Snowboarding Vs. Skiing

Whilst many people long for the sun-soaked shores of exotic faraway lands, others crave a little more action and adventure. One of the most popular choices when it comes to an adrenaline-pumping holiday is to take to the slopes to experience the speed and exhilaration of downhill skiing and snowboarding.

Key to a successful snow-based holiday, especially if you plan to take lessons, is deciding where to spend most of your time and money. For those uncertain of what might suit them best, here is a quick look at what’s involved in snowboarding and skiing. Some of the main differences between the two sports are highlighted.

Photo by Skistar Trysil

Making a start

Skiing requires a bit of practice to enjoy and a lot of practice to master. Skiers require good co-ordination, sensory awareness and body control. A few days out on the slopes should be enough to grasp the basics, but longer is needed to progress to the harder runs.

Snowboarding, on the other hand, doesn’t require quite as much equipment and once the basic board techniques have been learnt it’s a pretty quick progression onto the mountain slope.

Fitness fanatics

When it comes to keeping fit while you’re away consider what type of workout is appropriate. Whilst both skiing and snowboarding can help to develop and enhance core strength, each sport has a different fitness focus.

Skiing offers a good lower body workout, targeting the thighs, bottom and hips. This is a great sport for toning the legs and will leave you feeling as though you’ve really made a difference.

Although snowboarding is a sport with an equal emphasis on fitness, the movement involved in boarding targets the whole body. The legs get a good workout as they shift the body weight from heel to toe, but the rotation required to twist and turn also works the back and abdominal muscles.

Pressure points

If you’ve got problems with your knee joints, skiing may not be for you. The torsional forces involved in the sport can put unnecessary strain on this part of the body, often leading to injury.

When you snowboard, however, both feet are attached to the same board, so there is less twisting from the knee and therefore less chance of injuring this part of the body.

In snowboarding the risk often comes from injuring the wrist, which is why many people learning this sport choose to wear wrist guards.

Centre and balance

For those people who already have a well-developed sense of balance, snowboarding is a good option and an excellent new challenge. It requires the body to be centred and under control at all times. Skiing, however, generally allows for a few more mistakes, with the task of centring the body a little easier spread between the skis.

Resort suitability

Although things are gradually changing, resorts have often been designed with the skier in mind. This isn’t to say that there aren’t places that are perfect for boarding, but sudden flat patches of snow often favour a skier who can push off and get going more easily. They are a range of places to choose from depending on whether you want value, luxury, relaxing and some resorts are much more suited to beginners to so it’s worth doing plenty of research.

Clothing developments

Whilst ski boots can be a little cumbersome, boarders’ boots are often just a little heavier and stiffer than normal winter boots. This makes walking to and from the start or end of a run far easier and much more comfortable.

For all the pros and cons, there’s little to suggest that being good in one sport doesn’t mean you can’t be equally successful in the other.

After all, it’s clear that although there are a few key differences between skiing and snowboarding there are many similarities too: a love of speed, action and adventure and a preference for the great outdoors to name but a few.

Higher, faster

Generally speaking, skiers can go faster, jump higher and fly further in the air. Although, it’s worth remembering that to do so skiers often use special skis and venues, so it’s not always an equal test.

This article was writen by Will a keen Traveller and writer at travelsupermarket.com. Over the years he has visited many of the ski resorts throughout Europe. Although he finds snowboarding fun, he still preferes skiing for the speed and excitment.

Tags: abdominal muscles, adrenaline, core strength, downhill skiing, exhilaration, faraway lands, fitness fanatics, fitness focus, keeping fit, knee joints, lower body workout, mountain slope, ordination, pressure points, sensory awareness, skiers, slopes, trysil, unnecessary strain

Category: Travel Tips