Snowboarding vs. Skiing

I'm 38, been skiing since jr. high and last year decided to give snowboarding a try. Now I can't imagine ever skiing again, it would seem boring to me...and I am NOT a ski hater, i loved it (sorta like always loving Porsches until you get your first ferrari). Now I'm totally addicted...to the point where I'm TiVo-ing snowboarding tv shows, filmed by 22 year olds stoned out of their minds. After the initial pain of learning to get down the mountain without breaking your a$$ or wrists, it seems like it's easier to master than skiing. This is my first real season and I'm already doing boxes, jumps and easy rails, blacks are no problem and I have yet to try a real double black (always with my girlfriend). So, I wanted to see if anyone else had a similar experience and also wanted to hear about people's favorite snowboarding destinations.

 

My 13-year old daughter first learned to ski, and then tried snowboarding. She will not ski anymore, only snowboard.

 

Same here. I moved from skiing to snowboarding 12 years ago, never been back on a pair of skis since.

IMHO skiing is a more technical sport. It takes you a lot longer to become a great skier than it does to become a great snowboarder.
Perhaps thats where the attraction lies. I progressed with snowboarding much more quickly than with skiing.

Even though I live in Switzerland and have great resorts like St Moritz, Davos, Ischgl, St Anton/Christoph all within 1-1.5 hours the best place as far as I'm concerned are the canadian rockies.

 

Ive skiid for decades

tried snowboarding once and it was fun but you go down much harder than you would on skis

its fun going fast & carving but I didnt have enough control in tighter situations or stopping

I thought I was going to kill myself on a snowboard so I just went back to skis

 

I'm a very avid and very proficient skier (and decent wakeboarder) FWIW.

One thing I've noticed is a good number of my (proficient) snowboarding friends expressing the desire to go back to skiing (now that the novelty has worn of).

They cite the frustration in doing up bindings with every run, painful falls, and 'unnatural stance' as significant reasons to go back.

From an mechanism of injury standpoint, snowboarding significantly predisposes you to wrist and hand injuries (fracture). Skiing is a ligamentous knee injury waiting to happen.

Can't go wrong with either (or both). Just things to consider when contemplating a change or first time out (especially at older ages, previous musculoskeletal injuries).

 

Similar story - skied for about fifteen years or so before trying snowboarding, and found it felt "free-er". As long as the snow is fresh and powdery, I'll choose snowboarding every time, but if it is at all icy or hard-packed, I prefer skis.

Twenty years or so ago, when snowboarding was new and it seemed like only those within a five-year radius of the age of 16 snowboarded, and many were typically at or beyond the limits of their control, a joke was doing the rounds...
Q: What does a snowboarder say when he meets a skier?
A: Sorry, dude!

 

I have skied since age 3. competed in moguls and even had sponsors. took up snowboarding 8 years ago, i like it, but still like to ski - so i do both. i usually ski in the morning and board in the afternoon. I have mogul and powder skis, a trick snowboard and a powder snowboard that i schlep to the resort....

 

I skied from the age of 5 till I was 20 years old. I then began snowboarding and stuck to it until the fat-skis came out about 10 years ago. I now do both depending on the type of Terrain and conditions I will be riding in.

I will Snowboard if I go to a Mountain with good "fall line" and fresh deep pow, I pull the planks out for Bumps-Ice-Speed runs-dust on crust and when it hasn't snowed in a while.

Snowboarding on icey hardpacked groomers is not that much fun, carving huge fast turns in deep champagne powder is like nothing else!

Also the learning curve for Snowboarding is quite steep, once you can put together a few turns and remember to stay on edge you can get pretty good quite fast. Landing jumps is also easier on a board, you can land pretty crossed up and squirrelly and still keep riding.

Skiing takes a lot longer to get good at and is more physically demanding and quite a bit more uncomfortable (damn hardboots), it is also alot easier to put on a "garage-sale" and eat snow when you don't land properly.

There is nothing worse than buying a new set of Skis and then you lose one in some deep powder after you bail on your second run!! (Happened to me with a pair of Volkl's)

There are many pros and cons to both......pick one or both and get out there!

 

I've been snowboarding for 9 years and it took 3 seasons to get comfortable. Now, I'll take any terrain and am learning the half pipe again. I love the board too much to consider going back any time soon. Sure, the bindings are a PIA to do every time, but it's all worth it. Helmet and wrist guards are mandatory for me, no major crashes so far, just one brainer last year, which illustrated the value of a helmet, followed by a crash into a noob a couple of weeks ago. Turned out the noob was cute, so that was all good, too.

