# Snowboarding becoming less popular? Ppl switching to skiing



## Snownad (Oct 17, 2011)

I don't do it because its the cool thing to do so I, like you, dont really give a shyte. But I dont think there is a trend to a ski switch over, or if people that haven't done a snow sport will choose skiing over boarding.

I think there is just less animosity between the two parties so whatever you feel like choosing is fair game.

p.s. I want to try skiing but one of the reasons I dont want to get into it is because I tore my meniscus and having a lot of lateral movement hat comes with skis worries me.


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## xDOTY (Nov 29, 2010)

Who cares? Go ride!


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## Lab (Nov 21, 2010)

One of my friends who started snowboarding and has been doing so for a few years switched to skiing. He said that he found skiing a bit more enjoyable and will stay with it, but they are very close in terms of enjoyment. I have noticed the attitude of snowboarders moving into younger skiers (bright, baggy clothing, jerkish/rebellious attitude, "i'm the best") and snowboarders actually becoming more mature, at least by my local hill. The only thing I haven't noticed is a change in numbers. I have yet to see any significant difference in the population of snowboarders recently.

Also, less snowboards were sold this year most likely because of the economy. It's a little bit better but people are still keeping a tighter grip on their wallets, and an expensive sport like ours isn't exactly gaining popularity like it used to.


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

I found this to be the opposite. With things like the X-Games and Shaun White. More people are buying into the hype and seeing snowboarding as the new coolest thing to do. It's really annoying actually. And as far as it going down from last year, not that worried because it grew so massively in the last ten years that is almost impossible to still expand at the rate it has been.


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## threej21 (Jan 2, 2011)

my local hill, granted its in North Carolina is 90% boarders and 10% skiers...but i do agree the groups are more similar now and skiing isnt seen as being quite as dorky with the freestylers making their mark on the mountain...but being in my late 20s myself, i still kind of consider skiing as being kind of lame...just doesnt seem as fun to me, and i also have a bad knee and the thought of having one leg go one way and the other going the opposite, scares the shit out of me


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## ClevelandSB (Dec 4, 2010)

xDOTY said:


> Who cares? Go ride!


don't be a phaggot if you don't wanna contribute then don't post


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## ThunderChunky (Oct 1, 2011)

Don't spell ****** wrong.....:laugh:


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## notter123 (Nov 11, 2010)

The hills in my area are probably close to even, if anything still more skiers then boarders. I know from experience that the younger generation switchign to skiing is partially due to the fact that for younger kids its easier, I have 2 cousins aged 9 and 10, they both started out on boards at age 7 and 8, they did it for one year and decided it was too hard.... they are both winning downhill ski races all over southwestern ontario now.... and they have both only been on ski's for 2 years.... and as stated earlier, decrease in sales is due to economy, and the fact that exponential growth in this situation can only grow so far.


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## fattrav (Feb 21, 2009)

They really need to upgrade the icons here....


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## fattrav (Feb 21, 2009)

ThunderChunky said:


> Don't spell ****** wrong.....:laugh:


Hmm, I tend to agree, but either he's trying to be polite, or am thinking that maybe hes combining two words together, like some kinda jive talker with 'phantom' and '******'...like, a person whose a ****** but does it in a manner that is unseen, random, or ghostly...

Ponder that....


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## Snownad (Oct 17, 2011)

*Even Torstein Horgmo switched.*


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## Sick-Pow (May 5, 2008)

some hills on the west coast are like a 80% snowboarders to 20% skier ratio. 

Times might be changing, but it just means better lines for me and more skiers stuck and slow on the really deep days. To ski the REALLY deep pow, you had better be an expert on skis.


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## fattrav (Feb 21, 2009)

Sick-Pow said:


> some hills on the west coast are like a 80% snowboarders to 20% skier ratio.
> 
> Times might be changing, but it just means better lines for me and more skiers stuck and slow on the really deep days. To ski the REALLY deep pow, you had better be an expert on skis.


Or have something very wide like some Kingswood skis. Was trying to find a clip that a friend of mine linked me one day, the guys skiing are almost fully submerged its that deep. This one will do though...

