If you are planning to learn snowboarding for the first time, you are probably excited and want to know everything you can before you reach your resort and put on your boots for the first time. Here at Billski we’re an experienced ski and snowboard school in the French Alps and we’ve put together five top tips for first-time snowboarders.
Tip 1 – Wear the right gear
As a beginner, especially snowboarding you’re going to spend a lot of time on your bum, don’t let this put you off though, we’ve all been there and it’s just part of the learning process. it’s therefore essential that you stay warm, dry and protected at all times. When shopping for your gear, look out for helmets, goggles, wrist guards and impact shorts for protection. For warmth and comfort you should look out for, base layers, jumpers, hats, snowboarding jackets and trousers. The last two are important as they are designed to stop the wind and keep you dry.
Tip 2 – Look where you are going
It sounds obvious but it’s a common mistake we notice when people are learning to snowboard. Your body (and board) naturally follow your line of sight and as beginners, we tend to look at the ground in front of us until we’ve built up our confidence. This will really help you get moving in the right direction.
Tip 3 – Ride smart
By this we mean, when you first start riding out on the open slopes don’t be tempted to plunge downhill in a straight line. You’ll pick up too much speed for a beginner and probably hurt yourself or someone else in the process. Instead ride across the slope from one side to the other, this will give you an element of control as you can always angle your board back up the hill if you start to go too fast.
Tip 4 – Know the mountain
We can’t stress the importance of knowing the mountain. Maintained ski routes are called Pistes and maps of these are readily available for free in all resorts, at lift stations, tourist information and many hotels and chalets. The Pistes difficulty level is graded by colours. Green is easy, blue is easy to intermediate, Red is intermediate to difficult and black is advanced. So make sure you plan your route accordingly when you set off without an instructor or guild.
Tip 5 – Take a lesson
Take a lesson with a qualified instructor. All these tips will get you off to a flying start, but attending snowboarding lessons is what you need to build your confidence and technique. Without it, you’ll likely pick up bad habits which might be hard to shake off later and there’s nothing quite like the one to one feedback your teacher will give you.
Final thoughts
We hope these five tips have given you some idea of what you need to consider as you slide into the exciting world of snowboarding for beginners. We highly recommend learning to snowboard in a winter resort such as Morzine or Avoriaz in France, you’ll find the soft fresh snow much more forgiving than the wiry dry ski slopes of the UK. If you have any further questions we’ll be happy to answer them, just drop us an email.