What would you do first - Skiing or Snowboarding ?
Discussion
Asterix said:
I will throw something else into the pot.
I've seen 10 day boarders go serious off piste - and get into trouble. Why? Because the board allows them to. Skis don't do that. You have to be a good technical skier to hit the bad stuff. When I mean bad, I mean the stuff that will kill you. On a Board, you can be there within 10 days. To do it properly on skis, you're looking years.
Name a place in Europe and I've hit it, I've heli-skied in Alaska and there was always a marked difference in experience between the boarders and the skiers. Experience, as in, knowing the mountain.
Completely agree with that. I've seen 10 day boarders go serious off piste - and get into trouble. Why? Because the board allows them to. Skis don't do that. You have to be a good technical skier to hit the bad stuff. When I mean bad, I mean the stuff that will kill you. On a Board, you can be there within 10 days. To do it properly on skis, you're looking years.
Name a place in Europe and I've hit it, I've heli-skied in Alaska and there was always a marked difference in experience between the boarders and the skiers. Experience, as in, knowing the mountain.
Hard-Drive said:
But I agree with the other comments, even a real newbie can get down something pretty steep on a board, where skiing will require a lot more commitment and technique. But I know some really good boarders who have basically taught themselves, yet with skiing it seems that you need an instructor to move you up a gear.
Another consideration is the resort. If there's a long walk to the lifts, you might be better off boarding (boots are SOOOOO much easier to walk in) If there are a lot of draglifts, you will be better on skis...drag lifts are tricky and tiring on a board.
Another consideration is the resort. If there's a long walk to the lifts, you might be better off boarding (boots are SOOOOO much easier to walk in) If there are a lot of draglifts, you will be better on skis...drag lifts are tricky and tiring on a board.
spot on.The oh had been on skis for a couple of years, but it just didn't work, even with classes, still "snowploughing" of the hill (skis in a V shape), she now has been on the board for a couple of times and, without "proper" lessons, she can now keep a decent pace.
The only thing she still refuses to learn is mastering drag lifts on a board.
So I would agree that they take more practice with a board, but once you get the hang of them I wouldn't say they are more tiring.
meah said:
Asterix said:
I will throw something else into the pot.
I've seen 10 day boarders go serious off piste - and get into trouble. Why? Because the board allows them to. Skis don't do that. You have to be a good technical skier to hit the bad stuff. When I mean bad, I mean the stuff that will kill you. On a Board, you can be there within 10 days. To do it properly on skis, you're looking years.
Name a place in Europe and I've hit it, I've heli-skied in Alaska and there was always a marked difference in experience between the boarders and the skiers. Experience, as in, knowing the mountain.
Completely agree with that. I've seen 10 day boarders go serious off piste - and get into trouble. Why? Because the board allows them to. Skis don't do that. You have to be a good technical skier to hit the bad stuff. When I mean bad, I mean the stuff that will kill you. On a Board, you can be there within 10 days. To do it properly on skis, you're looking years.
Name a place in Europe and I've hit it, I've heli-skied in Alaska and there was always a marked difference in experience between the boarders and the skiers. Experience, as in, knowing the mountain.
We'd be approaching a slope that we knew would be with the criteria for an avalanche and start doing shear tests, snow grain evaluation, blah, blah and a bunch of boarders would simply go straight across, in a group, completely blind to the significant dangers. When you've been involved in a few avalanches, you wise up pretty damn quickly - thankfully for me, the two I've been involved in were wet snow and slow but it will settle like concrete and you have to be dug out. You fall and your head goes under and it stops - you die.
These guys would be out without probes, transceivers, shovels and the usual gear - if they got hit, they'd be screwed. Avalanche survival rates drop off rapidly for every minute that goes past and to successfully probe or find them quickly with a transceiver requires proper training. Then there's knowing the drills etc...
