I’m still learning snowboarding. Mainly because that’s what my wife is doing. However given young kids we haven’t made it out much. (That and cost) Back in the day though I did AT skiing all the time. Either at the resorts (primarily Alta and Brighton) or backcountry.
We were going to get back into it this year and wouldn’t you know it: first day out and my wife tears a tendon from falling wrong on her snowboard.
It took me 5 years of going two or three times a season to kind of get the hang of skiing. It took me two times down the mountain to get the hang of snowboarding.
Skiing has only two advantages over snowboarding: 1) there is at least a little warning when you are going to fall and 2) you don’t have to strap in right off the lift. Otherwise snowboarding beats skiing in every other conceivable category.
I went skiing once and it took me 3 hours to get down the mountain. Not my finest hour. Wait–I guess I mean not my finest three hours.
I picked snowboarding because I’m imagining I would be better at it than skiing. But since I have no desire to do either of them, I guess it didn’t really matter which one I chose. Sorry to screw up the poll.
I agree that snowboarding looks cooler (when done properly) but despite Rusty’s experience (You must have been a skateboarder Rusty) skiing is generally easier to learn to an intermediate level (after that, snowboarding is easier to become expert in, while skiing becomes harder as you attempt to progress to the expert level).
The reason for this is that just standing on skis is very natural, while on a snowboard it is not. But once you learn how to stand, turn and stop on a snowboard, the hard part is over.
I’m still a beginner at snowboarding after skiing all my life, but I love both. I do think that most snowboarders are in desperate need of instruction and safety training. Many are dangerous because they ignore the fact that snowboarding gives you a natural blindspot that you must constantly be aware of.
Thank goodness for Alta and Deer Valley, where you can get away from the knuckle draggers and nutjobs if you want.
I agree with Rusty. After three years of skiing, I couldn’t break out of the green. After two days of snowboarding, I was taking the Back Bowls and Giant Steps at Vail.
I disagree with MCQ, however. Standing on skis is not natural! And falling on skis can produce worse injuries (picture both legs twisted in opposite directions and still going. Ouch!)
danithew, a skateboarding background is useful to picking up snowboarding: the mechanics are similar. The enjoyment for me is that it is like skateboarding or surfing. I feel more at one with the terrain. When I ski, I feel like it’s me vs. the terrain, and I don’t like that.
I meant “natural” in that the stance on a pair of skis is the natural way you stand anyway, as opposed to a snowboarding stance where you are standing sideways to the angle of momentum. If you have skateboarded much, you will find the snowboard stance quite comfortable, but it is not a “natural” stance in the way that skiing is.
Rusty, you get different injuries snowboarding, but they are not less likely. One patrolman I spoke to said that snowboarding injuries are about twice the rate of sking injuries, most of them being concussions and wrist fractures.
I’ve never done either, either, but I voted for skiing because:
a) as Susan said, It’s so 70′s, and that’s not always a bad thing.
b) I like The Beatles and James Bond.
c) snowboarding is too X-treme for me. I’m mild mannered.
snowboarding injuries are about twice the rate of sking injuries, most of them being concussions and wrist fractures
I can’t disagree with that. Many snowboarders think they are better than they really are and 1) Can’t handle speed to the point they lose control, and 2) Don’t know how to fall … without getting injured. Pontificating aside, I’m still nursing a sprained wrist from spring break at Tahoe.
Ouch BM, sorry to hear that. Wrist injuries seem almost epidemic among snowboarders. It’s hard to overcome the instinct of trying to catch yourself when you’re falling, but it’s critical in snowboarding. You have to condition yourself, when falling forward, to land on your knees and elbows. When falling backward it’s easier: just choose a buttcheek.
i agree w/ what some of the others say. you can become a pretty good snowboarder faster than you can become a good skier. the first 3 or 4 times are difficult, and then you just seem to get it.
if you want a challenging sport that takes years to get justdecent at try surfing.
