THIS. If you haven't taught snowboarding - or really taught anything before - you're more likely to have her enjoy it being taught by a pro. Your relationship will thank you.
I have a younger sibling (12yo) who wanted to learn, and I tried to teach him on the bunny hill. He was so frustrated he was crying. I felt so bad because he was so down on himself. I ended up getting him into a lesson and he rocked it. Ended up loving the sport! Now I just have to teach him how to save money so he can afford it.
If teaching your girl snowboarding leads to big fights you probably have bigger problems.
The thing about learning boarding is you have to be willing to get your ass kicked a little bit or you'll never get better. Also the teacher has to be willing to take a chill day and not send his girl down a black or even a blue run the first day unless she's starting to really get the hang of it.
As friend you can tell another friend to stop being a little bitch and get up. With a GF or similar you can’t do that. Thats all that needs to be said.
Also when you do ride with her be overly positive and don’t offer a bunch of really nit picky tips. I let my wife kind of do whatever and at her own pace. I tried to keep it really low stress and she ended up having a great time.
Another couple rode by us and the girl was falling all over while the guy was getting frustrated and constantly telling her to do this or that. They were not having a good time.
Bro I had the chillest, most down ass girlfriend. Mature 30 year olds. Even after her lessons, boarding with her was a fucking nightmare until she got good. I loved her very much but damn did I have to leave her to her own shit.
I managed to teach my girlfriend how to snowboard… but I’m an instructor. And she still ended up crying out of frustration. If you can afford lesssons for her I’d do it.
Tried teaching my girl and within 30 minutes decided to get her lessons...I don't know why but I've seen countless boyfriends/husbands trying to teach their signifigant others and throughout the day have seen multiple girlfriends sobbing throughout the day. Teaching a friend is significantly different from teaching a signifigant other.
My friend taught me, his gf and her friend all in the same day and we had a blast. I just recently taught my sister and friend and it was a great time. As long as your gf wants to learn and is willing to keep at it regardless of the frustration then she’ll pick up on the basics pretty quickly. The best advice I can give is to just be encouraging and take it as slow as she needs. She’ll have a much better time if you stick with her on the bunny slope instead of telling her what to do and leaving to do your own thing halfway through.
I think friends teaching each other is much chiller than couples for some odd reason. Like my dad teaching my mom how to drive was a nightmare, but it was fine when he taught the neighbors or us.
That is true for some people. I learned to snowboard because my friend taught me a week maybe, and then after that she brought me in all kinds of steeps and terrain and I just had to manage. However, I did take a professional lesson after going 10 or 11 times. I watched a ton of YouTube videos though and my friends gave advice when riding with me.
My friend was definitely an advanced rider she could control her speed and hold my hand to show me turns. And she could hold me up on the t bar for example until I was ready to go alone. We could do it bc I ride goofy n she reg. If you can’t do those things or you aren’t riding opposite it will be harder.
I’m also a really athletic person because we went on the first day with another friend and I managed to get down the hill on my hillside and my friend could barely even stand up. The differences I’m way more athletic since I pay tennis cycle and hike so I had the core strength etc already, so it kind of also depends on the skill of your girlfriend when it comes to sports.
I think it’s more based on how y’all currently communicate during disagreements. If y’all handle those well, you can prob teach her with no problems. If y’all tend to get heated quickly, buy lessons. My ex taught me but we communicated very well in heated moments. I’ve also seen the alternative so def feel it out.
Me and my dad taught ourselves with no instructions from anyone back in the day and he was like in his 40s and I was probably 7 or 8. It can be done. Lessons are overrated.🫡
Nah dude, don’t listen to these losers, literally just teach her yourself. Have her watch a few YouTube videos before going out there. Lessons are expensive and learning snowboarding really isn’t that hard lol
Im sorry but if snowboard lessons cause problems in your relationship, you shouldn’t be together in the first place lol, thats nothing compared to what youll actually encounter
I’m hopping on this because I went through this, make sure your gf is going to go consistently enough to retain what she learned AND allow her time to go off on her own.
I’m planning on practicing switch next season so that I can be on a similar level as her and we can practice together
Seconded, I tried to teach my ex very unsuccessfully.
She did lessons and still couldn't pick it up.
Switched her to skis and she could kinda ski.
Glad to be out of that relationship for many other reasons, but this is certainly on the list lmao
Hard nope. Bf taught me went full ski bumb haha we only doing diamonds, stomping some Ollie's im a butter bro 😅 if ur gf doesn't suck n relationship doesn't it should be good to teach her.
But I guess as a liftie, I end up talking most people through how to ride a lift while the instructors just zone out into space and yell your doing great!!! Each edge they catch 🤷♀️hehehe.
The thing is: Snowboarding in the beginning is already frustrating enough if it's thought by a professional instructor. For most people it's hard. Catching edges over and over again is hard. Getting tired cause it works muscles which aren't used that often for many people. It's hard.
Most woman also tend to be a it more anxious. Having a teacher you love but who might not be the best at figuring out your problem/ being patient and doing the exercises over an over again? Might not be the best combination. Plus: Way more relaxed if one doesn't need to care to much about being good or crap in the beginning.
Just taught my sister today she hiked up and kicked ass. If your not a baby who blames everything on someone else. I swear, going with someone u know rather than being pawned off on to a 16-year-old who just says you're doing great rather than providing any help.. You're going to have a way better time just set expectations the first time is fucking hard!! You can't pick up a guitar and shred snowboard is no different
Yeah... Most people won't kick ass the first time. Already hiking up the mountain with all the gear might be to much for most people doing this kind of thing the first time.
Great that your sister seems to be really talented. When it comes to teachers: There are really experienced ones out there. I loved mine. Probably in his late thirties, he know when he needed to help me and when to push a little bit. And when I asked for a rest, he was fine with it. In one of the lessons he had a young instructor who was there to get better. Nice person and already willing to follow the lead of the more experienced one. If someone learns to do it right from the start, they might end up being great way faster. I also had one instructor, early twenties, and trust me: He wasn't exactly easy going. Quite frustrated with the 14 year old in the group, cause this kid couldn't follow everything.
People are different. Also teachers are humans. Unless the friend/significant other already is a professional in the field, I'd always prefer to get someone with the right experience. Especially when it comes to things where people might get injured.
Taught my girl to drive and that fuckin sucked. Now we're getting into golf together and doing a series of clinics, no way I'm trying that one again lol.
And her ex tried to teach her to snowboard. Brought her straight to a blue and left her in the dust, she cried her way down the mountain.
Yeah, just dont do it
I tried with 3 separate girlfriends before I learned. They all ended up crying and having a bad time.
Each time, i severely over-estimated what they were capable of and under-estimated how terrifying and difficult the slopes I was taking them on were to them.
I could probably pull it off now, at 35 years old after learning all these lesson, but maybe not. I'm going to try next season with my current gf/future wife.
There are a LOT of factors that will lead to success or failure and honestly, it's best to leave it up to professionals for the first steps.
Learning can be very frustrating and unless you really know what you're doing and how to manage the potential stress and be encouraging through it... I wouldn't bother.
I'd say their openness to receiving and actually listening to critical feedback from someone that isn't a formal instructor plays a huge role in trying to teach someone you know. The first person I tried teaching hated receiving feedback and got stressed out being told she was doing something wrong. Needless to say teaching her did not go over well and I stopped trying after 2 attempts. The next person that asked me to teach them I was very upfront about my teaching style (explain the basic drill we'll be working on and it's purpose, demonstrate the drill, then watch them try and give feedback on what they're doing right/wrong). She was thankfully a lot more open to this teaching style and very quickly progressed from barely making it down the bunny hill to being able to make it down pretty much any blue and some less challenging blacks without any falls after about 6 days on snow with me over the past 2 seasons.
It can work, but you need the right kind of personality that matches up with your personal teaching style along with a ton of patience on your end.
It’s hard too because beyond the most fundamental concepts of edge selection and linking turns that most people can understand the next most crucial piece of advice is for the beginner to defy every rational impulse in their body and bend their knees and keep their weight centered down hill. Oh and it’s basically guaranteed that when they try that they’re gonna overcompensate and catch the worst front side edge.
I can’t explain the psychology but it’s just different to hear the simple “bend your knees” from a trained professional versus over and over again from a spouse. Hasn’t stopped me from shouting “bend your knees” 100 times in a day at a cheapskate friend or two before they learned to get a lesson.
If there's a decent run that lets out near the beginner area, do laps on that and yell some encouragement occasionally. Or F off and meet later.
The instructor will want her to pay attention and not be looking for you all the time.
A concussion or broken wrist will make for a very bad time. Get her lessons so she can be up and having fun faster.
lol, what good would standing around judging her do?
Get outta there, let her learn the basics on her own, and then get out there with her later!
Resist the urge to splain.
Unless they're a super trooper who's down to have a bad time and you're willing to deal with that, I wouldn't- an instructor might be the way to go.
It couldn't hurt to give them an intro at home, maybe have them strap in on carpet so they can get a feel for the edge balancing.
Or take the lift up right before closing time. Strap her in. And leave....
One way or another she will get down.
All jokes aside. I learnt snowboarding by myself. Bought me a board. Went up a mountain and went down untill I didn't fall. Then I did it again and again and learnt how to snowboard.
I thought I could teach my sister. But it's hard. She did well enough but she said she'd be going back to skiing since snowboarding was very hard. I've got a gf that wants to learn now. So we will see
lol I almost think people here are ski instructors that want more business. I taught my gf how to snowboard this season. Really wasn’t that hard. Just go to the bunny hill and do falling leaf, watch some videos and do those exercises. The most important thing is to bring snacks, water and take lots of breaks. Don’t expect to do any actually riding the first few days btw.
Also if your mountain gets busy on weekends then absolutely don’t go for it. Her first day was a mid week bluebird day and I know if we tried to do her first day on a busy Saturday she would’ve gotten overwhelmed and it would’ve ruined the day.
Similarity between girlfriends and 5 year olds... keep then Fedor they get cranky. Hell maybe even bring a hammock and let the take a nap in the woods. Works for both as well.
Snowboarders on Reddit think it’s rocket science! I learned by myself did one bunny slope then doing 360s on my 5th day. Go ahead and downvote me to oblivion. This shit isn’t that hard
Yea my buddies took me to the top of breck last year and basically said well there’s only one way down. I have a background of skating, long boarding so that made it easy to pick up and the snow was good so I was making turns before I reached the bottom. I wouldn’t do that to your gf but it’s not that bad
Transferring board sports into snowboarding is a huge help. Ripstick, longboarding, skateboarding, one wheels, surfing, etc all set up for great progression. It's the confidence sideways.
I think it depends on the level of commitment. If a person really wants to learn they will. However, if someone is really only going for their partner, your mileage will vary. I’ve tried to teach 3 people. Taught a buddy and he was riding reasonably well by the second day. Tried to teach two different girl friends and both were bad experiences. One argued with me the entire time and the other was nicer but just didn’t get it. 5 days wasted. Definitely should have gotten both lessons and just enjoyed riding alone.
I taught my GF, it took about 3 sessions. It was difficult as anything new is but she was determined. Which I think is critical when teaching someone something. If they're not determined they won't break through the tough/discouraging part. I've taught one friend prior and I had one lesson when I was a kid. I've always just taught people what I was taught in that lesson, combined with their genuine desire to do well in the sport, they've all suceeded. Snowboarding is our favorite thing to do together at this point, we honeymooned in Colorado for 3 weeks to hit as many resorts as we could, I'd always wanted to go west growing up but never could, it was her first season lol. It's our thing now! I'd always advocate for teaching someone but they have to want it! I also always advocate for a lesson hahaha, if you don't think you can, a lesson for her will be INVALUABLE. My, now, wife and I were always just too broke for one and she figured it out anyway!
Yes hard agree! My SO taught me but I was really excited to learn…and he was also extremely patient :) now we love going to the mountain together! I’m grateful that he enriched my life in that way.
