– first thing first, learn how to stop

The rest will come, I promise. Stopping is one of the hardest parts of learning to snowboard, so make sure you’ve got it down before you try and bah-haw your way down the hill. It’s a simple concept: turn your board to the side and sort of grind to a stop–but proceed with caution. Try starting on a smaller slope and gradually working your way down with your board sideways. Then you can move on to going down a couple feet, then turning the board to stop. Take it slow and it’ll pay off in the end.

– bring sunglasses or goggles

The glare from the sun reflecting off the snow can be a real pain when you’re trying to navigate the slippery slopes, so try and remember to bring eyewear. They keep you from squinting, improve your vision and could protect you from injury.

– invest in some good gloves

Gloves are definitely there to keep your hands warm, but also remember that you use them a lot when you’re doing and undoing the clasps on your board. Make sure you’ve got a nice pair of gloves that allow your fingers to move around.

– waterproof yourself

Make sure all your gear–gloves, pants, hat, coat, etc.–is mostly waterproof. This isn’t too severe of a thing, but it’s a good idea to be prepared in case you take a tumble and end up freezing.

– don’t let your board lay flat on the snow

When you’re going down the hill, make sure your board is always at a slight tilt otherwise there’s a good chance you’ll face plant. It’s hard to explain, but you’ll understand after eating snow a couple times. Constant leaning and curving will be best so you don’t let your board go flat or end up going too fast and wiping out that way.

– get used to having one foot in the front binding, and one pushing you along

Getting to and from the chair lift requires you to sort of slide-walk. Your left foot will always stay in the front binding. Your right foot will be released from the other binding whenever you’re on flat ground and need to move around. Push off like a skateboard and ride the board that way to the chairlift, putting your right foot on the slick board. It’s a good idea to get a shoe grip sticker – especially one with little spikes – for your board so your right foot doesn’t slip when you’re coasting.

– be prepared to fall….a lot

Snowboarding doesn’t usually come naturally. It’s a different experience to have a piece of board attached to your feet. The movement you have to get down to steer and stop can be difficult. Don’t get frustrated, though most people do. Keep trying and all your hard work will pay off.