# My husband doesn't like snowboarding. How can I encourage him?



## bseracka (Nov 14, 2011)

Snowboarding has a steep learning curve. There are also people that are inherently uncomfortable sliding sideways. Given what seems to be a general lack of interest in learning, or enjoying being out on the mountain having a good time, you may have to accept snowboarding is never going to be his thing. Perhaps he is more suited to being a lodge bunny, or a skier. There's always x-country, snowshoeing, or or the tube park for him at most resorts.

You could also spend good money fully kitting him out and go with the guilt angle


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

You can't make people like something. You can only provide the opportunity for them to like something. After that it's up to them.

As for people who try snowboarding and don't like it, well, perhaps therapy can help. Clearly he's got issues.


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## Mike256 (Oct 13, 2013)

Start with apres-ski and work backwards from there


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## Manicmouse (Apr 7, 2014)

If he's only done indoor slopes and maybe Scotland then that's 1% of the experience!

If he doesn't love a week at a resort in the French Alps then there's no hope for ya.


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## FluffyDragon (Jul 27, 2021)

bseracka said:


> Snowboarding has a steep learning curve. There are also people that are inherently uncomfortable sliding sideways. Given what seems to be a general lack of interest in learning, or enjoying being out on the mountain having a good time, you may have to accept snowboarding is never going to be his thing. Perhaps he is more suited to being a lodge bunny, or a skier. There's always x-country, snowshoeing, or or the tube park for him at most resorts.
> 
> You could also spend good money fully kitting him out and go with the guilt angle


Have done this. I went full sales mania and kitted him with Adidas Samba boots, Ride Agenda board, union contact pro bindings, riding hoodie. I go weak at the knees for new kit.


Manicmouse said:


> If he's only done indoor slopes and maybe Scotland then that's 1% of the experience!
> 
> If he doesn't love a week at a resort in the French Alps then there's no hope for ya.


He's been to Alp d'huez with 2 mates and I've taken him to Tignes in France last year lol. He's not a total noob. Knows the bliss/rave of apres ski haha. Don't get me wrong, the scenery does impress him but seeing as we do a lot of other extreme sports too eg Deep Water Solo with lots of funky views, it's not as wow for him as it might be for a newbie.


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## Manicmouse (Apr 7, 2014)

My wife loves travelling to snowboard but snowboarding is definitely not a passion of hers. She did the hard work over years and can snowboard well enough that we can hang out all day on the slopes.

Just keep encouraging him. It takes time!


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Perhaps, as mentioned above, he might like skiing better. It's not ideal, but it's better than him not coming to the slopes.

Or maybe a private lesson, to ratchet him up a level, if he's suffering from humility.


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## easyrider16 (Sep 28, 2020)

easy solution - find a new husband

if that isn't feasible, get him lessons. Trying to teach a spouse snowboarding is hard and often causes resentment. A good instructor will encourage him and stroke his ego by telling him he's learning faster than most students. 

Finding friends who are at the same level as him could help, too. Also, sex after snowboarding.

If all else fails, try getting him on skis. It's much more natural to learn and you don't catch edges the way you do on a snowboard. It's a much more comfortable experience.


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## Radialhead (Jan 3, 2018)

Has he tried when drunk? That usually helps. Failing that you could ditch him & marry me instead but that might upset my fiancee. He might just need more time, preferably on mellow blues & greens, for it to click. I went through the same stage, & ended up spending a day on the free green slope in Tignes (le Lac) to 'reset'. Doing the same gentle slope over & over with barely anyone else around allowed me to isolate where things were going wrong. If it wasn't for covid, I'd suggest popping over to Landgraaf for a couple of days; it's a tad better than the UK domes!


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## Snow Hound (Jul 21, 2012)

It was something like my 5th trip before I actually started to enjoy the snowboarding bit of a snowboarding holiday, funnily enough I was only a few valleys over from Les Gets when it finally started to click - I too am crap at being crap at things.