Mother Nature can be a real b
h sometimes and you have to remember that you're there purely by invitation and should she decide it, she can kill you very, very quickly especially if you don't have a healthy respect for the mountains and weather.Sorry - sounds a bit ranty but the ignorance needs to be stamped out.
Edited by Asterix on Wednesday 24th November 14:53
Asterix said:
...
We'd be approaching a slope that we knew would be with the criteria for an avalanche and start doing shear tests, snow grain evaluation, blah, blah and a bunch of boarders would simply go straight across, in a group, completely blind to the significant dangers. When you've been involved in a few avalanches, you wise up pretty damn quickly - thankfully for me, the two I've been involved in were wet snow and slow but it will settle like concrete and you have to be dug out. You fall and your head goes under and it stops - you die.
These guys would be out without probes, transceivers, shovels and the usual gear - if they got hit, they'd be screwed. Avalanche survival rates drop off rapidly for every minute that goes past and to successfully probe or find them quickly with a transceiver requires proper training. Then there's knowing the drills etc...
Mother Nature can be a real bh sometimes and you have to remember that you're there purely by invitation and should she decide it, she can kill you very, very quickly especially if you don't have a healthy respect for the mountains and weather.
Sorry - sounds a bit ranty but the ignorance needs to be stamped out.
But now you're just trying to make a "boarders are daft" statement (esp with the previous post), which is rather odd, I didn't lose any sensibility when I swapped my ski's for a board, just like I still used my indicators when I got a BMW.We'd be approaching a slope that we knew would be with the criteria for an avalanche and start doing shear tests, snow grain evaluation, blah, blah and a bunch of boarders would simply go straight across, in a group, completely blind to the significant dangers. When you've been involved in a few avalanches, you wise up pretty damn quickly - thankfully for me, the two I've been involved in were wet snow and slow but it will settle like concrete and you have to be dug out. You fall and your head goes under and it stops - you die.
These guys would be out without probes, transceivers, shovels and the usual gear - if they got hit, they'd be screwed. Avalanche survival rates drop off rapidly for every minute that goes past and to successfully probe or find them quickly with a transceiver requires proper training. Then there's knowing the drills etc...
Mother Nature can be a real b
h sometimes and you have to remember that you're there purely by invitation and should she decide it, she can kill you very, very quickly especially if you don't have a healthy respect for the mountains and weather.Sorry - sounds a bit ranty but the ignorance needs to be stamped out.
ZesPak said:
Asterix said:
...
We'd be approaching a slope that we knew would be with the criteria for an avalanche and start doing shear tests, snow grain evaluation, blah, blah and a bunch of boarders would simply go straight across, in a group, completely blind to the significant dangers. When you've been involved in a few avalanches, you wise up pretty damn quickly - thankfully for me, the two I've been involved in were wet snow and slow but it will settle like concrete and you have to be dug out. You fall and your head goes under and it stops - you die.
These guys would be out without probes, transceivers, shovels and the usual gear - if they got hit, they'd be screwed. Avalanche survival rates drop off rapidly for every minute that goes past and to successfully probe or find them quickly with a transceiver requires proper training. Then there's knowing the drills etc...
Mother Nature can be a real bh sometimes and you have to remember that you're there purely by invitation and should she decide it, she can kill you very, very quickly especially if you don't have a healthy respect for the mountains and weather.
Sorry - sounds a bit ranty but the ignorance needs to be stamped out.
But now you're just trying to make a "boarders are daft" statement (esp with the previous post), which is rather odd, I didn't lose any sensibility when I swapped my ski's for a board, just like I still used my indicators when I got a BMW.We'd be approaching a slope that we knew would be with the criteria for an avalanche and start doing shear tests, snow grain evaluation, blah, blah and a bunch of boarders would simply go straight across, in a group, completely blind to the significant dangers. When you've been involved in a few avalanches, you wise up pretty damn quickly - thankfully for me, the two I've been involved in were wet snow and slow but it will settle like concrete and you have to be dug out. You fall and your head goes under and it stops - you die.
