Skiing or snowboarding: which should you learn first?

TUREFF• •0

It is one of the first questions people ask before a winter holiday, and the answer depends less on which is "better" than on what kind of learner you are and what you want from your days on the mountain. Here is an honest comparison.

The learning curve

The usual saying is that skiing is easy to learn and hard to master, and snowboarding is hard to learn and easier to master. There is truth in it.

Skiing: your legs work independently and you face downhill, which feels natural. Most beginners can snowplough down a gentle slope and stop by the end of the first day or two. Getting from there to smooth, parallel turns on steeper terrain takes much longer, and the intermediate plateau is where many skiers stay for years.
Snowboarding: both feet are fixed to one board, sideways. The first two or three days are often spent falling while you learn to balance on an edge and link a turn. Once it clicks, though, progress tends to be quick, and many people are riding most blue runs comfortably within a week.

If you only have a long weekend and want to be moving around the mountain by the end of it, skiing usually gets you there sooner. If you have a week or more and do not mind a rough start, snowboarding often catches up.

Falls and injuries

Everyone falls when learning either sport. The patterns are different:

Beginner snowboarders tend to fall more often, forwards onto their hands or backwards onto their bottom. Wrist injuries are the classic snowboarding injury, which is why wrist guards and padded shorts are popular with learners.
Skiers fall less often at first, but twisting falls put stress on the knees, and knee ligament injuries are the classic skiing injury.

Either way, a helmet, a lesson and stopping before you are exhausted reduce the risk more than the choice of sport does.

Comfort and equipment

Boots: snowboard boots are softer and much more comfortable to walk in. Ski boots are rigid and take getting used to.
Carrying kit: one board is easier to carry than two skis and two poles.
Lifts: skiers ride drag lifts and get off chairlifts easily. Snowboarders ride with one foot unstrapped and find drag lifts awkward at first, and need to strap back in at the top of each lift.
Flat sections: skiers can push along with poles. Snowboarders have to unstrap and walk or hop across long flats, which can be frustrating at some resorts.

Cost

For a beginner, the costs are broadly similar. Rental of skis, poles and boots or a board and boots, lift passes and lessons cost about the same at most resorts. If you later buy your own kit, comfortable snowboard boots are sometimes easier to get right first time than ski boots, which often need professional fitting.

Which is more fun?

That is personal, but some general patterns:

Skiing suits people who want to cover lots of ground, ski with family of all ages, tackle moguls or go touring later on.
Snowboarding suits people who like a surfing or skateboarding feel, freestyle and the terrain park, and deep powder, where a board floats very naturally.
Skiers and snowboarders share the same lifts and slopes, so mixed groups work perfectly well.

Can you switch later?

Yes, and plenty of people do both. Many find that whichever sport they learn second comes faster, because they already understand reading the slope, edges, lifts and how snow behaves. Some instructors suggest starting with skiing if you have never been on snow at all, simply because you get comfortable on the mountain faster.

A simple way to decide

If you can, take a lesson in each on a dry slope or indoor slope before your trip.
Think about how long you will be on the snow: a few days favours skiing.
Think about who you are going with and what they do.
Book lessons for whichever you choose. Both sports reward good early habits.

Did you learn to ski or snowboard first, and would you choose the same again? Share your experience or ask a question in the comments.