How hard is snowboarding?

[Flower777]

My son wants to try and I want to try with him.

I’m overweight and not especially fit.

I want to learn with him but I don’t want to feel like a complete tit.

TIA!

Kills your calves and thighs. Easier than skiing.

Boarding is definitely harder than skiing in the beginning but easier to master once you've mastered the basics. Skiing is easier to learn but harder to become really good at.

I ski. I did try boarding but found it very, very difficult. Both my kids do both.

From how you describe yourself I would definitely suggest skiing - if there's option to progress at your slope your son may also be able to take up freestyle or racing eventually which are both great fun!

I ski, tried boarding and the amount of time spent on my arse put me off trying it again.

If you don't ski it might be easier?

It's dead working in strength for either so you can actually get up when you fall down.

You will fall over a lot when you are learning, your head, back, knees and butt will hurt. Getting up with your legs strapped together is very difficult, core muscles work really hard flipping yourself over from front to back while on the ground. The lifts are a bloody nightmare and not at all designed for snowboarders unless you use only cabines or the walk on walk off chairs in Laax, the only resort I know of that is snowboarder friendly.

Once you get going it is fab, feels like flying and is the coolest thing in the world while skiing is, in my opinion, over rated.

Personally, I prefer a good hike!!

I'm an accomplished skier but found it very hard.

I learnt to ski first, switched to snowboarding later.

Would definitely say snowboarding is harder for the first week. There is no equivalent of the snowplough to ski, so you have to get to get straight to intermediate level to really feel in control and explore. That takes a bit of commitment to the task in both attitude and fitness.

You could do and enjoy either, but if you're describing yourself as a bit overweight and not so fit, I would probably nudge you in the direction of skis?

Also, avoid drag lifts. Fortunately, modern resorts tend to feature much fewer drag lifts nowadays. Because they are an arse for beginner boarders (and fairly hard work even for experienced boarders).

My understanding was that skiing was easier to learn but harder to master (But some posters here have said the opposite).

I ski quite well and have tried snowboarding only once. Found it tough and not at all instinctive - it's not obvious which way you have to lean, I couldn't get the hang of it.

Tbh unless you really prefer the idea of snowboarding I'd recommend you learn to ski instead as you'll make initial progress quicker and so feel more encouraged to continue.

I learnt to ski in my late 20s and picked it up dead easy, I never was sporty or overly co-ordinated, I rode and was good at that but never anything else. I was surprised at how easy it was.

Hubby boards at skis - he's good at both so you can be good at both. He did both from a young age though, not lots but learnt at a young age.

So I tried snowboarding after I learnt to ski, I had two 3 hour lessons and honestly I found it so hard. I am not overweight and not overly unfit but I just struggled with it and found it difficult to learn to turn. I didn't like the fact I had a board strapped to my feet and when I fell over it HURT! I like to be able to move both feet so skiing suits me better. I did want to board as snowboard boots are so much comfier than ski boots!

My daughter learnt to ski at the age of 3 and at the age of 5 just started boarding lessons, she is getting on fine and LOVES boarding but it is obvious watching her (and the other children) that it does take longer to get to a certain standard with boarding than it does skiing. Like someone said though I think once you are there then the rest is easy, it's just getting the hang of it takes longer.

I would give skiing a go first, he could board if he wants. I ski and hubby boards and we go out together on the slopes. Hubby finds the drag lifts tricky on a board too which are easier on skiis.

I am a good skiier and recently tried snowboarding for the first time.

Agree with posters who said snowboarding is harder to learn but easier to master. It took me ages to be able to do very simple things. But after that I felt like I would have progressed quite quickly.

Snowboarding is more painful I think. Skiing you tend to fall on your side, so there is more surface to absorb the impact. Snowboarding the falls tend to be quicker and you'll suddenly be sat on your bum. The combination of that, and using your arms to push yourself off the ground constantly meant I was in quite severe pain after a few hours, so I haven't tried again since!

That said, there are pros and cons to skiing too. Pick whichever appeals to you more, if you're motivated to learn you'll do it. You could always try a few hours of each.

It really helps on a snowboard if you can already skateboard and have never learned to ski.

I've done both - got to very good at skiing but decided to move over to boarding for off-piste.

Turns out that being good at one makes it really really hard to be even vaguely competent at the other! I can do both now, but transitioning was horrendous, all your reflexes are wrong.

Skis are less likely to get you hurt as a learner, I think. Boarding it's really really easy to cut in an edge and down you go. Unless you're quite duck-footed, toes pointing outwards, in which case skiing is a real strain on the knees. Board boots are much kinder than ski boots too. Getting up from a fall is much easier on skis (or off them :)), boards need more upper body strength to get up every time until you're good at it.

So, well, try whichever one you fancy. They're both frickin' hard work to start with, but so worth getting a bit good at. Takes a week or two to get a bit good unless you're naturally good at it.

Après ski is easy 🍷

Harder than skiing to begin with. You'll spend a lot of time on your arse as you find the edges.

Easier on the knees (and more fun imo) once you get competent

I'm 44, an ex-skier (knee problems), present day snowboarder.

I've never had any interest in skiing, but have been boarding a few times.

When it comes to getting up after falling over, especially on a hill, I found it much much easier to simply do a backwards roll rather than try to sit up or stand up from sitting.

It's also a fairly strong case of 'fake it til you make it' because after falling over for the 30th time it's very tempting to hunch, which makes it much more likely you'll fall again. Definitely an amazing experience though!

Skiing is much easier to learn the basics. Snowboarding is really hard to start off but once you get to an intermediate level you improve quickly
^^ I agree with this.

Also... get impact pants. They have saved me from many an embarrassing and eye watering injury.

I found snowboarding easier than skiing, but I have dreadful knees and the ski boots ripped my ankles to bits. So I stuck with boarding. You will get a good core from pulling yourself back up. I always come back from a snow holiday with a very flat tummy!

You are all amazing!! Thank you for this!

I have neither natural balance or agility unfortunately.

I think we will try skiing to start with.