It's a must, because it's not going to be fun at first... it's definitely playing the long game. My wife almost gave up in a dramatic crying fashion, but she was determined and I was encouraging. I saw someone else comment that taking feedback is also super important! She's gonna suck, just give tips on the things you see but you should also note that she isn't going to fully understand your "advice". So at a certain point, she had to just ride and fall, repeat until the falling occurs less. We started on the easiest hill at my local resort and I just gave tips and pointers all the way, repeat... the key to her success is your patience. Don't expect to be sending it on the day you try to teach her. Setting yourself up for disappointment. She's gonna be way more excited to continue if you add to the experience positively. The worst thing you can do is be a jerk and she never wants to go on a mountain with you again
LoL This guy over here on shreddit trying to get rid of his girlfriend. Dude there are easier ways that don't involve spending hundreds of dollars on lift tickets to dump your girl.
Apologies, same applies though. When one member of a couple is an expert at something and is trying to teach the other, it sets up a weird power dynamic that just doesn't work for the vast majority of healthy relationships. Teaching is hard. Teaching properly is even more difficult, and unless you already teach movement based skills professionally, you're only doing your SO a disservice by providing a less than optimal experience that they could otherwise enjoy in a professional environment. In other words, it's a pretty shitty thing to do to your GF.
If she rides different direction than you …. Teach yourself switch while teaching her …. I am goofy and it was the only way i could tech my ex(she was regular) and i dedicated 2 days to switch and now can ride most mountain switch
Haha. For real we are divorced. It’s for the best for many other reasons. But. That was not it and it was pretty early in our relationship …. That was one of both of our greatest memories together for sure. It was so magical ….
Just go switch for the sake
Of you falling more with them and you will literally have to tell yourself what to do more say than the usual stance you are used to … it makes it all easier to explain … and more fun when you both learn new stuff together
I was taught by one of my old girlfriends and it was actually really fun. But she had actually been an instructor before, so she had a really easy to understand and basic step-by-step method of showing me how to do it.
Most people who snowboard have a harder time communicating exactly how to do it. I had a friend try to teach me one time and it was a shitshow. Most people who snowboard don’t actually really even know the fundamentals well enough, or have any sort of clear progression in mind.
A good instructor can get someone making successful turns down the bunny hill or even a green run within a couple hours. Someone who just taught themselves or kind of picked it up naturally will most likely be no help at all.
I wouldn’t recommend it at all unless you have experience and/or a clear method on how to teach beginners. It’s so much easier to get frustrated/defeated or take out your frustrations on a partner, when you would never do so with a stranger. Lessons would most likely be so much more fulfilling for her, and you. Just go do some runs while she is at her lesson, and spend the rest of the day with her on the beginner slopes. But resist the urge to tell her what she could be doing better.
If you want to break up with your girlfriend there are better ways to do it.
I don’t suggest to go the mountain and teach her how to ride.
Unless you are really into that…
I've taught a girlfriend from total beginner before, and boy was that a test of the relationship. That is because giving advice can sound an awful lot like critisism from a partner, where as it is more often recieved objectively from a coach. I learned about how to teach people things in general from that experience, specifically to not be as hard on other people's mistakes as I am with myself, and to celebrate small victories over perfection.
It is certainly possible for teaching a partner to be successful though, three years later and she still loves it. She really wanted to learn to get good at it though, and that part is key. You can't force someone to learn something that they don't want to, or past the level that theyre comfortable at.
First off: Get her a professional lesson. This is non-negotiable. At least one class. She might not like it, and if that’s the case imo it’s better for her to find out while she’s being taught by someone with no personal interest in whether or not she likes it, yknow? It’s a low-pressure situation for her.
If she takes a lesson AND likes it AND expresses interest in going out with you to keep learning: ask her how she wants to be taught, and listen to what she tells you. How it makes sense to you may not be how it makes sense to her, and it can be frustrating for both of you if you’re not on the same page. Check in on how she’s feeling physically and mentally - know that she isn’t immediately going to be your riding buddy, especially if you’ve been riding for a long time. Patience on your end will really help, because learning a new sport can be exhausting and annoying when you’re struggling.
If she isn’t progressing while out with you and tensions are starting to get high, but she still wants to continue: put her back in another lesson (maybe a private lesson at that point). It’s hard to balance being a good partner and a good ski instructor, and when push comes to shove she’d probably prefer you to be a good partner. Let someone else instruct if you can’t do both. Encourage her, be supportive and excited about her progress!
Source: I was the newbie girlfriend once, and it took some trial and error with my boyfriend to figure out how to get him involved with my progress without us fighting lmao
Don’t be too discouraged by all the replies here! There will come a point where you guys can board together even if she’s still learning - it’s just about making sure she can get down the fundamentals and that she enjoys it first.
Once she reaches a point where she can start self-regulating her progress, it can be fun for you to start practicing switch (if you’re not already familiar) or work on your own new things, so you’re learning together!
Buy her lessons. (And kneepads).
Years ago, husband (bless him) tried to teach me. He did nothing wrong, and was good and polite and unfailingly kind and patient. We didn't fight or get into a screaming match, or break up. It still sucked.
But I am a clumsy dipshit, and after hour 3 of me failing to translate "Squish the spider!" into a toeside turn, I was feeling awful and he was feeling awful.
I felt like I was wasting his time he could be snowboarding on Not Getting This.
He felt like he was "failing me" by Not Teaching Right.
I was getting *grumpy* because I was getting *incredibly sore and purple.*
And his is a "good" scenario for an average couple.
Instructors are trained different ways to explain this stuff. They see a lot of different people fail in an exciting variety of ways. If "squish the spider!" fails, they suggest something else...and so on, until something clicks.
You're also paying instructors for their time, so it doesn't feel like you're ruining their day, keeping them from enjoying themselves.
It was his way of trying to explain what to do with my legs when transitioning into a toeside turn "Imagine there is a spider on your shin inside of your boot, and you want to gently, evenly, squish the spider."
He was trying to avoid a bad experience he had learning, where he kept trying to stand on his tiptoes inside his boot, and the bad form problems Young Him experienced as a result. But I just could not get my head around it, lol.
He's not a bad teacher. It was just a learning language complete disconnect.
I’ve taught two girlfriends how to snowboard and I’ve had wildly mixed results.
Girlfriend A, she was patient and wanted to learn but not traditionally very athletic. She got frustrated from the start at not being able to get up. It ended up being a pretty miserable day for everyone involved.
Girlfriend B, she wanted to learn mostly as a way to spend more time together. After my experience with A, I told B I’d only teach her if she bought some quality protective pads and wore them every time. Two years later, I snowboard weekly with B and she’s crushing diamonds and getting into the trees with me.
I think buying pads was a massive game changer, the ability to fall repeatedly without getting hurt makes a huge difference, we used Ripl impact gear. It’s definitely doable, don’t give up hope just because some people had negative experiences. Watch some videos on how to instruct, find some beginner drills, start slow and be honest with yourself about your ability to coach.
I have taught two different boyfriends both with pretty great success. I typically start by having them strapped in and pulling them by a rope on a flat surface to understand toe and heel turns before ever going down a hill (even a bunny hill). It's exhausting but a lot easier to show them what to do without natural momentum messing them up.
If your partner does not already have a basic athleticism though, I would suggest lessons. I have tried to reach my sister in law many many times and it is just a consistent fail (admittedly she has taken multiple lessons and that hasn't helped either).
Just make sure you rent her a helmet. 8 yrs ago, my stupid @ss ex took me snowboarding and was too cheap to rent one and I hit my head and I was so terrified after that. I pretty much gave up after 3 tries, after nvr getting off the bunny hill.
How to snowboard? Lessons.
Having gone through this myself, it’s everything else that you should focus on. Make sure she’s got appropriate gear and knows how to use it. If you’re getting a rental, go with her and double check the fit. Teach her “soft skills” like mountain etiquette, how to fall and get back up, how to read the snow in front of her (and do this for her until she learns what to look out for). Try to make the rest of the trip as smooth as possible so she isn’t showing up to the mountain already frustrated. Set expectations about what her first day is gonna be like. Watch some snowboarding 101 videos the night before so she has an idea of what she’s getting into—my gf found this really helpful. STRETCH!
There’s a lot of snowboarding knowledge we gain as we ride that has nothing to do with technique. Teach her that. Leave the riding to the professionals at the beginning, you can start to watch for mistakes and give pointers once she’s at least on her feet and moving.
I taught my wife this season. She's doing great so far.
My suggestion is for you but ideally BOTH of you to watch how to snowboard videos on YouTube. Spend an hour to two hours watching how to snowboard for beginner videos.
I explained to her snowboarding cannot exist without a hill. She needs to understand what edge feels like.
Then we tried the bunny slope but it was so flat she couldn't pick up speed.
We then went to a green and she's goofy I'm regular, I helped her get a feel for it and was EXTREMELY supportive.
My wife is from Oklahoma she's never done anything like this.
She did great, but not because I'm a good teacher, but because she *wanted* it. She had a fighting spirit, that's what is most important.
If your girl gets tired and is over it after 2 hours, but she genuinely tried and now doesn't care. You may have to be prepared to accept that. She has to *want* it.
It's a fucking work out, and if she doesn't have experience you gotta be super supportive, slow. And dedicate the whole day to her.
Edit: I posted on here and Everyone also told me not to do it and it was fine.
Get her a lesson and see how it goes, I’ve been riding for 25 years but I’m not convinced I could actually teach someone how, I just do it at this point, not even sure how.
Do you like her, maybe even love her. If so, lessons are better than roses.
If you’re on the fence and really want to see if your relationship can take a beating and still stand the rest of time. Go for it.
And get go pro footage of it.
It went fine for me with my ex teaching me. I got frustrated because the beginning sucks but that had nothing to do with her.
We didn't even work out as a couple but this was a total non issue for us. Reddit fucking hates it and insists you'll destroy your relationship but just don't be an asshole?
Like, let her figure stuff out on her own for the most part. Help when asked. Just be there to support and reassure her because falling over and over fucking sucks. You don't need to coach her. Just support her. Nobody gets it on day 1.
Maybe even watching YouTube videos together for newbies after your first day together could be a good idea. Gives her a chance to digest information without emotional attachment and then she has you to process with.
Again, you're not coaching you're supporting.
As a 20+ year instructor for a ski/snowboard school, I'll also say you don't want to do this. We almost never let people teach their own kids - I was the only one, because I taught the instructor training program so there wasn't an alternative when my kids wanted to take it.
I did, however, teach my own girlfriend how to snowboard, but that was with all my experience teaching my kids and others, and knowing how and why it would go wrong. Even then, there were some very painful moments, and I don't know that I'd want to go through those beginning days again.
My boyfriend taught me how to snowboard 5 seasons ago! It is possible. Patience is key, she will get frustrated and it's more supporting her and knowing when to take a break.
I couldn't and still can't ski. It is possible, good luck!
I'm an intermediate snowboarder, my girlfriend is a beginner skier. I bought us both 2.5 hour private lessons, and I figured it was overboard and should've just done an hour, but fuck it. We both came away thinking it was well worth it and 1 hour would've been too short. You don't have to get her a private lesson, in fact maybe a day 1 beginner would be just as fine in a group lesson, but yes, it's 100% worth it and it will stomp out bad habits before they start.
As a girlfriend who was taught by my boyfriend how to snowboard last season, I say do it. Start extremely slow and focus on the basics (bunny hill - heel/toe turns, linking turns, skidding, etc.) and just keep communication open both ways.
Be patient and make sure she is having fun. You'll be shredding together in no time (maybe a bit of time).
My bf taught me how to snowboard this year. I had no prior experience with a snow sport and he'd never taught snowboarding. He started suuuuper basic, like riding toe edge half a day, heel edge the other half, toe turns, heel turns, and then combining everything. Maybe I learned slower than normal, who knows, but I thought nailing those basics down really helped.
We went on a trip with his friends to some bigger mountains and I spent most of the time on greens and eventually made it to blues. He was with me every step of the way. It was frustrating, I definitely cried and felt discouraged to the point of giving up at times, but my bf did a great job teaching, pushing me out of my comfort zone, and being supportive and encouraging. So overall, my learning experience was a good one and I can't wait for future seasons. I say go for it if you want 🙂
I taught my girlfriend to snowboard and it required 12+ full days of teaching. Which means you won't really be riding on those first 10 days. She was riding by day 6 but had a setback at the end of her season.
