[Closed] (Sorry!) Ski or snowboard?

IMO you will get to go quicker sooner on a board. If that's your bag then get yourself a Lib Tech quick smart DOOD and slay some pow.

Do you need to decide now?

Why not just see what happens when you arrive. As a novice at both, riding will be easier than skiing if there's been lots of fresh snow and skiing will be easier if it's icier. Hire a board for a couple of days and see how you get on. If you're not having fun, swap for some skis.

It's hard when you're only away for one week a year, but I'd say pick what you're weakest at, you'll be glad you did next year 🙂

most places ive hired ski / boards from are happy to swap kit over.

personally I think skiing's easier and hurts hell of a lot less when you get it wrong

did skiing for a week when i was 8 and loved it, but then learnt to snowboard and haven't gone back to skiing!!

skiing is way easier to pick up but snowboarding shoudl only take about 3 days to get the hang of linking turns and fall over less and is waay more fun than skiing

i woudln't mind trying skiing again though, as the last few times i've been the snow has been crap and we've stuck to the piste (whcih is pretty boring on a board) if its powder all week then defintley board, but if its icy and you are on piste then i'd ski - plus you can go much faster on skis

Whatever you choose get yourself to a snowdome before the holiday and get a few hours in when you're not paying through the nose for it.

Snowboarding, done by all the old people trying to cling on to being cool
Skiing, just pure orsumnezz

As any fule kno.

CaptainFlashheart, pictured recently:

[img] [/img]

Everyone learns differently.
Skiing hurts more if you fall cos you can snap things, but you fall less than snowboarding. Snowboarding falls are just bruises.
There's one place snowboarding loses out to skiing. Flat stuff.
They're both brilliant - choose what you think looks coolest 🙂
( I refer you to the above picture 😉 )

That's not a onesie. Do try and keep up, Graham! 😉

Snowboarding falls are just bruises.

Hmmmm, my medical history would suggest otherwise 🙂

Snowboarding falls are just bruises.

But if it's icy they'll be damn big ones. After my first week on a snowboard the WHOLE of my right ar$e cheek was a solid black/purple/yellow lump but then it was Bulgaria and it was real icy.

Can't comment on skis really as I've never done it but I think the received wisdom is that if you're only ever going to do piste and it's only to be once a year, ski. If you want to get off piste and have some fun with it you're better off boarding as you'll get to do it quicker.

Right enough Flashy. Here you go:

[img] [/img]

Meanwhile in the snowboard world:

[img] [/img]

Rock on!

I've been snowboarding for close to 20 years. My wife started at the same time and turned to skiing a few years ago, she reckons skiing is far easier.
I've never skied so I can't comment, but what I do know is that when learning to snowboard you will take a bit of a beating.
If your prepared for that, give the snowboarding a try, if not, ski.
But......... My best advice is to get some good quality lessons as bad habits are picked up at an early stage and are very difficult to reverse. The second worst riders you see are self taught, the worst have been taught by second worst!

If your prepared for that, give the snowboarding a try

It's much easier to be prepared these days:

[img] [/img]
http://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/S/IMPACT_SHORTS_Crash_Pants_Bum_Pads_Padded_SNOWBOARD_PROTECTION-%28303%29.aspx?sort=1&ViewType=GridView&ItemsPerPage=36

(young uns don't know they are born.. mumble grumble..)

I've been snowboarding for close to 20 years. My wife started at the same time and turned to skiing a few years ago, she reckons skiing is far easier.
I've never skied so I can't comment, but what I do know is that when learning to snowboard you will take a bit of a beating.

Hmmm, that's interesting. I've snowboarded for 18 years and skied for 12. I'd say skiing is easier to get to grips with the very basic stuff and you need snowboarding to "click", which can take a couple of days for some people.

However, I think it's easier to be "advanced" on a snowboard than skis. Maybe that's just me though. I can ride better than I can ski.

Flashy nails it.

As a rule of thumb.

Skining is easier to learn but harder to master.
Snowboarding is harder to learn but easier to master.

As someone who likes touring/backcountry (or skiing uphill as one of my colleagues put it) it's skiing all the way!

I don't think she ever got to to the "click" bit!!!

