What is easier - skiing or snowboarding? I've heard it's snowboarding and also tried both... But I'm not convinced!

think about it.
one board vs 2 skis.
the board has a larger surface area so you have greater room for error.
If you cross the Ski’s, i hope you like to eat snow.
I’m not saying they are easy, All I am saying is that i believe the Snowboard would be sooo much easier to learn.

Skiing is easier to learn. Being able to move each foot individualy make it much easier to get a feel for. Neither is easy, but both can be learned through practice and lessons.

I took lessons for both snowboarding and skiing, and I found that skiing came more naturally to me. Snowboards are much hard to slow down and balance when you are learning. Having the two skis allows you to easily slow down and widen your stance if you need balance.

That’s my opinion, you’ll have to try both to find what you prefer.

I don’t think one is necessarily harder or easier than the other. What’s hard is going from one to the other when you’ve already learned one. Skiiers find it hard to snowboard once we’re good at skiing. Snowboarders find it hard to ski once they’re good at snowboarding.

Fambos, may I ask which you learned or took lessons for first?

I did skiing once as a school trip when I was a kid. Tried snowboarding first as an adult, then skiing. Think snowboarding carries a higher risk of injury!

@MrItty: I took snowboarding lesson first, and snowboarded for about 3 weeks.

I then took skiing lessons, and just found that it better suited me.

Hmm. Well there goes my theory then. :-)

I’ve been skiing my whole life. My kids learned as soon as they could walk. I tried sno-boarding approximately 10 years ago. It has a thrill all it’s own. However, it’s not as easy to control as ski’s. I can stop on a dime on skis…I need an acre on a board…lol.

My biggest problem with the board is being locked into it when I fall. I’ve bent in so many positions that are unnatural and it’s a miracle my knees didn’t give out. I’ve had the board hit me in the back of the head, while my feet are still locked in!!!

There is no such danger in skis. If the settings are right, they will release immediately if you get into trouble.

In addition to the above, I find that boarding is more tiring because my legs are kept in one position and I’m very slightly shifting weight from heel to toe. On skis, I can relax and stand upright if I want to, or just sit down and still make the slope….chuckle.

as others have pointed out, it’s all on what you are used to. I prefer skiing. I consider boarding a novelty with less control. If I see a boarder coming AT me on the slopes, I get out of the way…

It’s something I just don’t see with skiers, unless they are punks out of control and shouldn’t have a ticket to begin with.

I think it’s a matter of personal preference.. I think people who have good balance, have skateboarded, etc. are better off snowboarding. Me, I was never good at skateboarding and don’t have a lot of balance or coordination, so, for me, I think skiing is easier. Something about having two feet planted forward, having a relatively normal center of gravity, and being able to control each leg/foot individually is way easier for me.

I had ski’d for 10 years before I started boarding. I have been boarding for probably about 10 years too and I have been teaching snowboarding for the past 3 years. Skiing is definitely easier to learn. The whole feet being independent of each other really helps your balance. Secondly, on ski’s you face down hill which is normal. Snowboarding is much more difficult to learn. Your feet are dependant on each other and you face sideways to go down the hill. It also hurts a lot more when you fall on a snowboard. The reason is because you fall on your face or your back. When you fall skiing you fall to your left or right.

IMO though skiing is hard to become really good at. Snowboarding on the other hand if you can deal with the 1st year of falling is much more easier to become a good snowboarder.

@critter1982. Boarding is way easier to learn and master, in my opinion. I’ve been skiing for more than 30 years. I tried boarding once, with my twin brother giving me a 10 minute lesson before he got frustrated (he had had one lesson too, which was how he was “teaching” me). By the end of the day, I was cruising speedily down some intermediate runs in Colorado and carving some decent turns. I think having two edges versus four and a flatter platform make boarding a whole lot easier. Wearing softer boots that feel more natural (as opposed to the stiff skiing boot) also is a big plus. Carving nice turns on skiis takes years of practice (though, the newer skis make it a whole lot easier these days) whereas carving nice turns on a board seems much, much easier.

With respect to falls, I think there are painful falls in both. On the board, I fell hard on my ass and head. On skiis, if and when I fall, it is often a crossed skiis or caught edge, and I might have a yard sale. I’ve hurt my shoulder, head, knees and feet on skiis.

@shilolo: I was only speaking in generalities from my experience. Throughout my years of beginner and intermediate instruction I have come to notice that most people do not come back for beginner ski lessons but a lot of snowboarders do, and I also speak from my own personal skiing/snowboarding experience. I could be wrong but the fact that you’ve been skiing for 30 years likely played a fairly big role in how quickly you picked up snowboarding. It is likely based on each individual, but again from my experience it “seems” like the beginners at the mountain I teach on had more issues with boarding. I do agree with you though on one thing, ski boots are something awful.

@critter1982. I’m confused. You said that “most people do not come back for beginner ski lessons but a lot of snowboarders do.” My interpretation of that would be that beginner skiers give up more readily than boarders because the learning curve is so steep, whereas a beginner boarder starts to feel comfortable sooner and wants to continue boarding. It seems your interpretation is that they don’t come back because it was so easy that they no longer need lessons? Is that right?

Yep you’re right. Your interpretation may be correct as well, didn’t think of it that way.

@critter1982 How is Roundtop Mountain? I grew up skiing the Poconos and New England (I’m a great ice skater skier as a result), but I never went to Roundtop. In my old age, I’ve been primarily a Colorado-Tahoe skier, which is much better, IMHO.

Ski Roundtop is a small mountain near Harrisburg PA. It’s your typical mid east mountain. Small with lots of ice but it’s what I learned on so I tend to love it. It’s no Breckenridge or Lake Tahoe but it’s also much closer and open at night :). I also prefer skiing out west much more so than the northeast but since I live in PA I find it difficult to get out there more than once a year unless I’m out there for work.

skiing

I’ve done both, and I say snowboarding. I tried skiing for two days straight, and i just could not get the hang of it. On my second day of snowboarding, however, i was going down expert runs. It might just be because I longboard all the time, so I’m used to being on a board, but I just feel like i have more control on a snowboard. I also have way more fun. Once you get the hang of snowboarding, you’ll have so much fun!