Which is better snowboard or ski?

Question

Which is better snowboard or ski?

Answer 1

you gotta try both to figure out for yourself. i skiied, tried snowboarding for a while, but felt i liked skiing better. whereas my sister tried skiing, then snowboarding and stuck with snowboarding, and she was an EXCELLENT skiier before she switched over. you gotta decide for yourself.

Answer 2

snowboarding is such a pain when going on and off the lifts....

Answer 3

Skiing

Answer 4

I prefer snowboard

Answer 5

snowboarding. byfar

Answer 6

I think both deserve respect in there own right (despite what the stigma is towards each other out on the slopes. ). I snowboard- love it. Absolutely addicted to it. But I don't think it's better then skiing- it's better for ME then skiing (which I've done too).

Skiing is a completely different disipline then boarding. So comparing them is a tough thing to do. So you should ask yourself what you want to do.

If you are looking to just go out for a day and rent, then skiing might be the way to go. Skiing, in my opinion, is easier to learn fundamentally; that is staying up, being stable and getting from the top of the hill to bottom. It takes much more then just that to master it.

Snowboarding is harder to learn because it's motions aren't as intuitive to your body's instinct reactions. Catching edges and pulling inadvertant wheelies (where you lean back on your board causing the front to come up) are constant beginer errors that result in a lot more time on the ground.

So if it's for a day- rent some skis and have fun. If you ar elooking for more of an investment of time- go with the board (and a lesson).

Now here are some comparisons through the eyes of a boarder:

I like that my board stays attached to my feet when I fall. That being said, I like to go hard and fast, so falling with a large plank attached to your feet can result in some very sore wrecks. Where are skis come off, sparing your body a little bit more. The one pro to the board is that you don't have to hike back up hill for your gear after having a "yard sale" style wipe out.

Those responses that a board is hard to get off the lift isn't completely true. It goes back to that boarding takes longer to learn, but I've seen (and had to avoid) just as many new skiers laying in piles at the top of the lift as I have new boarders. Once you learn (in either discipline) dismounting off the lift is just as easy.

The pro to skis is that you are sitting straght with your skis facing in the same direction as you are moving. Just stand up and slide. The con is that with a board you have to hang off sort of sideways and time your dismount to getting off the seat and your foot on the stomp pad, then steer off. Not impossible, but takes practice.

Skis are more adaptive to conditional changes. Where I'm at in the midwest, you get a lot of man made and icey conditions. Skis will hands down whoop my boards *** in icey conditions no matter how sharp my edge is. It's just plain physics. They have two sharp edges making contacting with the ground with my one.

And If it's wet, I have more surface area sticking to the ground then skis do. Therefore they cut through wet, heavy stuff with ease.

And because of their surface contact differences skis will always be faster (this is why NASTAR racing gives boarders a handicap against skiers. and not that you can't get faster boards and some will be fatser then skis, but in the bigger picture for your fast board there will be a faster ski).

Someone commented that boarders are always wet because of falling or sitting on the snow to put their bindings on and that a good skier can spend the day with out getting wet. First that isn't 100%. 1) I can spend an entire day carving with out falling. Actually, if i'm not falling, I'm not pushing my limits (be it on the slopes, off kickers or in the park). 2) True most boarders sit to strap their bindings on. You don't HAVE to do this. With either the options of bidnings out there (such as the Flow style that I have) or balance, you don't HAVE to sit down to strap in. A good number of boarders can strap in with traditional bindings while moving or standing. My buddy is one of these guys. and 3) If you have a good pair of quality ski/snowboard pants they'll be water resistant. If you are getting wet you either A) have poor quality pants, B) it's too warm out or C) it's raining.

So why do I board? I find a certain joy in the carving aspect found in the nature of board. Sort of like surfing or skateboarding. I like the flexibility and pop that my board offers to jump and maneuver onthe slopes. I feel comfortable in the position of my body. I prefer the softer boot and bind set up then the hard all in one form of a ski boot. I enjoy hitting the park and the confidence my board affords me in stability and flexibility while hitting boxes or sticking landings. I love bombing the runs (even if it's not as fast as skis, it's still fast!). I love the style of the ride (not the style of your clothing- who cares really?).

And I do find snowboarding, personally, to be more difficult then skiing. So I like the challenge. Then after I master one thing, I like the increased challenge of pushing myself more.

Now this is where the skiers will jump in and say that skiing is hard too. I agree. It's a discipline to be mastered (actually I think those skiers in the terrain park have it more difficult). I'm merely talking about MY choice, MY opinion compared to MY experience on skis.

Now which ever you choose here are a couple of tips:

1) Don't wear jeans out on the slopes. Get a good pair of snowpants. h**l, even a cheap $10 pair of snow pants are better then jeans! (this includes denim jackets.

2) Don't bash yours skis or board (esp rentals) into the persons gear in front of you. While you may not give a rat's *** about your $40 rental gear, those of us who buy (no matter how hard we ride) invested our hard earned $ into our equipment. We want it to last and take good care it. You bashing into it or running over it doesn't help.

And if you do, have the common courtesy to apollogize! (sorry a little bit of a rant there).

3) A helmet is always a good idea. Coming from a guy who's taken a hard hit with the head to the ground and was very lucky to walk away from; trust me. And since then I've had harder wrecks that would have been a lot worse had it not been for my helmet!

