Should I pay to take snowboarding lessons?

Question

Okay, I'm a fairly fit 30 year old who has never been boarding and is going next month for the first time. Is it cost effective to pay for the lessons at the resort, or can I figure this out through trial and error?

Answer 1

yes, lesons are very helpful,

learning to snowboard is a bit tricky because of the carving and the balance.

Answer 2

definately take lessons

Answer 3

I would suggest taking the lessons from the resort as it will help you understand the techniques necessary to snowboard properly without falling all the time. However, if you have someone, such as a friend to teach you that would be better. My Wife taught me to snowboard at Lake Louise in BC and we went right to the top and went down green and blue runs. I thought that was a dumb idea however later i agreed that it was easier to learn with more of a grade. I suggest a steeper incline (within reason such as a green or maybe blue run depending on the resort) as you can get more speed which is easier to balance. It is kind of like riding a 2 wheeled bike the first time going fast is easy to balance but when you go slow is more difficult. Whatever you do be confident, just go for it and you will do just fine.

Best of luck

Answer 4

definitely i benefited from lessons a lot. I had a great instructors too. But thanx to lessons i figured it out twice as faster. I took a group lesson not those expensive private lessons and it definitely worth it

Answer 5

it really depends if you need it and if the instructors are good. If they are good and you really need help then i would say yes. If you need it and the instructors are corny then don't take lessons. just go to another resort or ask a friend.

Answer 6

i did it with trial and error  don't bother with the bunny hill either.. you wont get any experience using that kind of incline.

Advice:  start out on your butt, with your knees against your chest, facing down - hill,   slowly extend off (stand up) pushing against the ground and lean back!!  you will start to slide down the most important part is to lean back!!! If you get off balance just fall on your butt...  you will be using the edge of your board to slide down, use the concept going backwards as well (facing uphill, leaning forward)  Your body will get used to the balance and you will use this new skill to make turns, fall down properly and build confidence.. your first day you will fall a lot!

Answer 7

Honestly its kindof fun to fall on your butt a lot while your trying to learn trial and error. But if you really really want to learn really fast and be good at it then i think you should atleast a intro course.

Answer 8

they do help my first time i just went for it and had fun i fell a lot and could turn/stop well but once i got a feel for it i could start to control it a little as long as i wasn't going as fast as possible. i would advise taking a lesson unless you have someone in your group who can show you the basics stop and turn most of it is knowing how to do it and then you will put your own spin on it to make it work best for you.

Answer 9

Yes!

Trial & error might work but it would probably be more frustrating than fun and leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.  A lesson might even be preferable to a friend showing you because they might get impatient and just want to hit harder runs and rush you through.  Also instructors are trained to break everything down for you into the simplest easiest steps.

Answer 10

Take a package of 3 lessons, they will teach you how to safely ride the board and the lift, also to off load from the lift. I teach at an area where 3 1 3/4 hour lessons, rental equipment (board and boots), and lift ticket go for about $100.  Add a tip and you still have a very good value.

  You can probably figure it out for yourself, but it takes time and could be dangerous to you or the other customers.

Answer 11

Take the lessons!  Trial and error might get you to the point where you are having some fun getting down the hill, but will likely leave you with bad habits (hard to break).  Lessons will give your stronger base skills to build on.  You will likely have more fun and fall less with the lessons.

Answer 12

As a new rider who just learned over this past Christmas, it's a safe and smart idea to at least take one lesson to get the basics down. A friend and I took a 1 hour private lesson together and learned all the basics (skating, getting on/off the lift, toe/heelside stops and turns) although we did move pretty quickly. We met people on the mountain learning on their own who were struggling and I'm glad we took the lesson. You will pick up everything faster and get to enjoying it much faster. Have fun!