I’ve managed to blag my way onto a school ski trip at the end of December. This is awesome. Board / ski hire is included, as are lessons and lift passes and such.

But which is best? Skiing or boarding? I can’t decide!

Also, where’s a good place to get cheap snow gear? I’ve already found TK Maxx’s snow section…

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/the-stw-ski-and-snowboard-thread-20112-edition

Plenty of tips and advice in there.

Skiing is better. This is a FACT.

http://www.theboardbasement.com

Skiing and snowboarding are both great – with limited time I’d try skiing: Less likely to result in injury and a sore butt.

[edit]Tried not to get into the “which is best?” debate, but needs to point out the Cap’n Flash is wrong 😉

For light, fluffy, deep powder, then snowboard.
For all of the above and piste, then skiing.

Dez, you failed on both counts…! 🙂

They are both ace. Have you got mates on the trip? What are they doing?

Had this debate many a time when I was living with a couple of mates, they being boarders were obviously wrong with their silly day glow salopettes and inability to shred the gnar… whilst me as a boarder always took the moral high ground and didnt respond to the comments

As for best place to get gear, I always found last seasons gear to be reasonable after all, black snowboarding pants and light coloured jacket are always a good look and at mid thirties I have never been bang on trend (and doubt I ever will be)

Snowboarding used to be far cooler (and probably still is) but those young oiks on their freestyle skis are catching up fast.

Depends on what you want really?

If you want a sore, bruised arse and broken wrists, give snowboarding a go. If you prefer a good old fashioned broken leg and some ruptured knee ligaments then perhaps skiing is more your thing?

If you want a sore, bruised arse and broken wrists, give snowboarding a go. If you prefer a good old fashioned broken leg and some ruptured knee ligaments then perhaps skiing is more your thing?

NorthernStar speaks da troof.

Folk on the trip will be doing both… I’ll be in lessons anyway, so it doesn’t make that much difference.

Shredding the gnar is also an irrelevance. I’ll mostly be falling on my arse.

Snowboarding appeals ‘cos it looks cooler, I’m not keen on the sticks and I used to skateboard. Skiing because I like pointing forward and… Er… That’s it.

Which is worst on the knees?

freestyle skiing just looks silly IMO… no steez.

And snowboarding was better when you all still hated us.

Boarding is quicker to learn if you are young and fit with a high pain threshold. Skiing is probably the more sensible option if you are none of these.
Get some knee pads and padded shorts if you go the boarding route.

Young – not really.
Fit – ish.
Pain threshhold – not bad.
Knee pads – Kyle Straits? I have some of those.
Padded shorts – good call!

If you want a sore, bruised arse and broken wrists, give snowboarding a go. If you prefer a good old fashioned broken leg and some ruptured knee ligaments then perhaps skiing is more your thing?

hahaha and ha.

The first few hours/days of learning to snowboard can involve a lot of time on your arse. Skiing has a much gentler learning curve. Once you’ve mastered the basics though I think the progression on a board is probably quicker.

If you’re not leaning towards either then I’d say if you can get a few lessons in beforehand then go for a board if not go for skis. You’ll have fun on either though.

Which is worst on the knees?

Skiing has the greater potential for knee injuries, big long skis are a lever to twist your leg if they don’t disengage in a crash. If you have dodgy knees then probably best on a board, as with both feet attached to the same plank there is less chance of this type of injury.

My knees aren’t brilliant, and my arse is quite tough (I had some board lessons years ago, but I remember little of it really).

I think I’ll go for boarding.

No chance of lessons before sadly, BUT this trip could learn to more, with a bit of luck…

I always liked skiing, but appreciated the fact that you could take a snowboard to any old hill, and walk up it carrying the board.

With no particular need for specialised boots, it meant that boarding was always a bit more ‘organic’. If you know what I mean.

With no particular need for specialised boots

Yep, I wear sandals usually 😉

Freeskiing in powder is so easy that you can do it on one ski, sitting down:
[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2FNNK2ggr0[/video]

(huuuuuuuuuge respect to Josh Dueck!)

Vey true saxon rider!

I ride my frestyle board with no highbacks on muy binders and have done loads of riding down my local park in trainers, once you learn to not use the highbacks its pretty easy… don’t get me wrong you won’t be carving shit up but its possible and exceedingly good fun.

Learning boarding will involve a lot of impact on your arse and knees, and possibly wrists – for a couple of days at least. Falls can be very abrupt affairs, leading to injury. Get a helmet, some pads and wrist braces for comfort.

Falls in skiing can be bad if you fall into the back seat and then your bindings wont release so well. Make sure you fall forwards for safety, and falls tend to be slower affairs as you are falling against the planks of your skis (think Michael Jackson in that video where he defies gravity).

Boarding is easier to get up to a decent intermediate level quickly.

With skiing and most ‘factory’ ski lessons, you will take a time to get near intermediate and can run the risk of getting stuck as a poor intermediate forever. But if you have decent guidance you should be ok, as skis are shorter, more parabolic and fatter nowadays and so it is easier to make good turns and carve turns.