I’m not sure that’s true vis a vis skiing. I think the problem learning to board is that boarding is easier on steeper hills rather than bunny hills. Skiing once you learn the V can be done on easier hills and worked up.
With skis I was doing diamond runs my first day simply because of the control I had. With a snowboard it has taken me a long time to feel like I had much control.
Maybe that’s because I skied for 10 years before boarding. But still I’d have to say learning to ski is tons easier and you can do the hard stuff like moguls pretty quickly.
But to those who have actually done these sports, would you say that analogy works?
Nope. I disagree with Bull Moose that skateboarding is helpful, just like skating didn’t do much for my surfing skills. I skated for years before I tried snowboarding and really disliked the fixed stance and edge-catching slams that highlight the difference between the flexibility one has on a skateboard with the rigidity of a snowboard.
Sounds like snowboarding accounts for more than a quarter of all non-fatal outdoor sports injuries and leads the next highest activity by more than double. So in terms of safety, it’s definitely not better than skiing.
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Never done either. If I were going to try one out, it would probably be snowboarding.
I am now imagining an image of myself going head over heals down a snow-covered hill.
I’ve never done either also. Which is funny since my husband designs and manufactures snowboards.
Skiing, though both are great.
I’m still learning snowboarding. Mainly because that’s what my wife is doing. However given young kids we haven’t made it out much. (That and cost) Back in the day though I did AT skiing all the time. Either at the resorts (primarily Alta and Brighton) or backcountry.
We were going to get back into it this year and wouldn’t you know it: first day out and my wife tears a tendon from falling wrong on her snowboard.
It took me 5 years of going two or three times a season to kind of get the hang of skiing. It took me two times down the mountain to get the hang of snowboarding.
Skiing has only two advantages over snowboarding: 1) there is at least a little warning when you are going to fall and 2) you don’t have to strap in right off the lift. Otherwise snowboarding beats skiing in every other conceivable category.
“Otherwise snowboarding beats skiing in every other conceivable category.”
not according to your own poll, smarty pants.
Skiing is so 1970s.
Plus it looks so dorky.
Tubing. Or sliding on waxed cardboard.
I’ve gone skiing a few times, but never snowboarded.
On a less controversial note, can we all agree that water skiing is better than waterboarding?
I picked skiing only because that’s all I know how to do.
I went skiing once and it took me 3 hours to get down the mountain. Not my finest hour. Wait–I guess I mean not my finest three hours.
I picked snowboarding because I’m imagining I would be better at it than skiing. But since I have no desire to do either of them, I guess it didn’t really matter which one I chose. Sorry to screw up the poll.
Why not both? Choosing between them is so 1980s.
I agree that snowboarding looks cooler (when done properly) but despite Rusty’s experience (You must have been a skateboarder Rusty) skiing is generally easier to learn to an intermediate level (after that, snowboarding is easier to become expert in, while skiing becomes harder as you attempt to progress to the expert level).
The reason for this is that just standing on skis is very natural, while on a snowboard it is not. But once you learn how to stand, turn and stop on a snowboard, the hard part is over.
I’m still a beginner at snowboarding after skiing all my life, but I love both. I do think that most snowboarders are in desperate need of instruction and safety training. Many are dangerous because they ignore the fact that snowboarding gives you a natural blindspot that you must constantly be aware of.
Thank goodness for Alta and Deer Valley, where you can get away from the knuckle draggers and nutjobs if you want.
I used to enjoy skateboarding – so I figure I could enjoy snowboarding.
But to those who have actually done these sports, would you say that analogy works?
I agree with Rusty. After three years of skiing, I couldn’t break out of the green. After two days of snowboarding, I was taking the Back Bowls and Giant Steps at Vail.
