The Biggest LIE in Snowsports?
Is skiing easier to learn but harder to master than snowboarding? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to tell us if you've done one, the other or both. Let's get to the bottom of this!
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As someone who has done both for his whole life, skiing is easier to learn 100% but I think both are equally difficult to master. I think when it comes to park riding snowboarding may be slightly easier to start out learning tricks...in the end, who gives a shit, do whichever one you enjoy more and don't worry about the other one lol
Snowboarding was much easier to learn for me personally. I think it depends on preference to an extent. Everybody told me it was going to he harder to learn and that was just not my experience at all.
This is why I recently switched to riding a snowskate and bindingless pow surfers. I win all the arguments. LOLOL.
Tbh mastering carving technique is hard and also physically challenging af
this is what I say to people even though I've only snowboarded. The saying is stupid. skiing is definitely easier to pick up but they both even out in difficulty pretty quickly
@@letstopdoingmad2060 I assume that people who say snowboarding is easier to learn have experience with some kind of boardsports, whether that be wakeboarding, skateboarding, surfing, etc. A big part of what is hard about learning to snowboard for lots of people is having both feet on one big piece of wood and moving to go forward. Skiing is more like most people's everyday life, you have two independent legs, you look forward, and you move forward.
As a 60 year old that just decided to switch from skiing to snowboarding, for me, skiing came natural. ( I was almost 40, the first time I skied). Before hitting Crested Butte this past December, I decided to snowboard. I already had knowledge of edges, and tons of instructional videos. After almost killing myself on day two, I took the rental board back, and bought my own board. Lol. Struggled a few more days. Headed to Keystone in February to continue the self inflicted punishment. Lol. So snowboarding is a little more difficult, but I think I’ll get it.
Never underestimate a good waxing and tune on a snowboard. Halfway through my second time out I was almost ready to throw in the towel and go back to skis after fighting to do the heel and toe transitions. It just wasn't happening and I barely had any control. A quick tune later it was like a completely different world. My board worked! And it properly reacted to my body inputs making everything sooo much easier.
I switched because when I skied they were narrow and shifty in powder. I grew up skateboarding so it came really naturally. I feel more comfortable going super fast on skis and more comfortable doing tricks on boards.
I think that this phrase mostly comes from the first day of learning. Been skiing for 35 years and last winter I decided to learn how to snowboard. Alone, without help. It hurt. A lot. Maybe even had a small concussion. That does not happen on skiis. Pizza, then fries, so you progress gradually. It can lead to slow progress, because you don't have to fight for dear life when skiing. Once I figured it out, snowboarding did feel faster to master than skiing. Had some smooth turns on day 4, which took at least 20 days on skiis
I was a high-intermediate skier 30 years ago in the 1990's, on mid-Atlantic east coast (ice!), on skinny skis. Then switched to snowboarding and moved to northern CA (Tahoe!!!). Definitely had the same sentiment based on my exp w/ skinny skis! Have been told the modern fat shaped-skis are SO much better for turning. Haven't gone back to try it yet. Your observation about knees being DANGEROUSLY exposed to twisting and turning is right ON! Back in my college days, I sprained my knee when my right ski caught a pole coming off a chair lift... and put me out of commission for a few months. This is 1 of the big reason for me to stay with snowboarding. Once both our feet are strapped in, they are much more protected! BTW, that sound track is awesome! Y'all need to make it generic and available! :D
Can do both. Mastery of either takes years and dedication. The only think I saw you guys master is having a great time.
But they only need four more days to become masters! Based on what I saw in this video, I don't think 4 more years was going to get them there either.
I skied as a kid now snowboard as a teenager and one thing I hate about snowboarding is that you cant see to the left (if you ride regular) very well and it makes me worried that when I go heel edge I'm going to hit someone whereas with skis you can see way better
I’m a former ski instructor. I can ski and ride (with carving). I think for the most part the saying is true. The issue is mastery is way more nuanced in skiing. For instance, you guys are getting down in your skis, but from a movement analysis standpoint, you have a lot of work to do. I have no doubt you can excel on skis tho, but to truly master it takes time and fine tuning. I’m even returning from a skiing hiatus and my mastery isn’t there right now. To most I look good, but I know I don’t have skiing mastered right now (and I use to). Also side note, many of our snowboard instructors would ski on their off days. They always said it was the challenge to master it that caused them to ski. They are all phenomenal riders. Still, both skiing and riding is awesome… do what you want to do.
Well 98 percent of skiers on all mountains look and ride exactly like they are. And usually it takes them longer to get to the point these guys are at in there first day. It's easier it definitely is. I skied for 10 years my dad pushed me into it. Then I just switched. Snowboarding is harder. We just push ourselves harder earlier cause we come from skate culture. Skier don't. There process of learning is much different than ours with a much different mind set. It truly is easier it's like comparing rollerblading to skateboarding. Rollerblading is just easier. The only exception I could bring into play here is style. It takes a long time to have style on skis. Which is why they get a bad rap of looking so dorky and where the harder to master comment comes in I believe but it's nit really valid. Snowboarders come from skate culture so people try to apply style before they can even ride. Cause they want to have that same stylistic steez feeling they have on there skateboard or surfboard. Skiers don't start skiing with these building blocks already applied amd in the back of there mind as they learn. Skiers have less to draw off of in that department it does take years to get style on skis. But to say people master Snowboarding faster is silly we just connect it with our skate and surf culture which skiing doesn't have. We gave that style to you guys though the tricks the clothes the grabs all of it evolved in skiing when skate culture hit snow sports. Snowboarding was born with style skiing had to look for it. They found a lot of it in us. We changed the way they move. What if snowboarding came first before surfing and skateboarding is the question you have to ask yourself. Where would skiing and snowboarding be if neither existed? Not where were at now that's for sure.
