Last week, I cried in the middle of the mountain. Tears streaming down my face and misting up my goggles. I wasn’t injured, I wasn’t in pain. I was just totally frustrated at my snowboarding.

It sounds stupid, right? My boyfriend was patiently coaxing me down the hill. I’d asked him for tips on perfecting my turns and getting more movement in my snowboarding. I wanted to be ready to tackle steeper slopes and deep powder. And yet I was totally pissed off.

My legs weren’t bending enough, I wasn’t getting the right flow, my coccyx had taken a beating.

At the beginning of any holiday (or in my case, season), I suffer from lack of confidence and stiff legs. Who doesn’t? But it’s not the be all and end all. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be a shit snowboarder for the rest of your life.

Here are my tips for when your legs are shaking and you feel like throwing your snowboard at the nearest tree and/or good snowboarder…