Is the skier and mountain biker mentality similar?

[ski_resort_observer]

For downhill biking it depends on the dificulty of the trail your on. In general I think downhill mountain biking requires constant focus as even an easy trail it's not smooth like skiing a green groomer. Downhill biking is not free since the bikes don't have the gears to go uphill so you need a lift or some other method to get to the point where you want to head downhill.

Personally I think downhill mountain biking is safer in that you won't get creamed by some idiot driver who is not paying attention when you bike along a road. I see alot of road bikers on roads with no shoulder, an accident waiting to happen IMHO. You can end up with alot of scrapes downhill mountain biking, even broken bones but that's safer than the risk of getting hit by a car. I have no stats but I assume more people are killed road biking than downhill mountain biking.

Resorts that offer downhill biking do have bike patrollers(usually ski patrollers) that can be dispatched quickly if you have a serious crash.

 

[amf]

core??? who needs core?

For me, skiing is more akin to climbing, specifically trad climbing. Up until 5 yrs ago, 90% of my skiing was bc - I love the mental challenge of having to find a route on the downhill (or uphill, for that matter), thru whatever obstacles confront you. On-piste skiing, and by extension sport climbing, tends to be on established trails / runs / routes that, for me, takes a lot of the mental challenge away. Mtn biking seems to fall into the "on-piste" side of life - your route is pre-determined.

 

[JD]

core??? who needs core?

For me, skiing is more akin to climbing, specifically trad climbing. Up until 5 yrs ago, 90% of my skiing was bc - I love the mental challenge of having to find a route on the downhill (or uphill, for that matter), thru whatever obstacles confront you. On-piste skiing, and by extension sport climbing, tends to be on established trails / runs / routes that, for me, takes a lot of the mental challenge away. Mtn biking seems to fall into the "on-piste" side of life - your route is pre-determined.

Good analogies. Building MTB trails is where the route finding/problem solving side of it comes in. And a bunch of other stuff that's more like landscaping then anything else.