@@AlphabetikChemist There's a lot of them us in your comment as a sentiment. I used to skate, I skied my entire life and have begun snowboarding over the past 3-4 years... I completely agree with the saying that skiing is harder to master but easier to learn. It took me 2 weekends to get my edge control in a good shape on snowboards (broke my wrist first attempt lol) but once I got over that hurdle, the rest came very smoothly, that's not to say I've mastered snowboarding yet, but the drop in difficulty learning is HUGE once you're capable of carving, it's just a matter of listening and tweaking your technique. Whereas for skiing there is no HUGE hurdle, it's all just a progression you make through practice and improvements. So while I agree with the saying for what it conveys, they are both equally difficult to be perfect in. And skiing had and still has style XD skaters didn't invent style, the style of skiers before snowboarders was just wildly different tastes. Search up the ski dancing to get a taste, not my thing but my point is there was style lol
Highly subjective question. I’ve done both. Skiing picked it up in less than an hour, snowboarding constantly fell for the first hour. Now to ski or snowboard with any kind of precision with correct technique I’d say even. You can easily tell the folks trying skiing in this video do not ski or are complete amateurs, back seat out of the gate and consistently, base platform way to wide, poor edge control, late turns, tail wash out, upper body rotation just to name a few. These are all aspects of skiing that are built in blocks not mastered in 4 days. I ski and way prefer it over the board, much more versatile platform especially in the back country and off piste trees and deep powder. Great video. Ultimately pick what you enjoy and shred the gnar
If you have never been down the a slope on anything, defiantly never jumped before and never seen people skiing you would not have had such an easy time skiing at first. You are highly experience snowboarders and that makes a huge difference. Glad you had a good time and didn't get hurt.
This is a great point. As a snowboarder myself, I think the understanding of edge control and feel of the snow and slope would give a huge advantage in learning to ski.
Good timing, this is my 3rd full season snowboarding and loving it. Wife also started but she is jumping ship and doing a ski lesson next week. Im interested to see how it goes, hopefully she likes it. I encouraged her to stick with snowboarding but she wants to try and if she is better at it and can be on the mountain having a good time then I’m all for it. Our skier friends seem to think she’ll like it way better😂
With modern carving skis practically everyone can ride down a prepared ski slope in a resort without too much trouble. It was different 45 years ago when I learned skiing (I never heard about snowboards back then - I think they didn't exist in our country). BUT: Although it took quite some time to learn the proper technique, as soon as you managed to go down a black slope in one piece you nailed it. And this proper technique you need in more challenging conditions, like in terrain, in Powder or a very steep slope. What you presented here was not skiing, it was managing to get downhill with skis mostly on. It does take more than four days to master it, maybe even more than four years. I find riding powder (especially very steep terrain like when doing cross country skiing) much more difficult on skis then on a snowboard and even though I am not a skiing master I am even worse on the snowboard :) And I never managed to hurt myself while skiing - three weeks ago I managed to damage my knee while getting off a chairlift with the board and can only watch snowboard movies in this season, no riding for another 8 weeks or so :(
Not gonna lie, after being on the snow for 30 years and most of it without any safety gear, I now always wear my skating wrist guards and the most basic triple-8 brand knee pads along with a helmet (after nearly getting a concussion 2 years back after catching an edge). Just those basics can make a world of difference at times.
As a ski and snowboard instructor I have to say that skiing is definitely easier to learn than snowboarding however the mastering of either depends on what type of riding you want to master and the rider themselves. For most people it´s easy to get started but they´ll never get to proper carving, mogul or powder skiing. But I´d say from my experiences that´s more due to the people than due to the sports nature. Most skiers aren´t skiers because they want to carve, shred pow or hit jumps but rather to have a mostly chill sport to do in the mountains meanwhile snowboarders are more after the fun of riding such as carving, jumping etc. For this reason as well as skiing by nature being more technical at the higher level since there´s more variables I´d agree with the phrase. However in the end who cares what´s harder, how good you are or which tricks or runs you can do as long as you have fun.
I think the biggest difference, apart from the first time stepping on either, is that for skiing mastery is quite defined and requires a lot of finesse and minor details, whereas in snowboarding even the pros often dont know the definition of "mastering it". Snowboarding is more free spirited hence mastery is your own definition whereas skiing is more set in stone with rules for every minor thing
I learned to both ski and snowboard as a child. I found snowboarding very intuitive and was doing turns on my first day so for me snowboarding was way easier to learn. However, I already had been skiing for many years before that and had skateboarded for a couple of years and I think that is what made the difference.
Your video is fun to watch and well produced, kudos! I ski and board, but my boarding leads to multiple daily crashes, skiing it's unusual for me to crash. I learned both starting in January of 2023. I don't like being in pain after a session, so eating it is something I am actively avoiding. If I had started both a lot younger, I may have been more fearless, but I've also had a LOT of lift conversations about fractures (and radial fractures, *shudder*) so my goals for a good day are... make it home without pain. I'll continue to improve my boarding, but a lot slower than my skiing, where today I can put 95% pressure on the downhill ski and float the uphill ski wherever I need it... slowly putting more pressure there and attempting to master the hockey stop.