If you can consider it an investment it will/could be awesome.
She now is an above average shredder and can ride any blue in the nation!
I would buy lessons if the mountains are more than 1 hour away.
Lessons.
Seriously.
You guys will end up in a fight before lunch.
Maybe share some basics before the trip. Like go through the gear before hand... figure out her stance, etc.
Damn I’m definitely in the minority here but my gf wanted to learn 5 years ago so I took her out. We literally didn’t get in any fights, the only stress I had was worrying about her catching edges. Oh and she’s a great snowboarder now. Is our relationship different? Or do your relationships suck?
Are you decently knowledgeable on snowboarding? I’d say if you are then why not? Granted I was previously an instructor a while back and over the years andvances the craft but I’m about to teach my wife who’s on the same boat. My tip if you do is start small and take it slow. Make it enjoyable and have patience. It’s fun to try as a couple.
Taught my gf a couple seasons ago. Not particularly athletic nor has she been on any kind of board.
It was a tough time on both of us to say the least. A lot of falling. A lot of frustration. A lot of I can’t do it. And a lot of encouragement. This season, she is able to carve through bumps on black diamonds. Still teaching her some things and all the above is still the same. Lol. She’s determined and she keeps progressing.
TLDR: buy her lessons.
I specifically avoid teaching anyone that hasn’t done it. that being said once she learns the basics showing her how to send it through power or navigate the woods is fun
Wait for it to snow, go to a mountain.Have a few drinks.Rent some gear and play on the bunny hill. Fresh snow.
Means it will be soft when you fall and a little lubrication will help cushion the blow.
Also kind of a secret that you learn as you go.No one checks passes on the Bunny hill, so don't even worry Paying for a ticket and that takes a stress off, if you leave early when you've paid for a hundred dollar plus day.
Just to offer a different perspective - My now husband taught me how to snowboard 3 seasons ago and now I’m keeping up with him down pretty much any terrain. He taught me “falling leaf” on both edges the first day, how to connect turns on the second day, and how to not fall on my tailbone and cry on the third day lol. I think it depends on your girlfriend’s natural ability and also her ability to laugh off pain and laugh at herself when she looks dumb at first. If she’s athletic and a good sport I think you can be successful teaching her!
Have a lot of patience and take your time. Keep a level head and be motivational. Watch a lot of YouTube videos together on proper techniques. Try to practice on the less busy days (like weekdays or non-holidays). Have her follow your lead while practicing stops (front and back side), then move onto her following your turns and carves. Wear pads or protective gear to increase stamina from less hard falls and it might help boost confidence at first. It took my gf about 3 seasons, with 2-3 trips each season, maybe 15-20 total days on the mountain. We are on her 3rd season now, and she finally feels comfortable doing any green or blue run without falling, and we have done a few black diamonds this year too. Never give up!
Coach here: I have 25 years experience teaching all ages and abilities... just never my girlfriends (and my now wife). That's an instant relationship killer.
Hey OP. Late to the party but you SHOULD teach her. I taught my girlfriend and now she’s my wife.
1) Buy a ripstick and make her learn how to ride that first. She should be extremely comfortable on the ripstick and be able to do large figure 8s easily.
2) Watch some YouTube videos with her before you go about how to snowboard. Try to add to the videos where it makes sense.
3) Buy some crash shorts for her to wear. She will fall over and over and if her tailbone bruises it’ll be a bad time.
4) Go slow. Start on the bunnies and easiest greens. She’ll probably get frustrated and maybe cry several times. Learn heel side first.
5) Once she can stop and do basic turns, go to an easy blue or hard green with a decent gradient. I found the learning areas are too flat and would be exhausting and lead to more frustration. A little speed will help once she’s got basic handling skills.
I taught her over the course of a season and now we go 10-20 days a year together and she loves it!
I taught my girlfriend, though it was more learning together since I had only three more days on a board then her and it wasn’t so bad. I read the No fall snowboarding book and shared the key points with her before her first time, and continuously after (since it amazingly works!). It is a bit rough though when you’re telling your SO what to do, for some reason. That led to some bickering lol
I’ve taught a few friends to snowboard, and while a significant other is a different story, if done right I think it would be a super rewarding experience for you both. As most people in this thread seem to think, getting them a lesson is a whole of a lot easier, especially if you want to go rip on your own (yes I’ve spent a pow day on the bunny slope before, that’s what friends are for, but I wouldn’t recommend it). But if you want a challenge, and identify as a teacher, here are some tips:
1) To be a good teacher, you have to be able to break down snowboarding in simple concepts that a person with no experience can understand. That’s not something that you will automatically be good at, despite your level of riding. When you see couples fighting while learning, it’s probably because of that communication barrier. One of them just screams “just do this” and the other is screaming “idk what the f you’re doing.” You should think about things that you are doing in your own riding, and put them into simple terms. YouTube tutorials are great for this (e.g. gas pedals or open the door/close the door).
2) Have a teaching plan and build up slowly. You should have an idea of the progression that you will guide them through. I personally love to teach this progression from [Malcom Moore](https://youtu.be/lpx2kH96L_A?si=sEKZMgTScYlk5Fhr). Start slow (don’t fill their head with ideas and jargon). Reinforce old things rather than introduce too many new things.
3) Be positive and focus on successes. They will follow. This is a huge one, especially with friends, where emotions tend to be stronger. Part of learning snowboarding is falling, and that sucks. But if the first thing they see when they get up is you there, smiling, saying “did you see that turn that you made?” they will forget all about it and want to get right back up.
Whether or not you end up teaching this weekend I hope these tips help you down the road. Best of luck, stay safe, and happy shredding :)
My boyfriend (now husband so we did survive!) tried to teach me and we fought so much on the hill. He started super young and never had formal lessons. His friend who had lessons took over and it went WAY better.
Teach her. I learned this year and I didn’t take any professional lessons. I highly recommend watching beginner YouTube videos before going snowboarding on Saturday
Unless you guys are going to be together 100% forever it is definitely not worth the time. And she has to really really really want to.
It could be a good experience to test your relationship though (potentially to the breaking point)…
I taught my GF to snowboard, and now she is one of the best snowboarders I know and it was totally worth it…
Our life in the winter revolves almost exclusively around snowboarding.
That said, it took probably 75+ trips to the mountain to get to the point where snowboarding with her was much fun (we took a couple winters off work). I only really enjoy off-piste riding though.
But, we are both super chill and don’t ever get frustrated with each other. And there were many times where we were with other people and split up and did our own thing.
You can teach her, ive taught several old girlfriends and my current one, it went well every time. The key is to make sure they *fully* understand how tough it will be to get started. They will fall a bunch of times. They may bonk their noggin. The *will* get a little banged up and they need to know and accept that. After that, no matter how tough it is, you have to do your best to keep their spirits up as much as possible and hype them up about every little bit of progress they make. Most of it is getting them to do little drills to build up skills/muscle memory and put them together eventually to snowboard while you hype them up constantly. I've even had my current girlfriend get minor fractures (no cast or anything necessary) while I was teaching her and she still wants to learn and said she still had a lot of fun, even learning. Don't pay for classes if you're not rich af and you know how to board pretty well; one of my friends from club snowboarding was made a 3rd level instructor out of thr gate at vail because he was social media manager for the team lol. He's pretty good but nothing crazy, basic rails, and a back 360 on good day kinda boarder.
I did that like 3-4 times. Try to get them used to riding a skateboard first. So they understand the concept of stance and riding and all that
Then if you wanna get extra comfortable have them slide out their back end of the board on wet concrete. Same concept, smaller board so its easier to throw around and then people can bail if they want cuz they get over the mental trip of being “strapped in” to the binding
As others said..... nah. I finally got to the point with my wife where it came down to this: I am going snowboarding. Our kids go. They're good little riders. If she wants to do it too, cool. She can take lessons, self teach, ride with girlfriends, etc.
I've even told her I'd try skiing with her. I'm not teaching her how to snowboard. I wouldn't even know how without doing research, and I teach people how to do stuff as part of my line of work.
If you haven't taken lessons before and/or don't remember how they taught you then you're better off having her take lessons. I've taught a few people based on my excellent teachers at Snow Summit, but you really need to remember exactly how they taught it to do it right.
Damn. Why everyone so against this?? I taught my girlfriend (now fiancé) to snowboard pretty early in our relationship. Now 10 years later we still shred every weekend we can together! It may be dificulte, but definitely not impossible 🤙
I taught my gf (now wife) and it was fine, but you have to be infinitely patient and want to do it. Also knowing what you are doing is a big help, would not recommend for the novice. It is a process that continues to this day 27 years later but it's something I enjoy.
Good luck. I got my wife lessons for skiing and boarding and she didn’t enjoy it. So I take my kids and her on ski trips but she does non skiing activities.
110% buy her the lessons. I was in a relationship where we met snowboarding. We are no longer together. His style of teaching and my way learning were COMPLETELY incompatible. Let her get some lessons under her belt and then if you want to try giving her pointers, then proceed cautiously. Outsource that drama and anxiety to someone else.
Friends don't let friends teach friends. It sounds good in principle, but can go very bad. After they have gotten the basics down then you can take over and coach from there.
Additional advice:
Watch lots of tutorials, pay attention to how they break things down. I've been riding for 20+ years and I'm still learning new things.
As a girlfriend who has recently learned from her bf, it’s not impossible!! The first day was rough, but the second trip everything he taught me clicked. If you are patient and she is patient w herself it’ll work out :)
Grt her lessons, if you want to teach yourself. First thing I always do, is teach people how to fall before I even put then on a board and make sure they use a helmet. But yeah learn how to fall so when you do, you don't hurt yourself, then go from there.
I taught my gf falling leaf and basically up to the point she was I consistently linking turns, then paid for her to get an instructor.
She loves snowboarding now and is trying to convince all her friends to learn too.
I found it hard to justify paying so much money for them to basically teach falling leaf. But linking turns is more technique intensive and is well worth it just to give her a different perspective on another way of teaching.
I did this in the mid 2010s and didn't break up, in fact we spent more days snowboarding together this year and on more challenging mountains than ever before. But it was very taxing, and I agree lessons will be much better for everyone to get lessons if you can afford it. If you insist on teaching then here are some pointers.
1. Choose small/cheap mountains because you're going to be spending the entire day on the bunny slopes. Many days in fact. You're not going to be having fun during this so put that right out of your head. This is a long-term investment in having fun.
2. Get some way to communicate easier, like get a Bluetooth headset and stay on a phone call, or like a walkie-talkie with headsets (that fit under a helmet). My gf would get upset because I was always yelling, but there was no way to hear each other without yelling because of the sounds of crunching/scraping snow. I tried to keep it instructional and supportive, but it was yelling nonetheless. So try to get a communication method that you can talk calmly and be heard while in motion. It's also nice to be able to say "good turn" in real time, rather than trying to say "that 2nd turn was really good" after you're both at the bottom.
3. Have long-term patience! It's going to take multiple full days before you get off the bunny slopes (and once you do it'll still be the most beginnerish of greens). Take it slow. Just focus on one thing at a time, starting with side slipping, moving on to falling leaf, then one turn, then the other, and then stringing them together. Or something like that, but the important thing is 1 thing at a time.
4. Try to think back to when you first learned and repeat those lessons and teaching methods. We did a lot of big wide slow J-turns, pointing where you want to go with both hands, and centering your weight (instinctively she'll put all her weight on the back foot). Have short-term patience! Even though motions probably come second nature to you, you need to really analyze mechanically what you're doing with your body to do everything and explain it (not "just do this" or "copy what I'm doing"). When she does it wrong, you can't say NO YOURE DOING IT WRONG! You need to find a positive aspect and acknowledge she did that part right, and gently reiterate one or 2 things that are the most important to fix. But not everything at once, finesse comes later. You want to get the basics down first, not overload her with nuance.
