An instructor has extensive experience and training in how the body and the board can function easily together. In a beginner lesson the instructor can share this information in a way that is fun and safe and will save a life time of trial and error. Through learning basic skills such as edging, how to apply appropriate pressure to the board and steering skills a solid foundation can be developed. Taking up a new sport can be a quite liberating experience or a humbling journey through new thresholds of frustration. A lack of understanding of how the edges of a snowboard work can result in some pretty hard slams from catching the downhill edge.
Good instructors can practically give a slam free guarantee.
That means faster results and less time before having the ability to ride the entire mountain. The human mind and body is a master of adaptability. This can be a benefit in learning a new sport. It can also inhibit the learning process. There are many sports that are similar to snowboarding but only snowboarding is in fact snowboarding.