my #1 tip: take a lesson from a trained instructor.

you can surely pick it up, as many do, simply by trial and error, or by getting some pointers like this, and that's fine. but, taking a lesson will make a HUGE difference. my wife and her sister are both novice-to-intermediate snowboarders, and when we went out to colorado they were both having a lot of trouble on the slopes. they took a quick lesson and it made 100% difference. like night and day. seriously. take a lesson.