When it comes to snowboarding, there are many who enjoy it and master it. Whether it’s just going really fast down the slopes are busting some really awesome moves while flying high in the air, there’s no doubt there’s a crowd surrounding the wintry sport. And with crowds will always come eager beginners who become aspired and want to hit the slopes themselves, so allow me to step in and provide you with some very useful snowboarding basics and tips for beginners.

First things first is safety and clothing. It’s a wintry sport so above all, you should be dressed appropriately for the weather and for safety when going down the slopes. Once you get started, you’ll find you’ll be falling over a lot but trust me, that’s where everyone starts and the only way you’re going to learn to snowboard. Helmets are a good place to start and should be the most basic and obvious piece of equipment. I myself didn’t use any when I was starting out but I can tell you I’ve regretted it a few times. It’s honestly the difference between a concussion and being rushed to the emergency room so you should definitely consider it. Wrist guards and padded bottoms are also extremely useful as the wrist guards can help against broken wrists and padded bottoms (or impact shorts) can keep your butt and hips from being too sore from falls. While we’re at it, you’d do well to get proper thermal layered clothing all over your body to maintain body heat and a snowboarding jacket and trousers will also help with making sure you don’t get wet and cold. Some goggles would also go a long way if you’re on an actual mountain as well as it can be both protective from the snow you and others are shredding and be great for shielding your eyes a bit from the reflective light on the snow and ice.

The next thing you should learn is how to fall. Sounds weird, right? Believe it or not, falling is a snowboarding basic and since you’re going to be doing a lot of it when you’re now starting it, it’s best to do it the right way to avoid serious injuries. Best of all, it’s really easy. The correct way to fall is to try not to break the fall by putting our your hands. This is how one ends up with a broken wrist more often than not. Instead, try to keep your hands close to your body or crossed over your chest and trust in your gear to take the brunt of the damage, that’s what it’s there for afterall. If you take some actual snowboarding lessons (which is highly recommend), they’ll most likely mention this to you as well at some point. Another thing they should cover in those lessons is your stance to help with your control on the slopes. An ideal method of figuring out if you’re stance is goofy or regular is to figure out your dominant leg (such as the foot you’d kick a football with) and place that one at the back of the snowboard. This leg will help you with steering and controlling the board down the slope and so long as you keep your eyes forward, you’re on the right track. You’ll find yourself leaning more to your heel edge and putting your weight on your heels more but as you become more confident, you’ll gradually get used to putting your weight on your toes as well.

Above all else, you should learn to have fun when first starting out as a beginner. In my own experience, I’ve had so many falls that I became deeply frustrated countless times but of all the snowboarding tips, having fun is the best one simply because it means you’re going to get up even if you’re frustrated and go again. And truthfully, the best way and only real way to improve and get better is to not quit and so long as you’re having fun? It doesn’t matter how sore your bum gets, you’ll be sure to get back up and go again.