We're not going to sugarcoat it, but your first few days on a snowboard are going to be a mixture of slams, slides and bruised bits. But stick with it please, because once you get a grip on the basics ...

Snowboards come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some look like popsicles while others resemble fish or even torpedoes. They also vary quite a bit in rigidness: Those intended for beginners are often ...