Skiing VS snowboarding

If I was younger, I'd give boarding a go. My youngest learnt to ski first, then switched, but has two bits of advice: 1. Expect to write-off 7-10 days of solid hard work and little reward before you master boarding, and 2. Then get some 1:1 instruction for at least 3 days (preferably a week) to improve your skill. He feels that a lot of boarders are actually very out-of-control.

To be fair, so are many skiers (out of control that is!), especially the typical Brit who won't pay for any type of lesson after their second or third week thinking they have mastered the mountain. They'd rather tag around with their ski host.

Skiing is good for going along the the flat, after all that's what it was invented for. Boarding was just invented for recreation with no other purpose in mind other than having fun.
Although there are many disadvantages to boarding, especially the lift systems which are all designed for skiing (as you'd expect as there are many more skiers than boarders) the simplicity of movement with boarding comes out tops for me.

Recreational snow sports is all about having fun. Lots to be had whether you choose skis or a snowboard. We often go out as a mixed group of skiers and boarders, often they are the best days.
I don't see it as ski v snowboard or ski or snowboard, but as ski and snowboard, part of the same thing.

I'm perhaps one of the few people that properly sit on the fence - I ski about 50% of the time and snowboard about 50%. I can never really make my mind up you could say! I've done many seasons so have had my fair time on them both. In short skiing is perhaps easier to learn, but harder to master. Time is a big factor in your consideration. if you are just doing a week, then perhaps you'll get further skiing. If you are an experienced skier, who just goes one week a year, you may feel hard a spending 3 days of your holiday falling on your bum trying to learn snowboarding.


Both though can do everything - on piste, off piste, jumps, playing around, there is no area that's purely one's domain. For me though I find if you are with a group who like going fast, then it's skis all the way. Skis are great fun to go fast and carve with. If the group are going slowly and hitting lots of lumps and bumps to play off then snowboarding I enjoy more.

People love to get in groups and criticize the other group, but there's nothing inherently more in-control or out-of-control between skis or snowboards. It's the person on top that's deciding to be safe or not as the case may be, it's nothing to do with what they are standing on!

Finally though both are great and very enjoyable sports, so don't worry too much, I'm sure you'll love either.

Phil from http://www.TheChaletExperience.com

Absolutely phill from thechaletexperience, if your an idiot, your still an idiot weather you have a board under your feet or skis.

Snowboarding is a good option for anyone with dodgy knees, we have an ex-professional footballer who's a regular on our trips, skiing was never really on option for him.