If you ask a skier if snowboarding is better than skiing, they will all tell you that skiing is much better. If you ask a snowboarding if skiing is better than snowboarding, they will all tell you that snowboarding is much better. So, I’m going to settle the argument.

Which is easier to learn?

Many experts of snowsports will tell you that skiing is easy to learn but hard to master, while snowboarding is the opposite. It is easier to balance while skiing because your feet are separated, but when snowboarding it is harder to compensate your balance because both of your feet are connected to a single board.

The Materials

Snowboarding requires much less equipment than skiing. To snowboard, the only essential materials are one snowboard and snowboard boots. But, skiing requires much more. To ski you need a two skis, ski boots, and usually a pair of ski poles.

Not only does snowboarding require less to carry, but the shoes are significantly better, as well. Skiing shoes are much heavier than snowboarding boots. Also, if you ask anyone that has tried both skiing and snowboarding, almost all will say that snowboarding shoes are much more comfortable and easier to use.

The Dangers

Both skiing and snowboarding are quite risky sports. Skiing tends to lead to many leg injuries  such as knee issues and ACL tears. Also, skiing leads to many head injuries due to collisions with others on the slopes. Snowboarding on the other hand, causes less legs injuries due to both feet being bound to one board.

Recovering After You Fall

Snowboarding is much easier to recover after you wipe out. Sometimes, snowboarders can even save themselves from falling entirely from the ground and can rebalance themselves because both feet are connected to the same board. In skiing, this is not the case. It is much harder to save yourself from a fall when on skis. Also, skiers often drop their ski poles during a wipeout and sometimes the binding of ski boots to skis unclip. So, almost every time a skier wipes out, they have to do a walk of shame to collect all of their belongings.

With a little commitment you can be riding down the slopes like a professional and it’s much easier to recover from a minor fall on a board. Plus, the dangers are less significant to the legs and the sport requires less materials. I can understand where some skiers make their arguments, but I think it is clear that snowboarding is the better snowsport.