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Is Snowboarding harder than skiing?

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Rolla
Posts: 81 - Karma: 10
I don't think so. There's twice as many edges to deal with on skis, and it's hard to see when you're switch. But I've been arguing with a boarder friend who insists that skiing is easier because on skis you're facing down the mountain. Anyone have something to shut him up?
Dec 30 2008 12:49PM
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skibikeclambake
Posts: 2346 - Karma: 27
some aspects of it are, while others are not
Dec 30 2008 12:53PM
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snwbrdmilf
Posts: 22441 - Karma: 2,806
It depends on the person.
Dec 30 2008 12:53PM
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YT.SKEEZE
Posts: 609 - Karma: 17
Moguls are harder...but to be honest...does it matter?
Dec 30 2008 12:55PM
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Billek
Posts: 5665 - Karma: 98
Snowboarding is ahrder to learn, in my oppinion.

But once it gets to a point, it evens out.

Still, some things are easier on skis (pretzles), and some things are easier on snowboards (50-50s). There are many more examples as well.
Dec 30 2008 12:57PM
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BusyJohnSohn
Posts: 3483 - Karma: 29
boarding is harder to learn, skiing is harder to master and make look good. I'd say spinning on skis is easier, same with switchups. Its two completely different things, pretty difficult to compare.
Dec 30 2008 1:10PM
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C-Burg
Posts: 4729 - Karma: 130
i think skiing is easier to learn but harder to get good at and snowboarding is harder to learn but easier to get good at
Dec 30 2008 1:11PM
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Steezius_Maximus
Posts: 1152 - Karma: 22
overall skiing is harder for sure
Dec 30 2008 1:17PM
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C.R.E.A.M
Posts: 2988 - Karma: 4,581
yea i managed to pick up snowboarding in like 3 days, jumps are alot easier in my opinion.
Dec 30 2008 1:25PM
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Rolla
Posts: 81 - Karma: 10
Sounds good. Sliding on snow is the tits, whatever way you do it. All the friends I'm riding with this season snowboard, and one of the things I've really come to enjoy about snowboarders is that at the top of the run they all stop to strap in, and I get to stand there and look around and enjoy the beautiful scenery. When I'm with skiers, it seems like everything is in a hurry. Hop off the lift and go. No time to look...
Dec 30 2008 1:29PM
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niklasturku
Posts: 135 - Karma: 475
Skis are dope, who cares about snowboards when you can have skis
Dec 30 2008 2:46PM
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K.C.Deane
Posts: 1730 - Karma: 315
no its not, i snowboarded for 5 years. Skiing is harder to learn. way more fun though.
Dec 30 2008 4:09PM
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.Asain-Skiier
Posts: 3708 - Karma: 977
Snow boadering is easier to do tricks. skiing is harder to master.
Dec 30 2008 4:27PM
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AptosFreeskier
Posts: 1240 - Karma: 17
Hey dude, I have these apples and I have these oranges..........
Dec 30 2008 4:31PM
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Malcolm
Posts: 15951 - Karma: 9,451
tell him that snowboarding is the hardest sport ever. if thats what he wants to hear it should shut him up
Dec 30 2008 4:33PM
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theteo
Posts: 210 - Karma: 18
I used to snowboard for six years before skiing.


Yes, It's harder to learn, but damn is it fun!
Dec 30 2008 4:45PM
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Eastcoastskier09
Posts: 197 - Karma: 8
i used to snowboard but i didnot like it bevause it was to hard

Dec 30 2008 4:48PM
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PowJonny1352467
Posts: 7 - Karma: 10
first of all i ski AND snowboard, and i say that skiing is definitely harder to get the hang of and be good at.. but boarding looks waaay more steezy.
Dec 30 2008 5:07PM
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hartig
Posts: 8192 - Karma: 10
i feel like snowboarding is harder.. just because they' havent progressed as much as we have (although, yeah we obviously should progress more since we have more possibilities).
it just seems like we do way more doubles than snowboarders..
Dec 30 2008 6:06PM
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ILoveOhio
Posts: 1793 - Karma: 253
t trying to be a dick but REALLY?






