OPINION

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By Scotty Ruth

You’ve just had an epic ride down a slope. Fresh powder and perfect weather for skiing. You go in the lift line and wait your turn. As soon as you hop off the lift, your boots are already strapped and you go into another amazing run. This, however, is only the reality for skiers. Snowboarding is a different story.  

Photo via Pixabay.

Unlike skiers, snowboarders have no way to move on flat surfaces, as they do not have poles. Because of this misfortune, snowboarders must unstrap a boot after each and every run in order to even get to the lift. Then, when they hop off of the lift, they cannot go right into the next run, like skiers. They must restrap their boots while sitting in the cold snow, while skiers race past them into the next run. 

When asked which sport he preferred, Tucker Smith (’23) responded with “skiing is simply superior; who wants to unstrap and strap their snowboard every time they go on a lift?” It seems to be a common theme that the hassle of having to unstrap your boots just to move on a flat surface or hop onto a lift is an annoyance. The skill of snowboarding is much more difficult to pick up on, but once you get the hang of it, you should see more progress. Skiing, on the other hand, is easier to start out on, but becomes more difficult to increase your skill level from beginner, to intermediate, to expert. 

Although snowboarding has its flaws and is noticeably less enjoyable as a beginner, skiing has its own weaknesses. For instance, ski boots might be the most uncomfortable shoes you’ll ever put on. They hurt to walk in, and as Charlotte Smith (’22) describes, “after a long day on the slopes, my legs can barely hold me up” both from being tired from skiing, but also from the boots killing your feet and destroying your shins. On the other hand, snowboarding has boots that feel as though you are wearing regular shoes. 

With both sports having their advantages and disadvantages, I turned to the Collegiate Upper School to settle the debate. According to a poll sent to the student body of the Upper School, skiing is favored, with 84% preferring skiing compared to 16% who prefer snowboarding. I was not surprised when I saw the results, as most people end up picking skiing as their first snow sport. When you chose either skiing or snowboarding, you tend to stick with that sport, and there are not many people who end up switching. 

George Byford (’25), who prefers skiing, says how “learning skiing is easy, but hard to master. Learning snowboarding is hard, but easy to master once you know it.” With this being said, it makes sense why more people start off skiing rather than snowboarding. People would rather have a more enjoyable first-time experience skiing, instead of struggling and getting frustrated trying to snowboard. Especially if you go on a trip to the mountains where there is a ski resort, you have a limited amount of time before you have to leave wherever you traveled. You do not want to waste your time and effort on falling on your rear end by choosing snowboarding as your first choice. 

Mackenzie Fergusson (’22) had a very enthusiastic response to beginner snowboarders, saying how “NOTHING is worse than riding the ski lift next to a beginner snowboarder. They always fall over once you get off the lift, and you always have to stop the lift till they get up. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.” While snowboarding may be the easier option to see progress with, skiing is the more friendly, beginner option. 

Carter Mitchell (’24), who started skiing at first and then switched to snowboarding, believes that snowboarding is the more enjoyable option. Mitchell explained his switch from skiing to snowboarding by saying, “I started to snowboard because I had mastered skiing and wanted to try something new, and, at the time, I thought snowboarding was cooler.”

Photo via Peakpx.

As far as injuries go, a study shows that you are more likely to get injured while snowboarding. This is due in fact to the increase of safety measures on skis that allow for the skis to pop off your feet when there is too much pressure. Older skis did not pop off very easily, which would lead to more injuries. Snowboarding, on the other hand, is much more likely to result in injury. In an article in The Guardian, pro snowboarder James Stentiford mentioned that “Snowboarders are more focused on maneuvers: jumps and tricks, which are done at a slower pace. Though naturally, it’s easier to get hurt doing them.” Although snowboarding tends to be a more common sport for injuries, skiers are more likely to die in a skiing accident than snowboarders. This is due to the faster pace of skiing, as snowboarders are usually slower.

While skiing is more popular around the general Collegiate population, snowboarding seems to be very enjoyable as well. I believe that skiing is the superior snow sport, but along with most people, I am biased, as I have not tried snowboarding before. Like the majority of people, I did not have a choice as a child and was thrown on skis because of my parents. While I do not plan on switching, snowboarding does seem enjoyable to try, despite the fact that the beginning stages are extremely frustrating. 

Featured image photo credit: Zach Dischner.