All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding

Episode 101 is “Instructor 101,” advice for aspiring snow-sports instructors as hiring begins earlier each season. They discuss how new hires often underestimate the gap between riding ability and understanding biomechanics and teaching, and emphasize humility, being a “sponge,” and that people skills and riding skills are trainable regardless of age. The group covers realities of the job: physical stamina, decision fatigue, unpredictable assignments and weather, managing personal discomfort, and the value of routines. They note career benefits like growth, pro-form discounts and PSIA-AASI membership perks, and debate gear hot takes on flipping toe-strap ratchets and modifying boot-liner lace eyelets.

02:09 Pow Days And Hardboots

04:43 Chile Camp Schedule Breakdown

08:28 Progress And Perfect Groomers

10:45 Why We Started Teaching

15:45 Learning Curve Reality Check

20:13 Confidence Age And Humility

25:59 Tryouts Then Vs Now

29:23 Trainability Over Talent

34:48 Physical And Mental Demands

37:03 Beginner Lessons Sweat

38:08 Lineup Roulette

38:39 Chameleon Instructor Mindset

40:59 From Riding to Working

42:32 Know Your Teaching Fit

46:19 Benefits and Growth

47:18 Generalist or Specialist

51:34 Private Lesson Reality Check

01:00:21 Double Gear Hot Takes

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Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

In episode 100 of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding,” hosts Matt Larson, Chris Rogers, and Brian Donovan celebrate reaching 100 episodes in about two years, share podcast milestones (over 65,000 plays, 745 subscribers), and announce a new merch store at learnedfromsnowboarding.com. The episode is a “deep dive on DIRT”—Duration, Intensity, Rate, and Timing - used as a framework for describing and analyzing snowboarding movements, especially for instruction and certification. They define each element, discuss how DIRT is about manipulating movements rather than specific movements, and explore how the elements interact, including common confusions between rate, duration, and intensity. Examples include a quick center-of-mass drop, spinning different rotations on the same jump, and pushing empty vs. loaded boxes. They also discuss individuality, power vs. finesse style, and end with hot takes on non-snowboard brands that fit snowboard culture plus listener shout-outs and calls for reviews and hot take submissions.

01:41 Snow Future Talk

03:37 Merch Store Drop

04:09 Why A Dirt Episode

05:09 DIRT Framework Explained

08:36 Duration

10:22 Intensity

11:28 Rate

16:04 Timing

19:58 Mixing DIRT Elements

23:47 Rate Vs Intensity Examples

30:32 Instructor Coaching Pet Peeves

33:43 Context and Quantifying Rate

38:36 Reference Riders and Alignments

41:14 Bias and Tailoring Demos

44:52 Cardboard Box DIRT Example

47:33 Biomechanics and Style

54:09 Individuality in Certification

57:38 Common Coaching Mistakes

59:54 Timing Tools and Sequence

01:03:51 Dynamic vs Prepared Movement

01:09:26 Hot Takes Brand Debate

01:13:18 Wrap Up and Merch

Help LFS Grow!

• ​Subscribe, share, and leave a review!
• ​Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 
• ​Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]
• ​Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

In episode 99 of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding,” Chris Rogers, Brian Donovan, and Matt Larson unpack why jumping on a snowboard is difficult, emphasizing that takeoff dictates flight and landing and that timing is critical. They discuss how jumping on a snowboard differs due to being strapped to a board on a slippery, deforming surface with limited ankle range, added boot/board weight, stance width, and varying jump shapes/sizes. The hosts cover mechanics like resisting momentum through the transition, managing extension vs absorption, forward lean effects, strength demands (isometric/eccentric/concentric), speed, rider mass, board setup, and the pitfalls of following others into jumps. 

00:35 Why Jumps Feel Scary

02:54 Jumping Sideways Explained

05:03 Slippery Surface Problem

05:59 Boots Stance And Ollies

07:37 Park Jumps Change Everything

11:06 Takeoff Dictates Flight

13:39 Timing Is The Whole Game

14:51 DIRT Model Side Quest

23:02 Why Boards Slip Out

25:42 Strength Beats Physics

31:12 Extension vs Taller

37:21 Following In for Speed

42:53 Reps and Hike Park

44:59 Snowboarding Music Picks

57:31 After Credits Banter

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

In episode 98 of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding,” Matt Larson, Brian Donovan, and Chris Rogers reunite for an unstructured catch-up after a missed recording when Matt got called to the hospital. They share seasonal updates (river trips in Montana, Vermont black fly season, travel, volleyball, motorcycles, a Pittsburgh birthday trip and sunburn, and Rogers’ basement renovation) and note ongoing work toward national alignment and Interski. The hosts reflect on how snowboarding pushed them into jobs that built work ethic and transferable skills, swapping stories about odd and tough gigs. They discuss best off-season jobs like raft guiding and team-building facilitation and float a potential Learn From Snowboarding meetup at Big Snow in New Jersey in September, plus a brief appearance from Matt’s mom, Barb Larson.