Dec 30 2008 6:23PM
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skijunkiedtm
Posts: 9229 - Karma: 61
yea i picked up snowboarding in a day on rentals. it was just like bombing hills on a skateboard without speed wabbles.
Dec 30 2008 6:59PM
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dstriebs
Posts: 396 - Karma: 77
agreed
Dec 30 2008 7:03PM
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Slinger1x1
Posts: 8853 - Karma: 66
picked up snowboarding in a couple days after 12 years of skiing. im so used to not falling when im going down a run, getting on a board was a pain in the ass, literally. bruised butt and knees every day. im sticking with skiing, i like my feet to be free and i like to spend more time moving and less time on my ass.

but all in all, i think snowboarding was dam easy to pick up
Dec 30 2008 7:06PM
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LKSi
Posts: 10 - Karma: 10
Skiing was easy to learn.. I switched to boarding for awhile and had a tough time at first, but progressed quickly after the initial phase.  Now I'm back to skiing and I must say they are about equal.  Each has its difficulties.
Dec 30 2008 7:10PM
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anxju
Posts: 9371 - Karma: 61
spinning small spins like 360s is way easier on a snowboard but spinning big spins like 1080's is way easier on skis. its all about moment of inertia and physics. snowboarders 5050 rails a lot so i think sliding a rail on skis is harder than boardsliding on a board. and i think landing on a snowboard is easier. but skiing switch is easier on skis than on a snowboard

i may be 100% wrong, but i base this off of my experience snowboarding (once lol) and what ive seen and heard from others
Dec 30 2008 7:10PM
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huge-go
Posts: 1451 - Karma: 33
I disagree completely with the switch thing. It's possible for a snowboarder to get as good switch as his natural stance. There are two different natural stances on a snowboard. But on skiing, it's just forward, and it'll never be possible to do the same things switch as is possible forward.
Dec 30 2008 7:36PM
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CooksCorner
Posts: 3939 - Karma: 22
I dunno about doubles. The first one I ever saw was done on a snowboard--JP Walker--and they've been doin em ever since. You might be right about park booters, but they're still a hot ticket in the backcountry.

As to the original question: I do both, and they're different. Snowboarding is way harder to learn, but it seems more difficult to execute all the mechanics of skiing properly. That said, you can go days on skis without binning it but ride a snowboard and you're guaranteed  to fall at least once a day. So I'd say balancing on a snowboard is harder, because of the single balance point, than on skis. Both are fun, both are good for different things, going fast on skis is just amazing.
Dec 30 2008 8:07PM
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mmallender.
Posts: 5805 - Karma: 936
i disagree completely about rails on skis being harder than doing boardslides on a snowboard, boardslides are much much harder. most people find learning how to properly distribute their weight forward enough so they do not fall straight backwards onto their ass, but just enough so they do not catch their toe edge is not easy. While skiing is more of a weight on your front foot, angle your front foot back a bit, back foot flat. I do both, and i picked up rails on skis much faster than boardslides, I still cant consistently do front boards, take so much more balls to learn.
Dec 30 2008 8:19PM
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canadianskier
Posts: 601 - Karma: 184
i don't think either is easier, they're different sports and have different levels. If there are around as many skiers as boarders it's just as hard to get to the top boarding as skiing, the only real argument is which is easier if you're just trying to get to the bottom of the hill, and in that case i think it's still relative to the person, people with skateboarding backgrounds will probably have an easier time on a snowboard then people without, but it's the same with skis for people who have skating or waterskiing backgrounds. What i'm really trying to say is that you can't really say any sport is easier it's all relative and you have to appreciate each one for what it is.
Dec 30 2008 8:19PM
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Rolla
Posts: 81 - Karma: 10
Canadianskier. Well reasoned post. Giving you karma.
Jan 1 2009 1:23PM
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Aaaron.
Posts: 11817 - Karma: 903
snowboarding is like masterbation.
fun while you're doing it, but you feel terrible after words.
Jan 1 2009 1:27PM
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Dbit
Posts: 385 - Karma: 71
if you can skate or longboard youll pick it up pretty fast. its like comparing learning to ride a bike with rollerblades, theres nothing similar. you just gotta get past the learning curve
Jan 1 2009 3:44PM
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Static
Posts: 8561 - Karma: 4,139
snowboarding is a joke, it should be banned from ski areas. Begginers and pros alike edge to much scraping all the snow away, I know they have to it's the only way to stop. And when they arn't scraping down heelside and they are riding in regular position they're blind to half the run.
Jan 1 2009 5:23PM
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*LiNeLover*
Posts: 1224 - Karma: 256
i cant remember learning to ski, but i do know that after skiing since i was 2, it took me 5 days on a snowboard to be a better snowboarder then all of my girlfriends who had been doing it for years. i think snowboarding is much easyer to pick up then skiing, although you get a bit more beat up learning to snowboard..  i ski, rarely ever snowboard, but from expirence and watching, i think a beginner on a snowboard will start off with a much easyer time hitting rails and boxes then a skier..
Jan 2 2009 3:26AM
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Thenowhereman42
Posts: 5682 - Karma: 65

