Skiing and snowboarding both require time to learn, and how quickly you adapt to either sport depends on your confidence, fitness level, and personal preference. Some individuals can learn skiing or snowboarding in just a few days, while for others, it may take years.
Although both sports can be relatively easy to begin, mastering them can be quite challenging, making both activities invigorating and rewarding to reach an advanced level.
This article will go through the similarities and differences between skiing and snowboarding so that you can decide which one you would like to try out.
Is skiing or snowboarding easier to learn?
Skiing and snowboarding both require completely different techniques, stances, and equipment.
Learning to ski
Skiing is considered easier to learn at first because your balance is spread across two skis which can feel more natural and similar to how you balance your weight when walking.
What is the skiing pizza stance?
Going down a gentle beginner slope on a pair of skis is a great time to learn how to slow down and stop using the ‘pizza stance’. The pizza stance is considered a nice and easy way to learn how to stop as you bring the front of your skis together and the back end of your skis as far apart as comfortably possible.
Learning to snowboard
Snowboarding is considered harder to learn because you are strapped to the board sideways and your feet are constrained.
Having your feet constrained can feel very unnatural at first and learning how to stop can be difficult to master as you have the option to try a toe-side stop or a heel-side stop as a brake which can often take longer to learn than the pizza stance.
Surfers and skateboarders may take easily to snowboarding as they all require excellent balance, position, and weight distribution across a board.
Which is easier for children to learn?
Whilst we find that children often opt to learn how to ski first, we always recommend that you choose the equipment that you feel the most confident and comfortable using.
Is it easier to learn snowboarding if you already ski?
It’s not guaranteed that you will find snowboarding easy to learn because you're a confident skier.
Learning to snowboard can be just as challenging for skiers as it is for non-skiers.
It’s a completely equal playing field when learning how to snowboard, as you’ll need to learn how to balance, keep up the momentum, turn corners, and brake in a whole new way.
Do more people ski or snowboard?
Around 60 million Europeans are regular skiers, with Europe and its slopes accounting for 62% of skiers worldwide.
In many European ski resorts, skiing is more popular than snowboarding.
As you can see, skiing is an extremely popular winter sport to learn. Skiing and snowboarding is an obvious choice for many ski holiday enthusiasts.
Other winter sports activities to try
If both skiing and snowboarding don’t appeal to you, it’s good to know about other winter sports that thrill-seekers can enjoy, such as snowshoeing, ice skating, tobogganing, and sleigh rides.
At Oxford Ski Company, our Experience Managers know of the best ski schools, ski resorts, and winter sports activities across Europe, North America, and Japan.
If you’re looking for the best skiing, snowboarding, or winter sports alternatives you can speak to a member of our team.
Is skiing or snowboarding a better workout?
Skiing and snowboarding are both extremely good calorie-burning workouts with skiing burning around 500 calories an hour and snowboarding burning around 450 calories an hour.
Skiing and snowboarding are both high-intensity workouts that combine cardio and muscle training to get you down the slopes.
They’re both extremely fun ways to burn calories as you get to take in the beautiful scenery around you.
Where is the best place to learn skiing or snowboarding?
Before your ski holiday, you may wish to engage in a few lessons at an indoor snow centre. This can help you to build up your confidence before you hit the snow terrain.
Indoor lessons are not always necessary to learn skiing or snowboarding as you can book a set of beginner lessons whilst you're away on your ski holiday.
Many vacationers choose to learn a winter sport during their first ski resort holiday. Numerous ski resorts provide specialist beginner lessons from some of the best instructors in the world.
The beginner slopes are often private treelined areas that protect you from colliding with faster and more advanced skiers so that you can learn in a safe and comfortable environment.
When is the best time to book a beginner ski or snowboarding holiday?
You can learn to ski or snowboard across our luxury ski resorts at any time of the year.
We always recommend booking your ski holiday at least 10 -12 months in advance to make sure that you can gain access to everything that you need for a fun-filled luxurious ski holiday.
We also have a guide to ski season so that you can decide whether you would prefer to book during the busiest or quietest periods.
The team at Oxford Ski Company are always on hand and here to answer any questions that you may have.
Speak to our experts today to plan the perfect winter sports holiday for you and your family.
