SNOWBOARD MYTH BUSTERS
I’ve always believed skiing is easier in the first couple of days while you learn basic skills, i.e. learn to stop and turn. After that they even out. This is based on my own experience. Personally I just found skiing way easier for the first couple of days. I was turning in a few hours, whereas it took me a couple of days to learn on a snowboard (and I was in a lot more pain).
@rider26: Ya that was what I meant. The first few days of learning skiing seems easier.
Yeah but Rider you were an ice skater. I was an inline skater, so naturally we are going to pick up skiing faster.
Also I could snowboard first, which helps a lot.
In the same way, I have seen surfers and skaters (especially long boarders) just go straight to linking turns on a snowboard.
So I maintain my thoughts on it. But if you really want to keep disagreeing (even though you don’t ski 
) Then we can stamp that one Possible or Un-decided.
But there’s no freakin way it’s “Harder to master” 
it just makes no sense.
^^^^^ I agree!!!!!
Yeah but Rider you were an ice skater. I was an inline skater, so naturally we are going to pick up skiing faster.
Yep, I roller skated - not at a rink or anything like that, more urban stuff. We used to stop (and sometimes turn sharply) by sliding/drifting/screeching sideways, so as I found snowplow turns to be counter-intuitive on my first experience with skis, I just went straight to parallel turns pretty much straight away and had no problem with them.
But there’s no freakin way it’s “Harder to master”
Mizu, why are you wearing that funny hat?
That’s my dancing hat!!!!! 
Yeah but Rider you were an ice skater. I was an inline skater, so naturally we are going to pick up skiing faster.
Yep, I roller skated - not at a rink or anything like that, more urban stuff. We used to stop (and sometimes turn sharply) by sliding/drifting/screeching sideways, so as I found snowplow turns to be counter-intuitive on my first experience with skis, I just went straight to parallel turns pretty much straight away and had no problem with them.
Yeah I did exactly the same thing. I used to play roller hockey so I just skipped straight to hockey stopping and parallel turns.
And in the same way, I’ve had quite a few people show up for a first time lesson on a board… and they can already link turns? Wtf?
Either skaters or surfers will show up and have a few hours before their lesson starts, so they just have a go and figure it out from what they already know.
Years of practice counts for a lot! All I have to do, is show them the difference between their stance and a snowboard stance and how the edges work. Then the rest of the lesson is novice lesson stuff.
- What? Why is it easier to learn?
I think it’s because it’s a more natural stance (standing straight, facing downhill vs standing sideways) for most people. Less balancing compared to snowboard. So I have to disagree with you on this one. I have friends who ski & board, they said it’s easier to learn how to ski.
- How is it harder to master?
I always thought it’s harder to master because you have 2 independent skis to control (4 edges) and your leg have to move independently to each other (e.g. doing turns, steeps, moguls, etc.). I know to an extent we have to move our legs independently too in snowboarding. This one I’m not so sure if it’s a myth or not because I don’t ski.
Agreed.
Skiing is easier to learn and harder to master.
Sorry Andy, I respect and am knowledgeable of your expertise but I need to call it BS.
Skiing at an expert level isn’t about doing jumps and riding park, it’s at the technical level across many disciplines.
I know 40 year veterans of skiing (not just one) that have been world champions (some in snowboarding), they are still working on skiing technique, working on the different disciplines within skiing (some were the forebears of snowboarding in this country - some prefer snowboarding because it’s more fun while others ski because they are like the challenge).
Zali Steggall (Australias most successful alpine skier) is still working on her technique and still races recreationally.
Need more examples, names?
Snowboarding, IMO, has a ceiling, you can master all the disciplines within the sport in several years. Most experienced boarders can ride park, pipe, big mountain, bx and carve - and do them all very well, all at the same time in their career.
With skiing, most disciplines require several months work and can’t be combined while doing other disciplines.
Your example about competition freestyle skiing (jumping)!
Old school freestyle skiing is similar - when these athletes later train to do gates they lose their freestyle ability.
Skiing moguls is nothing like downhill.
And so on…
In conclusion; skiing has far more disciplines than snowboarding, so many that 2 lifetimes aren’t enough to master skiing while snowboarding can be in a decade.
So based on that, you’ve mastered Snowboarding?????
Yeah but Rider you were an ice skater. I was an inline skater, so naturally we are going to pick up skiing faster.
Also I could snowboard first, which helps a lot.
In the same way, I have seen surfers and skaters (especially long boarders) just go straight to linking turns on a snowboard.So I maintain my thoughts on it. But if you really want to keep disagreeing (even though you don’t ski
But there’s no freakin way it’s “Harder to master”
I took up In-line (rollerblades)
after
skiing (blades weren’t around when I learned to ski).
Before skiing I rode skateboards. Skateboarding was *my first sport.
I was able to stop and turn on ski’s within
half an hour
(I had to dump my lesson and go explore the hill).
After many years
of skiing I tried snowboarding (after I learned to surf and given away my blades to skateboard again - I was always a sideways rider), snowboarding still took
a few hours before linking turns
. It took
days
until I was comfortable and confident! A solid week (
7 days
) of boarding before I could negotiate a full run at Smiggins without a fall (my first season), in the next month I was landing jumps, learning grabs, switch and trying different board types. By the end of my first season I could negotiate cornice drops and wanted bigger, bigger, bigger features.
I both ski and board to this day - I’m an above average/advanced boarder, not so on skis.
* I did ballet from the age of 2-17yo but one of the first activities I felt passionate about was skateboarding, the other was BMX and motoX as an adult I fell for surfing and snowsports.
So based on that, you’ve mastered Snowboarding?????
I would say yes in some of the disciplines (before stuffing my knee).
I did my knee while training for a FIS boarderX event.
Out of curiosity what ones would you say you mastered?