freestyle board, even if you are a "freerider". You can "freeride" a freestyle board as a beginner/intermediate, but you won't be buttering that stiff freeride board no matter how hard you try.


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2009)

i wish someone told me to stay on edge when going straight. my face would've liked that.


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## AdamBQ (Sep 15, 2009)

Agree as well with the steepness comment.

What I do now, is go over it in the lift, and then look back once I've pasted. If I can't see the hill anymore (its so steep it just cuts off and I can't see the decline) then I know what I'm getting in to.

Whats even worse though, and bugs me to no end is pictures and Video!!! It doesn't matter how steep something is, you get home and look at a picture and it looks like a green run. I always come home and show my girlfriend pics of "Crazy runs" I did, and they look like jokes. 50 degrees feels like 80 most of the time, but in the picture it looks like 10 degrees. Drives me crazy...


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## Alcyo (Feb 12, 2008)

#1 There are wide snowboards...
Learning to board on narrow (rental) boards with size 13 is pretty hard..
#2 Relax!! relaxing your muscles while boarding makes it so much easier


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## Guest (Oct 14, 2009)

Zee said:


> Go board shopping with someone experienced, sales people are full of crap.
> Your first (and maybe even the second) board should be a softer freestyle board, even if you are a "freerider". You can "freeride" a freestyle board as a beginner/intermediate, but you won't be buttering that stiff freeride board no matter how hard you try.


Yes, I back this statement. If I had known then what I do now about boots, boards, and bindings I would have made much smarter decisions about my purchases. I'd buy more reliable boards and skip having to buy and re-buy bindings.


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## mikez (May 12, 2009)

Get video of yourself at every opportunity--great tip for a learner. I go back and everything looks slow and unstable, I'll be bent awkwardly at the waist, arms dangling... Makes me realise just how much progress I've made. 



Snowolf said:


> You are right about that. You show dropping a gnarly 50 degree chute that puckers your ass tighter than a Duck`s and when you look at the video it never accurately shows the reality. Then you post it on Youtube and you get the arm chair "snowboarders" who post hate comments about how lame you are (nevermind the fact that the closest thing to snowboarding they have done is a video game)...:laugh::laugh::laugh:


I think I know the video--quite icy IIRC. No one is immune from Youtube abuse. There are just too many maladjusted people out there with time on their hands and an internet connection.


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## kysnowboarder (Oct 28, 2009)

[QUOTE/]

4) Your friend teaching you to snowboard isn't there to teach you, they are there to encourage you. Constantly.
When your learning to snowboard the number one thing you are going to need is someone there telling you to get up and do it again. DO NOT SIT IN THE SNOW LONGER THAN A MINUTE. Once you start relaxing in the snow after you fall, your heartrate drops, your adrenaline drops, and you start to lose passion for learning how to do it right. Your friends are there to make sure you get up and keep at it. I would do this by leaving my friend on the mountain to learn after giving them a few tips and then going down the mountain, taking the lift up, riding down to them again, and encouraging them for a couple minutes, give a few more tips and repeat, ALL DAY LONG. DO NOT STOP ENCOURAGING THEM. Do not be selfish unless they are being selfish. If they are there really trying to learn and just getting discouraged, keep em going with positive reinforcement. (insert sexual joke here). If they are all, "Forget this" or just sitting in the snow constantly just let them be, enjoy your day. If they don't want to learn, there is nothing you can tell them to change their mind. Vice-versa, if they want to learn, it doesnt matter how hard they bail or how uncoordinated they are, they will learn.
[/QUOTE]


Defiantly agree with this one. I remember the early days (my 2nd session) and how some of my friends trying to tell me how to Snowboard (they were all skiers) It only increased my frustration level. It was only my 2nd time out. They all meant well, but I finally told them that they should just move on and let me play around on slopes by myself. I made progress. It is good to work things out by yourself in this sport and then when you think you have it have some of your friends who know how to snowboard come back and give critique your form.


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## ChubbyGuy (Mar 5, 2009)

(3) Know that you're not going too fast.
You know how it goes: you hit the fall line and the board refuses to turn. You pick up speed and panic sets in. One of the best tips for overcoming the fear: look (much) further down the slope, rather than at the snow at your feet. You will realise you're not going too fast and you have plenty of time to let the turn happen.[/QUOTE]

Great advice, never really thought about that. Ive always thought I just had a real problem controlling my speed, and I always watch better riders go down blacks and wonder how they do it so easily. Def gonna try looking far down the slope, I probably wasnt even going that fast


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

I wish somebody would have told me to "get off the damm bunny hill" and do some steeps...double blacks...gives you some perspective and makes you fearless on the bunny hill. I self taught...1st mistake, too scared to get off the bunny hill; then a skier bud took me around some double black runs...it wasn't that bad.