Ps: I want to comment on the person who said that boarders (and a few skiers) are always sitting around on the slopes. I agree- what they h**l is up with that? As a boarder, I want you to move too! Get out of the way. Put the cell phone away (and cigarette) and wait utnil you're off the trail. And don't sit on the landing areas under kickers!

Answer 7

I don't know i have never done either but I do think Snowboard guys are hot!!!

Answer 8

BOTH are AMAZING!!! I have been skiing since i was little and i  ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚™Â¥ it, but i have now converted to snowboarding and even though i cant carve yet it's a lot of fun. I love a good challenge. :)

Answer 9

both are good fun.

I do both,well thats not true now,i used to ski but was coverted to snowboarding,i dont think i could go back to skiing,well not for a few years anyway.

Try both and then choose what one floats ya boat.

Answer 10

Snowboarding is NOT so cool, here are the reasons:

1. It is not easy for snowboarders to get on/off the lifts.  

Unlike the skiers, snowboarders look clumsy with the board attached when they try to get on or off the lifts.

Snowboarders have to drag the board with them ,sit down on the snow and try to tie down the snowboard each and everytime they take the lift.

2. Snowboarders always have to get their hips wet, either fall or rest.  A really good skier doesn't even have to touch snow when skiing for a whole day.

3. Snowboarders waste a lot of good powder snow.

4. Compare to race skiing, snowboading is just too slow.

5. Unlike skiers, you don't get to see a lot of snowboarders doing the tricks among trees on a steep slope.

6. Skiing is just much harder to master in compare to snowboarding.

Answer 11

I used to ski, but since trying snowboarding, I've been doing it for years. To actually be doing, snowboard wins hands down when it comes to just cruising the mountains for fun, doing small kickers, etc, although to watch on TV, I much prefer skiing (unless you're talking about Snowboard Cross, of course :P)

Answer 12

Skiing looks more goofy, but when I'm on the slopes, I pass snowboarders like they are standing still...Plus I have more control than them. Looks is the ONLY advantage to snowboarding- everything else is worse.

Answer 13

skiing especially for moguls there dirty

Answer 14

I heard snowboarding is harder. Personally i prefer skiing :)

Answer 15

snowboard, it looks cooler and its more fun tho, its much harder to learn how to snowboard than to ski

Answer 16

Snowboarding looks cooler, skiing is easier to learn.

I almost broke my neck trying to snowboard, never again.

Answer 17

Prefer to watch the skiing!!

You do not break anything or get cold

Answer 18

Ski, there is more variety of tricks which are way more sick than anything on a board. Boarding is cool, but there is only so much you can do on one piece of wood.

Skiing is:

Easier to learn

Harder to master (leads to a better mountain experience in the future)

Faster

Skiing may look goofy, but if you watch the pros, they are not goofy, beginners and intermediates make everything look goofy. Skiing gives you more control and better agility. It really  boils down to, do you want to have more or less control?

I will admit that i believe that boarding is better on powder days...but that might be because i don't have pow skis :(

Oh, did i mention that skiing is on the rise? Thats right boys and girls, boarding "to be cool" will soon be in the past. Personally i prefer the way it is with all the beginners making boarding look retarded rather than skiing, but hey, maybe finally we'll be able to point out some real boarders on the mountain...

Answer 19

I both ski and snowboard. I have been skiing since I was 3 so I pretty much know all there is needed to know  and I've only just started snowboarding 2 yrs ago, but I love it =]

Answer 20

Snowboarding and skiing are very differnt and it depends on what have you done in the past. Keep in mind keep peace between the sports.

If you have surf skated or anything of that stuff it would be better to board just because of your body position on the boards.

If you have roller bladed, water skied, or never done an action sport I would try skiing. It is easier to start out on but has more challenge later in the proggresion

Answer 21

Snowboarding looks cooler, yet skiing allows room for more stability and control.

Answer 22

I think that snowboarding is much cooler, I don't really like skiing, just because of what people are like. They say that snowboarders are so unsafe, they and rude, and ruin skiing. That is a STUPID lie! They have a stupid ski resort just for skiing, cause they think that snowboarders will kill them. I think that snowboarding is much much better. But it is harder to do than skiing. I snowboard by the way, haha.

Answer 23

Snowboarding is so much easier! I have tried both and now i just stick to snowboarding.

Answer 24

SNOWBOARD, undoubtedly

Answer 25

Skiing.  Boarders are always on their butts in the middle of the trail.  Get out of the way or you're gonna get sprayed!!!

Answer 26

skiing. snowboarding is for people who think they're cool. skiing is for people who are actually cool.

Answer 27

Snowboarding - and in my opinion it's easier!

Answer 28

I think skiing is easier because you have to legs to balance on. I think many if not most snowboarders are younger people who seem to be more coordinated to have both feet on one board.

Answer 29

I prefer snowboarding.

When I was in high school I did a day trip of each and although snowboarding takes a few days to get the hang of I knew immediately that I preferred boarding.

If you're trying to decide what to do just choose one and give it a shot!  If you get your rentals at the mountain and hate whatever you're trying they're usually pretty cool and will swap out your skis for a board or vice versa.

Snowboarding takes a few days to get the hang of while skiing takes a few hours to be able to go down a run.  Whichever you choose take a lesson, that'll help get you going with the least frustration.