[i]Hmmmm, my medical history would suggest otherwise [/i]

I meant the learning to ride kind!

As above with my ex, snowboarded from the same time as me, didn't progress so switched to skiing. Remains average at that, but doesn't fall as much 🙂

Proper first world problem 🙂

I skied as a kid but snowboard now. I'd probably like to ski again at some point but it seems like a waste of time on snow when I could be snowboarding as I'd have to re-learn everything.

You know deep down which you would rather do, so do that. I'm a standing sideways kinda guy. If you do pick snowboarding though, [url= http://whitelines.com/features/dont_call_it_boarding.html ]don't call it boarding ;)[/url]

The following are generalisations:
Skiing is faster, but there's times when snowboarding is too fast for me "fuuuuuu..."
Skiing you have more control (two edges vs one)
Snowboarding allows you to ride powder sooner
Common snowboarding injuries are broken wrists, cocksys (sp?!), face plants. Expect to fall a lot when learning to snowboard.
Common ski injuries are buggered up knee ligaments (ACL is very common)
Skiing seems easier to learn the basics and get down the hill, but harder to master
Snowboarding basics are quite tricky but once done, you can get pretty good, pretty quickly. e.g. Carving is an easy unlock.
Snowboarding seems to have more fun easy-unlock tricks to play around with (butters, prezels, 180s, reverts, tail blocks, etc) which are great fun, skiing has some, but they look a mess with poles and sticks everywhere.
Lifts are crap for snowboarders.
Snowboarding is a pain in flat resorts, if you are good you can bomb through the flats, you will deffo piss people off doing that. The flats are usually blues and greens, it's a loose-loose situation.

And the most important reason to snowboard:
Methods

I'd probably just do what everyone else is doing. I've gone mainly with snowboarders but there's often been skiers in the group too - it's all good. Whatever you do you'll have a blast.

Cheers guys.

I needed to decide fairly sharpish as I was going to book some lessons for when I am out there, but needed to know which lessons to book. Works out cheaper if I just add the lessons onto the package.

I have thought about doing some days at snowdome first. worth it?

Still at a loss for which to go for though.

I have thought about doing some days at snowdome first. worth it?

Yes. Especially if you can go when it is quiet and get some one on one tuition.

>> I have thought about doing some days at snowdome first. worth it?

Hell yeah - I'd totally make sure which ever I did I was as good as I could be before heading out. I would hate to be on the mountain but not be able to explore the whole area or go on guided off piste because I couldn't hack it. When I know I'm going I've usually been to the fridge every week for a few months before, not everyone does it, but you'll get a lot more out of your holiday if you do (granted I go to freestlye nights, if you aren't into that you can get bored of 120m of slope and poma lifts)

Still at a loss for which to go for though.

Let me see if I can help persuade you a little more.

This is a top skier;
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This is a top snowboardist
[img] [/img]

We all know which the ladies will like more...

😉

It's a trick.... Shaun white is significantly richer, so women probably prefer him.

Travis is arguably a better "complete" rider though. Shaun just slays the pipe, grabs boot, etc

Shaun white is significantly richer

I wouldn't be so sure...!

OK, how about Jon Olsson then?
Rockstar looks, and the lifestyle to go with it!
[img] [/img]

[img] [/img]

Another win for skiers! 😀

*shrugs* Never heard of him 🙂

Are you going with friends? Are they skiing or boarding? If you're new to it I'd do whatever they're doing. If they are skiing and you're learning to board then it's going to be a frustrating time. Also depends on where you're going. Some places are far more suited to skiing if you're starting out. If you're new to boarding then places with long narrow flatish bits that connect runs together can be a total PITA and your mates on skis will get bored waiting for you.

Frodo +1 for rules of thumb. I'm a skier.

I think it should also depend a bit on what you want to do once you've learnt and how much time you're going to commit over the next few years.

If you are planning on heading into the backcountry / side country then skiing is far easier outside of a resort compared to split-boarding.

If this is a once every so often skiing might be easier to get to the point where you can cruise the reds / blues.

Why does Flashy keep posting pictures of "sexy" guys to persuade you...?

[img] [/img]
Chanelle Sladics

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Tara Dakides - two-time X Games gold medalist

[img] [/img]
Aimee Fuller - British Olympic hopeful in Slopestyle

Having learnt both I would say skiing is considerably easier to get going from scratch. (Both take time to get very good at.)

I'd also say the gap in terms of what you can do on the two is narrower than ever. Piste, Park, Powder - both disciplines are good at all three these days.

Pick the one you like more.

Graham, I assumed the OP was a chap, and was therefore showing how orsumz he'd look as a skiist.

[i]*chinny reckon*[/i] 😉

What are you going to aspire to in the future? Are you a trail centre type dude or do you like going travelling in the hills under your own steam?

As Frodo said, if you like travelling, skis are the way to go....

The back country snowboarding options are a lot harder: snow shoe up first carrying your board then the shoes; a "split decision" type board or hike up in your boots carrying your board. Not great.

And hey, even Scotland can have good ski touring 😉

Snowboarding, done by all the old people trying to cling on to being cool
Skiing, just pure orsumnezz

There's actually a large element of truth in this.

Snowboarding is a fad for people of my generation. (40s)
Snowboarding is for people who generally aren't very sporty.
Skiing is much more the thing if you're into mountains/ sport etc.
Skiing is for rich people (sauf Ecosse).
Snowboarding is for normal people.

Snowboarding is a fad for people of my generation. (40s)
Snowboarding is for people who generally aren't very sporty.
Skiing is much more the thing if you're into mountains/ sport etc.
Skiing is for rich people (sauf Ecosse).
Snowboarding is for normal people.

mwahahaha...aaaaah brilliant. Such snobbery/elitism.

I learnt to snowboard when I was 14. I'm 32. Still got my generics 90s board in my garage!

Have tried both and friends have tried both. General consensus is that skiing is great fun most of the time, however for those days when fresh snow arrives then a board will be so much more fun than skiing can ever dream of being. The instructors I know who do both generally ski when the piste is hard packed, but when powder arrives then out come the snowboards and the real playtime begins.

thegeneralist - most accurate user name ever 😉

+1 for giving both a try and seeing what you like doing. I agree both are very accessible these days and you are most likely to be guided by what your mates are doing. (I often holiday in a mixed group of skiers and snowboarders without any bother)

the generalist, are you embarrassed about your lack of knowledge of snowsports? 🙂

...skiing is great fun most of the time, however for those days when fresh snow arrives then a board will be so much more fun than skiing can ever dream of being. ..... but when powder arrives then out come the snowboards and the real playtime begins.

This is pretty much spot on. I snowboarded and skied for years. If there was fresh snow then I'd board. If there wasn't much fresh, or there was a lot of mileage to be done then I'd ski.

Boarding's easier than skiing on steep slopes.
Skiing's easier that boarding on flatter slopes.

I gave up boarding in the end when the missus was pregnant. She could ski quite happily but as people above have said, boarding involved lots of falling hard and so wasn't really the done thing at that point. So we both skied instead.

Since then I've done a lot off off piste on skis which would have been shit on a board due to the flat bits.
On a decent set of modern skis, deep powder is nearly as good as boarding but not quite. The effortless gliding that you can do on fresh snow on a board is just blissful.

Tried both but learnt more in a one day of ski school than I did in a whole week of boarding. Just came back from Les Arcs and had another 3 ski lessons and it was fantastic. Feel much happier going down the reds and my speed has really picked up.
I found that with boarding there was no warning if things were about to go wrong and I really hurt my knees a few times. With skiing on the other hand I could prepare myself a bit even though I would end up in a heap on the floor.

Started off a skier then changed to snowboarding 15 years ago, there is one thing that would tempt me back on to skis however

the generalist, are you embarrassed about your lack of knowledge of snowsports?

Which bit do you disagree with?

Done both, started with skiing then went to snowboarding now back to skiing again. What I like now with skiing is the easy on and off lifts with skis.

I got bored of having to un-strap and then re-strap with snowboarding.

I'm not that much of a skier and am happy on the groomed slopes so skiing suits me better. Though I do enjoy both.

I can do both to a reasonable standard and snowboarding is miles more fun.

Cruising around covering distance on hard-packed pistes is better on skis though. Skis are more practical for touring/mountaineering as well.

