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As someone who learnt to both ski and snowboard on the Proslope surface at Snowtrax, I feel I am in a good position to talk through my experiences learning, how I implement my knowledge, and what I utilise skis and snowboards for.
Purely from an outside perspective
If you look at both skiing and snowboarding without considering any technical aspects you would most likely declare that skiing is something similar to rollerskating and snowboarding is something similar to surfing or skateboarding, and to an extent, you would be right in your assumptions. There are some similarities across all the aforementioned sports but snowsports in particular require some different techniques to get the most out of them.
Taking your first step
At Snowtrax we offer a fantastic opportunity to give either sport a try for the excellent price of £10. Our Taster sessions are a simple group session that lasts for 45 minutes and takes you over some basic concepts, as well as mixing in a little fun to wet your appetite for either sport. I have done both sessions and found them to be engaging as well as covering some key aspects, without being overwhelming or being too intimidating.
Making progress
Taking your next steps in either sport is easier than you think! We have a range of talented and friendly instructors that would love to help you get the most out of your new sport and make sure you have a great time doing it! It’s easy to book a lesson on our website and pick a time that suits you! As you might expect there is more availability in the winter but we still offer lessons and some courses over the summer too.
I learnt to snowboard with lessons from instructors at Snowtrax and they were very supportive and helped my progression very efficiently. My learning experience was not all plain sailing however, I had plenty of falls and had some good bruises on my knees and elbows, so I would thoroughly recommend some protective pads, which helped to improve my confidence on the board.
My experience learning to ski, by comparison, was a lot more simple. I spent some time with instructors who taught me the correct technique and then had several sessions of practicing these techniques and improving my skills. My ability to learn how to ski is slightly biased as by this point I had a much more thorough understanding of how ski and snowboard equipment works.
Further along the piste
When I set out to learn snowboarding it was always my intention to venture into the world of freestyle and big mountain snowboarding, I spent lots of time participating in Freestyle sessions held at Snowtrax on Friday evenings, and ultimately, I found myself spending over 6 months in Whistler working a ski season, putting all of my learning to good use and having a great excuse to see some of the most epic sights the world has to offer.
For my skiing it is my intention to enjoy some similar big mountain skiing and lean more into the freeride aspects on offer, and I look forward to my next adventures abroad to fully use all of my learning and experience.
There are of course more options to both skiing and snowboarding than just freeride and freestyle, I personally really enjoy watching skiers perform elegant and controlled high speed carving on piste as well as some laid back and relaxing adventures with friends. There are plenty of opportunities for both sports and they both unlock a huge potential to see and experience some of the most stunning parts of the world and a hugely inclusive community of fellow like-minded people.
So which should I choose?
There is already a large pre-existing bias towards skiing, after all it is considered by many to be the easier to learn sport, and as a result it has a lot more support in shops and resorts. On the other hand, snowboarding is considered harder to learn and therefore less accessible, and this does have an effect on stores and resorts. Ultimately the choice falls on what you prefer the look of the most, they both have distinctive styles and you will likely find your preference in one of those. Some things to note are related to the kit itself here. It is worth discussing ski and snowboard boots now as they differ in a few ways. With all boots it is important to get the correct fit for you but it has been largely accepted that snowboard boots are easier to walk in and for general off piste activity. On the flipside of that when we look at skis and boards here and we can see again another difference and this time a lean towards the favour of skis, for example when you are about to disembark from the chairlift, for skiers this is very routine and downright easy for most, but for snowboarders there have been many jokes made about the impending arrival of the top of the lift, which will require you to have some competence riding with only one foot strapped in. I had many a fall here but soon found a rhythm and a preference to sit on one side so I could easily get myself out of the way. Another shortcoming for the snowboard here is the ritual of strapping in after every chairlift ride, however this can be easily worked around by getting yourself a pair of StepOn bindings.