A private lesson or two is definitely a good idea, there's some decent instructors in the area - the guys at Mint come highly recommended. Go off and have a blast by yourself and meet up with him after - private lessons really are the best way to speed up progression.

Make sure you take him up to Avoriaz (and further) if you can, you really get a sense of covering large distances in Portes du Soleil more so than in places like Alpe d'Huez (one big bowl) and Tignes (one big mountain). Also Mont Chery is well worth a visit, on the right day it feels your own private mountain. Consider Austria or Italy for your next trip, if the snowboarding doesn't get him maybe the Austrian apre or Italian mountain food will.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

You could get him a lounge bunny kit...his job would be to have drinks, hot cholate and food ready when you return to the lodge. Meanwhile, he could do netflix, wine and knitting. Mrs W does not do and I do not do many things that she does.


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## NT.Thunder (Jan 4, 2020)

Swipe left and move on 🤣🤣


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

easyrider16 said:


> Also, sex after snowboarding.
> 
> If all else fails, try getting him on skis.


Just be aware it's either skiing or sex, not both. If your spouse skis it's an instant turn-off.


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## Adam9 (Jan 13, 2021)

Has he ever been with a group at his level? Speaking as someone who coaches other stuff (snowboarding beginner) people who attach a lot of their self worth to being good at things tend to get incredibly frustrated if people around them are doing something better than them. Maybe he should go do something where he will be matched up with a group close to his level like one of the week long UCPA courses?


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## foe (Feb 10, 2017)

One word: *powder!*
A snowdome will never come close. If he still doesn't enjoy it after a few turns floating through powder then maybe snowboarding really isn't for him!



Snow Hound said:


> A private lesson or two is definitely a good idea, there's some decent instructors in the area - the guys at Mint come highly recommended. Go off and have a blast by yourself and meet up with him after - private lessons really are the best way to speed up progression.


^This. I've also heard good things about Mint. I can also recommend a couple of instructors in Chatel if needed, although I think that is a bit too far from Les Gets to be convenient.
Even if he is a beginner I'm sure an instructor will take him to some easy access off/side-piste to get a taste for it. My first effort was just following my instructor and making one big arc off and back onto the piste. Wasn't much but got me buzzing until I was able to my first actual runs in powder.


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## easyrider16 (Sep 28, 2020)

foe said:


> One word: *powder!*
> A snowdome will never come close. If he still doesn't enjoy it after a few turns floating through powder then maybe snowboarding really isn't for him!


I hate to be disagreeable, but I think beginners tend to have a really hard time in powder. Do you remember your first powder day on a snowboard? I was pretty experienced by then and I had a hard time. I can't imagine a beginner would get anything but frustration out of a powder day.


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## foe (Feb 10, 2017)

easyrider16 said:


> I hate to be disagreeable, but I think beginners tend to have a really hard time in powder. Do you remember your first powder day on a snowboard? I was pretty experienced by then and I had a hard time. I can't imagine a beginner would get anything but frustration out of a powder day.


You're right - I wouldn't send him off on a mission to the back country to learn to link his turns!
(he has a couple of trips to france and some time indoors under his belt so I'm assuming he his not a complete beginner)
I was thinking of getting a little taste of the floating-over-a-cloud sensation that he won't have had in a snowdome. Even it is just dipping off the piste for a few turns led by an instructor. 

As I said above:


foe said:


> My first effort was just following my instructor and making one big arc off and back onto the piste. Wasn't much but got me buzzing until I was able to my first actual runs in powder.


My first proper powder runs were the following year. Same instructor took me to some very easy access, very mellow off piste. I think I had <10days on a board by then (and I'm far from being a natural) so still very much a beginner. I just followed him without overthinking anything and had a blast. Fell a few times, had some fun getting back up, left feeling buzzing.
Full disclosure: my friend and I tried to do the same run the next day, without instructor, made a navigation mistake somewhere, fell loads, found all the flats and uphills and spent 30-40 gruelling mins wading back to the piste. A good reality-check but was already hooked.


