I Tried Skiing but it made me Board: The Superiority of Snowboarding

by Emily Curtis

If you’ve ever been involved in winter sports, you know the adrenaline rush of racing down a mountain’s face. The wind rushing past your helmet. The snow cascading about as you glide through. The view of the surrounding mountains as you crest the steepest hills. And of course, the snowboarders carving deep gashes into the snow, barreling past you like gorillas trying to escape the bindings attached to their feet.

3sAt least, that’s how the stereotype goes. Let’s hope you’re near a winter sports shop at the end of this article though because you’ll want to go swap out those dingy skis for a freshly waxed board.

With a snowboard at your side (or more accurately, under your feet), your days spent on the mountain can be focused on the adventure rather than the gear. No need to worry about losing a pole, all you need to worry about is getting that jump just right or maneuvering down the face. Snowboarding boots are also statistically shown to be more comfortable. You’re no more likely to see a snowboarder struggling up the lodge steps alongside the tight-booted skiers than you are to see one swap their board in after giving snowboarding a try.

Remember those deep gashes snowboarders are known to make in the hills? Well imagine creating them rather than stumbling through! A snowboard is built to help you maneuver through deep powder and leave your mark doing it; something that a dainty pair of skis can’t do quite the same even on a professional.

The skills you gain skiing can help you with other sports; as long as that sport is water skiing. Compare that to a snowboard, where the tricks you learn on the slopes can transfer over to your wakeboarding, longboarding, skateboarding, and surfing skills too. Indeed, the practice you gain during the snowy months can you help you in the remaining three.

Another great thing about snowboarding is that a fall is less likely to take you out than it would be with your feet strapped to skis. All you need to do after a wipeout is brush off and carry on, your board still securely strapped to your feet. Your days of chasing a runaway ski pole or ski after a crash are over, as are your instances of knee pain after a fun day on the slopes. With your feet connected to the same surface area, twisting falls are much more uncommon. It’s not unusual for older winter sports enthusiasts to make the switch to snowboarding since their legs can’t handle the strain of skis any longer. It’s a switch that I would suggest to all of our readers, too.

So hopefully the next time you hit the slopes, you can look at the snowboarders with jealousy rather than disgust. And hopefully the next time you look down at your feet, you’ll see a snowboard rather than a pair of skis.