I've been skiing for 62 years and snowboarding for 29. Certified instructor in both, teaching 20 years. Skiing is easier the first few days due to the bigger platform (as long as the ski length, as wide as you can stand with your feet - maybe 3 feet) and freedom to move feet independently of one another. The snowboard platform is usually a bit shorter and much narrower (about 11 inches wide) and you must balance between toe and heel; with skiing, if you lose your balance, you can usually pick up a foot and set it down somewhere else to regain your balance. Due to the single working edge and both feet fixed to one board, falls are much less predictable and often much harder for beginning snowboarders, especially those who don't take a lesson which includes how to prevent falling, and how to fall safely and with minimal impact. It's arguably harder for beginner snowboarders to get up from a fall, and takes a lot of energy out of them. After a few days to a few weeks, most snowboarders can go almost anywhere on the mountain (including steep slopes) relatively safely using the wide base to sideslip, destroying endless powder, but it's tiring unless they've learned to easily switch between use of both toe edge and heel edge. Skiers can quickly learn to descend beginner slopes with the wedge, making turns right and left to alternately rest muscles, and don't have to deal with the faceplant fears which snowboarders face when they must change from one edge to another to make a C-turn from heel to toe edge - the "moment of truth" because the board must be traveling in the direction it is pointing when the edge is changed to avoid a slam; timing is critical to a greater extent than with skis. However, descending steep slopes on skis requires more skill, whether by sideslip or by turning. Skiers have it easier in being able to see easily a broad swath in the direction they are going without twisting their neck or worrying as much what is going on behind their back when on the toe edge. However, as they progress, skiers must deal with more variables - 4 tools, with 4 edges, and any two edges can be used at one time, and can even use just one edge at a time, on just one leg to support their body weight. This makes their progression of skills slower. Snowboarders, thanks to connection of both feet to the same board, have the superpower of being able to twist the board which allows good snowboard turns to have a tighter radius, leads to easier riding through tight trees in powder, and enables easier continuous alteration of the radius of carved turns. Snowboarders have additional challenges in flexing legs independently, for example dealing with the up and down of traversing moguls, because the relative location of the feet is fixed on the one board, rather than free to translate horizontally and rotate independently with regard to the other foot. On ice, if the edge slips out, the snowboarder faces far greater challenge to recover balance than does the skier. Mastering skiing requires more skills of controlling independent movement of the skis. Mastering snowboarding requires making complementary movements with the feet and legs within the restrictions of the single board. Snowboarding delivers a purer sensation because of the single board, which is why I prefer it unless I am trying to go fast to keep up with friends on skis, or the slopes are ice. I can have bales of fun on a board in 8 inches of cut-up powder, looping through trees at 10 mph, constructing each turn as a unique exploration of varying radial acceleration to meet an ideal path decided on the spur of the moment. With skiing, some of this fun can be achieved, but the sensation is not as pure. I think it is easier to reach expert ability to descend steep slopes with style on a snowboard than on skis. Due to this, and also to snowboarding's skateboard ancestry, I think skilled snowboarders have historically engaged in more freestyle development than skiers with similar skill levels, as it is an additional way to express ability and interest in progression. Evidence of this is that AASI-certified snowboard instructors are required to demonstrate freestyle movements as part of their basic certifications, while PSIA-certified ski instructors are not. For better or (I believe) worse, freestyle is considered a vital part of snowboarding by these sibling organizations, which share common governance and membership. The institutional acceptance of personal risks of injury from freestyle movements required for higher levels of snowboarding certification probably arise from the fact that the sport is newer, with comparatively few older members, and relatively male-dominated across society. Additionally, I have to wonder if manufacturers support freestyle with teams and advertising partly due to the need for new boards created by board damage from freestyle on rails, boxes, and other hard features. Most snowboarders are unaware that the use of their boards on these features will generally eliminate the warranty.
I've snowboarded for decades but started as a child on skis. Last year I decided to get back to skiing to get something new. Skiing been a nice change of pace and style loads of fun to be good at both. The cool part was skiing really felt like riding a bike after all those year the skills cameback quick. I think the saying holds up to advanced intermediate level. Most folks stop there or stay on piste where there more to body movement in skiing to master at the end for marginal gains in turn quality etc... After that they both have parts of the mountain where they have the upper hand Powder: I'd say snowboarding is so much easier and the feeling is 🤌 on highly technical terrain (trees, narrow chutes and couloirs, super steep terrain): I'm going on skis, the maneuverability helps so much, poles are really helpful (not just to move around, to anchor turns and balance/sensory input) etc... Send anyone that thinks it's easier to master snowboarding to do some really steep and sketchy stuff in the backcountry to see how they feel about it after. It gets hard fast.
Went snowboarding for the first time in 2001, a friend who knew me as a skater took me down my first run which was a Blue. I did well, so the next run was a black, i survived... so the 3rd run was moguls. I ended up doing cartwheels down the entire run and have laughed about this ever since. I've kept on boarding for 23 years now, and 3 years ago my 6 year old kid wanted to try skis first, so i taught her what i could (being a snowboarder after all) and decided last year I would take up skiing to help her along. I have been on skis but 5 times now, and am just now feeling comfortable enough to take on easier blues. So my point is, i was able to "descend" black diamonds on a snowboard my first trip, especially because you can bail on a snowboard, but 5 trips in on skis and i still wouldn't attempt a black diamond, because the technique needed to properly descend a black diamond, at least here in the NW where things are quite steep, well it takes time to master... plus skis have so many other niches that aren't even touched by snowboarders like ski jumping?? When is the last time a snowboarder launched themselves 600 feet headfirst through the air at 60 mph? As it is though, i prefer skis to be honest. There is a lot less falling on skis...
my first time snowboarding this year after years of skiing. Snowboarding is SO MUCH HARDER!!..... for me at least
I used to ski race, and i can definitely say that what most people consider carving, isn't. To properly carve on skis, you have to be super forward and not slide the edges at all (for both skis). Both skis have to be parallel and at the same angle and there are very few skiers who can do this (almost exclusively racers). I tried snowboarding for a little bit, and after about 6 or so hours, I was able to lay down some smooth carves with no counterrotation. So I think basic turns might be easier on skis, but advanced carving is infinitely more difficult and takes years of training to master on skis.
Ive done both. Skied for 13 years could do everything on the mountain and backcountry/steeps. Snowboarded for 5 years now and i prefer it so much. I think the reason its "harder to master" on skis is because its a lot easier to get down harder terrain with terrible form. A beginner skier could do a black run with the ugliest form meanwhile snowboarding backs feels like you need a lot more experience and edge control when compared to skiis
What are you talking about. I see snowboarders slide down on their buttocks on double black runs just to say they have done it. Or cheesegrind their edge in a straight line from top to bottom. You can’t pizza a double black on skis….
100% disagree. Queue: THOUSANDS of snowboarders side-slipping down intermediate and expert runs, afraid to go to their tow side. Ll. Ridiculous.
Really enjoyed that, subscribed. Looking forward to more.