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## SEWiShred (Jan 19, 2019)

Some people just prefer to have both feet strapped to one board and some feel better with each foot on a different board. There are people who hate water skiing and love wake boarding and vice versa. I don't know what it is, people just have a preference like that. 

Just put him on skis, he'll probably be happier that way, he'll be able to keep up with you easier, and he won't feel like he's getting in your way or holding you back. You are on a snowboarding forum most people aren't going to tell you to get on skis and just blow off snowboarding. But I always consider people with a "one plank" or "two plank" affinity, whether they like one board to ride in a sport or they like independent boards for each foot. I think you would be better off having him with you when you ride, even if he's not snowboarding, than trying to force him into snowboarding. 

99% of people like sliding down a big hill on a piece of wood and fiberglass, if he's not enjoying it he's probably just on the wrong stuff. And as I said, people naturally prefer one foot or two foot boarding, and they don't feel right when they switch it up. Rent him some skis at the indoor place and see if he likes it better. Do you water ski or wakeboard or anything? Anything where he normally is on two boards? Maybe even stuff like roller blading, where you can move each foot independently. Some people just really hate not being able to move each foot by itself, and with a snowboard you can't move each foot by itself. For some people that's really weird for them because they naturally want to correct themselves by being able to move two feet (like having a mis-step and putting a foot out in front to catch yourself). Does that make sense?


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## ridethecliche (Feb 27, 2019)

I would set him up with a lesson every other day while you're there. That way you can go ride for fun by yourself and people at your skill level and then hang out doing easier stuff with him on his 'off days' and watch him improve!


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

foe said:


> One word: *powder!*
> A snowdome will never come close. If he still doesn't enjoy it after a few turns floating through powder then maybe snowboarding really isn't for him!
> 
> 
> ...





easyrider16 said:


> I hate to be disagreeable, but I think beginners tend to have a really hard time in powder. Do you remember your first powder day on a snowboard? I was pretty experienced by then and I had a hard time. I can't imagine a beginner would get anything but frustration out of a powder day.


The issue is how much powder...3 feet...ehh probably not. But 4-6 inches definitely. Moi remembers just beating the livin shit out of myself and then hit a 4 inch powder day on the bunny hill and distinctly remember...ooohh this is what it's about...changed my life. Now 20 yrs later...bring on the 3 feet and I'll eat the shiz...and 4 inches just makes me hungry.

edit: for his lessons, book him private lessons with some hot shredette instructor .


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

Watch some Pica Herry movies with him, Yawgoons and probably some Korua. Get someone experienced with gear setups to explain/observe and help him to fine tune everything and give some basic instructions for starting out. Don't stress it till you get somewhere with good conditions. Then leave him alone for the day to practice.


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## Rip154 (Sep 23, 2017)

FluffyDragon said:


> Have done this. I went full sales mania and kitted him with Adidas Samba boots, Ride Agenda board, union contact pro bindings, riding hoodie. I go weak at the knees for new kit.


The Sambas can be some horrible bear traps if they don't fit right.


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## smellysell (Oct 29, 2018)

Couldn't be that hard to find a new husband, right? 

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

Fluffy, have him watch the creepy basement vid....that should encourage him. Bahahaha


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## Jack87 (Jan 9, 2021)

Some official lessons


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

For Mr. Fluffy...or is it Mr Puffy the Magic Dragon.

The static creepy basement kind of explains some of the basics of moving yer body.
Neutral stance and basic movement - YouTube

Malcom does easy to understand and do vids.

Snowboarding Tips and Technique - Correct Snowboarding Posture - YouTube

How to make Short Turns on a Snowboard - YouTube


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## lbs123 (Jan 24, 2017)

If you are truly obsessed with snowboarding and I'm sure you are, you don't need anyone else to enjoy your passion. It's just you and snowboarding, not you, him and snowboarding. So maybe just give up on trying to make him a snowboarder. Let him enjoy his passions, there could be some ice climbing options in the resort, for example.