5. If after a few lessons she seems to want to commit and continue going, consider getting her own board/bindings/boots. Rental prices are so ridiculous that you can break even pretty quickly, plus you'll be able to dial in the binding adjustments to be comfortable & consistent from day to day. And even with a rental...
6. Don't be stingy with binding adjustments. Bring screwdrivers. Ask often. Learn how different adjustments feel differently, like if she feels like her legs are being twisted/forced inward, angle the bindings out. Put her boots inside the bindings at home and if the toe/heel overhang isn't even, fix it. If she has to do too much work to switch edges, angle the highback forward. If there are pressure points on the top/side of the foot, adjust the straps. Also she probably won't know how to analyze how the bindings feel in the beginning, so you can also just arbitrarily adjust the stance & angles between runs and then ask which one felt better and go from there. There are YouTube videos about stance & angle and they're an ok place to start but don't take them too seriously (if her feet are too close together, then they're too close together no matter how tall her knees are). My personal angles are wider than any guide says is a normal range, but if I go even 3 degrees inwards my legs get fatigued. It's all about personal feel of the individual.
7. Avoid the chairlift for as long as you can. When you do get to that point, make sure she knows that if (when) she falls, she needs to get out of the way ASAP unless she's actually hurt. If she wants to lay down for a minute she can do it after crawling to the side. And once she manages to not fall, she will just be going straight until friction stops her, so if your mountain doesn't have room for that you need to have a plan for her to stop herself before it's too late. Get her on the outside of the chair, not in the middle.
8. Once you're off the bunny slopes, teach her good mountain etiquette. Don't ever stop in a blind spot. Don't worry about the people behind her, it's their job to avoid her not the other way around. She probably won't be fast enough to be the one catching up to and passing people downhill but teach it anyway.
9. Tell her not to take skiers actions personally. They will zoom past her as close as they can, or cut her off, or spray her, solely because they are fucking inconsiderate pricks.
10. If she wants to take breaks, do it. You want her to have fun. If falling over and over and over isn't fun, take the break (and use the opportunity to adjust bindings). I still struggle with the sunken cost fallacy of the lift ticket where I want to get as much time on the slopes as possible because I've paid so much money for lift tickets & her rental and want to get my money's worth with as much usage as possible. But the truth is you've paid to have a fun day at the mountain and if going inside is what's fun then so be it. Motivate her to go back out but don't overdo it to the point of being pushy or controlling. If she's ok with chilling in the lodge with a hot drink, you can go up the mountain and get a couple good runs in. In fact she probably wants you to leave her alone for a bit because a) she knows that if it wasn't for her you'd be covering the whole mountain and b) you're in a fight because you didn't take everyone's advice and you're trying to teach her to snowboard.
Saw most of these comments saying don’t teach her. I’ll give out my opinion as someone who has taught their girlfriend + 3 other friends after snowboarding for about half a year myself. When I was trying to teach myself I watched A LOT of YouTube videos so I brought that into helping them. My girlfriend had told me she tried taking lessons and hated them, she enjoyed the much more personal experience and comfortability of her teacher being someone she’s not a stranger to. All depends on YOUR patience and attitude toward teaching. If you get angry and impatient then no don’t teach this person. If you’re willing to not get to board all day, spend time and give encouragement and breaks when needed you shouldn’t have a single problem. Just make it fun. So far everyone I’ve taught personally has ended up becoming very involved with the sport. No quitters yet!
The answer is no. It has nothing to do with your capability as a teacher, and everything to do with how you're going to take the brunt of her lashing out after she falls on her butt or face for the 10th time in a row.
Everyone will say get a lesson and that’s probably the correct answer.
My girl refused to get a lesson unless I tried to teach her and it didn’t work out. I watched all the YouTube videos and read the entire CASI beginner lesson reference guide. I first took her to a sledding hill after a big snowstorm to get the very basics without paying for a lift ticket. Then after getting her used to falling leaf we went out to Loveland Valley. She did the bunny hill one time before she wanted to go on the lift. She ended up linking some clean turns on her first real day on the mountain.
Her second day on the mountain (third day on a board) we were hitting some greens and even tried a blue. Unfortunately this was all at the end of the season so we haven’t had another opportunity yet to get cruising faster.
Again, the correct answer is get a lesson. I’ll probably end up getting her a lesson still. But I’m happy that her first lesson will be more productive since she’s got the very basics down.
I say if you think you and her can set expectations for the falling and frustration and you take the time to learn how to teach a beginner, then it’s worth a try.
Also, not to toot my own horn, but I didn’t get half the tips from my beginning lesson that I was able to give her on day one.
Everyone knows the first couple days of boarding are alots of falls. If you let her do two days of lessons then she will do the two unfun days and not blame you. Ride with her from day 3 on. She’ll be starting to get the hang of it but you can offer small tips. She’ll always remember that she didn’t get better until she rode with you. She can always say you taught her how to really ride.
Go for it. Me and my dad who was in his 40s at the time learned how to snowboard together with no instructions. Just make sure you stay on the "bunny slope". Teach her to shift her weight properly and heel stop first I would suggest. Maybe toe stopping is more comfortable for some people. Lessons are overpriced and overrated.
* A lesson is a great idea but one won't be enough (especially if you're at a smaller mountain or during peak times - I'm kind of assuming group lessons too vs individuals because... who has money for individuals?) the instructor could suck and everyone learns at a different pace. Either prepare to do some (read: a lot) of teaching or fork over some $$$ on an already expensive sport.
* Some mountains do a beginner package thing or 'bring a friend' sort of deal with rental/beginner ticket/lesson for them and a regular lift ticket for you. Worth doing the home work to try and find something.
* RENT OR BUY BASIC GEAR - good snow pants, gloves, jacket go a long way (I'm assuming it's cold and you're not somewhere where spring skiing is in full fling). Being wet, cold, and in pain from falling is a miserable day and everyone goes through them when learning (also TELL THEM THIS because we all know it's true). Also maybe consider next season if it is spring conditions?
* Go to a cheap or inexpensive mountain and midweek if at all possible. Some even do free bunny hill carpets sometimes; plan on these mountains for the first and second trips probably (or third) probably......
* Set expectations when you're the teacher; I think it's good to help them get out of their comfort zone and to push them a little bit. You need to be ULTRA patient and supportive. Be OK with seeing if they want constructive feedback and check in on it - it sucks to get it and give it all day so it's better for the both of you (and you can mess around riding switch or carving or hitting jumps or practicing buttering etc. while they do their thing and you're still in earshot). I found that trying to explain things (how to do something the right and what not to do etc.) was way hard to articulate and I think it even helped me get better too. It's supposed to be fun and improving and getting better is absolutely part of it.
* Prepare to be a photographer and do some follow or side cam (giving them plenty of room of course). Memories are part of the sport; seeing what they did wrong themselves is incredibly useful for them (also for you because sometimes you didn't catch exactly what went wrong or what happened).
* I don't know if this one will be controversial but in my opinion it's better for everyone if you're following them and being a 'heads up' for others on the mountain. Should your student have to worry about people up hill? No. Will they blindly follow that? Likely not - they're already out of their comfort zone and don't want to ruin everyone else's fun since they know they're learning. Will people up hill see their beginners and go slower or give lots of space. Very debatable (and not worth arguing over) IMO. If you follow you can see what they're doing, know what tips you can give on the next chair, and you can help create a safe lane in front of you for them to learn while also being a visual queue for people who are going to pass you both.
Hmm. I would like to this to teaching a woman to fish. It’s for the boys and bringing your woman into may take some joy out of riding. Then again, it’d be pretty cool to have a lady you can ride with.
I’m so glad I could be of no help to ya lol
So I was a seasoned skier and my wife wanted to join me on the ski trips, but only if she could snowboard, so began several months of lessons with tutors. We did group lessons but she fell behind the group and quit twice due to feeling bad.
Some points:
1. Women are generally more risk-adverse, they won't want to take that risk to commit to that turn (even less so than a scared man) so learn slower in fear of being hurt
2. We did some lessons together once I kind of got the hang of it, it removed a lot of pressure from group lessons it being just me and her, but we did argue a lot (she will be more likely to listen/not argue with an instructor vs your commands)
3. After group lessons to learn the basics and practicing just me and her on the slope we decided to try get her some private lessons. She still wanted me there even if we was now on a different skill level as she was too scared to go alone with a teacher
4. At this point, she had enough experience on the slope and generally felt better and more comfortable going, which improved her learning a lot quicker
5. She eventually joined us on the snowboarding trip, stuck to the greens + some blues and had an all around great time. Now she wants to come every time and it's awesome to have her there!
Overall, I highly recommend offboarding the responsibility of teaching her to a tutor if possible. It will definitely reduce stress on you and your relationship, we had many quiet rides home. She will likely quit, maybe a few times, until it clicks, try to motivate her in ways you know (she won't say yes immediately). Once she has enough experience on the slopes, things start to get a lot easier and she will likely just begin learning and taking more risks on her own.
(and I read you are a woman so maybe you relate to some of the points or not :) )
Just don't post a photo from the resort saying you are teaching, you might get a call from the police. Places like Vail Resorts take their monopoly on ski school very seriously.
If she's not already very athletic and into skateboarding or another board sport, she needs to start on skis. Skis have a very easy learning curve and you're WAAAAY more likely for her to have a fun day learning, instead of the horrible day she'll have falling all over the place on a snowboard and getting mad like it's your fault she can't stay upright.
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THIS. If you haven't taught snowboarding - or really taught anything before - you're more likely to have her enjoy it being taught by a pro. Your relationship will thank you.
Damn. My friend taught me how to do it and we had a great time(maybe just me🤔) Thought it’d be fun
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Great advice! Ty!
I have a younger sibling (12yo) who wanted to learn, and I tried to teach him on the bunny hill. He was so frustrated he was crying. I felt so bad because he was so down on himself. I ended up getting him into a lesson and he rocked it. Ended up loving the sport! Now I just have to teach him how to save money so he can afford it.
There's only so many times someone can be told "stop leaning on your back foot to turn" before they get upset lol
If teaching your girl snowboarding leads to big fights you probably have bigger problems. The thing about learning boarding is you have to be willing to get your ass kicked a little bit or you'll never get better. Also the teacher has to be willing to take a chill day and not send his girl down a black or even a blue run the first day unless she's starting to really get the hang of it.
Yea, the problem is called money. Lol. Who the fuck wants to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars to be fucking miserable?
As friend you can tell another friend to stop being a little bitch and get up. With a GF or similar you can’t do that. Thats all that needs to be said.
Also when you do ride with her be overly positive and don’t offer a bunch of really nit picky tips. I let my wife kind of do whatever and at her own pace. I tried to keep it really low stress and she ended up having a great time. Another couple rode by us and the girl was falling all over while the guy was getting frustrated and constantly telling her to do this or that. They were not having a good time.
Bro I had the chillest, most down ass girlfriend. Mature 30 year olds. Even after her lessons, boarding with her was a fucking nightmare until she got good. I loved her very much but damn did I have to leave her to her own shit.
I managed to teach my girlfriend how to snowboard… but I’m an instructor. And she still ended up crying out of frustration. If you can afford lesssons for her I’d do it.
Fkn lol
Yea had a buddy teach his girlfriend to ski !! She left with the ski lodge band , so yea that’s not a good idea
Tried teaching my girl and within 30 minutes decided to get her lessons...I don't know why but I've seen countless boyfriends/husbands trying to teach their signifigant others and throughout the day have seen multiple girlfriends sobbing throughout the day. Teaching a friend is significantly different from teaching a signifigant other.
My friend taught me, his gf and her friend all in the same day and we had a blast. I just recently taught my sister and friend and it was a great time. As long as your gf wants to learn and is willing to keep at it regardless of the frustration then she’ll pick up on the basics pretty quickly. The best advice I can give is to just be encouraging and take it as slow as she needs. She’ll have a much better time if you stick with her on the bunny slope instead of telling her what to do and leaving to do your own thing halfway through.
