UKC

Having some pretty cool mountains 15 minutes drive from my house and Whistler close by has prompted me to take up snowsports this winter.

The question I was faced with was do I ski or do I snowboard? The obvious solution to some might be just try both and see which one you like, but to me it takes some time, like a full season, to figure out the ups and downs of either so the question was - which first?


I have come from a skateboarding background so I thought I would be better, at first anyway, at snowboarding. It was a tough decision to make but I chose skiing because it seemed to be more of an "outdoorsmans" sport than the cool, pot smoking hippies in their bling gear who seem to hang around snowboard shops, at least here anyway (Vancouver).

Other friends remark that they've known loads of skiiers who changed to snowboarding but none who changed to from snowboarding to skiing. Is this true in everyone else's case as well?

So let's hear for once and for all - skiing or snowboarding.

In reply to supafly:
>
I hate you!

Have fun you lucky 88*k**b**888888rd

In reply to supafly: its just different ways of getting down the mountain, not some choice that has a deeper meaning, do one, do both, do neither, what ever gets you high. Whatever you do, as you live in such a good spot if i was you i'd use my time wisely

enjoy

In reply to johnj:

wise words - but still not the definitive answer I was looking for

In reply to supafly: Do both......

I would say skiing is more practical especially in the backcountry, as a snowboard is impossible to go uphill on, and annoying to traverse on too, whereas skiing is easier to get where you want, as you can sidestep, herringbone, use your poles etc.

However, nothing beats surfing on a metre of fresh powder on a snowboard....

In reply to supafly: maybe then telemark is the way for you

In reply to supafly:

Snowboarding whn there is powder or sof snow

skiing when its icy or pistes are hard

In reply to Dr Avid:

Keep in mind I'm not made of money..

In reply to johnj:

yes i've been introduced to telemarking since being out here - maybe once i get better on the skis eh?

In reply to supafly:

I started off snowboarding 6 years ago, its pretty frustrating at the start, but once you have the basics is quite a quick progression from there on.

It hurts when you fall, and trust me you'll fall alot at first.
Its harder on the body too as you have to keep the board slightly tilted even on the flattest of surfaces.

Last winter I was doing a season and I decided to take up skiing. I found it very easy to start and a lot more natural. I was able to take lots of what I'd learnt from snowboarding and apply it to skiing.
I find skiing to be much easier on the body, it hurts a bit less then you fall (so long as your bindings are set correctly) And you can relax on the flatter and easier sections giving you a bit of a rest. As well as being able to skate along the flat sections being a bit of a revelation. After years of having to take one foot out of my board to get over flat sections of the piste.

Basically from my experience it boils down to

Snowboarding - Fun, tiring, designed for people that like to mess about and play on the snow. Lots of opportunitys to learn easy little tricks quite quickly. Great for off-piste, easy on a board you just float along, on skis it is very technical and hard to do.

Skiing - FAST, very fast compared to boarding, you're much more stable at higher speeds and can really blast it down the mountain. Other than straight jumps you're a bit limited.

I like both, and theres no reason you can't get very good at both over a season.

In reply to supafly: having some ski ability would help, but in the long run starting on telis is ok, you can get the basics and develop the telemark turn out of a snowplow

In reply to LittleJoe:

yeah i've heard the same about falling on a snowboard - more broken wrists from snowboarding.

i'll probably ski for a while and then maybe switch over to boarding for a bit - twin tips mean skis are starting to feel more like snowboards i hear anyway.

In reply to supafly: if you want to ride steep and deep and just use runs serviced by lifts or only have short approaches to more serious terrrain then go for the board.

if however you want to look like a god and do what you know is right then ski.

i also think skiing is a good way to learn edge control, balance, an understanding of snow etc and the learning process will be far more forgiving and less painful on skis.

i think if you should do both but i would want to be a shit hot skier before i went to a board though but its all down to personal preference.

In reply to supafly: You don't really care, you are just gloating aren't you?

Don't believe the idiotic cliches about "hippies" and "outdoorsmen". This is just crap created by the media and perpetuated by small minded fools. You will find peopel in both of these categories doing both sports. Do whatever you like the look of more. Both are brilliant in their own way, and you can't really go wrong.

In reply to supafly: Everyone moans about snowboarders been all pretentious, fashion etc, go sit in a snow park for a while it goes both ways now, hav have a look at some of the twin tippers, onesees are apparantly cool again. (i'm not saying its a bad thinging i guess i'm one of them as well

I've snowboarded for the last 9 years and i put on some ski's last christmas and i fookin loved it, took no time to learn was parrelling stright away (like 20 minutes cos i already knew how to trust my edges) so if i go back out this year i think i'll ski.

Love boarding in the park and stuff, but just ridding on ski's feels mint, get on the ski's you'll be addicted.