Hi, I’m loving your videos. I can go down blues and below pretty confidently but I often times finding myself cutting to much on heel side turns which slows me down more than I would like. I can go from straight to toe pretty well but my heel turns feel more beginner. Do you have any tips?
for me, bad skiing was far less painful than bad snowboarding then again. i learned to ski decades ago. i did all my ski falling as a kid. i'm trying to pick up snowboarding 30 years later and i weigh literally almost 150lb more than i used to, the falls are just brutal.
Im would say I’m a beginner at both. Snowboarding was so much harder those first few days compared to skiing. Both are equally difficult when you move on to the steeper runs
I think bailing is highly underated. Because on skis its a pain in the ass to collect all your shit so skiiers dont go out their comfort zone as much as snowboarders
I think this was more of the case 30 years ago with straight skis. Now, modern skis are just easy. Even 10-15 years ago, not many people knew how to carve on skis. Now everyone is doing it - mainly because ski new shapes are very forgiving and make it simple, even if your balance is centered or backseat.
I do both and can honestly say that it is easier to learn to ski but much harder to truly look good on skiis. Especially in deep tracked out powder! The first couple of times on a board were harder but within a few weeks I could ride steep trash and look like I knew what I was doing.
I need this sound track!!!😂😂
Your background music's so on point!! 😂😂
Glad someone noticed! 😂
I started snowboarding at age 42 in 1990 and did so for 11 years. I went snowboarding last week for the first time since then (23 years ago) at age 75 and still had the basics down. Now I will continue. Snowboarding is harder to get started on the first few days. The first day is hell. The second day you progress 100% and are ready to go up the mountain (that's what I did in 1990). After that you progress quickly and I think it's easier to get better faster than skiing, but skiing is easier in the very beginning, but takes longer to get real good after the beginning. I learned and saw that in the 90s. It all seems like snowboarders have more fun on shallow slopes, but skiiers seem to just want steep and speed. Snowboarders have fun with tricks, like jumps or going fakey while going downhill and then go spin back the other way. I also would go down all the black diamonds and moguls back in the 90s. But all you have to do is be good at turning and the board is shorter than skiis, which makes me think skiis are harder on black diamonds and moguls because they are so long.
Awesome to hear you are snowboarding again
23 years ago, I left the mountains of Colorado and went to Florida and now in Asheville, NC. It's winter and I decided to see if I could still do it at Sugar Mountain, NC.. Snow's not as good as CO, but it's snow. Some sore muscles and sore from a few falls, but nothing extreme. Plus more tired than two decades ago. I'll try and keep it up. I'll check out some youtube videos to help, including yours.@@ShredSchool1
As a lifelong skier, had only one chance to try snowboarding for now, which was on board with faulty "ski boot" type bindings, which ejected my boot as soon as I tried to apply any kind of pressure to steer the board, so need to give it another chance someday. That being said, for the first day/session on skis you did really well, but you were far from mastering it xD The balance and some skill from the snowboard definitely transferred to skiing, so you skipped the complete beginner phase and are now in the beginner-intermediate level as far as the general confidence and movement goes. But I would love to see how you would progress with a few more days of practice and your transition into the carving and how would your opinion about the perceived mastery difficulty be then. But it is true that like for the most sporting activities if the person is a sporty type, you can pick up almost any sport and be good much faster than the average person. The thing I love about skiing is that even though I am a rather good skier, I always feel like there is still room for improvement when I am carving. And every time I am on snow skiing I am trying to improve my technique, increase the edge angle, better my movement so I get a more fluid motion etc. And at least for me, there is no better feeling than leaning so much that I am touching the snow with my hands, same must be true while snowboarding, and the main reason I would really like to learn how to snowboard is the alpine carving snowboard, it looks fun AF :)
As a snowboarder who learned to ski in my mind, then went up the hill and learned on the way down. Skiing is way flipping easier to learn than snowboarding. Skiing is like rollerblading. Snowboarding is like parallel skiing to me, except youre sideways and skiis are perfectly spaced already and never move from that position. I literally tried a 360 on my first run down skiing; I definitely ate shiet, but I sent it hard😎.
I've done both, I'm on skiing now and its simply just for the on/off of the lift and going straight into action but man does it suck walkin around
I think we are more comfortable with our front side pointing in the direction of travel. It feels more natural. My biggest problem when I went from skiing to boarding was having my legs locked in position. It took some getting used to. 😅
i started on ski's and had a really bad accident (I was intermediately skilled and another skier ran over my skiis, destroyed my shoulder, helicopter off the mountain, bad news) after that I never had the confidence in my skiing again. I switched to snowboarding and never looked back. It really just comes down to if you prefer to be facing in the direction your moving or not, and my preference is to be facing sideways. Having fun shredding is the only requirement! The number of boards under your feet is truly personal preference. Skiing/Riding is what makes cold winters worth it, get out there and have some fun.
I have done both for 30 plus years and this statement does ring true to me in some ways. Snowboarding is definitely awkward and less natural at first (especially getting off the lift 😆) but I feel like I can really carve on a board and I feel like a pro in powder (it's just effortless and magical). While I agree that skiing is more natural to learn, I don't think I have ever really learned how to carve right and I fully suck at skiing powder (maybe because on powder days I almost always snowboard 😆)
I have skied a lot with pro snowboarders. I've done hard plate snowboarding only. Well we agreed on verdict. IT DEPENDS ON THE CONDITIONS!! Good Snowboarding much more natural in powder. Boots comfy. Rails etc more fun. Easier bailing yet prone to breaking clavicle cuz board wont come off unless you go aftermarket release bindings. Flowing ride Good Skiing much more skilled in icy conditions, fast tight turns and moguls. You can go much higher inverted. And helicopters look sick And as always who's ever having the most fun wins 🏆
Ive done both and I definitely think skiing is easier, but snowboarding is just more fun imo
I tried skiing when younger and didn't like it. As I grew up surfing and skateboarding, I was carving after the first day snowboarding. It was easier for me. I go snowboard every 2nd to 3rd year and it's so easy to pick back up and carve. Definitely snowboarding is my preference.
you guys are lightyears away from mastery lol 😂 😂
Learned both at the same time last January at 36 years old - can't get enough !! Video tape every day of it.