These guys would be out without probes, transceivers, shovels and the usual gear - if they got hit, they'd be screwed. Avalanche survival rates drop off rapidly for every minute that goes past and to successfully probe or find them quickly with a transceiver requires proper training. Then there's knowing the drills etc...
Mother Nature can be a real b
h sometimes and you have to remember that you're there purely by invitation and should she decide it, she can kill you very, very quickly especially if you don't have a healthy respect for the mountains and weather.Sorry - sounds a bit ranty but the ignorance needs to be stamped out.
My point being that to even be in the situation you'd have to be an experienced skier and the chances are you've learnt a healthy respect for the environment over the years. Usually, those that venture off piste with little experience 9/10 are boarders because they can - can't say I blame them as it's the real deal but without knowledge, it can bite.
Yes, probably all good advice but the OP is going for the first time, so I doubt he'll be heading out by helicopter on a massive off-piste avalanchethon, so you're probably scaring him a little more than is necessary.
As said before, by you as well as others, it takes many years to get half-good at skiing, and skis are harder to use on steep slopes and off piste. So by the time you can go to those dangerous places, you know a bit about the mountains.
But for a good way to have fun for a few days, boarding's probably quicker.
A couple of tips, get snow-mits, because it prevents your thumbs/fingers getting pulled the wrong way, ski gloves give less protection. And take it easy on flat-ish pistes, all the skiiers will put their heads down and go for it, but oddly it's the most likely place for you to catch an edge and hurt yourself. The side of the board digs into the snow, and you smack into the ground.
As said before, by you as well as others, it takes many years to get half-good at skiing, and skis are harder to use on steep slopes and off piste. So by the time you can go to those dangerous places, you know a bit about the mountains.
But for a good way to have fun for a few days, boarding's probably quicker.
A couple of tips, get snow-mits, because it prevents your thumbs/fingers getting pulled the wrong way, ski gloves give less protection. And take it easy on flat-ish pistes, all the skiiers will put their heads down and go for it, but oddly it's the most likely place for you to catch an edge and hurt yourself. The side of the board digs into the snow, and you smack into the ground.
For me I started with boarding 9at the age of 38, had 3 lessons in the UK and 2 in France. By day 3 I was off piste (badly), by the end of my second trip I could almost keep up with some very good skiers, and black runs and off piste were fine. (To be fair I have done board sports surfing and windsurfing at a semi pro level since I was 14 which may have helped)
For the first lessons be prepared for some pain (pad your cocyx), wear wrist guards (you break an easier to repair bone than the complex wrist)
Whichever you do, just enjoy it, go at your own pace, push yourself a bit but don't take risks
Moutains are awesome, but can kill an idiot very quickly, so take care, don't ski/board alone, follow the rules, take the right kit.
For the first lessons be prepared for some pain (pad your cocyx), wear wrist guards (you break an easier to repair bone than the complex wrist)
Whichever you do, just enjoy it, go at your own pace, push yourself a bit but don't take risks
Moutains are awesome, but can kill an idiot very quickly, so take care, don't ski/board alone, follow the rules, take the right kit.
Greenie said:
-Pete- said:
. And take it easy on flat-ish pistes, all the skiiers will put their heads down and go for it, but oddly it's the most likely place for you to catch an edge and hurt yourself. The side of the board digs into the snow, and you smack into the ground.
So true. painful memories. Not to forget "the walk of shame" afterwards: the ploughing through the snow on foot with the board in hand because it's to flat to gain any speed.Greenie said:
-Pete- said:
. And take it easy on flat-ish pistes, all the skiiers will put their heads down and go for it, but oddly it's the most likely place for you to catch an edge and hurt yourself. The side of the board digs into the snow, and you smack into the ground.
So true. But the above comments are right, its the flat bits that need the most concentration especially if you are trying to follow a group of skiiers.