I went through a snowboarding phase for a few years and I have to say I think I progressed way faster than on skis, but at the end of the day I enjoy skiing more.

Falling on a snowboard hurts a fuckton more though and catching an edge is a much bigger threat.

Jan 2 2009 3:33AM
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Sean...M
Posts: 2450 - Karma: 14
It honestly depends on your past. I played hockey back when i was young and liked roller blading better then skateboarding so skiing was pretty easy to pickup. First day on the hill i tried snowboarding and i couldnt do it for the life of it.
I bet if i skateboarded when i was younger snowboarding wouldnt be that hard to pickup. I just cant stand having my feet being attached
Jan 2 2009 3:36AM
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*LiNeLover*
Posts: 1224 - Karma: 256
The first day on a SB is hell. i dont think anyone can get off their ass.. senond day gets easyer and you start learning the "falling leaf" style of turning. by the 3rd day you start to turn regularly and by about the 5-10th day your golden..everyone told me that before i tried it years ago, and when i did they were totally right. give it another shot. it gets better, but i still live on my skis :-)
Jan 2 2009 3:43AM
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Thenowhereman42
Posts: 5682 - Karma: 65

I've always felt skiing and snowboarding are miles closer than skiing to rollerblading or skating to snowboarding.

I've always been awesome at skiing and ice skating but terrible at roller blades.

Jan 2 2009 3:57AM
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mozzy
Posts: 1034 - Karma: 60
They're different, but if you asking specifically about learning curves, my personal experience is this:

I was up and making turns, albeit basic ones on skis the first day.

I was falling on my ass just trying to stand up on a snowboard, let alone trying to avoid getting clobbered by the lift or feeling anywhere near secure heelside or toeside.

The snowboard learning curve is steeper than on skis, but it's harder to ski well.


Jan 2 2009 11:02AM
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Rez4frederick
Posts: 4740 - Karma: 40
I dunno. I just bought a snowboard recently. I picked up basic turns and stopping both heelside and toeside fairly quickly on easy runs. I do skateboard, but it seems wakeboarding has helped me pick it up quicker. Going fast is still scary and hitting bumps sucks too. It seems like its alot harder to dodge people too. Its definitely fun, but holy fuck, it hurts your feet like crazy. And it seems like it can be hard on your ankles, I wrecked once and tweaked my ankle a bit, luckily not to bad.
Jan 2 2009 11:08AM
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JosephStalin
Posts: 1673 - Karma: 100
in my opinion skiing is easier than snowboarding for me, but thats just me
Jan 2 2009 11:31AM
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