In reply to supafly: Slight preference for skis after spending a few years on the board BUT it does depend on the terrain. Parks = board(mostly), Piste = skis, Backcountry = skis, Powder fields = both but put some hips and windlips in and the board wins hands down.

If you are out all season get some newer skis and an older board and enjoy it all, these will be the least of your costs!

In reply to supafly:

I'm a skier.

Both are nails to master, both are reasonably easy to get to a decent level. Skis are faster on paper but I've been skinned by boarders in the powder when I reckon I've been flat out.

Both are great in powder. Boards are obviously good, but skis have caught up with dedicated powder skis (my skis are 194cm, 92mm at the waist and are only classed as mid-fat!), which rock. For everyone how says boarding is unbeatable in the powder, in my mind nothing beats doing massive SG turn is pow at pace thinking you're about to lose it at any second.

I'd pick skis because it makes touring easier. You can tour on a split board but they're too wide, soft and the boots are gash. It gets pretty hairy on hard snow/ice.

Also, in the park, being able to pull of a fully tweaked iron cross 360 makes most board tricks look lame

(Judging by your facial hair though, I'd pick boarding 0

In reply to supafly:

I've been snowboarding for 20 years and I have never broken a bone. You 'can' break your wrist snowboarding, but skiing injuries can be horrendous in comparison- compound fractures of your femur, knees destroyed etc etc.

I still ski sometimes and enjoy it. It's really down to whatever you fancy. If I was living where you do, I would go for snowboarding because you are likely to get some amazing powder days and IMO a board is the best tool for that job.

Davie

In reply to supafly:

There si no absolute answer. Both have good points, both have some less than pleasant people who you can point at and say "that's a typical skier/boarder", both are hard to get good at.
I like skiing better but that's because I prefer groomed runs and long GS turns. I also think that freestyle/terrain park tricks look better on skis but they don't look bad on a board either!
Just do both and enjoy the options!

In reply to galpinos:


so you're saying boarders ARE hippies then?

In reply to supafly:

Ski. You can't backcountry XC on a board.

In reply to supafly:

If they are they're about as post facto as they come.

In reply to supafly: Boarders are amuzing, they sit on thier arse watching the skiers all day, every 300mts a stop. They always look very bored to me when not giving the blackman whiteman hand gestures and pulling thier pants up.
skiing all the way and nothing to stop you going boarding on a rest day.

In reply to supafly: I changed to boarding when my knees would n't take skiing any more. It's much easier on them - but I don't think it's as much fun. But then at least I can still go on a skiing holiday with people whose knees are n't shot and get down the mountain after a fashion. . .

In reply to PK:

really? we must ski and board completly different. I find skiing much more relaxing. The pressure on the hips and knees while boarding can be intense. In my experience anyway.

In reply to scrubmunched:

i agree skiing is much easier on my body

got to keep my legs all tensed on a board

In reply to supafly:
Skiing is easier to adapt to backcountry. You mention you are not made of money - do you know how much lift passes are at Whistler!

In reply to supafly: Have tried downhill & XC skiing and also snowboarding. For me snowboarding was easier to pick up and more fun. It also fits well with my surfing and kitesurfing and as you say would tie in with skateboarding.

As for everyone who says if you want to go backcountry or XC you need to ski, all I can say is get a kite and you can go up hills with zero effort. After all someone did manage to kite-snowboard to the top of Mont Blanc last year...

In reply to chris j:

>

not much use without wind!

to the OP, master the art of skiing and in particular off piste, keep the board for when you are in your twilight years.

Modern ski designs have completely revolutionised the sport, enjoy!

In reply to Erik B:
You don't need much, certainly a lot less than you'd get in an average day in the Cairngorms... & if there's too much then take a smaller kite!

In reply to supafly: Skiing!

Skiings great, faster than sboards and even if you have come from a skateboarding background ive heard it has little affect on sboard skills. I have seen plenty or of sboarders go out of control and turf ppl up so many times, skiing maybe be faster but you still have a good sense of control with skis thn with boards.

In reply to supafly:

Is there a reason that you can't do both? You live 15 mins from "some cool mountains" and "..Whistler close by.."? Are you trying to make us jealous?

In reply to Dr Avid:

Unless you get a split board. I ski, but my friend snowboards, we often go into the hills. He uses a split board when touring and seems to have no problems (apart from the bindings seem to freeze real easy!), however there are more top tour skiers than split board skiers. Hire both sets of gear, and try them both out and stick to the one you find fun, more natural. I also have a snowboard but wouldn't say it I could use it.

IF I was going to start again, I think I would go to Telemarks, it looks real cool, and if done proper, looks even cooler! Although people say it can trash your knees! But I have seen more footballers with really trashed knees than telemarkers, so may be its all relative!