Poll: For those of you who ski AND ride

[zinger3000]

Couldn't find a topic like this in my quick search, so here goes:

2 questions for those of you who do both skiing and snowboarding:
(1) Which do you think is easier?
(2) Which did you learn first?

Obviously, I'm trying to see if there is any sort of correlation between which you think is easier and which you learned first.

 

[abc]

Not sure I qualify. I can board but only barely...

I learned to ski first. Learn to board because my other half was a non-skier and I didn't feel like waiting around on skis. Figure if we learn together, there'll be minimal waiting around...Wrong!

So, to answer your question, I think boarding is easier to learn...for me! But really, it's mostly because I already know how to ski. So crossing over to board, going from managing two edges to managing only one, was a (relative) no-brainer! Also I no longer have to deal with the fear of speed issue (and the whole hosts of other snow related things).

But... watching how my never-skied other half struggle on the board, I'm not convinced boarding is easier after all.

So, I still ended up waiting around a lot. And my level on board didn't progress as fast as it could have been.

To conclude the story, when the relationship ended, I went back to skiing.

 

[HD333]

Learned to Ski first, 12 yrs old. Skied until 27. Boarded the next 8 years exclusivly. Did try boarding once around 17 or so, loved it just couldn't give up skiing at the time, Now I do about 60/40 Board/Ski.

Boarding is much easier and more fun IMHO. The learning curve is much quicker. By boarding I do not mean park and pipe stuff (I am way to old for that), I mean cruising, carving etc...

After 8 years off I was amazed at how easy I got back on the skiing wagon though.

Now it is fun to show up at the Mt and make decision on what to do, I love both but if had to pick one I would go with the board...or maybe the skis....ask me again in 5 years.

 

[ssusca]

I'd been skiing for about 20 years and I picked up a snow board when I started dating my wife. She was new to skiing so I figured I could learn to ride while she learned to ski. I figured out the board much faster than she did skiing. In fact by the end of my second day on the board, I was able to carve some pretty decent turns. I remember it took me much longer to learn how to carve skis. That may however have something to do with my age at the time.

I will say however that my first day on a snowboard was much more painful than my first day on skis. Maybe that's why I picked it up so quickly. The penalty for catching an edge on a snowboard is much more severe than on skis, so by necessity, I learned not to do it.

 

[Glenn]

Yeah, I remember those first few days of snowboarding...sore wrists and tailbone....

I picked up boarding after maybe 5-7 years of skiing? I grew up skiing in Western Mass. I was racing at the time, so that was 4 days a week on the hill. And the hills there aren't that long. Boarding helped keep things interesting. I did both right through college. I think I stopped boarding around 1997 or so? Those fancy shamancy parabolic skies came out and skiing got more interesting. Plus, I was in college, so I wasn't on the hill nearly as much.

I don't know which one was easier to learn. I think I fell less learning to ski. Having the ability to keep your feet apart and moving helps. I felt locked in when I learned to board. Regardless, knowing one before the other is probably helpful. You'll at least know how to ride the lifts, the fall line, how to read terrain...ect.

I haven't boarded in 10+ years. I still have my old Burton Freestyle boots. I should give it a shot one of these days.

 

[dmc]

Very simple...

Skiing is easy to learn initially but difficult to get good at...
Snowboarding is difficult to learn initially but easy to get good at..

I personally learned to ski first...

 

[Black Phantom]

Very simple...

Skiing is easy to learn initially but difficult to get good at...
Snowboarding is difficult to lear initially but easy to get good at..

I personally learned to ski first...

Well put DMC.

Starting out on the right terrain with the correct equipment is most important to the Beginner. Most attempt to graduate to equipment too far beyond their ability level too quickly and never master the basic skills. There is no way to "get good" without mastering the basics.

 

[witch hobble]

Very simple...

Skiing is easy to learn initially but difficult to get good at...
Snowboarding is difficult to lear initially but easy to get good at..

I personally learned to ski first...

Ditto.

 

[abc]

Very simple...

Skiing is easy to learn initially but difficult to get good at...
Snowboarding is difficult to lear initially but easy to get good at..

I bet you're right on!

I know quite a few "intermediate" skiers who changed over to boarding and got a lot better on it. Boarding got them out of their "intermediate plateau" with skiing! They never look back.

I also knew a few (far fewer) skiers who're already handling the hill proficiently. They either don't warm to boarding too well, or at least not found it such a revolutionary improvement. All of them still continue to ski at least part of the time.

 

[tree_skier]

Very simple...

Skiing is easy to learn initially but difficult to get good at...
Snowboarding is difficult to learn initially but easy to get good at..

I personally learned to ski first...

Exactly