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Well, now that it’s December 1, I’m really getting into a winter mindset. It rained all day yesterday in Los Angeles, so I hope that the storm which passed over us was up in the Sierras first, to give Mammoth some snow finally! According to the MammothMountain.com site, there is still just a 14″ base… still, that’s better than the 6 inches of snow they had a few weeks ago.

I’m still excited to hit the mountain. Before I started snowboarding, I wondered what the big deal was… I had been to Mammoth a few times before but I usually spent my time roaming around the town or hanging out in the ski lodge with a few drinks while my friends hit the ski runs. When I finally got the courage to try snowboarding, I was surprised at how hard it was to learn initially. But then you learn it and it’s almost like second nature.

With that in mind, ff you’re a beginning snowboarder, here are a few tips as you learn.

• Take a lesson or two to get started. If you’re an absolute beginner, learning the proper form and techniques is essential so that you build good snowboarding habits from the outset. Too often, beginner snowboarders learn bad habits, and it’s hard to break from something you’re familiar with as you do it more and more.
• Yes, it hurts when you fall (duh.) And when you’re just learning, you will fall… A LOT. To minimize the bruising, I highly recommend picking up some knee pads to wear under your pants - try these wrestler-style ones and even consider buying some padded-bum protectors for under your snowboard pants.
• You should also wear wrist protectors so that when you go to break your fall with your hands, you don’t break your wrist(s). This is a big injury to beginning snowboarders.
• Better yet, if you can remember, when you fall, don’t reach out your hands to break your fall. Tuck your arms in and just roll with the fall. It’s hard to do this, because your instinct is to break your fall with your hands, but that increases the risk of injury.
• Go snowboarding with someone who’s better than you. Not a complete shredder, but someone who will challenge you to push past your comfort zone. If you always go with a bunch of other beginner riders, you’ll just keep yourself at the same level. If you snowboard with better riders than you, it’ll force you to step up your game and ride faster and harder than you’re comfortable with, which will only improve your own snowboarding.
• Go as often as you can! At the risk of sounding cliche, practice really does make perfect, especially when you’re learning a new sport like sliding down a mountain on a slippery snowboard!
• Most importantly, don’t get discouraged. Learning to snowboard involves climbing a very steep learning curve. The first 2-3 days are the hardest. But it’s true - there is a magic moment usually around the middle to end of the second day on the mountain when you just “feel” yourself “getting it,” and suddenly you find yourself with more confidence. You’re actually riding on the snow without feeling wobbly, you can even link your turns! So push through those difficult initial runs, and keep going - you WILL get better!

Ultimately it is a lot about your attitude. Be confident and positive, and open to learning this new and somewhat foreign-feeling sport. Snowboarding is great, and don’t be bummed if you find yourself feeling like a clumsy idiot on the slopes… we’ve ALL been there at the beginning!