Few things are as humbling or as stimulating to a good skier as abandoning the security of a sport already mastered to become, once again, an awkward beginner. This is true on cross-country skating skis, on telemark skis, on monoskis, and especially on snowboards. Here's a little of what I learned once I set aside my misgivings.
Which Foot Forward?
Snowboarding, like surfing and skateboarding, is a sideways-standing sport. To discover your natural stance, find an icy stretch of pavement or a frozen puddle, run a few feet, and let yourself slide across it. Which foot do you instinctively stretch forward? That's your front foot on a snowboard.
To get started, pick an easy hill with soft snow. What precisely does one do with a snowboard? There are several competing approaches in snowboarding instruction, but this is what worked for me. Go across the hill first. You will gain more confidence and control, more quickly, if you develop a traversing/side-slipping/braking pattern first, before heading straight down the fall line. Unlike skiing, traversing across a slope on a snowboard is quite different depending on which way you're heading. You will have a backside traverse (back to the mountain) and a frontside traverse (facing the mountain). The backside traverse is a stronger, easier maneuver, because the high plastic spoilers of most snowboard bindings give you more support in this direction -- you can lean back against them to increase edging. On the frontside traverse you feel like you're standing on your toes, and it takes more strength to control the board. Experienced skiers seem to react differently to snowboards than those whose only experience of sliding over snow has been on a board. Instinctively, the skilled skier who tries snowboarding wants to develop strong edge control. The shortest route to this end is to use hard plastic snowboarding boots rather than soft Sorel-type, felt-lined boots and wraparound bindings. Hard boots greatly strengthen your frontside edging.
While you traverse the slope, flatten and sideslip your board from time to time; to stop, push the board away from you, twisting it up the hill, while you let it slip. And -- very important -- when you get in trouble, sit down! In fact, you can sit down and flip your board around between traverses until you're ready to turn downhill. As in skiing, the downhill turn is the soul of the sport, but don't try it until you feel comfortable just sliding sideways and across the hill. When you're ready, start your downhill turn by committing your body in the direction you want to go -- leading with your front hand -- and then swivel the board with your feet to catch up to where your body already is. The feeling is almost like falling into a turn, insecure but very effective.
This thumbnail sketch doesn't take the place of lessons, and nowadays most ski schools have become ski and snowboard schools, so it won't be hard to find good snowboarding lessons at most ski areas. Five years ago it would have been a challenge, ten years ago impossible. Good riding!