The Purple Guide to Learning Snowboarding in 10 Days
A realistic, day-by-day starter plan to see if snowboarding is worth your time, money, and sore muscles
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
Ten days, one snowboard, zero fluff. A practical beginner's plan to try snowboarding and find out if it's for you.
About this book
You've thought about trying snowboarding, but the whole thing feels like a mystery. What gear do you actually need? Will you spend the whole day falling? Is it worth the money and the sore legs? These are fair questions, and this guide answers them without pushing you to buy expensive equipment or commit to a full season before you know what you're getting into.
This is a ten-day plan that treats snowboarding like what it is: a skill you learn step by step. Day one is just about getting on the board and sliding. By day ten, you'll be linking turns on beginner terrain, and you'll honestly know if this is something you want to keep doing. Each chapter ends with a specific, achievable win for that day's session, so you always know what to aim for, even when your legs feel like jelly and the mountain seems steeper than it looked from the car park.
The plan is honest about the frustrating parts, the cost realities, and the physical demands. It also tells you when a lift ticket, a lesson, or a better board is actually worth the money, and when you're fine with the basics. You'll finish with a short list of practical questions to ask yourself and others, so your next step - whether that's a season pass, a lesson pack, or a different winter hobby - is your choice, not a guess.
Reader Reviews
David Wright
★★★★★I was honestly skeptical of a 10-day plan, but the First Day chapter was exactly what I needed. It doesn't sugarcoat the falling or the cold - it just tells you what to expect and gives you one thing to do. I got my first straight glide on day one, just like it said. The gear comparison on day three saved me from buying stuff I don't need. Plan to keep going.
Michael Baker
★★★★★The self-assessment checklist on day two was brutally honest and helpful. I live 3 hours from the nearest slope, and this guide made me realize a season pass is a bad idea for me right now. I'm still doing the days I can, but it saved me a lot of money. The J-turn explanation on day five is the clearest I've found anywhere, including from my instructor friends.
Andrew Lee
★★★★★This is the first guide that treats snowboarding like a learnable skill, not a miracle. The falling leaf on day four finally explained what my buddy kept trying to show me. I had a breakthrough on the J-turn at the end of day five and actually linked two turns on day eight. No vague inspiration, just real steps that work.
Robert Young
★★★★★I've wanted to try snowboarding for years but always felt too old or too clumsy. The day-by-day format made it feel manageable. Day one was physically rough, but the guide's tone kept me from quitting. By day seven I was doing the milestones table almost exactly. I'm 44 and I did it. Worth every penny.
Kathleen Hill
★★★★★The information is solid, and I appreciate the honest tone. But I found the 10-day format too rigid for my real life. Rain one weekend, work another - I took three weeks to get through it. The milestones table was the most useful part. If you follow it in order, it works. Just don't expect to finish in exactly 10 days if the weather doesn't cooperate.
Angela Hall
★★★★★The First Day chapter made me feel like I had a coach with me. No jargon, no showing off - just 'here's how you strap in, here's how you stand up, here's one thing to try.' I fell a lot, but I knew that was coming. The gear table on day three is worth the price by itself. I rented everything and saved a fortune.
Joshua Thomas
★★★★★I was stuck on the straight glide for two days and got frustrated. The troubleshooting on day six fixed it - I was looking down at my feet instead of where I wanted to go. After that, it clicked. The checklists are practical and the tone is encouraging without being cheesy. Solid starter guide that does what it promises.
Barbara Scott
★★★★★Exactly what a total beginner needs. I didn't know the difference between heel edge and toe edge when I started. The falling leaf exercise broke it down so clearly that I was doing it by the end of day four. The day eight narrative was so real - I had the exact same frustrating first hour. But I finished the plan, and I'm going to take a real lesson next. This guide gave me the foundation to not waste that money.