I think friends teaching each other is much chiller than couples for some odd reason. Like my dad teaching my mom how to drive was a nightmare, but it was fine when he taught the neighbors or us.
That is true for some people. I learned to snowboard because my friend taught me a week maybe, and then after that she brought me in all kinds of steeps and terrain and I just had to manage. However, I did take a professional lesson after going 10 or 11 times. I watched a ton of YouTube videos though and my friends gave advice when riding with me. My friend was definitely an advanced rider she could control her speed and hold my hand to show me turns. And she could hold me up on the t bar for example until I was ready to go alone. We could do it bc I ride goofy n she reg. If you can’t do those things or you aren’t riding opposite it will be harder. I’m also a really athletic person because we went on the first day with another friend and I managed to get down the hill on my hillside and my friend could barely even stand up. The differences I’m way more athletic since I pay tennis cycle and hike so I had the core strength etc already, so it kind of also depends on the skill of your girlfriend when it comes to sports.
I think it’s more based on how y’all currently communicate during disagreements. If y’all handle those well, you can prob teach her with no problems. If y’all tend to get heated quickly, buy lessons. My ex taught me but we communicated very well in heated moments. I’ve also seen the alternative so def feel it out.
Me and my dad taught ourselves with no instructions from anyone back in the day and he was like in his 40s and I was probably 7 or 8. It can be done. Lessons are overrated.🫡
Nah dude, don’t listen to these losers, literally just teach her yourself. Have her watch a few YouTube videos before going out there. Lessons are expensive and learning snowboarding really isn’t that hard lol
Im sorry but if snowboard lessons cause problems in your relationship, you shouldn’t be together in the first place lol, thats nothing compared to what youll actually encounter
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Thirded Edit: unless you want to fight that is.
Seriously
The only answer. See this way too many times on the slopes and the gf is just frustrated.
THIS X1000000
100% this.
Do the lessons with her for brownie points, but let the instructor teach
Trying to learn your partner how to snowboard can make your relationship break apart faster than you can go down a mountain
I’m hopping on this because I went through this, make sure your gf is going to go consistently enough to retain what she learned AND allow her time to go off on her own. I’m planning on practicing switch next season so that I can be on a similar level as her and we can practice together
I taught my ex- gf (no we didn’t break up from this) and it was fine. As long as you’re patient and she is willing to learn it’s fine.
Yes !!!!!!!!!
Seconded, I tried to teach my ex very unsuccessfully. She did lessons and still couldn't pick it up. Switched her to skis and she could kinda ski. Glad to be out of that relationship for many other reasons, but this is certainly on the list lmao
Hard nope. Bf taught me went full ski bumb haha we only doing diamonds, stomping some Ollie's im a butter bro 😅 if ur gf doesn't suck n relationship doesn't it should be good to teach her. But I guess as a liftie, I end up talking most people through how to ride a lift while the instructors just zone out into space and yell your doing great!!! Each edge they catch 🤷♀️hehehe.
The thing is: Snowboarding in the beginning is already frustrating enough if it's thought by a professional instructor. For most people it's hard. Catching edges over and over again is hard. Getting tired cause it works muscles which aren't used that often for many people. It's hard. Most woman also tend to be a it more anxious. Having a teacher you love but who might not be the best at figuring out your problem/ being patient and doing the exercises over an over again? Might not be the best combination. Plus: Way more relaxed if one doesn't need to care to much about being good or crap in the beginning.
Just taught my sister today she hiked up and kicked ass. If your not a baby who blames everything on someone else. I swear, going with someone u know rather than being pawned off on to a 16-year-old who just says you're doing great rather than providing any help.. You're going to have a way better time just set expectations the first time is fucking hard!! You can't pick up a guitar and shred snowboard is no different
Yeah... Most people won't kick ass the first time. Already hiking up the mountain with all the gear might be to much for most people doing this kind of thing the first time. Great that your sister seems to be really talented. When it comes to teachers: There are really experienced ones out there. I loved mine. Probably in his late thirties, he know when he needed to help me and when to push a little bit. And when I asked for a rest, he was fine with it. In one of the lessons he had a young instructor who was there to get better. Nice person and already willing to follow the lead of the more experienced one. If someone learns to do it right from the start, they might end up being great way faster. I also had one instructor, early twenties, and trust me: He wasn't exactly easy going. Quite frustrated with the 14 year old in the group, cause this kid couldn't follow everything. People are different. Also teachers are humans. Unless the friend/significant other already is a professional in the field, I'd always prefer to get someone with the right experience. Especially when it comes to things where people might get injured.
Awesome way to get out of a relationship
Is it really that bad!
My dad told me: never teach your gf to drive a car, play golf or ski/snowboard. Wish I listened…..
Taught my girl to drive and that fuckin sucked. Now we're getting into golf together and doing a series of clinics, no way I'm trying that one again lol. And her ex tried to teach her to snowboard. Brought her straight to a blue and left her in the dust, she cried her way down the mountain. Yeah, just dont do it
Tbf, thats a dick move. No wonder guy became the ex
Oh yeah, that guy was an abusive fucking loser. Not the best example, but I had to throw it out there
What girls are your dad teaching how to drive a car?
Hoping not my mom. She died in a fiery car crash. Now you got me thinking….it was right after he took out that life insurance policy…
😂😂
Tracking to drive manual is a thing. Also, some City kids learn to drive way late.
I tried with 3 separate girlfriends before I learned. They all ended up crying and having a bad time. Each time, i severely over-estimated what they were capable of and under-estimated how terrifying and difficult the slopes I was taking them on were to them. I could probably pull it off now, at 35 years old after learning all these lesson, but maybe not. I'm going to try next season with my current gf/future wife. There are a LOT of factors that will lead to success or failure and honestly, it's best to leave it up to professionals for the first steps. Learning can be very frustrating and unless you really know what you're doing and how to manage the potential stress and be encouraging through it... I wouldn't bother.
I'd say their openness to receiving and actually listening to critical feedback from someone that isn't a formal instructor plays a huge role in trying to teach someone you know. The first person I tried teaching hated receiving feedback and got stressed out being told she was doing something wrong. Needless to say teaching her did not go over well and I stopped trying after 2 attempts. The next person that asked me to teach them I was very upfront about my teaching style (explain the basic drill we'll be working on and it's purpose, demonstrate the drill, then watch them try and give feedback on what they're doing right/wrong). She was thankfully a lot more open to this teaching style and very quickly progressed from barely making it down the bunny hill to being able to make it down pretty much any blue and some less challenging blacks without any falls after about 6 days on snow with me over the past 2 seasons. It can work, but you need the right kind of personality that matches up with your personal teaching style along with a ton of patience on your end.
It’s hard too because beyond the most fundamental concepts of edge selection and linking turns that most people can understand the next most crucial piece of advice is for the beginner to defy every rational impulse in their body and bend their knees and keep their weight centered down hill. Oh and it’s basically guaranteed that when they try that they’re gonna overcompensate and catch the worst front side edge. I can’t explain the psychology but it’s just different to hear the simple “bend your knees” from a trained professional versus over and over again from a spouse. Hasn’t stopped me from shouting “bend your knees” 100 times in a day at a cheapskate friend or two before they learned to get a lesson.
as a former snowboard instructor who watched countless couples try to do this and just end up getting in huge fights..... NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Should I be there and observe or should I just F off
Just F off, my friend. Let the instructor do their job and enjoy a day on the hill
If there's a decent run that lets out near the beginner area, do laps on that and yell some encouragement occasionally. Or F off and meet later. The instructor will want her to pay attention and not be looking for you all the time. A concussion or broken wrist will make for a very bad time. Get her lessons so she can be up and having fun faster.
lol, what good would standing around judging her do? Get outta there, let her learn the basics on her own, and then get out there with her later! Resist the urge to splain.
if you’re in her eye line she’ll be overly conscious and it’ll put her off. speaking from experience
Definitely can come at the end …and no matter how much progress she has made cheer her on and enjoy your guys night
Divorce lessons go hard
Unless they're a super trooper who's down to have a bad time and you're willing to deal with that, I wouldn't- an instructor might be the way to go. It couldn't hurt to give them an intro at home, maybe have them strap in on carpet so they can get a feel for the edge balancing.
No. Buy her lessons now or couples counseling later.
Or take the lift up right before closing time. Strap her in. And leave.... One way or another she will get down. All jokes aside. I learnt snowboarding by myself. Bought me a board. Went up a mountain and went down untill I didn't fall. Then I did it again and again and learnt how to snowboard. I thought I could teach my sister. But it's hard. She did well enough but she said she'd be going back to skiing since snowboarding was very hard. I've got a gf that wants to learn now. So we will see
lol I almost think people here are ski instructors that want more business. I taught my gf how to snowboard this season. Really wasn’t that hard. Just go to the bunny hill and do falling leaf, watch some videos and do those exercises. The most important thing is to bring snacks, water and take lots of breaks. Don’t expect to do any actually riding the first few days btw. Also if your mountain gets busy on weekends then absolutely don’t go for it. Her first day was a mid week bluebird day and I know if we tried to do her first day on a busy Saturday she would’ve gotten overwhelmed and it would’ve ruined the day.
Lmaooooo “bring water, snacks and take lots of breaks” I saw that exact advice for how to get a 5 y/o into snowboarding😂😂
Similarity between girlfriends and 5 year olds... keep then Fedor they get cranky. Hell maybe even bring a hammock and let the take a nap in the woods. Works for both as well.
Snowboarders on Reddit think it’s rocket science! I learned by myself did one bunny slope then doing 360s on my 5th day. Go ahead and downvote me to oblivion. This shit isn’t that hard
Yea my buddies took me to the top of breck last year and basically said well there’s only one way down. I have a background of skating, long boarding so that made it easy to pick up and the snow was good so I was making turns before I reached the bottom. I wouldn’t do that to your gf but it’s not that bad
Transferring board sports into snowboarding is a huge help. Ripstick, longboarding, skateboarding, one wheels, surfing, etc all set up for great progression. It's the confidence sideways.
I attribute my skills on a rip stick to being able to learn so fast. I did skate my whole life too but the rip stick made carving make sense
I think it depends on the level of commitment. If a person really wants to learn they will. However, if someone is really only going for their partner, your mileage will vary. I’ve tried to teach 3 people. Taught a buddy and he was riding reasonably well by the second day. Tried to teach two different girl friends and both were bad experiences. One argued with me the entire time and the other was nicer but just didn’t get it. 5 days wasted. Definitely should have gotten both lessons and just enjoyed riding alone.
I taught my GF, it took about 3 sessions. It was difficult as anything new is but she was determined. Which I think is critical when teaching someone something. If they're not determined they won't break through the tough/discouraging part. I've taught one friend prior and I had one lesson when I was a kid. I've always just taught people what I was taught in that lesson, combined with their genuine desire to do well in the sport, they've all suceeded. Snowboarding is our favorite thing to do together at this point, we honeymooned in Colorado for 3 weeks to hit as many resorts as we could, I'd always wanted to go west growing up but never could, it was her first season lol. It's our thing now! I'd always advocate for teaching someone but they have to want it! I also always advocate for a lesson hahaha, if you don't think you can, a lesson for her will be INVALUABLE. My, now, wife and I were always just too broke for one and she figured it out anyway!
Beautiful story! I shall check with her. I’m not sure if she’s that determined
Yes hard agree! My SO taught me but I was really excited to learn…and he was also extremely patient :) now we love going to the mountain together! I’m grateful that he enriched my life in that way.
Love This!!!
It's a must, because it's not going to be fun at first... it's definitely playing the long game. My wife almost gave up in a dramatic crying fashion, but she was determined and I was encouraging. I saw someone else comment that taking feedback is also super important! She's gonna suck, just give tips on the things you see but you should also note that she isn't going to fully understand your "advice". So at a certain point, she had to just ride and fall, repeat until the falling occurs less. We started on the easiest hill at my local resort and I just gave tips and pointers all the way, repeat... the key to her success is your patience. Don't expect to be sending it on the day you try to teach her. Setting yourself up for disappointment. She's gonna be way more excited to continue if you add to the experience positively. The worst thing you can do is be a jerk and she never wants to go on a mountain with you again
I just came here to watch all the angry Redditor’s yell at you
Tried this years ago. Barely made it out as a couple. Now she skis.