A well waxed board, and maybe some silicone on the base will help you glide better on the flat bits which means you get them over with quickly so have slightly less chance of falling.
I skiied over a period of 15 years before switching to boarding 11 years ago. I've never bothered skiing again since I enjoy the board so much.
Learning to snowboard is deceptively easy to start with but what happens is people start saying they can board and go down black runs etc after a few days. This isn't quite true. They will slide sideways down steep slopes which is equivalent to a snow plough on skiis. The ability to head down a steep slope on a snow board making regular turns is harder than on skiis in my experience, especially in the first few weeks of boarding.
Regarding going down slopes/tracks without much of a gradient, the great thing about a board is that as long as it's in good condition, you will pass skiiers simply because you'll have more of a contact area with the snow which allows you to be more efficient. I've always noticed that I gain on skiers and eventually pass them on a long shallow track by quite a distance.
Learning to snowboard is deceptively easy to start with but what happens is people start saying they can board and go down black runs etc after a few days. This isn't quite true. They will slide sideways down steep slopes which is equivalent to a snow plough on skiis. The ability to head down a steep slope on a snow board making regular turns is harder than on skiis in my experience, especially in the first few weeks of boarding.
Regarding going down slopes/tracks without much of a gradient, the great thing about a board is that as long as it's in good condition, you will pass skiiers simply because you'll have more of a contact area with the snow which allows you to be more efficient. I've always noticed that I gain on skiers and eventually pass them on a long shallow track by quite a distance.
Silver993tt said:
Regarding going down slopes/tracks without much of a gradient, the great thing about a board is that as long as it's in good condition, you will pass skiiers simply because you'll have more of a contact area with the snow which allows you to be more efficient. I've always noticed that I gain on skiers and eventually pass them on a long shallow track by quite a distance.
While this is often true, skiers cheat by using their sticks and can "skate" with their skis 
'you will pass skiiers simply because you'll have more of a contact area with the snow'
I'm not sure a board has much more contact area than a pair of skis.Also a board is much wider so it would be slower pushing through the snow in front.
You'll probably pass skiers because they are calmly gliding whilst you,having built up a head of steam,are attacking the slight gradient
in an attempt to avoid the inevitable walk.
I'm not sure a board has much more contact area than a pair of skis.Also a board is much wider so it would be slower pushing through the snow in front.
You'll probably pass skiers because they are calmly gliding whilst you,having built up a head of steam,are attacking the slight gradient
in an attempt to avoid the inevitable walk.
Once your past learner theres no doubt skiiers are faster on piste.
Snowboarders have more fun though
well offpiste anyhow.
As a commited boarder skii's are technicaly better devices thesedays (now they have caught up) for riding most conditions but snowboards excell in powder.
Though the new tech snowboards are changing that again.
Snowboarders have more fun though
well offpiste anyhow.As a commited boarder skii's are technicaly better devices thesedays (now they have caught up) for riding most conditions but snowboards excell in powder.
Though the new tech snowboards are changing that again.
Never been on a set of skis but have boarded. If you can handle a knock or two then it is fantastic fun. I had six lessons before I went (at Tamworth before the Xscape opened in MK) and had lessons every morning whilst I was away. By day 2 I was having a whale of a time and whilst I wasn't great was getting to a reasonable standard by the end.
If I did it again I would personally get a carving board as I preferred the speed to jumps and messing about.
If I did it again I would personally get a carving board as I preferred the speed to jumps and messing about.
goldblum said:
I'm not sure a board has much more contact area than a pair of skis.Also a board is much wider so it would be slower pushing through the snow in front.
Silver993tt said:
goldblum said:
I'm not sure a board has much more contact area than a pair of skis.Also a board is much wider so it would be slower pushing through the snow in front.
You are right though that a board will have more carrying surface. But then it needs it, because it also has a larger frontal area.
Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff