Last week I published a post stating the reasons why snowboarding is better than skiing – a little bit in jest.
So this week I thought I would do a more objective post to weigh up the pros and cons of each so that you can answer the question ‘should I ski or snowboard’.
As much as it pains me to say it, some people might actually prefer skiing! But I’m unsure about their sanity 🙂
Check out the pros and cons below to see which is best suited to you.
Snowboarding vs Skiing Pros and Cons
You may agree or disagree with some of these. And you may have some others you can think of. Feel free to leave a comment below if you do.
Snowboarding Pros
- You can walk! Walking in snowboarding boots is about 10 times easier and 100 times more elegant. This isn’t just more comfortable and more pleasant it also saves a good bit of time getting around.
- You don’t have the possibility of accidentally doing the splits.
- Snowboards, snowboard boots and snowboard bindings are usually a fair bit cheaper than their skiing equivalents
Snowboarding Cons
- Getting stuck on flat sections or uphills: Splitboards help in the backcountry but take a while to set up. If you ride with skiers sometimes they’ll give you a tow (if they’re feeling friendly that day!)
- Getting off lifts: Lifts are designed for skiers – and are much trickier for snowboarders especially beginners. This goes for chair lifts, rope tows, poma lifts and t-bars.
Skiing Pros
O.k. so when doing pros and cons it’s typically the case that things are repeated, but the opposite, but I’ll go over these anyway.
- You can seamlessly exit the lifts and be on your way down the slopes without fuss and without stopping to do up your bindings.
- When finding your self stuck on flat sections or where there is a bit of an uphill to traverse you can do so in skis without un-binding and walking/skating
- You have poles that can help you get up from a fall – although I think it’s debatable whether this is actually easier or not
Skiing Cons
- Walking in ski boots is tricky – or at least it certainly looks that way – particularly up and down stairs. And they’re typically slower so what time you make up getting off lifts you lose walking around.
- Ski gear (skis, ski bindings and ski boots) are a fair bit more costly than snowboard gear
What Else to Consider?
Another thing to consider is the old saying of:
“Skiing is easier to learn but harder to master and snowboarding is harder to learn and easier to master”
I’m not sure if this is true or not – please chime in with your opinion as to why or why not. I have heard some people with the opinion that this is the opposite!
But it does certainly seem to be true that snowboarders take more tumbles, particularly early on. And perhaps it’s true that, given you have learned the proper technique, that transitioning to steeper, trickier slopes and the backcountry is an easier step once you have mastered the basics.
If you are robust and don’t mind wiping out (sometimes epically) then snowboarding might be on your radar.
If you prefer a more sedate entry into your snow-sport and don’t like the idea of crashing through the snow then maybe you should ski – although you will still fall learning to ski and those falls are often a lot more awkward looking and less graceful.
Check out the following for some other takes on the question of skiing vs snowboarding:
Skiing Versus Snowboarding | The Ski Gathering
Tow Planks or a Tray? | The Guardian
Injuries
Whilst you would suspect that with all those falls that snowboarding is more dangerous than skiing then you might want to reconsider.
In fact, whilst snowboarders do get more injuries more often, they tend to be less serious injuries.
Why I Chose to Snowboard
When I was a kid I skied a couple of times and though snowboarding was only a relatively new sport back then I definitely envied those on snowboards.
I remember one particular school trip a year or so after the last time I had skied and was really looking forward to getting on a snowboard – only to be thwarted by our school only allowing skiing.
Perhaps it was that I skated and much preferred that over roller blades? Perhaps it was that the snowboarders always looked much cooler? Whatever it was I just always just pictured myself going down the slopes on a board and the image of that seemed more natural, more comfortable and more exciting.
The image of me skiing seemed awkward, unnatural and somehow less of an adventure. I can’t explain why – maybe just having my feet separated just felt wrong.
What were your reasons for choosing snowboarding or skiing? Or do you do both? It’d be awesome to hear other people’s stories. Feel free to leave your story in the comments section below.
Thanks for reading
Thanks for reading and I hope this has helped you decide whether to snowboard or ski. It’s different for everyone and hopefully the decision is more obvious now. If all else fails try both and see which you prefer – if you still can’t decide you can always just keep doing both!
If you are leaning towards snowboarding check out some of the links below to learn some more.
- Snowboard Equipment List
- Rent or Buy
- Stance Setup
- How to choose beginner snowboard boots
- How to choose a beginner snowboard
- How to choose beginner bindings
I started skiing again recently (am in my early 40s but fit). I only skied 1 time prior when I was 14 – however, during my 20s I snowboarded a bit but never went enough to get good.. had taken a lesson & was fine in my early 20s but took a lengthy break (due to moving to a warmer climate). Once tried again in later 20s I literally couldn’t handle being body slammed to the mountain over & over & shied away from the mountain entirely for over a decade. Now I’m back & can handle & very much enjoy the more gentle entry into skiing (took 1 lesson). My 2 son’s on the other hand are young (8 & 13) and athletic & the older especially can do both sports with ease! I think of learning to snowboard as a sport when your young &/or very athletic – of course their are exceptions but perhaps not many. Good knees seem important for either.
I ski and snowboard. I am not a master at either and struggle with both. I enjoy being there and going down the mountain. I find it easier to snowboard in thick powder. Easier to ski with light covering. Difficult in both sports on ice. If I am scared I just snowplow in skis or leaf in snowboarding. Can’t make up my mind which I should focus on. I am turning 50 soon so I should probably just do what I feel most comfortable doing in current conditions on the mountain. Thank you for your post.
One of my best friends rides a board, and shreds. He is even faster than us, in some situations. This first is a selfish point that I don’t actually believe in as a pro considering it’s a selfish way of looking at this, but may be a factor for some people. That time it takes to buckle up on your board you could’ve already been halfway to where you are trying to get sometimes, which on a deep day when you are wanting to get to the less traveled spots can make a big difference. So I will say that the number one con of skiing is that it is way more expensive. However, for me the ability to get into better places quicker because of the ease in which you can traverse up hill, flat ground, etc is the biggest pro of skiing. There’s absolutely no doubt that the best skiers got their style from boarders (Candide Thovex being a great example.) And that saying of skiing being easier to learn but harder to master is BS, even the best boarders have a hard time keeping up in the moguls, boarding is definitely harder to learn and master. At the end of the day, whether you ski or board, it doesn’t matter. We are all out there to do the same thing, to ride down snow and to have fun. So ski or board, make sure to go up with your friends and try not to get into what other people think, and just enjoy your self. Venture deeper, steeper higher. (But ALWAYS know your limits and be safe.) Above all else.. WEAR A HELMET.
Hi Daniel
I think that’s perhaps the best comment possible for this post. You make a lot of valid points. Thanks for your input!
I prefer a more sedate entry into your snow-sport and I also don’t like the idea of crashing through the snow then maybe I should ski and you are right with that. Thanks.
Ski boots are super easy and comfortable when dealing with stairs. You simply place the front third of your foot (toes) on the step when going up. And step with the back third (heel) of your foot when going down. It’s incredibly effieient for walking around.
Ho Joel
Thanks for the tip – if there are any skiers or dual skier/snowboarders here that might be useful. I’m just looking at it from the outside and it looks trickier to me, but maybe with the right technique it’s not so bad.
Hey Nate,
Good summarization of skiing vs. snowboarding. Since I just learned to snowboard in March and attempted to learn to ski many years ago as a 20-yr-old, I think I can give a valid opinion. When I tried to learn to ski, I just never felt comfortable. I don’t know if that can be attributed to the fact that I was not as athletically confident as I became later, or that skiing just wasn’t for me. I do know this – I never wanted to do it again, and I didn’t get hurt or have an overtly bad experience, I just didn’t enjoy it.
Contrast that with snowboarding which I learned 18 years later. After 1 day, I was hooked. I absolutely love it, and I feel so much more natural on a snowboard than I ever did on skis. Also, I agree that snowboarding looks much “cooler” – it looks much more graceful and natural, not to mention the clothes are more hip, look more “free” and when observing people doing both, my impression is that people on snowboards are enjoying the activity more than skiers. I’m not implying that skiing isn’t fun, it just appears to me that snowboarders are enjoying their activity more.
I do think that snowboarding is harder to learn than skiing, and I don’t think the opposite is true. If it is, then it’s a minority. I know several people are who good athletes, even excelling in certain sports, others that are good surfers, and “non-athletes” who have all said that they tried snowboarding and failed miserably. One of them told me before I took my trip to learn this year: “Are you sure you want to do that? You’re going to be on your a** for 3 straight days and hate it.” Meanwhile it took me 1/2 a day to learn. Another friend told me (a good surfer that tried snowboarding and failed) that snowboarding is “looked down upon” and the people that do it are “riff raff.” I think that’s his ego talking since he had to resort to skiing because he sucked at snowboarding.
As for which activity is more difficult to master … I have no idea. All I know is that I think of my own future in snowboarding – one which I hope to be comfortable on jumps and perhaps some boxes/rails, but nothing too outrageous. It all seems like a great challenge to me at this point since I am at the stage where I can comfortably link turns on green runs. So, if it’s easier to master, it certainly doesn’t appear that way to me, at least not yet.
Hey John – sorry for the late reply – have been on holidays.
Thanks for sharing your story and insights – great to hear some opinions from a fellow rider. I am definitely in the same boat that snowboarding always felt more natural than skiing.
I think your right too that your mates ego is probably talking – don’t think snowboarders are seen as “riff raff” anymore. Maybe once upon time.
Glad your picking it up quickly and I hope that you keep progressing quickly!