The Winter Showdown: skiing vs. snowboarding
Matilde Martinez, Staff Writer
Amid the snowy season, many students have made their way to their favorite mountains to ski or snowboard, whether it be for recreation or sport. Plenty of Samo students visited nearby mountains during winter break or the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend to shred the gnar with friends and family. All this activity brings up the seasonal question between skiers and snowboarders: which plank is best for shredding some snow? Well here is my answer, their high maneuverability, convenience and exciting stunts easily make skis better than snowboards.
Skiing is the best choice for beginners. The simple positions of “pizza,” used for turns and braking, and “spaghetti,” used for gliding, are easy and quick to learn. Snowboarding takes a lot more patience and hard work, and may be very discouraging; most snowboarders recount that they fell a lot on their first days. Skiing is easier to learn because skis provide more mobility and maneuverability than snowboards. Having two moving legs feels a lot more intuitive than both being bound to a snowboard, and the forward-facing position required for skiers is also more natural than the sideways stance used by snowboarders. Of course, it all depends on the individual. Siena Blaustein (’25) found snowboarding a lot easier than skiing when she first tried the sport because of her familiarization with the surfboard.
“I grew up surfing, and snowboarding is the same thing, but on snow, so it feels a lot better and smoother than skiing,” Blaustein said.
This isn’t that surprising considering that snowboarding was invented to replicate surfing on snow, what with the snowboard prototype being called a “snurfer.” However, this still required some past skills. Because skiing is easier on those with no experience, it is all the more inviting, as Samantha Posell (’24) vouches.
“I really enjoy skiing because… once you put in the time the results are awesome. Speeding down the mounting takes me to another world,” Posell said.
Another downside to snowboarding is experienced at the end of every single slope. Once at the bottom, snowboarders have to unfasten one of their boots to be able to push themselves to a lift since their legs are attached to the same board, while skiers can shuffle or use their poles to move. Then, at the top of the lift, snowboarders have to fasten their boot before they can go down the slope, while skiers are ready to go from the moment they come off. When in a group with snowboarders, waiting for them to strap up sometimes stops the momentum that was already going from the previous slope. Also, skiers can take off their skis a lot quicker by popping off their boots, because they aren’t bound with straps. If a skier veers off course, they can walk back to the slope, skis in hand, and get going with little delay. After a little practice, skiers can even walk uphill without removing their skis. Snowboarders must either slowly hop back to the course or completely remove their straps just to fasten them again at the slope, and they can forget about going uphill. Skis are just a lot more convenient when it comes to maintaining a quick pace, and their build comes in handy when moving around and in small accidents.
Skiing is also more dynamic and impressive than snowboarding when it comes to performing tricks. In slopestyle skiing and snowboarding, contestants use ramps, tubes and boxes to execute stunts. Tricks on skis look a lot more dynamic because skiers can bend, twist and turn their skis while airborne. Because snowboarders only have a single board, after a while, all the tricks look very similar. In addition, skiers can compete in ski jumping, where they glide down a ramp at 60 miles per hour and leap hundreds of feet. This sport is super suspenseful because anything can happen to throw the skier off balance and botch their landing, and it’s very impressive to see when they land a jump. Snowboarders can’t compete in this sport, and instead do more stunts on half-pipes. It is pretty similar to slopestyle, and it again feels a little monotonous after watching for a while, especially because skiers can also participate in half-pipe competitions.
If there is one positive thing about snowboarding, it would have to be the snowboard boots. Boots used for snowboarding are very comfortable, cushioning the feet and providing ample room to move. Ski boots, however, are very heavy and rock hard. They give the toes little to no room to move and may become painful after a while if the boots are ill-fitted. Even so, it is just a matter of finding the right boots. If they are snug, ski boots will fit well after breaking them in, and wearing them will become second nature.
As it stands, skiing is more popular than snowboarding. According to Snowsports Industries America, a non-profit trade association that represents suppliers, retailers, reps and resorts in the outdoor snowsport industry, there were 14.3 million skiers and 7.9 million snowboarders in the U.S. in the 2019 and 2020 season. The reason for the skis’ obvious popularity is because of its appeal to beginners and its superior practicality and maneuverability. The Winter Olympics are right around the corner; give them a watch and decide for yourself which looks coolest. Spoiler alert: skis do.
Samantha Posell (’24) skiing at Mammoth Mountain during the winter of 2021