Why pay the money to have someone teach you when you can just get on the mountain and figure it out yourself? Good question. If I could do it all over again I would have taken at least one lesson. Learning on your own is frustrating and time consuming. If your friends say they will teach you, more often than not they will dump you on top of the mountain and leave you out of frustration. I see and hear about it all the time.
The instructors at Bogus Basin (and the majority of other mountains) are certified or accredited by AASI, American Association of Snowboard Instructors. Certification falls in to four categories; uncertified, Level I, Level II and Level III. The higher the certification level the more the instructor knows. Instructors undergo rigorous testing to be certified and must take continued education classes every year.
Learning through a certified AASI instructor is a much safer and more effective way to learn to ride. How quickly one picks up snowboarding varies. Some students can easily make turns on a green run in around two hours of private instruction time, while other students may need more time than that. Generally 4-8 hours of private instruction, with your own practice time in between instruction, will get you started and to the point where you are comfortable on the majority of the mountain. Again this all depends on the student.
You would still rather have your friend teach you? How much does your friend know about teaching? They may be an awesome rider but they probably do not know how to break snowboarding down into its very basics. You have to crawl before you walk and many people just do not have the patience or knowledge to teach you how to ride safely. I can break snowboarding down in to the smallest details and explain them to you in a way that makes sense. Then we can begin to link everything together and build upon what you have learned.
Your boyfriend is teaching you? It’s very sweet that he wants to get you involved in something he loves but again, does he know have the knowledge to teach? Tell him to stop being cheap and buy you a private lesson. This way he can go ride as hard as he wants and you can actually learn. You wont get in to a fight and you wont have to worry about him leaving you on the mountain to learn on your own.
If you still want to learn on your own—please do. I learned on my own too. If i could take back all the time spent being frustrated and falling I would and I would have taken a lesson. With that said, I recommend taking lessons because you will be safely riding your board in at least half the time as most other beginners who try and figure it out on their own.