..skiing is great fun most of the time, however for those days when fresh snow arrives then a board will be so much more fun than skiing can ever dream of being. ..... but when powder arrives then out come the snowboards and the real playtime begins.

This.

Skied as a kids, but snowboard now. Keep thinking of trying skiing again but don't get much time on the slopes anymore so haven't bothered.

It would be better to ski with the kids as they learn but it'll be snowboarding again this time. Both kids in ski school this year! Woo Hoo!! Bring on next week 😀

Do what you like or do both. Don't worry what they think ^

^ completely agree. You could flip a coin and have a great time doing either. Some good practical pointers above though, just ignore the snobbery/stereotyping (who would have thought there would be so much for two alternative ways to slide down a mountain).

Well thanks for all the help guys. Few things to think about. But for now; I have booked onto snowboarding lessons in Serre Chavalier.

Skiing is something I can think about later depending on how much I end up going!

Which school, Chris?

It took me a couple of days to link turns and to be able to control my speed, when i first learnt to snowboard. On that same trip, there were also a couple of newbie skiers who were competent after only a few hours with an instructor.

It was quite hard for us as a group to find a slopes/areas which were good for us all. I wanted to be in powdery stuff and skiers wanted to be on the groomed slopes (pistes?). I suppose that the newbie skiers couldn't handle powder so well. Also, if you have a stiffer, wider, longer snowboard then powder riding becomes easier (but park riding is tougher)

Check out the slope conditions and then decide what's best for you, if you can.

I booked it through Crystal. So whichever one they use!

Cant wait now!

You teach kids to ski.

Snowboarding is a surfer/skater wakeboarder sport a bit more niche, everyone can ski, even your grandmother, not so many can ride a Snowboard well, so learn to Snowboard, you can pick ski-ing up anytime.

And if you want to wind them up ask them 'Dude what's with the poles?'

In fact, what are the poles for Cap'n they've redesigned skis to be more like two snowboards, why the heck do they still tote them about, is it a deliberate policy to look stupid? Because it's working. 😆

Not sure which school got the Crystal contract this year. Plenty of Serre Che tips in the S&S 2013-2014 thread, though!

Neither. The win win option for yourself and all the dicks that'll sneer at you out on the slopes whether on a board or ski's.. is a splitboard!

Sorry, it didn't answer the question :O) Go heads or tails on a coin and do the other the next season and go from there.

If you're going yo go every year then ski. If not then board. Skiing requires more technique and a greater range of techniques and, fitness so unless you're going to do it every year you'll always feel like you're learning and never progressing. Boarding is easier to pick up from the off so if you have a few years off you'll be back up and running again quicker. No science to this suggestion, just a different opinion.

Snowboarding wins for me. Riding powder with your friends cannot be beaten.

However if you start doing helidrops and backcountry on skidoos it becomes very very expensive. Best feeling in the world though.

I do think though that to master skiing is way tougher. I mean, going backwards off black kickers. Wowzers.

661 impact shorts FTW

And if you want to wind them up ask them 'Dude what's with the poles?'

In fact, what are the poles for Cap'n they've redesigned skis to be more like two snowboards, why the heck do they still tote them about, is it a deliberate policy to look stupid? Because it's working.

We were noticing this going up the lift today. With modern skis people don't really do anything with their poles, just vaguely wave them about.

And point with them, so you have to duck so as not to get clothslined!!

Learnt to ski as a child ( well slide down a hill in the rain avoiding the grassy bits and snow fences as it was Scotland) and did it or first few trips to the alps.

Then started snowboarding and have only been on skis a couple of times since. Going this year and may have to switch to 2 planks again as oldest child may have a few lessons and it is so much easier to help them when you are on skis.

Kind of concerned about it as reached a level quite a bit above where I was on skis on the board and not looking forward to not being able to nip off and play in the powder.

However been a couple of years with very little snow and I do think skis may be more fun then. Plan is take the board and then hire skis out here if needed.

Go on conditions. I was in exactly the same boat as you, I was determined to board. It was really icy and tbh I had a difficult week. Guys on skis had a much better time on the hard pack piste.

Skiing is less standingsittingstandingsitting than snowboarding which *does* get on your tits when you're getting to grips with it.

