5 Great Reasons to Take Snowboard Lessons

A guest post by Dave, a rider, snowboarding instructor, and author of SnowboredInstructors.com all the way from Australia.

I know you’re probably thinking “Why do I need to take lessons, I can teach myself how to snowboard”. Most people know a guy who taught himself, hell, most people teach themselves.

I teach people how to snowboard, and I see how much you can improve in a short space of time when you take lessons. I can think of a lot of reasons why you should take lessons, here are 5 great ones:

1. Build a solid foundation

Imagine your snowboarding skill like a building. At the moment your still doing the groundwork and figuring out how to install the cement foundations. You want to build a 90 floor skyscraper – why wouldn’t you – the skill for spinning 900’s lives on the 90th floor. Teaching yourself is like using the wrong mixture of cement. It looks ok, but if you put any weight on it, it’s gonna collapse. Sure, some people are naturally talented at mixing cement, they get the right mixture and they get a great foundation quicker than most. But only about 5% or less of people that learn to ride are like that, believe me. Think of taking snowboard lessons as giving yourself the tools, skills and knowledge to create a foundation worthy of the Willis Tower. You don’t want to demolish a 20 story building due to sloppy foundations, building a new one takes a lot longer.

2. Learn quicker

Having a solid foundation makes it 10 times easier to build things on top. You can add a new movement, new trick or just build some confidence. These will help you reach your potential faster.

3. Have more fun

The saying “the better you get, the better it gets” is massively true when it comes to snowboarding. Have you seen “IsenSeven – Lets Go Get Lost” yet? Well, if you haven’t, go and buy it and watch it right now, see how much fun they have whilst snowboarding.

4. Impress your friends

Whilst your friends are crawling around, trying to build foundations out of sand, you go away, learn how to make concrete and come back with a 10 storey palace, complete with swimming pool and hot girls (or guys) lounging next to it. If your friends aren’t impressed, go and find some new ones.

5. Look cool

It goes without saying that the most important reason to ride a snowboard is to look cool. Otherwise, what’s the point, right? Taking lessons will help you look a lot cooler than if you don’t.

“Shred the Knar”

So “get your knarly boots on”, get some lessons and start paving your way to becoming the next Shaun White, or Jenny Jones.