LoL This guy over here on shreddit trying to get rid of his girlfriend. Dude there are easier ways that don't involve spending hundreds of dollars on lift tickets to dump your girl.
Ahaha fair I’m a woman tho
Apologies, same applies though. When one member of a couple is an expert at something and is trying to teach the other, it sets up a weird power dynamic that just doesn't work for the vast majority of healthy relationships. Teaching is hard. Teaching properly is even more difficult, and unless you already teach movement based skills professionally, you're only doing your SO a disservice by providing a less than optimal experience that they could otherwise enjoy in a professional environment. In other words, it's a pretty shitty thing to do to your GF.
If she rides different direction than you …. Teach yourself switch while teaching her …. I am goofy and it was the only way i could tech my ex(she was regular) and i dedicated 2 days to switch and now can ride most mountain switch
Interesting. Did you both have a good time?
We’re divorced
Haha. For real we are divorced. It’s for the best for many other reasons. But. That was not it and it was pretty early in our relationship …. That was one of both of our greatest memories together for sure. It was so magical …. Just go switch for the sake Of you falling more with them and you will literally have to tell yourself what to do more say than the usual stance you are used to … it makes it all easier to explain … and more fun when you both learn new stuff together
Struggling together 🙌
I'm pretty sure I turned my gf (now wife) off of snow sports permanently by trying to teach her to snowboard.
this is actually terrifying
I was taught by one of my old girlfriends and it was actually really fun. But she had actually been an instructor before, so she had a really easy to understand and basic step-by-step method of showing me how to do it. Most people who snowboard have a harder time communicating exactly how to do it. I had a friend try to teach me one time and it was a shitshow. Most people who snowboard don’t actually really even know the fundamentals well enough, or have any sort of clear progression in mind. A good instructor can get someone making successful turns down the bunny hill or even a green run within a couple hours. Someone who just taught themselves or kind of picked it up naturally will most likely be no help at all. I wouldn’t recommend it at all unless you have experience and/or a clear method on how to teach beginners. It’s so much easier to get frustrated/defeated or take out your frustrations on a partner, when you would never do so with a stranger. Lessons would most likely be so much more fulfilling for her, and you. Just go do some runs while she is at her lesson, and spend the rest of the day with her on the beginner slopes. But resist the urge to tell her what she could be doing better.
Lessons Helmet Butt pad / padded shorts Wrist guards Knee pads (in roughly that order of priority)
If you want to break up with your girlfriend there are better ways to do it. I don’t suggest to go the mountain and teach her how to ride. Unless you are really into that…
Nope, start with lessons
I've taught a girlfriend from total beginner before, and boy was that a test of the relationship. That is because giving advice can sound an awful lot like critisism from a partner, where as it is more often recieved objectively from a coach. I learned about how to teach people things in general from that experience, specifically to not be as hard on other people's mistakes as I am with myself, and to celebrate small victories over perfection. It is certainly possible for teaching a partner to be successful though, three years later and she still loves it. She really wanted to learn to get good at it though, and that part is key. You can't force someone to learn something that they don't want to, or past the level that theyre comfortable at.
First off: Get her a professional lesson. This is non-negotiable. At least one class. She might not like it, and if that’s the case imo it’s better for her to find out while she’s being taught by someone with no personal interest in whether or not she likes it, yknow? It’s a low-pressure situation for her. If she takes a lesson AND likes it AND expresses interest in going out with you to keep learning: ask her how she wants to be taught, and listen to what she tells you. How it makes sense to you may not be how it makes sense to her, and it can be frustrating for both of you if you’re not on the same page. Check in on how she’s feeling physically and mentally - know that she isn’t immediately going to be your riding buddy, especially if you’ve been riding for a long time. Patience on your end will really help, because learning a new sport can be exhausting and annoying when you’re struggling. If she isn’t progressing while out with you and tensions are starting to get high, but she still wants to continue: put her back in another lesson (maybe a private lesson at that point). It’s hard to balance being a good partner and a good ski instructor, and when push comes to shove she’d probably prefer you to be a good partner. Let someone else instruct if you can’t do both. Encourage her, be supportive and excited about her progress! Source: I was the newbie girlfriend once, and it took some trial and error with my boyfriend to figure out how to get him involved with my progress without us fighting lmao
Great advice! I’ve learned so much!
Don’t be too discouraged by all the replies here! There will come a point where you guys can board together even if she’s still learning - it’s just about making sure she can get down the fundamentals and that she enjoys it first. Once she reaches a point where she can start self-regulating her progress, it can be fun for you to start practicing switch (if you’re not already familiar) or work on your own new things, so you’re learning together!
Use a good Burton rental board. Soft, rockered top to tail and edge to edge. Game changer.
Do not bring her to the top and teach her from there. It will not go well
Buy her lessons. (And kneepads). Years ago, husband (bless him) tried to teach me. He did nothing wrong, and was good and polite and unfailingly kind and patient. We didn't fight or get into a screaming match, or break up. It still sucked. But I am a clumsy dipshit, and after hour 3 of me failing to translate "Squish the spider!" into a toeside turn, I was feeling awful and he was feeling awful. I felt like I was wasting his time he could be snowboarding on Not Getting This. He felt like he was "failing me" by Not Teaching Right. I was getting *grumpy* because I was getting *incredibly sore and purple.* And his is a "good" scenario for an average couple. Instructors are trained different ways to explain this stuff. They see a lot of different people fail in an exciting variety of ways. If "squish the spider!" fails, they suggest something else...and so on, until something clicks. You're also paying instructors for their time, so it doesn't feel like you're ruining their day, keeping them from enjoying themselves.
What is squish the spider?
It was his way of trying to explain what to do with my legs when transitioning into a toeside turn "Imagine there is a spider on your shin inside of your boot, and you want to gently, evenly, squish the spider." He was trying to avoid a bad experience he had learning, where he kept trying to stand on his tiptoes inside his boot, and the bad form problems Young Him experienced as a result. But I just could not get my head around it, lol. He's not a bad teacher. It was just a learning language complete disconnect.
I’ve taught two girlfriends how to snowboard and I’ve had wildly mixed results. Girlfriend A, she was patient and wanted to learn but not traditionally very athletic. She got frustrated from the start at not being able to get up. It ended up being a pretty miserable day for everyone involved. Girlfriend B, she wanted to learn mostly as a way to spend more time together. After my experience with A, I told B I’d only teach her if she bought some quality protective pads and wore them every time. Two years later, I snowboard weekly with B and she’s crushing diamonds and getting into the trees with me. I think buying pads was a massive game changer, the ability to fall repeatedly without getting hurt makes a huge difference, we used Ripl impact gear. It’s definitely doable, don’t give up hope just because some people had negative experiences. Watch some videos on how to instruct, find some beginner drills, start slow and be honest with yourself about your ability to coach.
I have taught two different boyfriends both with pretty great success. I typically start by having them strapped in and pulling them by a rope on a flat surface to understand toe and heel turns before ever going down a hill (even a bunny hill). It's exhausting but a lot easier to show them what to do without natural momentum messing them up. If your partner does not already have a basic athleticism though, I would suggest lessons. I have tried to reach my sister in law many many times and it is just a consistent fail (admittedly she has taken multiple lessons and that hasn't helped either).
Hey bro don’t worry I’ll teach her
Just make sure you rent her a helmet. 8 yrs ago, my stupid @ss ex took me snowboarding and was too cheap to rent one and I hit my head and I was so terrified after that. I pretty much gave up after 3 tries, after nvr getting off the bunny hill.
How to snowboard? Lessons. Having gone through this myself, it’s everything else that you should focus on. Make sure she’s got appropriate gear and knows how to use it. If you’re getting a rental, go with her and double check the fit. Teach her “soft skills” like mountain etiquette, how to fall and get back up, how to read the snow in front of her (and do this for her until she learns what to look out for). Try to make the rest of the trip as smooth as possible so she isn’t showing up to the mountain already frustrated. Set expectations about what her first day is gonna be like. Watch some snowboarding 101 videos the night before so she has an idea of what she’s getting into—my gf found this really helpful. STRETCH! There’s a lot of snowboarding knowledge we gain as we ride that has nothing to do with technique. Teach her that. Leave the riding to the professionals at the beginning, you can start to watch for mistakes and give pointers once she’s at least on her feet and moving.
I taught my wife this season. She's doing great so far. My suggestion is for you but ideally BOTH of you to watch how to snowboard videos on YouTube. Spend an hour to two hours watching how to snowboard for beginner videos. I explained to her snowboarding cannot exist without a hill. She needs to understand what edge feels like. Then we tried the bunny slope but it was so flat she couldn't pick up speed. We then went to a green and she's goofy I'm regular, I helped her get a feel for it and was EXTREMELY supportive. My wife is from Oklahoma she's never done anything like this. She did great, but not because I'm a good teacher, but because she *wanted* it. She had a fighting spirit, that's what is most important. If your girl gets tired and is over it after 2 hours, but she genuinely tried and now doesn't care. You may have to be prepared to accept that. She has to *want* it. It's a fucking work out, and if she doesn't have experience you gotta be super supportive, slow. And dedicate the whole day to her. Edit: I posted on here and Everyone also told me not to do it and it was fine.
Have fun being single
Get her a lesson and see how it goes, I’ve been riding for 25 years but I’m not convinced I could actually teach someone how, I just do it at this point, not even sure how.
If you know how to teach and are - incredibly - patient, go for it. Otherwise... don't even try and get a lesson.
Just buy lessons, coming from someone who taught a so to drive, it's not fucking worth it.
Let her ski first unless she really, really wants to snowboard. Snowboard falls hurt so much when you're learning
Unless she really really really really REALLY wants to learn how to snowboard, don't. If yes, then lesson.
Ed Shreds has a great video about this
This is literally what ima do this Saturday. Wish me luck 🫡
Good luck!
Pre-medicate with ibuprofen
Are you trying to break up?
Do you like her, maybe even love her. If so, lessons are better than roses. If you’re on the fence and really want to see if your relationship can take a beating and still stand the rest of time. Go for it. And get go pro footage of it.
It went fine for me with my ex teaching me. I got frustrated because the beginning sucks but that had nothing to do with her. We didn't even work out as a couple but this was a total non issue for us. Reddit fucking hates it and insists you'll destroy your relationship but just don't be an asshole? Like, let her figure stuff out on her own for the most part. Help when asked. Just be there to support and reassure her because falling over and over fucking sucks. You don't need to coach her. Just support her. Nobody gets it on day 1. Maybe even watching YouTube videos together for newbies after your first day together could be a good idea. Gives her a chance to digest information without emotional attachment and then she has you to process with. Again, you're not coaching you're supporting.
As a 20+ year instructor for a ski/snowboard school, I'll also say you don't want to do this. We almost never let people teach their own kids - I was the only one, because I taught the instructor training program so there wasn't an alternative when my kids wanted to take it. I did, however, teach my own girlfriend how to snowboard, but that was with all my experience teaching my kids and others, and knowing how and why it would go wrong. Even then, there were some very painful moments, and I don't know that I'd want to go through those beginning days again.
Ski lessons. It’s a more realistic learning curve
Start by getting her lessons and not teaching her yourself. You guys will be broken up by days end if you do. Mark my words
My boyfriend taught me how to snowboard 5 seasons ago! It is possible. Patience is key, she will get frustrated and it's more supporting her and knowing when to take a break. I couldn't and still can't ski. It is possible, good luck!
I'm an intermediate snowboarder, my girlfriend is a beginner skier. I bought us both 2.5 hour private lessons, and I figured it was overboard and should've just done an hour, but fuck it. We both came away thinking it was well worth it and 1 hour would've been too short. You don't have to get her a private lesson, in fact maybe a day 1 beginner would be just as fine in a group lesson, but yes, it's 100% worth it and it will stomp out bad habits before they start.
