Snowboarding v.s. skiing?

Question

for this spring break my family and i are going up to colorado to a ski resort.

i want to learn to snowboard but my parents are going to force me to learn to ski.

i know they just have my best interest in mind but i have had decisions like this made for me before with out my consent, i don't want this to be another added to the list.

so my question is how can i proved to my parents it won't be a death wish to let me learn how to snow board?

i have tried researching it but i don't think i am looking at the right stuff, so far every thing i have found "statistically" says that skiing is the safer of the two.

i come from a VERY southern part of america and it is very rare to see snow. i do not want to regret never learning to snowboard when i had the chance.

so could someone point me to a sight or share a personal storey that would have information that could prove my parents otherwise?

Answer 1

If you really do live in the south and won't get many chances to ever go again, might as well learn to ski. It is quicker to pick up, your family will be there to help you out with your technique. If you ever move, you could always learn to snowboard.

Answer 2

With injuries and all look over this

- Skiing equipment is a couple hundred dollars more just for th upkeep and there lifestyle

-Snowboarding is more comfortable than skiing. Snowboards flex easier than skis unless you do freestyle skiing. Snowboard bindings and boots are not as tight they just are more in the tied or laced fashion giving you more freedom. You will be less sore at the end of the day. The one down side is getting on to lifts on a snowboard.

Snowboarders get more abuse for ripping up the mountain, but the average snowboarder is casual and usually are just like surfers.

-Skis are good for anything just depends which skis you get. the fatter your skis are the better it floats in powder or fluffy snow. The longer it is the faster it goes. If you have twin tips you are gonna be in the powder or in the park. All mountain skis are meant to be used for groomers or Pistes

Snowboards are always good for powder. Since they are so fat they float more in powder. You will find them in the terrain park because they aren't suited for glades (tree skiing) or groomed runs/pistes.

-Skiers suffer a lot of injuries in the free skiing category. A common injury is a torn ACL or MCL which is your ligiments in your knee, this accours when you land hard off a jump or cliff. Sometimes they might suffer a torn LCL or achilles tendon in your foot. Be sides that head injuries and other random injuries accour.

Snowboarders are known for one injury, the hairline fracture. You hairline bone is in you forearm by your hand in between two veins. Snowboarders will fall and put their hands out and bash their palms and strech out their hairline bone and snap it. It hurts a little and will be bothering you untill you get a cast and x rays. Besides that they will suffer head injuries from coming off a cliff or jump and landing to far forward and getting whiplash and smashing their head.

Anyother questions i would love to answer them just email me

Answer 3

Well i think you should try to snowboard first because its much more slower but if your looking for speed then go with skiing so tell your parents that snowboarding is a much safer way to go.

Answer 4

Snowboarding has turned into a style and a label for people.  its just like emo or jock or punk.  the new group is snowboarder.  SKI is the right choice

Answer 5

snowboarders usually get hurt from falling, many times on jumps, rails, etc.  also harder to learn and you will be sore the next day

skiiers usually get hurt by going out of control. theres also having to worry about crossing your skis and all that. easier to learn but not as fun in my opinion

Answer 6

My son is 10 yrs old, learned to snowboard this year... took 2 lessons and was ready for the chair lift.  What your parents need to understand is that when just learning.. you take a couple of lessons... an instructor wont let you go on a lift until you are ready, therefor, you will be on the bunny hill and you simply cannot get hurt there unless it is a bump from someone who cant stop...

Snowboarding is easy is if you are limber and have coordination... if you are little bit athletic, you will pick it up no prob.... or if you skateboard.....

good luck, and tell your parents you want to be cool, and learn how to board...

Answer 7

check out this website i think thre is some stuff in here that makes snowboarding sound safer, like "the adrenaline factor" section. check it out

http://www.snowboarding-essentials.com/i...

Answer 8

i only made my kids learn to ski because, well, ok, they couldn't even talk yet, so they had no choice, but it's because back then many resorts didn't allow boarders and i didn't want to be in a situation on vacation where my non-skiing kids couldn't do their sport of choice...now that isn't an issue. explain that you have an interest in it, you'll be as polite as you would be on skis, and that a lesson would make it easier on everyone. ok personal story. a friend of mine was a skier. he was terrible. he looked bad, laughable really. he skied for years. lots of years. boarding came along and he tried it and is awesome. some people are just more suited to the style. ask the parents to let you choose your style not theirs. it'll be hard but there is a time all parents have to own up to the fact that their kids want to learn what their parents don't do. I water ski..i wakeboard. my kids won't do either and admitted that they kneeboard because i don't.  i'm not hurt but it would have helped to know the reason 4 years ago. honesty is where you need to be. good luck

Answer 9

remind them that Sonny Bonno died while skiing.

seriously, I can't make an argument for the safety of snowboarding. Actually it would suck if it was safe. I've broken my tail bone, dislocated my thumb (a couple times), cracked some ribs, and suffered numerous concussions thanks to snowboarding. And I still absolutely LOVE it!

Then again you'll probably be sticking to beginner terrain (green runs/bunny hills) if you're just learning. Green runs are really mild, and forgiving, and the chance of injury (aside from some bumps and bruises) is really low (my decent injuries came on advanced terrain or while doing something that turned out to be a stupid idea).

As my final note be warned snowboarding takes some time to pick up, mainly because of the dynamics of balance. We're talking it'll probably take you 3 full days or so before you'll make it down a run without falling. Lots of people get tired of spending their whole day falling down and give up after day 2 or so. I've never skied before, but it seems like it'd be alot easier to pick up than boarding was.

Answer 10

Statistic, hah!  Statistics can be based on so many different things.  Statistically, snowboarding is also one of the fastest growing sports.  Who cares about statistics.  Statistics were probably calculated by somebody sitting behind a desk who doesn't have the first idea of what to actually do.

The most vulnerable part of your body snowboarding as a beginner will probably be your wrists.  Skiing you can twist your legs if your skis don't pop.  And you should wear a helmet for either one anyways.  The main reason why more snowboarders get hurt are:

A)  They think they're hot shots, and try to impress a girl or friends.

B)  Think they have to prove something to somebody else (kind of like reason A).

C)  Or they're pushing themselves in the park.

Note park, metal hurts.  Jumps+Speed= Air.  Air+1 mess-up=Another statistic.

Modern freestyle snowboarding brought along twin tipped skis.  There aren't that many skiers in the park because skis were never really meant for rails and stuff.

Just tell them you'll get wrist guards.  Wear a helmet, and take a lesson.  And tell them that it's about time you start making decisions for yourself (assuming you're at an acceptable age).  Tell them you think you'll have more fun than skiing.

Snowboarding is an amazing feeling once you pick it up.

Of course, injuries vary and become more serious the more advanced you get.  Skiing or boarding.  Both are dangerous no matter how careful you are.

Answer 11

i used to ski and now i board.  i would recomend skiing first.  it is easier and you will pick up somethings you need to know for snowboarding.  i skied first and got a lesson.  it helped but got boaring.  i refused a leson when i started boarding and picked it up the first day from a combo of skiing knowledge, sk8in knowledge, and trial and error.  

so a good point to make would be when you board for the 1st time youll be on the small slopes and you wont have an opertunity to fall far.  p.s. you will fall MANY times the 1st time you board so if u have a low pain tolerance ski.

Answer 12

It's safe to do either.  Just wear a helmet.  

In Summit County, CO (Breckenridge, Keystone, ABasin, Copper)  there are a handful of deaths in the winter due to ski accidents-- ALL BECAUSE THEY DON'T WEAR HELMETS.  (And the ratio of skier/boarder deaths is about the same.)