the first week of snowboarding might just be the most painful, miserable experience an Adult male* human can subject themselves to**
have some lessons first – to see how your knee reacts, it's very tricky to 'favour' one leg more than another. when you know what you're doing you move your weight around to control the board, and when you're learning you won't have the control.
(**if done properly, ie; no lessons except being dragged to the top of a steep icy red by your 'mates' and abandoned for the day. This is usually considered more than enough experience to start hitting the park on your second day. By the third day you will have whiplash, agonising leg cramps, and a hernia. you won't be the only newbie on your trip, so you'll be forced to man-up and deny any pain or fatigue. Any lessons and or rest days and you can consider yourself a lightweight. On returning to the uk you will discover that you've factured your coccyx and one wrist).
(*women are of course allowed patience, sympathy, lessons and rest days, they're not stupid – they tend to react with a blank expression and blinking when advised to 'man-up')