I own one of the original snowboards by Burton. It does not even have bindings. I think snowboarding is easier to learn but much more painful when you fall versus skiing. That I think is the most important item as many people quit because of the falls being so hard on a snowboard especially when you catch that backside edge and and your head impacts the snow with the speed of a cannon ball! This is one reason helmets have become so popular and common.
Yeah, that's why I snowboard with helmet and back protector.
Snowboarder learning to ski. First few days are definitely harder on a board. More falling from edge catches. The slams are more brutal. My partner (skier) learning to snowboard was almost in tears from the pain and frustration, whereas I was having a gentle day on the slopes with my skis. Skiing seems more precise, snowboarding more surfy. That precision and having to control two sticks instead of one is perhaps why many say skiing is harder to master. True carving and good body positioning in either sport takes some time to nail down. With skiing it seems harder, but I’ve been boarding for years. I like both but to me, the surfy flowy feel of a snowboard is where it’s at. And being able to load up my tail or nose on a board makes freestyle more fun. Ollies, presses, buttering, etc. On pow days I’m grabbing my board every time. On hard packed days or if I’m with other skiers I’ll grab my skies.
Snowboarding for 29 years now, learned to ski 2 seasons ago. Comfy on blacks, trees, still suck at moguls. I think as long as your first skill on either is to learn to stop confidently at any time, the rest will come. Saying one or another is harder to 'master' is way too vague, there are so many sub disciplines all with their own techniques. Like DH racing is different than big mountain, different than park, etc.
I started to ski first and then snowboard. Skiing for me was harder to find my balance, but over all, snowboarding for me was so easy to find the balance. I had issues with the edges, but over all, snowboarding for me the short time I snowboarded, snowboarding is way easier all around!
As someone who does both -- I'll point out your statements about carving are why i think the trope exists -- there are lots of snowboarders out there who can get down a double-black slope who can't carve... who never carve - and realy haven't mastered a proper turn -- but can get down blacks and double-blacks because you can get down anything on a snowboard with mediocre skill levels by sliding on your heelside edge --- not an option on skis... So skiers graduate from blues to blacks slower than their snowboarding friends.
Yeah I think you’re on to something there
@@ShredSchool1 well that's because I was that guy -- I started out snowboarding in my 20s with very experienced skier friends and went everywhere on the mtn with them, surviving with ABSOLUTELY no skills -- just a lot of bravado and athleticism. I switched to skiing a few years later and then skied for a decade.. I finally went back to snowboarding and took the time to learn how to ride correctly -- 3 decades later I do both -- but at a younger age I'd have never learned to ride properly since I had the easy bailout slide whenever I got in over my head... and was more interested in bragging about doing double-blacks than taking the time on blues to learn properly.
Between having so much more edge surface in the snow and having the poles, the maximum amount of control that's possible on moguls using skis is higher than on a snowboard, especially when it's slick. It's more complicated on skis too so the skill ceiling for those is higher in a way.
I used to snowboard and had to stop because I broke my ankle in high school after I was released from the doctor, I tried to snowboard again, and I couldn't handle to stress on my ankle so I tried skiing hand have been doing that ever since.
The title made me think the video was going to debate "Is snowboarding actually more fun than skiing?" because I always assumed it was.
As a scandinavian, that was forced out to cross-country ski as a toddler, i might be slightly biased here. I also did skateboarding years 12-18. So I've wanted to learn snowboarding all my life. But when i lived 5 hours away from the slopes when i was 1-23 i chose to ski because i didnt go often and once i was there i wanted to have a good time. Now i live 30 mins away from the resorts, got alot more patience, and got 40 days on a board last season. Snowboarding is definetly harder which makes it so much more satisfying/fun to progress and accomplish achievements. Also in scandinavia 98% of people are skiing - and even the smallest tricks feels and looks cooler on a board - so you can be considered steezy if you just throw a sick method on a jump so its definetly age friendly for the rad-dads out there.
I wanna try skis sometimes and then i remember ill never look cool😅😅
Since I started snowboarding in 1988 the saying was "If you've never done neither, snowboarding is way easier to learn. After one season you could be an OK skier but after one season of riding you can be pretty good." The only people that squawked about snowboarding being harder was seasoned skiers that tried snowboarding for the first time and typically without an instructor or any idea of how to distribute their weight on the board.
I haven't even skied, but after snowboarding for over 8 yrs at big bear I'm finally a intermediate n I feel it's a lil easier. But the way some of them walk down stairs n steps. I'll rather be a renegade n stay as a snowboarder.
I'm a skiier who recently learned how to snowboard, and I really can't tell which is harder. I learned how to ski as a child then learned everything above blues as an adult.
Been snowboarding for 10 years and decided to try skiing. After spending morning in the learning area eavesdropping to instructors I went down my first black on skis that same afternoon. Not gracefully, but making turns. I fell once. So same concepts with different body positioning. When I was learning snowboarding, I was able to link turns by day 4 on gentle blues. I fell hundreds of times. Learning to ski is absolutely easier to learn. Regarding mastery - I think it’s subjective. Riding switch and learning to Ollie is sure way to next level that does not apply on skis, you can power through a lot on snowboarding. Skis require a lot of finesse, and I am not as close to the ground as on snowboard. Both are a blast in their own way. Walking in ski boots and carrying skis and poles is by far not as convenient nor comfortable as snowboarding boots and much lighter board I carry with one hand with binding pressed against forearm.
That was your first time skiing? LOL that was badass and you already looked advanced. I've snowboarded for decades and learned to ski as a kid and often wondered how snowboarding knowledge and feel of the snow and edges would translate to skiing. Looks like it translates well.