I disagree with MCQ, however. Standing on skis is not natural! And falling on skis can produce worse injuries (picture both legs twisted in opposite directions and still going. Ouch!)
danithew, a skateboarding background is useful to picking up snowboarding: the mechanics are similar. The enjoyment for me is that it is like skateboarding or surfing. I feel more at one with the terrain. When I ski, I feel like it’s me vs. the terrain, and I don’t like that.
I feel more at one with the terrain. When I ski, I feel like it’s me vs. the terrain, and I don’t like that.
Bull Moose, Exactly. And yeah, my ski tip barely touches a snow mound and a tear my ACL. Much more difficult to get a similar injury snowboarding.
And yes, I did/do skateboard. Snowboarding is especially similar to skating on a longboard.
I meant “natural” in that the stance on a pair of skis is the natural way you stand anyway, as opposed to a snowboarding stance where you are standing sideways to the angle of momentum. If you have skateboarded much, you will find the snowboard stance quite comfortable, but it is not a “natural” stance in the way that skiing is.
Rusty, you get different injuries snowboarding, but they are not less likely. One patrolman I spoke to said that snowboarding injuries are about twice the rate of sking injuries, most of them being concussions and wrist fractures.
I’ve never done either, either, but I voted for skiing because:
a) as Susan said, It’s so 70′s, and that’s not always a bad thing.
b) I like The Beatles and James Bond.
c) snowboarding is too X-treme for me. I’m mild mannered.
Neither.
Both involve you getting injured, cold, and broke.
I can’t disagree with that. Many snowboarders think they are better than they really are and 1) Can’t handle speed to the point they lose control, and 2) Don’t know how to fall … without getting injured. Pontificating aside, I’m still nursing a sprained wrist from spring break at Tahoe.
Ouch BM, sorry to hear that. Wrist injuries seem almost epidemic among snowboarders. It’s hard to overcome the instinct of trying to catch yourself when you’re falling, but it’s critical in snowboarding. You have to condition yourself, when falling forward, to land on your knees and elbows. When falling backward it’s easier: just choose a buttcheek.
Why not both? Choosing between them is so 1980s.
+++
Although it is nice that Alta is ski only so the boarders don’t screw up the moguls.
One should note that there are multiple kinds of skiing. Anyone who says boarders can do everything skiiers can has never used AT skis or Tele skis.
On the other hand give me a broken wrist over a torn ACL any day.
i agree w/ what some of the others say. you can become a pretty good snowboarder faster than you can become a good skier. the first 3 or 4 times are difficult, and then you just seem to get it.
if you want a challenging sport that takes years to get justdecent at try surfing.
I’m not sure that’s true vis a vis skiing. I think the problem learning to board is that boarding is easier on steeper hills rather than bunny hills. Skiing once you learn the V can be done on easier hills and worked up.
With skis I was doing diamond runs my first day simply because of the control I had. With a snowboard it has taken me a long time to feel like I had much control.
Maybe that’s because I skied for 10 years before boarding. But still I’d have to say learning to ski is tons easier and you can do the hard stuff like moguls pretty quickly.
Skiing but only of the cross country variety.
Well, if I’m gonna be surrounded by beauties like this…Snowboard!!
http://www.maxim.com/hotties/semi_finalist_profile.aspx?key=700&isVideo=1
Nope. I disagree with Bull Moose that skateboarding is helpful, just like skating didn’t do much for my surfing skills. I skated for years before I tried snowboarding and really disliked the fixed stance and edge-catching slams that highlight the difference between the flexibility one has on a skateboard with the rigidity of a snowboard.
Snow skating is where it’s at, anyway. You guys are so unhip.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSi7Qn_iY9o
Both, but I’ll add a third: Telemarking. I typically bring gear for all three when I go.
You all may be interested in this article:
http://www.sltrib.com/wintersports/ci_9550946
Sounds like snowboarding accounts for more than a quarter of all non-fatal outdoor sports injuries and leads the next highest activity by more than double. So in terms of safety, it’s definitely not better than skiing.