But by then, my fate was sealed. I was going to snowboard, and snowboard well, if it took the rest of my life to learn. And my friends thought it would. Supposedly most people pick up snowboarding with just a few attempts and can master it in less than a season. The average person can pick up snowboarding fairly quickly based upon their balance skills and fear level, explains Ian Wallace, an instructor for Fiorini ski school.
Most people can turn and switch edges within five or six times going up in a season.
Well, my progress was quite slower than that. I bought a long board. When you're learning to snowboard, a shorter board is easier to control. It's harder to turn long boards, and the added speed you get on a longer board really isn't what a beginner needs. And it's harder to switch edges.