By Krissy Rael ’21
LEARNING PROCESS:
There are many differences between skiing and snowboarding in terms of the learning process. “Skiing was easy to pick up, but snowboarding was more challenging. I definitely had more bruises and harder falls on my snowboard when I first learned,” says skier and snowboarder Bridget Kennedy. Skiing is an easier learning process because you have the skies connected to your feet which makes it an easier motion to learn and develop. In snowboarding, both your feet are connected to one board which makes more unstable and less natural.
PRICING:
Pricing is one of the biggest differences between the two sports. Bridget explains, “Most of my equipment are hand-me-downs from my older sisters, or from older neighbors. But if I had to guess the overall price, it would probably be 600-700 dollars.” Snowboard equipment is much less expensive than ski equipment. “I love getting new equipment. All the equipment I use right now probably totals up to 2,000 dollars,” skier Iris Murphy says. Another skier, Taylor Rael says, “New equipment is a very long experience. You have to make sure all of the equipment you are going to buy will fit you and work for the style you ski. An estimate of all the gear at an entry level price will be from $750 to $1,200.”
INJURIES:
In skiing and snowboarding, injuries happen all the time. Bridget Kennedy will never forget the ski injury she witnessed. “My Aunt tore her ACL on the highest run in Breckenridge,” she describes. “It was a white out, and we went up the Imperial Chair for one last run, but my Aunt wasn’t feeling confident in her previously injured knee. My mom went ahead, but my Aunt fell on ice, and had a hard time getting back up. I was with her, but thankfully a ski-instructor was there to help her in the chaos. He told her to put her skis sideways, but when she tried getting up, POP. Her knee popped out of place. She started screaming in pain and it was the worst thing to witness. She was then carried down in a ski-patrol sled from the highest chair down to the Peak 8 Base. That was rough, but she was a good sport about it.” Besides this disturbing ski injury, you should also be careful while snowboarding. Snowboarding injuries typically occur in the wrists and ankle. Ankle sprains are caused by the wrong type of snowboard boot and landing wrong after a jump. Wrist fractures are caused by landing when a hand is overextended.
CONCLUSION:
Now that you know the differences between skiing and snowboarding, which do you think is better? Let us know down below in the comments section!