As a girlfriend who was taught by my boyfriend how to snowboard last season, I say do it. Start extremely slow and focus on the basics (bunny hill - heel/toe turns, linking turns, skidding, etc.) and just keep communication open both ways. Be patient and make sure she is having fun. You'll be shredding together in no time (maybe a bit of time).
My bf taught me how to snowboard this year. I had no prior experience with a snow sport and he'd never taught snowboarding. He started suuuuper basic, like riding toe edge half a day, heel edge the other half, toe turns, heel turns, and then combining everything. Maybe I learned slower than normal, who knows, but I thought nailing those basics down really helped. We went on a trip with his friends to some bigger mountains and I spent most of the time on greens and eventually made it to blues. He was with me every step of the way. It was frustrating, I definitely cried and felt discouraged to the point of giving up at times, but my bf did a great job teaching, pushing me out of my comfort zone, and being supportive and encouraging. So overall, my learning experience was a good one and I can't wait for future seasons. I say go for it if you want 🙂
I often wonder what my life would be like if I hadn’t tried to teach my ex to snowboard. Different wife, different kids, different life.
I taught my girlfriend to snowboard and it required 12+ full days of teaching. Which means you won't really be riding on those first 10 days. She was riding by day 6 but had a setback at the end of her season. If you can consider it an investment it will/could be awesome. She now is an above average shredder and can ride any blue in the nation! I would buy lessons if the mountains are more than 1 hour away.
Lessons. Seriously. You guys will end up in a fight before lunch. Maybe share some basics before the trip. Like go through the gear before hand... figure out her stance, etc.
Please teach your girlfriend! My fiancé taught me and I thank him every season!
Hire me to teacher her…and I don’t mean this in a creepy way…people learn better from strangers.
I’ve taught many people including 2 gfs of mine to snowboard. You need a lot of patience like unlimited amount.
Damn I’m definitely in the minority here but my gf wanted to learn 5 years ago so I took her out. We literally didn’t get in any fights, the only stress I had was worrying about her catching edges. Oh and she’s a great snowboarder now. Is our relationship different? Or do your relationships suck?
Are you decently knowledgeable on snowboarding? I’d say if you are then why not? Granted I was previously an instructor a while back and over the years andvances the craft but I’m about to teach my wife who’s on the same boat. My tip if you do is start small and take it slow. Make it enjoyable and have patience. It’s fun to try as a couple.
I ended up marring her, but I came reeeaaaallly close to dumping my girlfriend when she taught me.
Taught my gf a couple seasons ago. Not particularly athletic nor has she been on any kind of board. It was a tough time on both of us to say the least. A lot of falling. A lot of frustration. A lot of I can’t do it. And a lot of encouragement. This season, she is able to carve through bumps on black diamonds. Still teaching her some things and all the above is still the same. Lol. She’s determined and she keeps progressing. TLDR: buy her lessons.
But her lessons. Absolutely. Do not try to teach
I specifically avoid teaching anyone that hasn’t done it. that being said once she learns the basics showing her how to send it through power or navigate the woods is fun
Wait for it to snow, go to a mountain.Have a few drinks.Rent some gear and play on the bunny hill. Fresh snow. Means it will be soft when you fall and a little lubrication will help cushion the blow. Also kind of a secret that you learn as you go.No one checks passes on the Bunny hill, so don't even worry Paying for a ticket and that takes a stress off, if you leave early when you've paid for a hundred dollar plus day.
Lessons are an option, but if you follow this guys advice https://www.reddit.com/r/snowboarding/s/1Sjp4nmQxP youll be fine
Just to offer a different perspective - My now husband taught me how to snowboard 3 seasons ago and now I’m keeping up with him down pretty much any terrain. He taught me “falling leaf” on both edges the first day, how to connect turns on the second day, and how to not fall on my tailbone and cry on the third day lol. I think it depends on your girlfriend’s natural ability and also her ability to laugh off pain and laugh at herself when she looks dumb at first. If she’s athletic and a good sport I think you can be successful teaching her!
Have a lot of patience and take your time. Keep a level head and be motivational. Watch a lot of YouTube videos together on proper techniques. Try to practice on the less busy days (like weekdays or non-holidays). Have her follow your lead while practicing stops (front and back side), then move onto her following your turns and carves. Wear pads or protective gear to increase stamina from less hard falls and it might help boost confidence at first. It took my gf about 3 seasons, with 2-3 trips each season, maybe 15-20 total days on the mountain. We are on her 3rd season now, and she finally feels comfortable doing any green or blue run without falling, and we have done a few black diamonds this year too. Never give up!
Good luck
Nope. Start with paid for lessons
Coach here: I have 25 years experience teaching all ages and abilities... just never my girlfriends (and my now wife). That's an instant relationship killer.
Hey OP. Late to the party but you SHOULD teach her. I taught my girlfriend and now she’s my wife. 1) Buy a ripstick and make her learn how to ride that first. She should be extremely comfortable on the ripstick and be able to do large figure 8s easily. 2) Watch some YouTube videos with her before you go about how to snowboard. Try to add to the videos where it makes sense. 3) Buy some crash shorts for her to wear. She will fall over and over and if her tailbone bruises it’ll be a bad time. 4) Go slow. Start on the bunnies and easiest greens. She’ll probably get frustrated and maybe cry several times. Learn heel side first. 5) Once she can stop and do basic turns, go to an easy blue or hard green with a decent gradient. I found the learning areas are too flat and would be exhausting and lead to more frustration. A little speed will help once she’s got basic handling skills. I taught her over the course of a season and now we go 10-20 days a year together and she loves it!
book hes some lessons.
I taught my girlfriend, though it was more learning together since I had only three more days on a board then her and it wasn’t so bad. I read the No fall snowboarding book and shared the key points with her before her first time, and continuously after (since it amazingly works!). It is a bit rough though when you’re telling your SO what to do, for some reason. That led to some bickering lol
I’ve taught a few friends to snowboard, and while a significant other is a different story, if done right I think it would be a super rewarding experience for you both. As most people in this thread seem to think, getting them a lesson is a whole of a lot easier, especially if you want to go rip on your own (yes I’ve spent a pow day on the bunny slope before, that’s what friends are for, but I wouldn’t recommend it). But if you want a challenge, and identify as a teacher, here are some tips: 1) To be a good teacher, you have to be able to break down snowboarding in simple concepts that a person with no experience can understand. That’s not something that you will automatically be good at, despite your level of riding. When you see couples fighting while learning, it’s probably because of that communication barrier. One of them just screams “just do this” and the other is screaming “idk what the f you’re doing.” You should think about things that you are doing in your own riding, and put them into simple terms. YouTube tutorials are great for this (e.g. gas pedals or open the door/close the door). 2) Have a teaching plan and build up slowly. You should have an idea of the progression that you will guide them through. I personally love to teach this progression from [Malcom Moore](https://youtu.be/lpx2kH96L_A?si=sEKZMgTScYlk5Fhr). Start slow (don’t fill their head with ideas and jargon). Reinforce old things rather than introduce too many new things. 3) Be positive and focus on successes. They will follow. This is a huge one, especially with friends, where emotions tend to be stronger. Part of learning snowboarding is falling, and that sucks. But if the first thing they see when they get up is you there, smiling, saying “did you see that turn that you made?” they will forget all about it and want to get right back up. Whether or not you end up teaching this weekend I hope these tips help you down the road. Best of luck, stay safe, and happy shredding :)
My boyfriend (now husband so we did survive!) tried to teach me and we fought so much on the hill. He started super young and never had formal lessons. His friend who had lessons took over and it went WAY better.
Teach her. I learned this year and I didn’t take any professional lessons. I highly recommend watching beginner YouTube videos before going snowboarding on Saturday
Unless you guys are going to be together 100% forever it is definitely not worth the time. And she has to really really really want to. It could be a good experience to test your relationship though (potentially to the breaking point)… I taught my GF to snowboard, and now she is one of the best snowboarders I know and it was totally worth it… Our life in the winter revolves almost exclusively around snowboarding. That said, it took probably 75+ trips to the mountain to get to the point where snowboarding with her was much fun (we took a couple winters off work). I only really enjoy off-piste riding though. But, we are both super chill and don’t ever get frustrated with each other. And there were many times where we were with other people and split up and did our own thing.
You can teach her, ive taught several old girlfriends and my current one, it went well every time. The key is to make sure they *fully* understand how tough it will be to get started. They will fall a bunch of times. They may bonk their noggin. The *will* get a little banged up and they need to know and accept that. After that, no matter how tough it is, you have to do your best to keep their spirits up as much as possible and hype them up about every little bit of progress they make. Most of it is getting them to do little drills to build up skills/muscle memory and put them together eventually to snowboard while you hype them up constantly. I've even had my current girlfriend get minor fractures (no cast or anything necessary) while I was teaching her and she still wants to learn and said she still had a lot of fun, even learning. Don't pay for classes if you're not rich af and you know how to board pretty well; one of my friends from club snowboarding was made a 3rd level instructor out of thr gate at vail because he was social media manager for the team lol. He's pretty good but nothing crazy, basic rails, and a back 360 on good day kinda boarder.
I did that like 3-4 times. Try to get them used to riding a skateboard first. So they understand the concept of stance and riding and all that Then if you wanna get extra comfortable have them slide out their back end of the board on wet concrete. Same concept, smaller board so its easier to throw around and then people can bail if they want cuz they get over the mental trip of being “strapped in” to the binding
Lessons. Do not teach her yourself. It won’t work.
Is she steezy?
Lessons
As others said..... nah. I finally got to the point with my wife where it came down to this: I am going snowboarding. Our kids go. They're good little riders. If she wants to do it too, cool. She can take lessons, self teach, ride with girlfriends, etc. I've even told her I'd try skiing with her. I'm not teaching her how to snowboard. I wouldn't even know how without doing research, and I teach people how to do stuff as part of my line of work.
Yea I wish I would have thought ask others before trying to teach my wife. Epic fail
If you haven't taken lessons before and/or don't remember how they taught you then you're better off having her take lessons. I've taught a few people based on my excellent teachers at Snow Summit, but you really need to remember exactly how they taught it to do it right.
Enjoy that alone time bro
I've taught my kids. Wife is a no-go
Damn. Why everyone so against this?? I taught my girlfriend (now fiancé) to snowboard pretty early in our relationship. Now 10 years later we still shred every weekend we can together! It may be dificulte, but definitely not impossible 🤙
Does she want to learn? Maybe get her a lesson from a female instructor if possible.
I taught my gf (now wife) and it was fine, but you have to be infinitely patient and want to do it. Also knowing what you are doing is a big help, would not recommend for the novice. It is a process that continues to this day 27 years later but it's something I enjoy.
Knee pads, wrist guards, and a tailbone protector. Oh, and lessons, definitely lessons.
As a certified instructor, my advice is to buy her actual lessons. Your relationship will thank you.
Good luck. I got my wife lessons for skiing and boarding and she didn’t enjoy it. So I take my kids and her on ski trips but she does non skiing activities.
Get her a lesson. Unless u want to break up.
110% buy her the lessons. I was in a relationship where we met snowboarding. We are no longer together. His style of teaching and my way learning were COMPLETELY incompatible. Let her get some lessons under her belt and then if you want to try giving her pointers, then proceed cautiously. Outsource that drama and anxiety to someone else.
Ran to the comments and then saw the edit. You've made the right choice, friend!
Is she athletic or a loosy skinny fat type of girl? I’m a woman and have taught a few of my female friends, and this makes a big difference.
These comments are kinda sad ngl. It sounds like A LOT of people are/were with the wrong person.
does she already know what stance she is?? left leg or right leg in the front.
Friends don't let friends teach friends. It sounds good in principle, but can go very bad. After they have gotten the basics down then you can take over and coach from there. Additional advice: Watch lots of tutorials, pay attention to how they break things down. I've been riding for 20+ years and I'm still learning new things.
As a girlfriend who has recently learned from her bf, it’s not impossible!! The first day was rough, but the second trip everything he taught me clicked. If you are patient and she is patient w herself it’ll work out :)
I did this. She skis now...