I'm looking for a new board for next season since mine's getting a little long in the tooth. Looking forward to getting on the latest board technology.

 

i skied from 4 years old to about 12? then tried snowboarding for 2 seasons, then broke both my wrist... not fun, so i went back to skiing.

 

Once you go double black, you don't go back!

 

I've only snowboarded once but it was the most fun I've had during winter. Definitely will take it up ASAP. Got a beginner's lesson and had a lot of fun. It was quite a workout for me (I didn't work out my lower body and dragging the board was quite hard hahahahaha). Needless to say the first slope I went down I wiped out every 3 meters but after that it was smooth sailing!

OH, the first time I went there I attempted the Double Black Diamond. literally did it all on my ass! I was sore for the next week!

 

If skiing were easy it would be called snowboarding.

 

Not entirely true....its a little funny how they work. Day one of skiing is actually very easy compared to day one of snowboarding. Most noobs can snowplow their way down the hill without doing to much damage, and they can stand up most of the time.

Starting out on a Snowboard is pretty difficult because you can't really half ass it, you need a decent amount of speed to turn and most noobs are too scared to get any momentum.
Try catching a few toe edges and getting face planted again and again or catch a few heel edges and get the back of your head slammed into the ground, when you catch an edge it is sort of like God picking you up and slamming you into the snow as hard as he can!

Once a skier and snowboard get the basics then yes Skiing is the more difficult sport to master, there is just more things going on. Two boards instead of one and ski's can come off anytime, a board is strapped to you and ain't going anywhere.

 

You skiers amaze me. Us snowboarders usally go pretty slow but you guys just hall ass down the moutain. I personally like snowboarding more and found it easier then skiing but thats just me.

 

I dont have the personality to snowboard...skiing is fun. I miss it now

Antony

 

Huh?? Do you think the snowboard cares what type of personality you have?

 

I know Flows very well. In fact, I got my kid Flows this season and they're great for the lil sixty-pounder that he is.

I, on the other hand, weigh in at a little more than 60 lbs and just put too much force through my bindings to the board. Flows don't have the precision that I like. I'd love to have the ease of use of Flows, but just don't get what I need from them. Perhaps they'd work better if I didn't ride as hard or as fast as I do. I'll keep my Burtons for now.

 

Funny I weigh 190lbs and used to speed line the Dave Murray downhill at whistler 20-30 times a year with all the precision I could want. I agree they aren't quite as sharp as a traditional strap-in binding but I added some "gas-pedals" and it made a big difference. In the Powder they are great as well.

With the Flows you need to crank the foot-pad down pretty tight to negate any flex.

 

Been skiing since 1985 and boarding since 1993. I usually end up going 30 times per year and have both sets of gear. I find myself strapping into the skis 10% of the time. When its decision time in the morning the soft boots win me over. Occasionally I even put them on at my house and drive to the hill in the boots, always when I go to my local hill thats a 2 minute drive from home. The other factor is I don't want to blow a knee and skis can do it easier.

As most of you mentioned snowboarding is an easier "feeling" to get comfortable with. But taking jumps is tougher since you're body isn't flying str8 chest forward. Also rotations are harder to accomplish since you don't have two edges to start it with and you can't bring your knees together. Rails/boxes take similar time to learn on both.

Strapping in your binding is a PITA, but it's become normal. Most hills have benches, so I sit myself down, slowly strap in while in zen, select an ipod track, and then I shred it hard to the bottom. As for Flow bindings- fantastic even for park rats.

My local spots of the past decade are Sunshine Village(local), Big White and Whistler in Western Canada.

The last few weeks I've started taking snowskating more seriously, it's quite a challenge. Have a couple clips at youtube.com/deepturnscanada

 

I do both but like to ski better. I feel like i have more control, alot more control while on skiis. Been skiing along time and snowboarding about 2 yrs.

 

RE: Flow bindings...funny you guys mention them, i just bought a pair but have yet to use them ( i live in chicago....it's cold, but quite flat). they seem sweet but I hope that they feel tight enough.

 

I think the term is "haul" -

Am I the only one left with a pair of Hanson shell boots and Olin Mark VI in 205cm?

 

+1
Tries snowboarding 20 years ago, never again.
Plus Deer Valley doesn't allow snowboarders, so I'm glad to ski there anyway.

BT