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## Guest (Nov 3, 2009)

I am also self-taught, for the most part, but once I learned to straight-line the bunny hill I was like 'ok, where's the next level' like it was some video game. 
Before I knew it I was dreading snowboarding, hating my older brother for taking me through the most difficult terrain, I was tired of having to constantly hike myself out of trouble, and he was tired of rescuing me. 
so I stopped riding with my brother and decided to spend a whole day learning to carve (s-turns if you will) on simple bunny hills by myself. wow I learned so much faster, I mastered blue squares by the end of the day, and by the weekend, I was keeping up with my brother riding blacks and double blacks.
So the advice I would have wanted when I started out would be: start simple, start basic, take your time. If it's done right it should be painless. Although I agree with taking beginners down a couple steeps, just so they can have that much more confidence on flatter runs, but really try to master the basics, the easy stuff like turning and balance. 
I used the same method for learning switch. Just take it down a couple of easy hills, get your bearings, the rest will come before you know it. Oh, and don't be afraid to go fast, just know where people are and aim for the white stuff on the ground.


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## coffeenirvana (Dec 21, 2008)

Okay, so this mainly applies to "beginning to jump" but stop speed checking and hit the jump with more speed than you think. I cannot tell you how many times my sorry ass (literally) kept getting hung up on jumps because I was going way too slow. Still happens to me beginning of every year!!


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## Gnarly (Mar 12, 2008)

I don't agree with the 3 day rule at all. I know people who had to try snowboarding 7 or 8 times before things clicked. Then there's one of my friends - who is the most athletic person I know - it took him 5 runs on his 1st day before he could link turns.

What I wish people had told me:

1. Your 1st season, concentrate on riding regular and switch equally as much. It's much easier to suck at riding switch when you are a noob and still suck riding regular.

2. Don't venture into the park your 1st season at all. You will only hurt yourself and hurt your progression. (We all know those kids...The ones that can do a sloppy 360 in the park, but can't make it down a blue run to save their life, and can't ride switch at all.)

3. Ride with people that are better than you. The few times I've ridden with someone better than myself, I progressed very quickly.


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## G2309 (Oct 22, 2009)

This threads a good idea I wish I read it whe I started 4 years ago.

You don't have to keep your weight on the front foot all the time!

This advice lessons kept drilling into me messed me up when i hit rough terrain. even on parts of the piste. Unless your going mega fast or going through trees an even weight distribution is good enough for most turns if you're good enough. It's also easier to go into a quick ollie for some bumps than it is to absorb them (more fun too).

Flat light have a snowball fight!

I was with a bunch of newbies in flat light conditions. Since the terrain wasn't easy to see we had a running snowball fight on our boards. Took peoples minds off falling over and they often get confident and try to chase you, in which case you can egg them on and increase their speed a bit. Great fun as long as you know the slope your using so that you don't keep getting stuck on flats.

Do all your to stay on your feet!

It's often a confidence thing that when you feel yourself going off balance you topple. This can cause uneccesary pain. If a sharp movement is needed to stay on your feet, or even a small hop, do it. You'll be surprised how you can recover yourself from potential wipe out.


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## pencap75 (Dec 10, 2008)

*switch*

I wished someone told me to learn to ride switch as soon as possible.

10 years later, I am an expert double diamond carver, but switch, I'm a green run board slider.


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## G2309 (Oct 22, 2009)

Just stick with it and avoid the temptation to go back to normal riding after a few falls. Switch can get frustrating but you'll pick it up quicker than the first time you learnt to board.


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## Guest (Nov 4, 2009)

pencap75 said:


> I wished someone told me to learn to ride switch as soon as possible.
> 
> 10 years later, I am an expert double diamond carver, but switch, I'm a green run board slider.


take a day off riding regular and do some green run 'boardsliding' switch for a while. It's like learning to snowboard all over again, but you learn much faster. But don't give up on it. Stick with it, before you know it you'll be stomping 180s for peanuts.


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## Sam I Am (Sep 9, 2009)

I don't think I would have appreciated it as much as I would if I didn't learn a lot of these things on my own. 

It's nice to have people give me their adive, I love recieving it. Though I have more of a sense of self-worth/accomplishment when I learn certain things on my own.


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2009)

this is great advice


Ive been snowboarding (on the east coast) 4-6 days a year for the past 8 years

I never really get a chance to progress. 


I am moving out west from January- March. and will be snowboarding all day. 


What should I work on besides riding switch?
I can hit small jumps and some boxes/rails(definitely going to try and stop speed checking now that there wont be ice on the kickers)


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