Important to remember that since you have mastered snowboarding and understand edging on the snow it makes it quite easy for you to transition. Learning snowboarding from skiing it took me maybe half a day before I was already semi-carving down the slopes on a snowboard. True beginner experience may not reflect this quick progression. Congrats!
true and very good point
I had this same experience after about half a day trying snowboarding I could get on edge and kinda carve since I had a good understanding of edge control
For those who may not remember, snowboarding was banned at Mammoth Mountain for many years, and it was absolute uproar when they finally let snowboarders use the mountain
It depends on your goal: if you ski around it’s easy, most people can pick that up in few days (get down safely). But if you go technical: slaloms, either GS or SL is hard. I don’t think slaloms exist in snowboarding (I never seen it and I cannot imaging doing SL on snowboards). You can go to see some athletes training, hitting poles, sometimes you are also allowed to use them, then you will really see the technical part of skiing. I believe snowboarding is better on powders however through trees I found ski easier. One funny thing: here in Europe, particularly in Austria I see a lot of older people skiing, like 70+. Never seen older people snowboarding, it’s like it’s for kids only. They say you will always fall on snowboarding even if you are good, on ski not. And snowboarding it’s hard to go through flats since you don’t have poles and you cannot ‘skate’. Some say snowboarding is not for big mountains, I think that BS. Didn’t find solid reason yet. (Or the older generation let’s say from 1950s and 1960s never had chance to learn snowboarding? And they are just sceptical about it)
If you think about "what if you only had a day or 2 (or 3) on the mountain, which would you get further in?" is where the "easier to learn" part comes from. Skiing early progression is much easier than snowboarding, as snowboarding doesn't really have an equivalent to pizza, more like you're going straight to parallel. "Difficult to master" I think the term usually covers the next stage more than it does mastery. Once you've gotten over the initial learning curve for snowboarding I think you're a lot more prepared to progress further than someone who has just done the basics skiing. You can get up to a certain point with just "do what you know, but better", or just variations on what you know, whereas skiers have to learn some new techniques (ie. parallel) as pizza doesn't work everywhere. (And where it doesn't work comes much sooner than what you learn early snowboarding) As for actual mastery. That depends on how you define mastery really. If you want to make a list of what you should know to "master" it, skiing can probably fill more checkboxes easier (which could make it harder to master). If it becomes "the best I can be at..." then it's going to be just as hard either way, but the levels of what you do may be different, but how do you fairly judge that? Then if you get into competition, they're just as hard as each other as the bar is just going to be raised, no matter which side you're on. Also: love the music
In order to make a real comparison of which (if either) is harder, you need someone who is fully competent in both. It’s ridiculous for anyone to declare one is “better” or “harder” if they’re new or inexperienced in either of the disciplines.
I didn't see a single carve on skis in this video. 😂
I have done both, and been a snowboarder for like 20 years, and just started skiing this season since I won some skis, and I can ski fairly well I feel. Though I don't know what is consider being like really good at it is. I can do blacks and some trees already on skis. Also I don't use poles, and getting ski boots on is easy once you master the peel like a banana and not the pull the tongue forward.
when me and my wife are too old to snowboard, we'll make the switch to skiing.
Grew up with snowboarders and never heard this term until i dated a skier. Come to the realization that it's a term skiers came up with to make themselves feel better about never making the switch. I skied in 6th grade and mastered it in less than a year double black n whatever, snowboarding took a lot longer and i even skateboarded as a kid. Every person I've heard say this has never snowboarded to mastery.
I do both and I believe skiing is definitely easier to learn for the majority of people. It only took me a couple hours to progress to parallel skiing and comfortably cruise down easy runs whereas it took me days of practicing, some frustration, and a couple hard wipeouts before I was able to cruise easy runs on my snowboard. Mastery is more difficult to compare especially since the majority of people never master either (let alone both to be able to do a comparison). To me mastering either is being able to ski or board tough terrain (steeps, chutes, moguls, trees, crud, powder etc) and to do so quickly, efficiently and always in control with no hesitation. I started out skiing and can ski all this terrain but I still don't consider myself a master at any of it and progress definitely slows as you get more proficient. I am only an intermediate snowboarder so can't comment much on how it compares for that level but I did find that the day my turning ability "clicked" on green runs I was also able to do intermediate runs. I also have found it is easier to challenge steeper terrain on a snowboard because you always have the option to just plow/directional side slip your way down whereas with skis you usually end up in a position you have to make a turn. One last comment is that I think it is easier to progress at whichever you do second as anyone that is good at one of these sports already has learned about edge control, weight forward, committing to your turn, value of good posture etc.
I’ve done both. Started out skiing, switched after 8 years to snowboarding. Then after another 8 years I switched back. This was one of the reasons. After 8 years of snowboarding I didn’t feel challenged. I’ve been trying to master moguls, that alone has taken almost eight years. So the saying is absolutely true. Not only that but snowboarding is kind of a pain in the butt. Standing in line, getting on the lift, sitting on the wrong side of the lift, getting off the lift, catwalks, moguls, super steep all a pain in the butt on a board but not on skis. As far as losing your gear in a yard sail? That is by design. The year skis went to the releasable binding ski injuries dropped 45%. It’s a clear advantage to a snowboard which will twist and turn your body without releasing causing unnecessary injuries. For the life of me I can’t understand why snowboarding hasn’t adopted this tech. That’s brings me to the absolute worst part of snowboarding. The tech is stale. Boards and bindings haven’t hardly changed in 25 years. The board I bought in 98 looks and functions exactly like a board bought yesterday. Whereas ski tech has and continues to change every year. Skis today barely resemble skis from the nineties, and those changes made skiing much more fun. This is why snowboarding has been losing market share since it’s 2011 peak.
After half a lifetime of skiing, I started snowboarding at 45 to go with my sons who were not interested in skiing. And I found it much easier to do - apart from the old-style ski lifts 😁. Also, I found that the whole experience of a snowboarding day is much cooler than of a skiing day, with shoes you can walk with, and equipment much easier to handle and bring around. I'm in my sixties now and never went back... For what it's worth!
