It’s intriguing to find out what type of outdoor snow sport is most appealing to you before purchasing your own ski and snowboarding gear. It has been a long time since snowboarding and skiing were first popularized. Skiing has been around for generations. Snowboarding, however, was founded in 1965 and became widely popular in the United States in the 1980s thanks to the advent and subsequent growth of the sport.
There’s nothing wrong with either of these sports, and they’re both fantastic ways to explore the mountains. If you want to become a pro skier, you’ll need to acquire a lot of advanced techniques. On the other side, snowboarding techniques are more difficult to learn, but once they’re mastered, they can lead to amazing performances.
Here are some interesting distinctions between snowboarding and skiing that you might not be aware of.
Types and Styles
Telemark Alpine or Downhill skiing are the two most common styles of skiing. In addition to this, there are a plethora of other skiing styles. Take a glance at them below.
- Alpine Freestyle: It involves aerial acrobatics and balancing via rails.
- Freeskiing or Freeriding: This is performed on steeper slopes, cliffs, and so on.
- Freestyle or Newschool: Techniques like twin tips, spins, flips, etc., are connected with this type of skiing.
- Nordic Skiing: Cross Country skiing is another name for Nordic skiing. It might be freestyle or classic. All methods, with the exception of those involving skating, are permitted.
- Nordic Jumping: Ski-flying and ski jumping are also known as Nordic jumping, conducted on Nordic-style skis.
- Kite Skiing: This form of skiing involves using a kite, hang glider, or paraglider to move you forward.
- Adaptive Skiing: People with impairments can take advantage of adaptive skiing.
- Para Skiing: At high altitudes, para skiers jump from a plane or jump into the air.
- Dry Slope Skiing: Artificial snow, dirt, or dry snow are all acceptable surfaces for dry slope skiing.
- Military Skiing: This type is implemented as a method of military transport besides being embraced as enjoyment and sport. Army forces are trained for ski combat which incorporates military skiing methods. Military ski patrols have given rise to the sport of biathlon.
In the same way, snowboarding is practiced in a variety of ways, from recreational to professional.
- Free Riding: This style is the most popular and most convenient. It’s easy to ride down any type of slope.
- Freestyle: In freestyle, the rider does tricks and leaps by incorporating man-made obstacles and terrain elements.
- Dry Slope: During the summertime, or in regions where there is no snow, this type of snowboarding is done on man-made slopes.
- Free Carve: Alpine snowboarding is another name for free carving. Rather than focusing on speed, riders focus on carving curves in the snow.
- Jibbing and Rail riding: Jumping over obstacles and rails is part of jibbing.
Equipment
For some, the variations in equipment might be a deciding factor when it comes to taking up a snow activity. Ski boots are cumbersome to go around in. However, snowboard boots are a lot easier to wear. This, along with the fact that snowboards are easier to carry than skis and poles to get to the Après bar, is a huge advantage for a snowboarder.
Skiers, on the other hand, can thank their poles for helping them to outrun snowboarders on the lower slopes of the mountain. As a bonus, it’s a lot easier to get out of a lift when you don’t have to deal with snowboarders who still need to be strapped in.
Body Position
In comparison to other sports, skiing is much easier to get used to because both legs move freely, and you glide with your body heading in the same direction as your feet. Face forwards, and you’ll have a far better perspective of the slope in front of you than you would if you were snowboarding.
For snowboarding, it can be uncomfortable to have both feet strapped to a single board at first, and it can take some time to get used to, especially when you consider that you ride at a 90-degree angle to the direction in which your feet point. On top of that, it’s vital to note that when riding a snowboard, you won’t be looking down the slope, which might make it tough to keep alert and mindful of your surroundings.
Gearing Up
For skis, the configurations for uphill and downhill are about the same. Ride the lift, ride off the lift, and then ride down the mountain. There’s no need to fiddle with your binding or boots unless you need to adjust the buckles, and the same goes for flailing your legs to get back up. Yard sale clean-up is an entirely different kettle of fish when you’re dealing with snow.
On the hill’s summit, most snowboarders slide off their lifts and sit down on the ground to do up their bindings. To get in and out, certain bindings allow you to step in; the boots’ attachments snap into place. Snow can accumulate in these, necessitating a bit of tinkering with your gloves on the ground.
Techniques Used
It is common practice in the sport of skiing to employ poles to help skiers as they travel down or upwards and to keep them upright while doing so. When a snowboarder is at a stop, they must frequently sit down and use extra effort to keep their balance.
Skiers and snowboarders have the same level of skill, but when it comes to speed, skiing has the edge. Snowboarders can’t keep up with skiers in terms of speed.
Injuries
Having your feet spaced while skiing can make it more difficult to fall, but it can also raise the risk of twisting motion-related injuries. Even while snowboarding is less taxing on your knees, skiing is a lot more demanding on your joints.
Due to the fact that snowboarders’ feet are permanently tied to the board, they are more vulnerable to injury than skiers are at the beginning stages of their careers. A snowboarder’s most common injuries are to their wrist, ankle, and shoulder.
Brakes
Skiers must have a small metal arm that can be lowered into the snow if they lose control and their skis come off. Having brakes on your skis can prevent them from becoming projectiles if they roll down the slope on their own.
There are no brakes on a snowboard. Leashes, which are thin strips of material that tie your leg to the snowboard in the event it falls off, are required by several resorts. There are exceptions to this rule, though; unless the snowboard has snap-in bindings, they don’t normally come off.
Competition
It is the International Ski Federation (ISF) that sets the rules and regulations for skiing competitions, as well as the schedules of the events. The contests are organized by a national association for each county. The United States Ski and Snowboard Association (USSBA) is in charge of American competition skiing.
There are many significant snowboarding competitions, including the Air & Style Series, Burton Global Open Series Shakedown, X-Trail Jam, and X-Games. The Ticket to Ride is the Tour Flag’s largest independent freestyle event finale. TTR is the official name.
Final Remarks
While we can’t make your decision for you, we hope that this article has given you some direction on which to try! Both skiing and snowboarding have their upsides and downsides. In the end, none of these aspects will matter more than a person’s particular taste. Do you dream of soaring down the slopes on a pair of skis one day? Alternatively, would you prefer to ride a snowboard down a set of ramps? You’ll have a fantastic time no matter what you choose!