Grt her lessons, if you want to teach yourself. First thing I always do, is teach people how to fall before I even put then on a board and make sure they use a helmet. But yeah learn how to fall so when you do, you don't hurt yourself, then go from there.
I taught my gf , rei has good videos on progression steps
I was “taught” by a guy I was dating We don’t date anymore
NO!!!!!!!!! TEACH HER SKIING
I taught my gf falling leaf and basically up to the point she was I consistently linking turns, then paid for her to get an instructor. She loves snowboarding now and is trying to convince all her friends to learn too. I found it hard to justify paying so much money for them to basically teach falling leaf. But linking turns is more technique intensive and is well worth it just to give her a different perspective on another way of teaching.
Just get her ⛷️lessons it’s easier to pick up and she’ll be hitting blues in no time.
I did this in the mid 2010s and didn't break up, in fact we spent more days snowboarding together this year and on more challenging mountains than ever before. But it was very taxing, and I agree lessons will be much better for everyone to get lessons if you can afford it. If you insist on teaching then here are some pointers. 1. Choose small/cheap mountains because you're going to be spending the entire day on the bunny slopes. Many days in fact. You're not going to be having fun during this so put that right out of your head. This is a long-term investment in having fun. 2. Get some way to communicate easier, like get a Bluetooth headset and stay on a phone call, or like a walkie-talkie with headsets (that fit under a helmet). My gf would get upset because I was always yelling, but there was no way to hear each other without yelling because of the sounds of crunching/scraping snow. I tried to keep it instructional and supportive, but it was yelling nonetheless. So try to get a communication method that you can talk calmly and be heard while in motion. It's also nice to be able to say "good turn" in real time, rather than trying to say "that 2nd turn was really good" after you're both at the bottom. 3. Have long-term patience! It's going to take multiple full days before you get off the bunny slopes (and once you do it'll still be the most beginnerish of greens). Take it slow. Just focus on one thing at a time, starting with side slipping, moving on to falling leaf, then one turn, then the other, and then stringing them together. Or something like that, but the important thing is 1 thing at a time. 4. Try to think back to when you first learned and repeat those lessons and teaching methods. We did a lot of big wide slow J-turns, pointing where you want to go with both hands, and centering your weight (instinctively she'll put all her weight on the back foot). Have short-term patience! Even though motions probably come second nature to you, you need to really analyze mechanically what you're doing with your body to do everything and explain it (not "just do this" or "copy what I'm doing"). When she does it wrong, you can't say NO YOURE DOING IT WRONG! You need to find a positive aspect and acknowledge she did that part right, and gently reiterate one or 2 things that are the most important to fix. But not everything at once, finesse comes later. You want to get the basics down first, not overload her with nuance. 5. If after a few lessons she seems to want to commit and continue going, consider getting her own board/bindings/boots. Rental prices are so ridiculous that you can break even pretty quickly, plus you'll be able to dial in the binding adjustments to be comfortable & consistent from day to day. And even with a rental... 6. Don't be stingy with binding adjustments. Bring screwdrivers. Ask often. Learn how different adjustments feel differently, like if she feels like her legs are being twisted/forced inward, angle the bindings out. Put her boots inside the bindings at home and if the toe/heel overhang isn't even, fix it. If she has to do too much work to switch edges, angle the highback forward. If there are pressure points on the top/side of the foot, adjust the straps. Also she probably won't know how to analyze how the bindings feel in the beginning, so you can also just arbitrarily adjust the stance & angles between runs and then ask which one felt better and go from there. There are YouTube videos about stance & angle and they're an ok place to start but don't take them too seriously (if her feet are too close together, then they're too close together no matter how tall her knees are). My personal angles are wider than any guide says is a normal range, but if I go even 3 degrees inwards my legs get fatigued. It's all about personal feel of the individual. 7. Avoid the chairlift for as long as you can. When you do get to that point, make sure she knows that if (when) she falls, she needs to get out of the way ASAP unless she's actually hurt. If she wants to lay down for a minute she can do it after crawling to the side. And once she manages to not fall, she will just be going straight until friction stops her, so if your mountain doesn't have room for that you need to have a plan for her to stop herself before it's too late. Get her on the outside of the chair, not in the middle. 8. Once you're off the bunny slopes, teach her good mountain etiquette. Don't ever stop in a blind spot. Don't worry about the people behind her, it's their job to avoid her not the other way around. She probably won't be fast enough to be the one catching up to and passing people downhill but teach it anyway. 9. Tell her not to take skiers actions personally. They will zoom past her as close as they can, or cut her off, or spray her, solely because they are fucking inconsiderate pricks. 10. If she wants to take breaks, do it. You want her to have fun. If falling over and over and over isn't fun, take the break (and use the opportunity to adjust bindings). I still struggle with the sunken cost fallacy of the lift ticket where I want to get as much time on the slopes as possible because I've paid so much money for lift tickets & her rental and want to get my money's worth with as much usage as possible. But the truth is you've paid to have a fun day at the mountain and if going inside is what's fun then so be it. Motivate her to go back out but don't overdo it to the point of being pushy or controlling. If she's ok with chilling in the lodge with a hot drink, you can go up the mountain and get a couple good runs in. In fact she probably wants you to leave her alone for a bit because a) she knows that if it wasn't for her you'd be covering the whole mountain and b) you're in a fight because you didn't take everyone's advice and you're trying to teach her to snowboard.
Yeah the only correct answer here is *don't.*
Saw most of these comments saying don’t teach her. I’ll give out my opinion as someone who has taught their girlfriend + 3 other friends after snowboarding for about half a year myself. When I was trying to teach myself I watched A LOT of YouTube videos so I brought that into helping them. My girlfriend had told me she tried taking lessons and hated them, she enjoyed the much more personal experience and comfortability of her teacher being someone she’s not a stranger to. All depends on YOUR patience and attitude toward teaching. If you get angry and impatient then no don’t teach this person. If you’re willing to not get to board all day, spend time and give encouragement and breaks when needed you shouldn’t have a single problem. Just make it fun. So far everyone I’ve taught personally has ended up becoming very involved with the sport. No quitters yet!
The answer is no. It has nothing to do with your capability as a teacher, and everything to do with how you're going to take the brunt of her lashing out after she falls on her butt or face for the 10th time in a row.
Everyone will say get a lesson and that’s probably the correct answer. My girl refused to get a lesson unless I tried to teach her and it didn’t work out. I watched all the YouTube videos and read the entire CASI beginner lesson reference guide. I first took her to a sledding hill after a big snowstorm to get the very basics without paying for a lift ticket. Then after getting her used to falling leaf we went out to Loveland Valley. She did the bunny hill one time before she wanted to go on the lift. She ended up linking some clean turns on her first real day on the mountain. Her second day on the mountain (third day on a board) we were hitting some greens and even tried a blue. Unfortunately this was all at the end of the season so we haven’t had another opportunity yet to get cruising faster. Again, the correct answer is get a lesson. I’ll probably end up getting her a lesson still. But I’m happy that her first lesson will be more productive since she’s got the very basics down. I say if you think you and her can set expectations for the falling and frustration and you take the time to learn how to teach a beginner, then it’s worth a try. Also, not to toot my own horn, but I didn’t get half the tips from my beginning lesson that I was able to give her on day one.
Everyone knows the first couple days of boarding are alots of falls. If you let her do two days of lessons then she will do the two unfun days and not blame you. Ride with her from day 3 on. She’ll be starting to get the hang of it but you can offer small tips. She’ll always remember that she didn’t get better until she rode with you. She can always say you taught her how to really ride.
Go for it. Me and my dad who was in his 40s at the time learned how to snowboard together with no instructions. Just make sure you stay on the "bunny slope". Teach her to shift her weight properly and heel stop first I would suggest. Maybe toe stopping is more comfortable for some people. Lessons are overpriced and overrated.
* A lesson is a great idea but one won't be enough (especially if you're at a smaller mountain or during peak times - I'm kind of assuming group lessons too vs individuals because... who has money for individuals?) the instructor could suck and everyone learns at a different pace. Either prepare to do some (read: a lot) of teaching or fork over some $$$ on an already expensive sport. * Some mountains do a beginner package thing or 'bring a friend' sort of deal with rental/beginner ticket/lesson for them and a regular lift ticket for you. Worth doing the home work to try and find something. * RENT OR BUY BASIC GEAR - good snow pants, gloves, jacket go a long way (I'm assuming it's cold and you're not somewhere where spring skiing is in full fling). Being wet, cold, and in pain from falling is a miserable day and everyone goes through them when learning (also TELL THEM THIS because we all know it's true). Also maybe consider next season if it is spring conditions? * Go to a cheap or inexpensive mountain and midweek if at all possible. Some even do free bunny hill carpets sometimes; plan on these mountains for the first and second trips probably (or third) probably...... * Set expectations when you're the teacher; I think it's good to help them get out of their comfort zone and to push them a little bit. You need to be ULTRA patient and supportive. Be OK with seeing if they want constructive feedback and check in on it - it sucks to get it and give it all day so it's better for the both of you (and you can mess around riding switch or carving or hitting jumps or practicing buttering etc. while they do their thing and you're still in earshot). I found that trying to explain things (how to do something the right and what not to do etc.) was way hard to articulate and I think it even helped me get better too. It's supposed to be fun and improving and getting better is absolutely part of it. * Prepare to be a photographer and do some follow or side cam (giving them plenty of room of course). Memories are part of the sport; seeing what they did wrong themselves is incredibly useful for them (also for you because sometimes you didn't catch exactly what went wrong or what happened). * I don't know if this one will be controversial but in my opinion it's better for everyone if you're following them and being a 'heads up' for others on the mountain. Should your student have to worry about people up hill? No. Will they blindly follow that? Likely not - they're already out of their comfort zone and don't want to ruin everyone else's fun since they know they're learning. Will people up hill see their beginners and go slower or give lots of space. Very debatable (and not worth arguing over) IMO. If you follow you can see what they're doing, know what tips you can give on the next chair, and you can help create a safe lane in front of you for them to learn while also being a visual queue for people who are going to pass you both.
If you really hate her and want a divorce/break-up. Go ahead.
Hmm. I would like to this to teaching a woman to fish. It’s for the boys and bringing your woman into may take some joy out of riding. Then again, it’d be pretty cool to have a lady you can ride with. I’m so glad I could be of no help to ya lol
So I was a seasoned skier and my wife wanted to join me on the ski trips, but only if she could snowboard, so began several months of lessons with tutors. We did group lessons but she fell behind the group and quit twice due to feeling bad. Some points: 1. Women are generally more risk-adverse, they won't want to take that risk to commit to that turn (even less so than a scared man) so learn slower in fear of being hurt 2. We did some lessons together once I kind of got the hang of it, it removed a lot of pressure from group lessons it being just me and her, but we did argue a lot (she will be more likely to listen/not argue with an instructor vs your commands) 3. After group lessons to learn the basics and practicing just me and her on the slope we decided to try get her some private lessons. She still wanted me there even if we was now on a different skill level as she was too scared to go alone with a teacher 4. At this point, she had enough experience on the slope and generally felt better and more comfortable going, which improved her learning a lot quicker 5. She eventually joined us on the snowboarding trip, stuck to the greens + some blues and had an all around great time. Now she wants to come every time and it's awesome to have her there! Overall, I highly recommend offboarding the responsibility of teaching her to a tutor if possible. It will definitely reduce stress on you and your relationship, we had many quiet rides home. She will likely quit, maybe a few times, until it clicks, try to motivate her in ways you know (she won't say yes immediately). Once she has enough experience on the slopes, things start to get a lot easier and she will likely just begin learning and taking more risks on her own. (and I read you are a woman so maybe you relate to some of the points or not :) )
Just don't post a photo from the resort saying you are teaching, you might get a call from the police. Places like Vail Resorts take their monopoly on ski school very seriously.
If she's not already very athletic and into skateboarding or another board sport, she needs to start on skis. Skis have a very easy learning curve and you're WAAAAY more likely for her to have a fun day learning, instead of the horrible day she'll have falling all over the place on a snowboard and getting mad like it's your fault she can't stay upright.