Started both last season. Always alternating every time I went to the slopes. (still doing that this season) I could go down a green on skis on day 1... took me 3 days to not fall every 3 secs on snowboards. However I was hitting blues in the same day I started to hit greens consistently. While skiing it took a lot more for me to be able to confidently control direction and speed. If you had no prior experience with either (the understanding of edge transfer is transferable) I'd definitely agree with the saying.. Skis are easier to begin, Skis takes longer to progress as an intermediate. Both are hard to master.
Very interesting!
In my early 50s and Been skiing most of my life (25+ seasons). and recently just picked up snowboarding. I will say that its riding is tougher to learn. Its taken me 3 seasons to comfortably carve blues on a board. Also, as I'm used to 50+ MPH ripping on skis, translating that speed to a board is extremely scary for me. I've had so many edge catches at 30+ MPH boarding, so still need to work on toe/heel weighting. Positives are snowboard boots are SOOO much more comfy!
Only tried snowboard and it is definitely not easy to learn all by myself. Compared to friends I saw learning skiing, they really seemed to have a much easier time (apart from walking on the boots all day, this one was easier for me, for sure)
Skied as a kid. Snowboarder for 20 years. Went back to skiing. Ya'll need to get into some you fall, you die terrain and tell me which is easier. On a snowboard you can just sit on an edge. I think that getting fully proficient on skis is harder. It's why I jumped back. For me there was nowhere else to go on a snowboard. You guys did great for it being your first day. You have more skills than most.
good point, we should have hit the steeper stuff
well been skiing since 71 (yes Im old) and snowboarding since 86. (yep before they were allowed) Boarded for the next 10yrs and competed, competed freestyle skiing before that. Got bored of snowboarding cuz I got too old for parks and big air and couldn't pay for my own heli, and no more sponsors. Now I only ski, and I'm still trying to master the perfect turn. I rarely see anyone who really has everything perfectly dialed in (more so in Europe for some reason). Spend most of my time backcountry and always kinda laugh when I tour with boarders, cuz they have to make there board into skis for most of it
I'm a skier, but I have ridden a board occasionally. If I'm out with beginners or lower intermediates, I'll rent a board so I can have some challenge in the day too. It wasn't that difficult to pick up snowboarding. Good skiers should learn snowboarding fairly quickly, and good snowboarders should learn skiing fairly quickly....assuming they are not afraid of falling.
I skied for 10 years, got about 5 days on snowboard now, and my experience skiing is easier. I've eaten shit way more learning to snowboard. But now I'm getting it. I'm already having more fun than when I was skiing.
I taught myself to ski, without lessons, in about 45 minutes, by the end of the first day, I was already skiing, black diamond trails, snowboarding I had to take lessons, and it is much harder to learn, skiing is just easier all around and that’s the fact of it
I've done both (snowboarded for about 8 years in my 20's) and I'm a dang good skier now at age 44, but mastered? No way. To ski well on steep variable terrain, varying from pure carves to glide to pivot slip, long to short dynamic turns to moguls (completely different animal) it seems harder and more technical on skis for sure. I think they're both hard to be true experts, but to get past the intermediate hump in skiing is probably harder. People spend thousands of dollars and years of attending training camps to perfect skiing every year. Just not really sure if snowboarders do that.
I cant stop cracking up at the song😂
I learned how to ski when I was 2 years old. I was allowed to go top to bottom on my own at 4.very unique situation. The "mountain" I learned at is closed now. Started to snowboard at 8 and took way longer to learn, and feel comfortable going on my own. But 8 years later I competed at nationals. 7 years to master? Skiing maybe 5? Master to me means you can compete at a top level in your region.?
This video does a really good job at comparing the two. People definitely only say skiing is harder to master because they ski.. and that's pretty hard to justify
I always rebuttal with “They are both difficult to master. Learning to snowboard is like if you had to ski parallel immediately and you can never pizza.” The closest thing to pizza would be floating leaf but you can at least turn both ways in a wedge, so not fully comparable. Most resort riders consider intermediate level riding “mastery”. If you can make it down a black, you’ve made it. So most people haven’t really mastered either sport by definition of 10,000 successful/ideal repetitions (it’s not 10k tries). But really, most people will never reach that if they’re only riding a few days or weeks a year. I am lucky enough to have done both since I was a kid and I started teaching while still a kid. Anyone in the instructing realm knows the snowboard certs have a much higher risk because of their freestyle focus. And ski side cares more about precision 100% of the time with their race focus. They both have the same technical lingo tho, esp now that snowboard side was forced to adopt the ski fundamentals, plus one for torsional flex. In lessons I see just as many people pick up snowboarding in one day as skiing. That is to say, a lot of people struggle learning to skiing. Athletic/sport background really makes a difference. Depending on the mountain, skiers may appear to progress faster due to going up a bigger chair sooner, but that’s more to do with cat tracks being ideal for beginner skiers and terrible for beginner snowboarders, so we wait until they’re riding runs with steeper fall lines. Sitting on the side of a popular blue run, anyone can see there’s about equal success and failure between sides tho. I’d really love to know the actual origin of the saying, but I’m glad I’m hearing it less and less over time.
Moguls are way easier on skis, not even comparable. There's a reason mogul skiing is part of freestyle skiing competitions - it's actually fun on skis (as opposed to snowboard). As to the main question, I think skiing is both easier to learn and easier to master.
I did both skiing and snowboarding, and now I'm a snowboard teacher. I would say a lot of snowboarders think they have it "figured it out" but there are so many levels of edge control and body position they have no clue about. I think only a handful of people on this planet have really mastered snowboarding, and even then they still haven't figured out everything, it's just impossible...mastery is just darn hard no matter which sport you do
I think when we say "master" in snowboarding, we are referring to the point where we can link turns comfortably enough that you don't look like beginners (i know, it's really intermediate stage), which takes a lot more efforts and time than learning how to ski pizza to control your speed and linking turns. For skiing, we say "master" when we are able to ski french fries, which can take forever. so I think it's true that ski is easier to learn, but harder to master and vice versa for snowboard.