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## d3tro (Apr 4, 2018)

Tell him that if he rides great today well you're gonna ride him great tonight...
IDK what else to Say to help him like snowboarding.

Envoyé de mon LG-H873 en utilisant Tapatalk


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## drblast (Feb 28, 2017)

Geez, all the sex stuff. Don't use sex to get what you want. Boo. Gross.

Instead, put up some posters of pro-snowboarders on the bedroom ceiling and talk about how much it turns you on.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

go some place awesome for a beginner experience. Meribel or one of the Les Tois Valles areas comes to mind since you mention France. Get him lessons in the morning, take a lap with him in the afternoon, then hit the apres. This place has alot of stuff to do and a very strong apres scene. He will need 3-5 days solid of learning to bump passed the beginner stage. If he doesnt enjoy it, put him on skis, no harm in that


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## Fletch7 (Jul 23, 2018)

Snowboarding is always more enjoyable when the snow conditions are good, which is what often lets Europe down because of the temperature fluctuations causing icy conditions. Good snow will build his confidence ten fold over rattling around on ice. So my advice if your going to Europe is to go somewhere high altitude with lots of beginner slopes like Tignes/Val D'sere where your chances of getting good snow will be higher. 

Even consider the northern resorts in Finland like Levi or Ruka. Its pretty much -10 at least there from December to mid mid March and that's why snow quality is great, dry and soft like in Japan.


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## Elevation212 (Apr 21, 2019)

Threats, bribes and passive aggressive nagging like any good relationship!

in all seriousness id keep it easy, ask him to go with you, if he’s not into it let him be his own person and find a different crew to shred with. Ya’ll don’t have to do the same thing, I’m fact having your own interests can keep relationships fresh.

Some random internet persons 2 cents but if he’s not willing to board with you and won’t support you in chasing your hobby you have an issue, same in reverse if he’s supporting your going and you have a hair across your ass cuz he needs to go with you that’s also a bit of a co dependent red flag

my wife just got into skiing in a big way in her 30s, I invited her on most trips (outside 2 boys trips a year) when she wanted to go we had a blast mucking about, apresing and hanging. When she didn’t I went and she had fun doing her thing at home. Over time she discovered a love of the sport and goes more then me!

not saying it’s going to work out that way but love and respect for yourself and partner will find you too a good place, I have no doubt

happy shredding


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## garikgarik (Dec 15, 2011)

Let him ski, skiers are very useful in skitour/freeride, anyways eventually majority of snowboarders end up off the pistes


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## Maya (Mar 9, 2021)

If he enjoys skiing, I don't think there is any issue. You can still go on vacation on the Alps with no regrets. It should be up to him to decide. 
If he does not like any activity done in a ski resort, you will have to exercise your negotiation skills. 
I am in this situation. Clearly throwing a kid in the mix has moved things more in the direction I want, but compromise is always needed.


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## Apex (Sep 23, 2021)

Bait him into taking enough lessons that he’d be able to conquer at least 1+foot of powder. If he doesn’t get hooked after his first true powder day, he’s never going to enjoy it


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## chusnowpar (Jan 31, 2017)

FluffyDragon said:


> Hi all,
> 
> As the title says, my husband is a beginner snowboarder and a very tough critic of himself. Working on his turns stage. I'm an intermediate I suppose. Happy bunny doing 180s, nose rolls, other buttery stuff tail spins, popping small kickers, switch, boxes etc. But I can't get him to love the sport. Whereas I am obsessed. We live in the UK so it's not easy to get time on slopes. I go to an indoor slope once a week to fix the craving. We have a trip to Les Gets France next year. Beginner resort, hoping to get him to feel the love more.
> 
> ...



Get him lessons for at least 3-5 days in a row. I'd suggest half day lessons each morning, allowing him to practice new things in the afternoon each day. The combination of instruction, practice, and repetition is what allows once to progress in this sport. Once he's comfortable with managing turns, speed, and terrain, it's likely he'll enjoy the sport, but he needs to get there first.


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