"If you're going yo go every year then ski. If not then board. Skiing requires more technique and a greater range of techniques and, fitness"

Seriously?

There is some snowboarders that have progressed beyond the majority of side slipping resort riders you see.

I have just as much fun boarding* on pistes as off.

*yeah BOARDING.

side slipping resort riders

One of the biggest barriers to entry for boarding is having lessons with the ESF!

Seriously, finding a good instructor can be hard - and if you're just starting out how are you supposed to know? My first week of boarding was an agonising bruise riddled write off thanks to useless tuition.

I doggedly learnt to link turns on my pathetic local dry slope before going again and when I next hit snow I was away. (I'll never go on a dry slope again though.)

As for which is for you? Well, boarders are the mountain bikers of snow (slower, bumpier, fallier, harder, cooler, having fun) skiers are the roadies (We go faster! We go further! Stop having fun and look at my GPS plot!).

I have just as much fun boarding* on pistes as off.

*yeah BOARDING.

"If you're going yo go every year then ski. If not then board. Skiing requires more technique and a greater range of techniques and, fitness"

Seriously?

There is some snowboarders that have progressed beyond the majority of side slipping resort riders you see.

Nah, I got up early to watch the olympic slopestyle qualifiers this morning, turns out those guys just ride for a week a year Ed was saying, Jamie Nichols (Team GB) just blasted straight into the finals with a cab 1440 he got taught by one of the guys in ESF after he got his turns linked... piss easy.

As for which is for you? Well, boarders are the mountain bikers of snow (slower, bumpier, fallier, harder, cooler, having fun) skiers are the roadies (We go faster! We go further! Stop having fun and look at my GPS plot!).

Nah...

The boarders are the fat biffers who have hired a massive downhill bike thinking they are going to be hitting massive drops and huge gap jumps but actually spend all their time on easy runs and then drinking when they could be riding.

The skiiers are the people on all mountain bikes, riding with style on the stuff that the fat biffers at the bar whish they could do. And then party harder after the days riding is done.

The roadies are cross country skiiers. Weirdos.

But what about cross country snowboarders?

There is of course the third option... Blades...
Instant learning curve... Transition to ski's is much easier...
Got the wife to red runs on skis in under a week with just a few days on blades... and no ESF to worry about!!
Other that than I'd agree that boards rock when there is powder...
But as I have a board I would say that...
Err I also have some blades for the days when I've had enough of the edge holding burn!!
Going to go into hiding now for mentioning blades...

There is of course the third option... Blades..

That's like flying to a nice restaurant in a foreign country to sample their wonderful food, then ordering a bottle of Buckfast to go with it.

🙂

There is of course the third option... Blades...

I think there is one thing that all skiiers and boarders can agree on is that blades make you look like a Parisien peado.

(They also screw up your technique and turn you into the sort of skiier who breaks every run up into a series of straight lines and hockey stops)

I think when i comes to blades, this is the point where every one else on the mountain agrees on something! I mean, what is it with those stupid bloody rasta hats.....

Edit: like what he said!

As for learning to Snowboard, I don't want to blow my own trumpet (I kind of do really), but i learnt to ride in a morning!! 😀 I had ridden skateboards a fair bit though so that probably helped.

I think there is one thing that all skiiers and boarders can agree on is that blades make you look like a Parisien peado.

There is of course the third option... Blades...

Going to go into hiding now for mentioning blades...

There's no 'one is better than the other', if you can ride well at your chosen discipline - that deserves respect. It's the mountain snobbery that pisses me off about winter sports.

But it just looks exactly like skiing but with shorter skis?

Snow blader
[img] [/img]

Skiier
[img] [/img]

The boarders are the fat biffers who have hired a massive downhill bike thinking they are going to be hitting massive drops and huge gap jumps but actually spend all their time on easy runs and then drinking when they could be riding.

The skiiers are the people on all mountain bikes, riding with style on the stuff that the fat biffers at the bar whish they could do. And then party harder after the days riding is done.

The roadies are cross country skiiers. Weirdos.

Brilliant!

I could post a picture of a shit skiier, it doesn't prove anything.

Here's a picture of a better snowblader:
[img] [/img]