00:00 Fan Message Shoutout

02:11 Spring Catch Up

05:25 National Alignment Update

06:51 Vermont Summer Mode

15:30 Episode Intro And Format

16:38 Snowboarding Work Ethic

21:26 Weird Jobs Stories

25:08 Alaska Gold Dredge Tour

30:53 Enterprise Insurance Honesty

33:31 Best Side Hustles

33:45 Raft Guiding Life Skills

34:52 Ropes Course Facilitation

38:18 Skill Transfer and Fire Work

48:22 Big Snow Meetup Planning

51:43 Barb Larson Drops In

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

Chris rejoins Brian and Matt to recap the last episode on “chatter,” Rogers shares a Europe trip with Head Snowboards for 27/28 product testing that delivered an April powder day, helped him recognize season burnout, and renewed his stoke; the group discusses motivation during poor conditions and valuing community over snow quality. Donovan describes squeezing in two quick Copper laps with the Rider Rally/National Academy crew amid travel and road challenges. They read listener emails: Miles S passing his Level 3 teach at Mammoth, Jamie W’s detailed “Dirt vs TID” note to revisit, and John James’ binding highback-rotation feedback, sparking a debate and a “cut two, keep three” snowboard tech game. Matt adds a plug for a summer Chile carving camp at carvingtheandes.com.

00:44 Last Episode Recap

03:24 Europe Powder Reset

05:44 Motivation in Bad Conditions

11:58 Copper Laps and Community

18:20 Listener Emails and Shoutouts

23:46 Hot Take Highback Rotation

35:40 Cut Two Keep Three Game

43:35 Ride For Jake Date

47:45 Wrap Up And Plugs

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

With Chris in Austria testing boards with Head Snowboards, Matt Larson and Brian Donovan are let loose for episode 96 of “All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding.” They describe bulletproof, icy conditions during regional trainings for National Team selections, which sets the stage for an episode all about chatter. They define heel chatter as edge skipping when forces build around the fall line and pressure management breaks down. They list contributors and fixes including turn symmetry, tilt and pressure along the board, biomechanics and absorption, forward lean, redirection of momentum versus resisting gravity, early edge engagement, twist management, and “soft and low” flexion responses, then close with a hot take choosing two forever terrain-park features.

00:00 Tryout Recap

05:58 Firm Snow East Coast Talk

07:27 Team Tryout Tactics Lessons

10:32 Episode Setup and Hosts

12:10 Heel Chatter Defined

15:48 Why Chatter Happens

18:18 Forward Lean Debate

30:33 Alpine and Eurocarve Pitfalls

34:11 Fixing Heel Chatter Checklist

41:10 Pivot Versus Skid

42:56 Top Fixes Debate

46:37 Momentum Beats Gravity

48:33 Training Heel Chatter

52:09 Soft And Low

52:41 Can You Recover

01:01 Prevent It Early

01:03 Hot Takes

01:05 Two Park Features

01:07 Jump And Rail Picks

01:16:00 Wrap Up And Plugs

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

In Episode 95 Brian Donovan, Matt Larson, and Chris Rogers compare late-season conditions across Big Sky, Colorado, and the Northeast, then offer practical advice for spring exams and assessments, including terrain planning, adapting movement intensity to speed and snow, and tuning and waxing strategies (structure, sharp edges, not tuning the day before, and watching for box/rail unpredictability). They reflect on tracking seasonal “nuggets,” discuss stance experimentation and emerging tools like the Stance Pro app, and close with “daily driver” gear picks and a playful poll challenge tied to Rider Rally.

02:41 Podcast Growth Reflections

03:34 Episode 95 Kickoff

04:04 Wild Spring Conditions

08:24 Exams Amid Terrain Changes

10:38 Spring Exam Mindset

13:11 Waxing and Edge Prep

17:02 Park Hazards in Spring

18:43 Tune Timing for Exams

26:23 Adjusting Intensity When Slow

31:02 How Conditions Change Assessments

37:14 Calibrating Speed and Turn Shape

41:22 Spring Slush Speed Hacks

41:59 Shadows as Speed Zones

43:20 Season Nuggets and Journaling

44:22 Logging Clients and Clinics

48:46 Writing to Anchor Learning

54:17 Stance Experiments and Tools

58:40 Hot Takes Daily Driver Gear

01:11:00 Rider Rally Poll Challenge

01:13:58 Wrap Up and Community Shoutouts

01:14:45 Merch Stories and Ski Lesson

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

Chris Rogers, Brian Donovan, and Matt Larson return to recording in the garage after a difficult Hawaii remote episode, sharing stories of extreme island weather, a missed volcanic eruption, and Matt surfing alone on a standup paddleboard in a big swell. They then do a first-time watch-along of the Red Bull Yeti Natural Selection Snowboard Finals Day at Revelstoke, providing timestamps, reactions, and commentary on logistics, terrain, snow conditions, tricks, and scoring as Zoe and Sarka battle in the women’s finals and Nils Mindich and Brin Alexander compete in the men’s finals, with Zoe and Nils winning. They discuss how Natural Selection allows imperfections like butt checks compared to other contests, touch on melting conditions in Montana canceling plans, and end with a listener question debating whether frontside or backside boardslides are harder.

