If you’re used to facing straight ahead all the time, going sideways can feel a bit jarring – slightly awkward even. So the question is this: is snowboarding hard?
Indeed, it’s a quandary worth unpacking.
While it’s impossible to fully answer (until you’re out on the hill), this post explores some key signs that snowboarding may be a bit easier for you to pick up.
So let’s get to it.
So, Is Snowboarding Hard or Easy? (the truth)
The truth is, snowboarding can be tricky if you’ve never done anything similar before. I mean, sliding sideways down a hill strapped to a wooden stick isn’t the most natural thing.
So don’t feel discouraged if it’s awkward at first.
But if you have any related experiences, you may pick things up quicker. For example, I have a friend who skateboards and he was able to get comfortable in just one weekend.
This makes sense – even though there definitely was a learning curve in the beginning.
On the other hand, I went riding with another good friend of mine last season in Japan – but she has zero experience with any board sports.
So her comfort after the weekend was much less (compared to my other friend).
Still, she was able to get up and could actually ride down a portion of the hill without falling (just slowly and on the bunny hill). But that’s still awesome progress.
So you can absolutely start crushing it pretty quick if you’re committed or have relevant experience (plus some determination and the right mindset doesn’t hurt).
So are there any signs that snowboarding will be easier?
Let’s keep moving.
Recommended: Goofy vs. Regular (find your riding stance)
6 Signs Snowboarding Will Be Easier for You
If you can check off any of the signs below, you’ll probably pick up riding quicker.
And if not, it’s definitely not too late to start some of these things.
1. You’ve Done Other Board (or balance) Sports Before
Have you ever skateboarded, surfed or ice skated before? If so, it could help a lot.
Like the example above about my skater friend picking up snowboarding in just one weekend, knowing a similar sport is a huge help. But let’s use another example.
One of my best friends – who absolutely slays on the hill – started her sporting life as a figure skater. And when she started riding, the transition was smooth.
She always tells me how much overlap there is and how helpful her training on the ice was for developing her snowboarding chops (especially for spinning and tricks).
So if you’ve got some experience with another board or balance-based sport (like ice skating), you’ll probably be a few steps ahead of other beginners.
2. You Have Gymnastics Experience
Gymnastics is all about balance and core strength (I think, I’m not a gymnast). Conveniently, so is snowboarding.
There’s no argument that there’s some serious overlap between acrobatic agility and snowboarding. In fact, many pro riders have a gymnast background (or use it as part of their training routine).
Anna Gasser started in gymnastics before eventually winning an Olympic gold medal and Katie Ormerod uses it for flexibility and strength conditioning.
Of course, these are just two examples. But there are plenty more riders (pro and amateur) who take advantage of a gymnastic background.
So if you’ve got experience with gymnastics (or you’re keen to start), this will definitely help you find your footing quicker while out on the hill.
3. You Practice Yoga
Speaking of balance and flexibility training, let’s talk about yoga. Because it’s super beneficial – far beyond improving your snowboarding.
But that’s why we’re here, so we’ll focus on that.
Yoga is all about breath, core training, stability and flexibility. And these are incredibly important conditioning skills for epic riding.
I suppose this is why so many pro snowboarders and athletes do yoga as part of their training routine.
So if you haven’t tried this discipline before, maybe this is your sign to start (if for nothing more than a better snowboarding season).
4. You Do Mental Practice
There’s a secret a lot of top athletes use for better performance – it’s visualization.
And this stuff works.
Mental practice is visualizing yourself in a situation (before it happens) and using your mind to imagine what it would feel like.
It’s embracing the emotions and feelings of doing the action as if it were actually happening in real time – but you’re completely in your mind.
It’s like sports meditation. And there’s even legit research to back things up.
So if you already do mental practice for other things, start visualizing your snowboarding now. Because this can definitely translate to performance boosts on the hill.
I still use this technique all the time. I imagine myself doing new tricks before ever practicing them in person. I feel the movements in my mind.
It creates muscle memory before I ever actually do anything in person.
It’s crazy. But it works.
So thank you brain, for being epic.
5. You Have Patient Snowboarder Friends
I’m as good as the company I keep.
So if you’ve got some tight-knit boarder friends in your back pocket, then you’ve got a serious leg up here. The keyword here though is patient boarding friends.
There are plenty of times where skill and patience don’t align (and the poor student is left behind).
I suppose this is the core benefit of working with a certified instructor. They’ve got the goods but they’re also trained in teaching and patience (and are getting paid for it…).
But if you don’t have any riding friends, the next best solution is to create your own crew of beginners.
Having friends to fall with and enjoy the ride is incredibly helpful (and way more fun).
6. You Have A Snowboarder's Mindset
It’s been said many times, but mindset is everything. And this is especially true when it comes to sporting stuff like snowboarding.
There’s this quote I like to remember (by Henry Ford, I think):
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.”
I like to imagine he dropped some type of mic after this. But the words resonate deep for me.
So if you’ve already got a growth mindset and love a good challenge (and thrive in failure), then you’re halfway there.
A beginner snowboarder’s mindset means:
- Not getting discouraged
- Being able to laugh at yourself
- Appreciating the small wins
- Staying consistent
- Having realistic expectations and timelines
- Having fun and loving the process
Conclusion
How difficult snowboarding is for you depends on so many factors. Your athleticism, mindset, teachers and past experiences all play a role.
So if you have a background in sports like gymnastics or you practice yoga regularly, you may have a leg up on the board.
And even without those more formal learnings, mental rehearsal and visualization can also provide some surprising (but powerful) benefits.
But at the end of the day (and at the bottom of the run), it’s all about having fun.
So stay patient and enjoy the ride. I promise you, things will get easier.
