Learn to Snowboard

By Bill Costas

Snowboarding is a recent addition to the world of sports and its popularity can be attributed in part to the 1998 Nagano Olympics. It had to overcome some of its bad boy anti-establishment culture reputation by having the snowboard team conform to uniform standards as well as suspend some -- less that savory endorsement contracts. Some athletes like Terje Haakonsen just snubbed the Olympics saying, and I paraphrase, the conformity as well as the judging is SUSPECT. We have heard that before. Nevertheless snowboarding is around and is continuing to grow so read this if you want to learn how to snowboard.

To get started in snowboarding I strongly suggest you consider safety first. Ask yourself are you able to take the rigorous demands that this sometimes dangerous sport will ask of you? You might already know that snowboarding tops the list in outdoor recreational injuries. Like any other sport, if not approached with the right attitude can be very dangerous. Learn all you can and get a certified snowboard instructor. Their experience is invaluable.

Make a budget for equipment that is heavy on the protective gear. A sexy new snowboard usually gets all the attention for first timers but don't fall for that. Put your money in quality knee and hip pads, wrist guards, a leash, padding and a substantial helmet. Boards can cost in excess of $400. Use your money protecting yourself from the hazards of the slopes. Also a gnormous supply of ibuprofen. I can't tell you how much this is helpful. If you can't figure it out then you are wack and you shouldn't attempt snowboarding.

Where you live is a consideration for this sport. If you live in the Mohave then it is going to be more difficult for you to get slope time since you will have to travel for snowy parts to take advantage of snowboarding. You could think about sand boarding instead. Any extra travel time will only reduce the amount of time and money you get to spend on doing what you really want to do so seriously evaluate your local weather. This sport, like all others, requires practice and your weather should not be an impediment to getting as much practice as you can.

Decide what you want to learn about. Dedicate yourself to a snowboard method such as freestyle, freeride or freecarve. Each offers its own joy when it comes to snowboarding.

Your buddies can video tape your snowboarding antics. They are sure to be very funny while you are learning and taking snowboard lessons. You could up load them to myspace or youtube for fun. Your family will get a kick out of them as well. Your parents can see the blackhole their money is going into.

Snowboard camps and snowboard lessons are offered through "Future Snowboarding" and these could be very helpful especially if you are interested in freestyle snowboard. Learning at the same time as other novice students can teach you a lot of what to do as well as what NOT to do. Generally a variety of instructors will be offered and you will benefit from different teaching approaches too. Check out other snowboarding mags too for snowboard lessons in you area.

Well bon voyage! Get started now and have some fun. Snowboarding is just going wild and as a sport is only getting bigger and more extreme!

About the Author:

Writer gives his expert advise about how to snowboard. Click here to learn about freestyle snowboarding.