In terms of ‘coolness’ there isn’t much in it nowadays – I tend to think skiing offers more potential for fun unless there is bucket loads of powder around.

Try and get some dry slope lessons before you go – it will pay off massively when you get to the resort.

In terms of ‘coolness’ there isn’t much in it nowadays

Except that because all the middle class Audi driving IT managers are boarding, all of their kids are growing up wanting to ski instead! 🙂

my next ski trip is with my boss – a middle class IT manager (a little overweight), and we are driving over in his recently purchased Audi 🙂

GrahamS – Josh has made me lol. and cry at the same time. What incredible balance that man has.
Thanks for putting the film up.

Pretty inspirational eh? As I said to the missus, “I really shouldn’t complain about sore feet when I snowboard. At least I can still feel mine.”

Try both, they each have their own peculiar benefits, School trips tend to favour skiing and all the kids get taught to ski, because it’s easier to teach them, all lined up off to snowplough we go.

Of the two and I’ve done both for some time, I currently prefer Snowboarding simply because the best days I’ve ever had, steep, deep, snow crystals sparkling in the sun gently brushing your cheek in hushed swishes as you set up fan after fan fresh tracking through the trees… It is simply the finest thing you can do imv.

Not that skiing is bad, but there are those poles and it’s all so much more intense. Ski – Snowboard = XC racing – Freeride Bike.

Love the film. Got me a bit emotional.

I spent a pretty tough night in a hospital bed a few years ago where they’d told me that I’d broken my back in 3 places but hadn’t told me what that meant. I remember thinking pretty clearly that I’d be back on the snow that winter, whether it was on a board or a sit-ski.

Ski – Snowboard = XC racing – Freeride Bike.

You’re showing your age! All the cool kids ski nowadays. Boards are for 40somethings.

Signed

A. Snowboarder

All the cool kids ski nowadays. Boards are for 40somethings.

Agreed. A 36yo boarder.

If you’ve skated before then you should go for the snowboard option. I skated in my teens and early 20s and took up boarding in my 30s. Boarding is way easy when you have skated – heck the damn thing is fastened to your feet … that makes is 10 times easier than learning to skate.

I didnt even bother with lessons. Call me a cheap skate but I just went and watched others have their first lesson and watched how you stopped and moved forward and understood the concept of edges and using pressure with your feet.

Do it!!! You’ll have a blast and be popping ollies and 180s in no time at all !!!! it will come back to you straight away and you’ll think …. why didnt I do boarding before.

Have a blast!!!

If you skateboard I’d try snowboarding – the feel should be similar and you should be able to get to a standard that will get you round the mountain reasonably quickly. IMHO a helmet and waterproof trousers are essential, padding is nice, as is layered clothing, it’s amazing how hot you can get even in subzero temperatures, I used a small pack for surplus clothes & water, it also absorbs some impact if you fall on your back. Talking of falls the really unpleasant ones are a result of catching a downhill edge so be really positive about engaging the rails of the board.

You should pick up skiing much quicker than snowboarding so will probably get more out of the week. But (and massively biased here), snowboarding is more fun once you get going but it takes longer and you will have a lot of bruises. Worth it though.

ocrider – Member
Ski – Snowboard = XC racing – Freeride Bike.
You’re showing your age! All the cool kids ski nowadays. Boards are for 40somethings.

Signed

A. Snowboarder
Yep, like I said, only cos that’s all they teach in schools and on school trips, there are still plenty of cool kids elsewhere that live on or near the hill that ride boards, but then the really cool types (like me) can ride either and there’s still the question of wtf with the poles?
And anyway that’s when it started to get good, the moment it ceased to be ‘cool’ to do it and got left to the riders that do it for what it is, the best way down a hill.

Used to skate, though I dug the board out the other day and I can still buzz up and down the road and just about ollie… I need to practice riding switch for boarding though

Obv skiers think skiing is better, boarders think boarding is better. But the real differences as to which one is “better”, or more suited to you, only really become appaerent when you reach a very high level I would say.

I’m a ski instructor and I know people that do both..

In skiing you probably have more control going down narrow steep chutes than boarding, with shorter turn ability and the poles to help swing around…

Also boarding you’re screwed if you run out of speed on a flat section.

I prefer skiing, it all depends.

It doesn’t matter, but…

Easy to carry and comfy to walk = snowboarding

Also boarding you’re screwed if you run out of speed on a flat section.

Drop-in faster and hang on for dear life; hair-raising speeds dodging skiers along narrow forest cat-tracks is part of the fun 😀

At the end of the day, a snowboard is just a big fat ski which you ride sideways. But my age (42) I wouldn’t learn snowboarding again as it was a rough as well as rapid learning curve.

I need to practice riding switch for boarding though

You won’t need that straight away.

I thought you needed to ride both ways on a snowboard? If not then ever better!

(Though I kinda want an excuse to get my skateboard out anyway :D)

I thought you needed to ride both ways on a snowboard? If not then ever better!

You don’t need to buy it is useful. Spent my last trip with crap snow forcing myself to ride switch everywhere.

If you can skate, learn to board. It’s skating on steroids…