The journey from beginner to experienced snowboarder is a long, fun journey with lots of twists and turns. There are a few things that I can say with great certainty that every beginner will face on their way to becoming a better snowboarder.
1: You will get injured (often)
I don’t care how careful you are, you will be injured at some point in time. With snowboarding, it’s not if, but rather when will you get injured.
Every snowboarder gets injured at some point, whether it’s a sprain or a major accident, you can’t snowboard a lot without the occasional injury.
2: You’ll get so scared that you start making excuses
Stepping outside your comfort zone is all part of improving your abilities, but sometimes you’ll face obstacles that will really test your will. You’ll feel like maybe you’re over your head.
For me, I clearly remember hitting my first big jump. My mind told me “You’re about to throw yourself off a 70 foot jump, maybe you should reconsider…”I kept making excuses such as “Maybe I should go practice more first” or “The snow conditions aren’t perfect” even though I knew I was ready.
Whether it’s a big jump or even just riding deep powder or your first black tree run, in the end, your risk is never zero. Snowboarding smart is about limiting risk, but not avoiding it completely.
3: You’ll feel like you’re progressing backwards
There will be times when you think there’s something wrong with you because you just can’t ‘get it’. Whether it’s a new trick or re-learning an old trick, you’ll feel like you’re progressing backwards.
Everyone goes through this and it’s all about pushing past this feeling and figuring out what you’re doing wrong.
4: You’ll be outclassed by a teenager
I don’t care if you’re a pro or a beginner, at some point you’ll run into a teenager who’s better than you. That’s just how progression works.
Every year, teenagers get better and learn bigger tricks at a younger age. It’s a combination of better understanding of techniques and training, mixed with better tools and the pure fact that someone else has proven that it’s possible.
5: Your body will hurt (often)
Snowboarding isn’t a low impact sport. Whether it’s injuries or just sore joints and muscles, you will hurt. There will be days when just moving will cause you pain.
It’ll become almost normal for you to be sore and tired after a long day of snowboarding. I like to think that this is justification for owning a big TV…
The reward
If snowboarding didn’t come with a few challenges, it wouldn’t be as fun. It’s all of these challenges and obstacles, that you face and overcome, that ultimately add to that feeling of accomplishment and enjoyment.
After all, how many things that are worth doing come without obstacles?
– Jed