You could be right
I have seen dozens of these 'snowboard vs. skis things' by professionals on YT, and one thing they all had in common whether it was a skier trying snowboarding for the first time or vice versa. Which was NONE of them could carve on the first day - not a single one. So, time to fess up lads, you have skied before haven't you? I'm picking BS on the whole thing looking at the way you move on the skis. To the issue at hand, who the eff cares? I'm sure those who love skiing are happy where they are and likewise for snowboarding. By the way, I strapped on a snowboard three weeks ago and was doing heelside and toe side turns in one hour, riding up on the platter and doing runs top to bottom.... no drama's and no falls... I mean it wasn't pretty and I was slow, but did I think it was easier than my first day skiing? Absolutely. Now, I plan to do both this season and have fun either way.
Song name ?
Funny video, liked the music😂 thank you for doing what no snowboarder wants to do: ski.
😂 took one for the team
My strategy, raising two boys, was to stay a couple sports ahead of them. That way I could kick their butts at something. At least until they got to be about 17 or 18. I went from skiing for many years to snowboarding. I found snowboarding insanely easy to learn and master. The first two days were ugly, but by day 18 or so there weren't many runs I couldn't do. However, big air and terrain parks are a different matter (on skis or a snowboard). After 5 or 6 years on snowboards we all transitioned to telemark skiing. Much better than alpine skiing or snowboarding!
It's also significantly easier to learn either sport if you do the other already. A lot of the same principles exist in both. :P I think what makes skiing easier to start out is that you're facing and moving forward, which is way more natural.
Great video guys
Thanks 🙏 glad you liked it
Skiing is much easier to learn than snowboarding, not sure why that would be up for debate. To master either would take ages, again, not sure why that would even be a debate. After a 3 hour ski lesson I was linking turns and doing hockey stops. After a 3 hour snowboard lesson I was doing the "falling leaf" only.
You earned my like immediately with the IASIP cold open 👏
These guys are excellent athletes. They look good on skis for sure. This past weekend I was on the Castlerock lift, and 90% of the riders on that lift were skiers. I saw 0 snowboarders attempting to go down the icy liftline trail. The reason people say that is that most snowboarders seem to be satisfied with intermediate level. A lot of snowboarders I meet leaf down whatever a resort has labelled a double diamond and then tell their friends they are experts. Or at Sugarbush, for example, they would go down Rip Cord and then think they would be experts, not realizing making nice turns on icy Liftline is expert level. I have for sure met expert level snowboarders, but most snowboarders don't really understand what is advanced or expert level.
I do both... snowboard and ski... and switch between the two all the time. Skiing is more natural to learn. It has a lot in common with ice skating.... it's a more natural movement... and T-bars aren't hellishly annoying. Snowboarding is challenging to learn because it's an unnatural movement. People have had the opposite experience often have skateboarded or similar activities which gave them a leg up. Also, carving is a really basic skill in both just to get down the hill. It's definitely in the "must learn" part... so yeah... much easier on skis as stated... which pretty much proved the "easier to learn, harder to master" phrase right there. Moguls are not equal. Though I think they're a more intermediate to advanced technique on a snowboard. Way easier to catch an edge... and you've only got one of them to make the turns. Quick turns are just easier with more edges. Moguls are still hard on skis. Is skiiing harder to master? I think when people say "master" what they mean is having the ability to take on a double-black diamond... not... can you enter the park on skis. Also.. I think it's about form. Keeping skis parallel and maintaining that parallel form on skis in all conditions... that's where the master comes into play. Also... the park... man you get those skis out of sync and it's a yard sale. Jumps are easier to APPROACH on skis, but can be challenging to land because as you mentioned... bailing SUCKS on skis.
Grab some beginners and test your hypothesis. As someone that learned both in my 30s, snowboarding was a brutal beginning but easier to learn. I could always pendulum or scrap my way down the steeps. Skiing, you have to make turns. It’s harder to fake a bumped out black diamond on skis.
As a complete noob i tried skiing first. I could turn okay in a few hours, but I’d inevitably lose balance and control on steeper slopes. Once I fell in a weird way with my feet stuck like an X in the snow, a few degrees off from really getting fucked, so I decided it ain’t for me because of this risk. Tried snowboarding a few years later and actually felt it was much easier to get into. Going flat is easy and you can go down any slope you find. Then you start learning more techniques and get an actual feel for the board. I think the saying comes from skis being deceptively easy to maneuver on mellow slopes. It feels “easier” even if you have very little feel for the balance. Snowboarding forces you to develop that sense of balance before going fast, and once you have that you already kinda “mastered” it. The overall learning time is probably the same, but I do prefer snowboarding because of how it eases you into it.
First off everything is easier with a coach. Took me about 2-3 years to get to the same level I can coach someone decently athletic and balanced in 3-4 days. I had a mini concussion and a whiplashed neck every time I snowboarded for the first two years. Took one lesson and the guy gave me one tip and fixed that 90% of the time. So snowboard harder to learn? for someone tall like me, definitely. I don't count the park stuff as knowing how to snowboard / ski because the tricks themselves require a totally different skillset than the act of skiing or snowboarding. That said, I do think skiing is harder to master because you have a lot more individual things to manage in the body than snowboarding. There is a wider range of techniques (both general and situational) to learn and apply than snowboarding. Picking the sport I think ultimately depends on your body, and personality. If you like the precision of driving a BMW, you ski If you like to cruise with the top down, you snowboard
I previously taught skiing and snowboarding, and can safely say as a general rule skiing is easier to learn. Beyond that mastery is highly subjective, but what in my experience is generally true is most people are quicker to transition to linking turns on a snowboard then to transition from wedge turns to open parallel turns on skis. Aka not look like a noob Also ill say you guys did very good for your first day and while you certainly weren't "carving" you could probably be after a few days especially with a lesson. Skiing and snowboarding have a lot of crossover and already knowing how to snowboard especially if you are somewhat familiar or it seems in your case very familiar with the technical aspect like edges it gives you a big advantage. If you really wanted to settle the issue you would obviously need a larger sample size and people who dont know how to do ether have them spend 1 day on each