Skiing VS snowboarding

My son started as a skier at about 12 years old, but tried snowboarding (with a taster lesson) at about 15. He just could not get the hang of it at all despite being a good skier/skateboarder/inline skater and this really frustrated him. He spent most of the time on his backside. He didn't give up however and when he was about 16/17 everything suddenly fell into place and he went down a black run, with the rest of us cheering him down!!
He is now 30, has never gone back to skis and I love watching him boarding as he has real style - he is also the only boarder I will willingly get on a chairlift with!! He wears a helmet, back protector, etc.
The pros, I think he would say, are that he seems to manage better in tricky conditions than us skiers. The cons are those awful flat/uphill spots on some pistes where we skiers can pole along.

Give it a go - but be prepared for frustration/bruises/sitting on your backside quite a lot!! (This could equally apply to skiing too)

Hey,

I've been a skier since age 12 (ok at 12 it was down the farmers field at the bottom of our village in county durham, but it was kinda skiing!). After probably about 12 seperate weeks of skiing in the alps on various holidays, last year decided to take a glimpse of the darkside..being nearly middle aged now, female and not very athletic I thought it only appropriate! The main reason was probably that I tend to on trips with younger male gentlemen, who were always very enthusiastic about snowboarding and I'm clearly easily influenced despite my age.
I spent a lot of time on my a&^e for the first two days, and did some falls that I was quite proud of based on there drama! On the third day I was really starting to get it and I'm going to stick with it this year..Its hard to explain why I was pretty keen on it but its something to do with how connected you feel to the piste..you're much lower to the ground in a turn and its more of a rush. You have to keep you're whits about you more, plan your turns more, take account of the contours of the piste more. Maybe this changes with experience, but I got a kick out of how brain engaging it was.
Also one a more middle aged lady point, those boots be darn comfy in comparison to ski boots and the board is way easier to carry than skis! The flats are a bind but I was with a mate whos a good snowboarder and he hardly ever walked..so with experience you learn how to carry speed and avoid walks most of the time. Not to say I'll never go back to skiing..but I'm definately going to board for now

Just my twopennerth,

Shipjack

Try it, I alway say a good boarder looks fantastic, but theres far too many bad boarders on the slopes who go around scraping snow on their heel edge.
You can always go back.
Personally, I've got good at skiing so much so that I'd hate to revert to being a beginner again. Plus I know soooooo many people that have broken wrists, elbows, shoulders and coccyx when boarding their first week. But I'd like to be good at it ;-)

I dont think theres the rivalry between boarders and skiers their used to be, all good natured but decent banter back 5-10 years. Now its all about freestyling in either discipline and massive respect for each other.

Always worth giving something a go once, but...
Boarders sit on their backsides in the middle of the piste just under the brow of a lip far too often,
Boarders sit on their backsides
Boarders can't get along flats
Boarders have to stop at the top of every lift and 're-bind'
Boarders sit on their backsides at the top of lifts in the way to 're-bind'
Boarders can't see behind them on their blindside and that becomes a dangerous turn
Boarders trash all the good powder
Going up a drag lift or T-bar on a board isn't that easy to master
Oh, and did I mention sitting on your backside on the snow a lot? :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:

However, a board is easier than skis in heavy snow

You know, you're right. It really doesnt sound that much fun when you think about it

Good skiers and good boarders look good, bad ones look not so good. I have been wiped out by both.
We have a run in Niederau, under the gondela, that can get a bit tricky, especially near the trees. We found that boarders could get nearer the trees, and thus solidify the base, providing a benefit for skiers.

On a lighter note, one of my ski songs is written about a really good young lady boarder. I have since skied with her, and she is also a great skier, that did not surprise me ~ I had worked with her dad in the ski school, and he was good in every department, from off piste to racing.
Also mentioned in the song is a really fast New Zealand boarder that I hooked up with in the Three Valleys, and err, one certain ....Trencher.

There just as many rubbish boarders as skiers …. I still remember the snob factor in skiing and then along came Snowboarders that got them running to their five star hotels, and also refreashed the whole industry -)

Snowboarding is one of the best things that ever happened to skiing. Ski technology has taken a quantum leap forward thanks to the influence of snowboarding.