It’s one of the questions we hear most often at the ski school: “Should I start with skiing or snowboarding?” The right answer varies from person to person, but knowing how the learning process differs between the two sports makes the decision easier.
Skiing: Easy to start, long to master
On skis, your two feet move independently and you face forward as you slide, which feels more familiar to a body used to walking. Most people learn to stop with a snowplow and make slow turns by the end of the first day. Moving on to parallel technique and steeper slopes, however, takes time and regular lessons.
Snowboarding: A tough first day, fast progress
On a snowboard, both feet are strapped to a single board and you stand sideways. You’ll fall more on the first day; finding your balance and learning to use the edge takes some patience. Once the basic turn clicks, though, many people progress quickly.
Making the decision
- If you’ve skateboarded, surfed or wakeboarded before, snowboarding may feel familiar.
- If you want to enjoy cruising down the slopes from day one, skiing usually gets you there faster.
- If you have sensitive knees or wrists, tell your instructor; the two sports put strain on different parts of the body.
- If you’ll be skiing with friends or family, starting with the sport most of the group has chosen boosts motivation.
Try both
There’s no single right answer. Many of our students start with a few ski lessons and then switch to snowboarding, or the other way around. What matters is taking the first step with an instructor: bad habits picked up while teaching yourself turn into mistakes that get harder to fix as you progress.
If you’d like to start snowboarding, check out our snowboard lessons; for skiing, take a look at all our lessons.