Use this link to queue up the video they’re watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePt3-udc8Tc

02:13 Big Swell Surf Story

04:01 Natural Selection Watchalong Setup

06:22 Womens Finals Run One

07:25 Run One Reactions And Scores

12:32 Mens Finals Nils Vs Brin

17:24 Replay And Method Debate

19:37 Muted Mic And Scoring Talk

24:11 Gear Nostalgia And Winter Roots

25:37 Women’s Finals Lap Two

26:42 Run One Reactions

27:30 Why Vests Unzipped

28:17 Switch Five And Recovery

29:44 Run One Scores And Revelstoke Hype

31:54 Community And Access Talk

32:18 Mens Finals Run Two Setup

34:11 Brin Bold New Line

35:56 Nils Ninja Run

37:53 Judges Recap And Winner

39:37 Why Natural Selection Rules

45:00 Hot Take Board Slides

57:38 Wrap And Next Episodes

59:36 Post Show Email Tease

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

Matt is on vacation in Hawaii but called in to join Chris and Brian in this bonus episode. Discussions include Ride for Jake events at Mount Snow and elsewhere, and rewatching “Dear Rider.” Brian recommends the Red Bull x Burton video “Bloom” for its heavy street riding. They read listener emails, including tips for a 12-year-old worried about park progression: build comfort through mileage, off-snow practice with trainer boards or DIY setups, use low-profile pads, and get comfortable with speed before features. They also highlight an email celebrating passing an alpine Level 3 tech and MA assessment and another with an episode idea about teaching “DIRT” (duration, intensity, rate, timing). The episode ends with a hot take on old-school snowboard brands they want back, including Sessions, Special Blend, Forum, Celtek, Grenade, and Option.

00:00 Ride for Jake Memories

01:47 Bloom Video Rec

03:11 Connection Chaos Setup

04:55 Email Park Progression

06:03 Off Snow Training Tips

10:42 Speed Confidence Hack

12:27 Nose Pick Ritual Callback

14:24 Dirt Teaching Acronym

15:59 Exam Win Shoutout

17:37 Old Brands Comeback

18:36 Sessions and Special Blend

21:14 Forum Celltech Grenade

25:01 Option Boards Nostalgia

27:25 Wrap Up and Support

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠

In episode 93, Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan revisit fore-aft movement after a prior episode was cut short when Matt got called into the hospital. They compare weather and riding conditions, then define fore-aft as pressure and center-of-mass management along the snowboard’s length (tip to tail). They explain why beginners are taught to pressure the front foot to engage sidecut and create grip, then explore how advanced riding prioritizes performance, timing, speed, and momentum, making large fore-aft shifts less practical. The group discusses pressure vs body position, moving the body over the board versus moving the board under the body, how edge-change patterns (extending, flexing, retraction) affect fore-aft, and how equipment flex profiles and speed influence decambering. They close with a hot take on coaching the approach and “catch” onto urban rails, plus updates on merch, the website, and exam-related episodes.

00:00 Intro and Crew Check In

00:57 Beeper Story and On Call Life

02:12 Powder Days and Burnout

05:05 Why Four Aft Matters

06:35 Beginner Progression and Sidecut

09:06 Grip and Contact Points

13:42 From Efficiency to Performance

16:10 Defining Four Aft Clearly

23:28 Pressure vs Position Mechanics

28:21 Center of Mass Misconceptions

33:13 Foot Feel and Rolling Cues

34:46 When Forward Hurts Performance

37:33 Slip Versus Grip

38:43 Heel Chatter Nuances

41:46 Reference Alignments Steeps

42:30 Instructor Clinic Story

46:01 Edge Change Patterns

48:05 Tail Sting Steeps

51:57 Board Under Body

56:05 Reset Back To Center

57:08 Speed And Decamber

01:00:22 Multicam Board Tangent

01:04:52 Boot Looseness Debate

01:08:31 Leg Triangle Analysis

01:10:58 Hot Take Urban Rails

Help LFS Grow!

• Subscribe, share, and leave a review!

• Check out the merch on our website: http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

• Send your questions for future mailbag episodes to [email protected]

• Follow us on socials @LearnedFromSnowboarding

Thanks for listening and being part of our community. We love your questions and feedback—keep them coming!

The snowboard podcast All I Really Need to Know I Learned from Snowboarding is a weekly podcast with AASI Snowboard National Team Members Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan. Tune in each week as we discuss snowboarding, snowsports instruction, instructor certification, and how, well, basically, we learned everything we need to know from snowboarding!

Hosts: Chris Rogers, Matt Larson, and Brian Donovan Website:http://www.learnedfromsnowboarding.com 

Email: [email protected] 

Instagram:

⁠⁠⁠⁠Learned from Snowboarding⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Brian Donovan⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Matt Larson⁠⁠⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Chris Rogers⁠