Snow Skills

When is a good day to learn to snowboard? If you are a skier and thinking of trying out snowboarding for the first time, think carefully about which day you will give it a go.

Many people decide they want to learn to snowboard on a day that would otherwise not be the best skiing day. They pick a day that is rainy, foggy, windy, or any other day when the wind or snow conditions are not ideal. I suppose the logic is if they don’t enjoy snowboarding they will not have wasted a “good day” of skiing. Avoid this temptation.

Think about it. You want to learn to snowboard on a day when the skiing isn’t perfect? Here is a hint… the snowboarding won’t be any better either.

Some people who have difficulty skiing in powder pick a powder day to learn to snowboard. They think they might not have the best day skiing and the soft snow will help cushion falls they may take learning to snowboard. Bad idea. If you don’t ski well in powder you will have the same frustrations on a snowboard.

How about learning to snowboard on a warm, slushy spring day? Well, why don’t you like skiing in those conditions? That snow is difficult to maneuver in, right? Why would it be any different on a snowboard.

Other people wait until the last day of a long ski vacation to learn to snowboard. They are tired and have had a long week of skiing so they decide to give snowboarding a try. Bad idea again…. Learning to snowboard can be very tiring and if you arrive to your lesson tired you are already starting with a handicap.

Pick a day that is not too cold, not too warm. Good packed powder snow. Be well rested when you arrive. A “throw-away” skiing day will also be a “throw-away” snowboarding day. Make it a good one.