Valuable Advice for the Snow-bi-Curious, or Snowboard Virgin

Maybe you’re a snow-bi-curious skier that wants to try snowboarding, or maybe you’ve never tried snowboarding, well this is the post for you.

I’m going to show you:

• Why you should go snowboarding
• What equipment you will need
• The different places that you can learn
• The different types of lessons
• How much it will cost

Why you should go snowboarding

Maybe you’re looking to try a completely new sport, or you’re a skier who fancies “turning to the darkside”. Well snowboarding is an excellent choice to make.

• It’s fun
• It keeps you fit
• It makes you look cool (sometimes)
• Members of the opposite sex (or maybe the same sex) will instantly become more attracted to you.

Sliding on frozen water – with your feet strapped to a piece of wood – can be one of the most exhilarating things that you will ever do, but be warned, it’s extremely addictive.

Yes, it can be dangerous, but driving is quite dangerous, walking down a city street at night is quite dangerous, hell, crossing the street is quite dangerous. But with the right equipment, and the right instruction you can minimise the risk to just a fraction + the risk is part of what makes it so exciting.

What equipment you will need

Compared to many sports, snowboarding involves quite a lot of equipment. You don’t need to have your own equipment to learn, in fact, it’s advisable not to buy equipment until you:

A: know that you like snowboarding

B: have some understanding of what you’re buying.

When I first started I spent a lot of money on equipment that was completely wrong for me. I bought the most expensive stuff and assumed that would be the best. It’s much more important to select equipment that’s the correct size and fit for you. As an absolute beginner you are likely to spend a lot of money and regret it later. So avoid doing that.

You can hire or borrow most equipment for your first lesson/s, or first trip to the mountains. You can also pick up really cheap clothes at outlet stores.

Here is a list of all the equipment needed to snowboard (in order of importance):

• Boots (the correct fit makes a big difference)
• Snowboard
• Bindings
• Helmet (highly advisable)
• Goggles (eye protection is super important in the mountains)
• Gloves
• Pants
• Jacket
• Hat (you lose a lot of heat through your head)

Here is some stuff that will help make it a less painful experience:

• Butt pads
• Wrist guards (highly advisable)
• Knee guards

Because your feet are strapped to the board, when you fall, you will either land on your butt, your knees, or your wrists. Wearing protective gear helps minimise the risk of injury.

Will you get hurt

Snowboarding does involve some risk, you could potentially get hurt. But as I said above, the right equipment and good instruction greatly reduces the risk. The most common injuries are broken wrists and bruised tail bones. This can be easily avoided by wearing wrist guards and butt pads.

Note: wearing wrist guards and butt pads is highly advisable when learning to snowboard!

Places to learn

Depending on where you live, you have a choice of places to learn:

• Dryslope – This is the cheapest way to learn. It is a carpet slope that can be ridden on all year. They are usually built in countries that have few (or no) mountains (e.g. England). Dryslopes create far more friction than real snow, so it is therefore harder to learn on, and hurts more to fall on. If you do learn on dryslope however (like I did), the switch to real snow will be easy.
• Indoor slope – This is the second most expensive way to learn. It is essentially a big refrigerator where they make real snow (using pressurised water jets). The slopes are relatively short (around 100-200metres) compared to the real thing. The snow is virtually the same as real snow, the plus side being that the environment is a little more controlled. This can make it easier as a beginner, because the slopes are generally less crowded.
• Mountain resort – This is the most expensive way to learn. The cost of Lift tickets, parking, flights (if you need to travel) etc. can add up. If you are going to travel to a mountain resort as a beginner, it is advisable to get some lessons on an indoor slope or dryslope before you go. This will maximise the value that you will get out of your holiday.

Types of lessons

There are a few different types of lesson that you can take as a beginner, some cost much more than others. Here is a list:

• Big group lesson (up to 15 people) – I would try to avoid big group lessons if you can. You get very little value as a student. Classes should be maximum of 6 students (in my opinion). But it is the cheapest way if you just want a taste of the sport. Note: this type of class isn’t likely to give you a good experience. You can get these lessons for as little as $40 (approx) in the US. They can be around 60 Euros in Europe, but they tend to not offer single day lessons, whereas in the US it is very common to have 2-3 hour beginner lessons.
• Small group lesson (2-6 people) – This is the type of lesson that provides the best value. You get more personal tuition, but without the high price of private tuition. A 3 day small group lesson in Europe costs around 130 Euros for 3 days. Equipment hire will be a little more. In the US it will cost around $100 for the day, but this can include equipment and lift ticket.
• Private tuition (one on one coaching or a private group of your choosing) – You’re basically hiring an instructor for a specified amount of time. This is the most expensive option. In the US a private lesson for 3 hours may cost around $300 just for the instructor. You will then need to hire equipment and buy lift tickets. In Europe it will cost around 200 Euros. This type of lesson isn’t worth the price in my opinion, unless money isn’t an issue for you.

How much will a snowboard trip cost?

This is quite a difficult question to answer. The short answer is that snowboarding isn’t cheap. It does however provide a massive amount of value (i.e. it’s **** loads of fun).

Costs will vary greatly depending on:

• How far you have to travel (e.g. flights, transfers, car journey, lift tickets)
• Which type of slope you will learn on (i.e. dryslope, indoor, mountain resort)
• Will you need accommodation etc.

If you live in country close to mountains, then hats off to you, you lucky buggers. It will keep the cost down dramatically. You can just hop into the car and drive to a mountain in a couple of hours (you Americans make me sick!). If, like the rest of us mere mortals, you live in country with no mountains (c’mon all you brits), you may have to fly to another country, which will obviously cost a lot more.

Here are some examples of costs:

1 day lift ticket at a mountain resort:

• USA = $60+
• Europe = 40+ Euros

Lesson at a mountain resort (group lesson)

• USA = $20+ (equipment rental will be more)
• Europe = 60+ Euros (equipment rental will be more)

How difficult is learning to snowboard?

Difficulty depends on how much balancing you have done in your life. If you’re not sporty and have never balanced on anything, it will be harder than it will for someone who plays a lot of sport and has well developed balance muscles.

As a general rule – to learn the basics – it will take:

• 1-2 days – someone who has well developed balance muscles.
• 2-5 days – someone who needs to learn to balance.

Harder or easier than skiing?

Here is a quote that I have been told throughout my teaching career:

“Snowboarding is harder to learn, but easier to master. Skiing is easier to learn, but harder to master”

I won’t get into the how or why of it, but just trust me that the above statement is true in 99% of cases.

The verdict

Lesson ­- Definitely take lessons, unless you want to learn lots of bad habits. In my experience 2 hour beginner lessons are useless, not worth the effort. Private lessons are massively overpriced. Small group lessons provide the best value, although not many ski schools offer this option.

Equipment – Hire equipment for your first few trips, unless you have knowledgeable friends who can help you buy the right stuff.

Costs (for lessons, equipment and lift tickets) – Budget for around $60-100 per day in US, 50-80 Euros per day in Europe.

Time – give yourself 3-5 days to learn. You won’t get the full experience unless you get over the initial hump.

Remember:

“Snowboarding is harder to learn, but easier to master. Skiing is easier to learn, but harder to master”

And don’t forget to have fun.

Author of this post: (click to befriend me on facebook)

Related posts:

1. Making the Switch from Surfing to Snowboarding
2. Steal Your Share Of The Pot: 3 Steps For Snowboard Instructors To Get More Request Private Lessons
3. Fresh Meat – 10 Tips For Your First Season Instructing
4. Snowboard Certifications – How To Get Certified
5. What You Should Know First