Snowboarding vs Skiing

Skiing versus snowboarding: an infuriating debate that has lingered the halls of Milford for years. Whether this is a worldwide debate or one inside the walls of Milford, many opinions surround the two sports, for better or worse.

One of the primary reasons one sport overrules the other is the ability to learn it. “Skiing is easier to learn, but harder to master… whereas snowboarding is harder to learn, but easier to master,” said snowskool.com. As both a skier and snowboarder, I can easily confirm this statement to be true, however, multiple other students at Milford High School also ski and snowboard. Do their opinions differ?

Juniors Jett Edson and Colleen Mckmillen shared a very similar viewpoint. “I think skiing is easier because you don’t have to learn how to turn on your edges, and turning for skiing is very self-explanatory: point skis right to go right, and vice versa,” said Edson. With certainty, Mckmillen shared, “I definitely think skiing is easier to learn because you are facing straight forward versus[for] snowboarding, you are facing on your side and you have to get used to being on both your toe and your heel.”

As we can see, the majority of people think skiing is easier to learn, but does that mean it’s more fun? Skiing can get a little repetitive, whereas snowboarding is a constant challenge to learn new things.

Now taking a look at people who specifically train snowboarding and why they favor it over skiing: Junior boardercross member Jagger Edson made a very good point about the equipment needed to snowboard and why it’s easier to use than skis. “It feels more comfortable when you don’t have to wear clunky ski boots everywhere, and you only have to worry about one board, and no poles anywhere on the hill or mountain,” said Edson. This is true; skiers need to be able to push through the pain of hard, stiff ski boots, while snowboarders are essentially wearing regular winter boots. Downhill and cross country skiers are also responsible for carrying poles. If they happen to fall and lose all their gear, they need to make four different stops up the mountain just to grab everything. Do you think that’s hard enough? Popping your skis back into place on an icy, 40-degree mountain is not exactly the easiest. Snowboarders never witness the struggle of climbing back up a mountain after a fall. They simply just get up and continue with their ride.

Another benefit to snowboarding is the variation of tricks available to learn and perfect. Since snowboarders only use one platform instead of two, it’s easier to not get tangled up. There’s only so much to do on skis when new tricks happen on snowboards every day. “I like snowboarding because you have an infinite bag of tricks to throw down. In my opinion, it’s the more stylish, or cool, option over skiing,” explained Edson. Former border cross members Will Colone and Brady Gollan have very similar opinions to Edson. “I snowboard because it’s easier to get good at and there is a much larger variety of tricks,” said Colone. Gollan talked more about the competitive aspect of learning new tricks and how exciting it can be: “I like to ride with my friends and push each other to get better at park every day.”

Despite all of the positive things snowboarding has to offer, skiing can be just as great. If you ever get bored of one type of skiing, try one of the other kinds. Skiing offers all sorts of variety to try: downhill skiing, backcountry skiing, alpine touring, telemark skiing, ski mountaineering, cross-country skiing, freestyle skiing, and adaptive skiing.

Most skiers have gone back to the idea that learning it is easier, which makes the process a lot more enjoyable. “I think it’s better because it’s easier to pick up on. So many people can get out and try it, however, it’s way harder to master,” said three-year downhill ski member Makayla Woolhiser. “Downhill skiing can be done with a wide range of skills which opens it up to many different people. The more you learn, the harder the hills you can go on.” With downhill skiing, you can always challenge yourself and progress with harder hills. Maxwell Wilkerson, another three-year race member, talked about the technicality of skiing and how it makes the sport a lot more appealing. “Even though snowboarding is fun, I think skiing is better because it’s more technical which makes it more fun and interesting in the long run,” said Wilkerson. Once you figure out and train these advanced techniques, it makes going down the mountain a lot more amusing, but safe.

Skiing or snowboarding; which do you think is better? Which one would you try? This has been an ongoing debate happening between teenagers for years. Winning by a landslide, skiing seems to be the most popular globally, however, snowboarding is quickly climbing its way to the top. Both sports make for an amazing hobby and it’s never too late to learn. Whether it’s just going out with friends for the fun of it, or actually booking lessons to learn, make your way up to your closest ski resort today!