Last Updated16 May 2023

Getting Stoked on Snowboarding explores the underlying essence of why people snowboard and how to create stoke in your students whilst keeping them safe and maximising fun. Instructors are responsible for introducing hundreds of people to the addiction of snowboarding each year and we play an important role in developing and shaping the sport’s future. The question we should be asking ourselves as instructors is: “How can we help foster and grow this passion in our students?”

Stoke!

This is where the magic happens and the passion takes hold!

For many, the passion that is created by snowboarding begins the first time they slide down a snow-covered hill sideways, linking their first turns. This can occur within hours of picking up a snowboard, or sometimes it can take longer.

There are a number of reasons why this passion is often powerful. The simple sensations of sliding on snow; the acceleration felt when gravity pulls you down a slope; the unusual movement patterns created by standing sideways on a board; these are all key triggers in helping the passion to take hold.

Striking the most suitable balance between the Safety, Fun and Achievement elements – that is specific to your individual students – is your goal in fostering this passion. The outcome of this is STOKE.

STOKE is a tricky word to explain in its entirety. Being excited, pumped, exhilarated, thrilled or amped, are all states of happiness that describe similar feelings.

Yet the word STOKE sums it all up. It is the essence of that addiction that people feel towards snowboarding.

Students may have felt this in other situations or sports, and desire the same feeling from snowboarding. However, it may even be their first time experiencing the feeling of stoke. In which case, they will have one of the best days of their life.

Keep in mind that catering to one individual is simple, but making sure that every student in a larger group feels that same level of stoke by the end of the lesson can often be challenging. This gets easier with experience and is what makes a truly great instructor.

“The more stoked people get during the lesson, the more likely they are to get hooked on this amazing sport; and that is the job of a snowboard instructor!”

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