Cat Skiing chest deep powder with Monarch cat ski, ground wear, and fatypus skis - YouTube


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## ClevelandSB (Dec 4, 2010)

fattrav said:


> Hmm, I tend to agree, but either he's trying to be polite, or am thinking that maybe hes combining two words together, like some kinda jive talker with 'phantom' and '******'...like, a person whose a ****** but does it in a manner that is unseen, random, or ghostly...
> 
> Ponder that....


I think you're reading into it too far


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## Sick-Pow (May 5, 2008)

No ski or snowboard helps when it is above waist deep and not Sierra cement, you have to be an expert to not get stuck.


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## NWBoarder (Jan 10, 2010)

The tech for skis these days will keep you riding no matter how deep it is. You just get some super fat, ultra rockered skis and go to town. Like the Lib NAS (narrow ass snowboards). Gotta love it when a board maker realizes that skiing is officially snowboarding with two skinny boards instead of one big one.  But uh, yeah, bcak to the original question at hand, NO, I don't thinnk that skiing is taking back over anytime soon. Just look at the opening shots from Baker. Way more boards than skis.


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## RogiH (Aug 23, 2011)

IMHO you need to think outside the box.

where is the source of that numbers? you know we're facing difficult times in world so its natural to expect reduced numbers in sales and ppl ride or skiing... 

and kids tends to follow its parents until they grow up and try different things... but i can tell you that most of tourist from others countries tend to ski since its easier to get used to unless they are bellow 40yo


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## xDOTY (Nov 29, 2010)

ClevelandSB said:


> don't be a phaggot if you don't wanna contribute then don't post


Pleeze Spel korecktly whin poasting.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

With the fatty shaped twin rocker skis being as wide as a split it really doesn't matter. But at Baker there are more and more folks with big ass fatty skis...especially kids. Its us old geezers with bad knees clinging to boards.

Btw you don't need to be an expert in Big poo...you just need some big ass stick(s).


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

One thing I sometimes ask people with super fat skis. Why don't you just snowboard if you are going to get such fat skis? Really though who cares what you ride as long as you're having fun.


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## ClevelandSB (Dec 4, 2010)

snowvols said:


> One thing I sometimes ask people with super fat skis. Why don't you just snowboard if you are going to get such fat skis? Really though who cares what you ride as long as you're having fun.


..... I'd say the two activities are miles apart regardless of ski width lol


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

They have fatter skis to float on top of the powder. Someone that has a correctly sized snowboard for pow floats like a dream. How is that different?


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## ClevelandSB (Dec 4, 2010)

snowvols said:


> They have fatter skis to float on top of the powder. Someone that has a correctly sized snowboard for pow floats like a dream. How is that different?


because you said "why don't you just snowboard if you have such fat skis", thereby implying that skiing with fat skis is somehow similar to snowboarding, which it is not


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## snowvols (Apr 16, 2008)

No I am implying that they are trying to generate the same amount of float obtained from a snowboard.


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## fattrav (Feb 21, 2009)

Hmmmm....troll?


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## CustomX - J-rad (Mar 29, 2010)

Wait till this upcoming olympics, you'll be seeing this shit Slumdog Illionare Ft. Simon Dumont - YouTube And all the kids wanting to do this cuz they think hand-guesters to the camera is hood and they realize skiing can be gangster. But in reality, all we need is all the slopestyle riders to pull out and have Bradshaw, Gooner, Dylan Thompson, and the rest of the FODT gang to ride the slope comp pulling cab 3's and steezy rail tricks to make a come-back.


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## BurtonAvenger (Aug 14, 2007)

Snowboarding peaked in like 03. We've always been the underdog and we saved skiing so now they have this whole freestyle scene emerging like snowboarding had in the 90's. It's all good economy sucks the fact anyone is doing it is a good sign.


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## Grizz (Nov 10, 2008)

Sick-Pow said:


> Times might be changing, but it just means better lines for me and more skiers stuck and slow on the really deep days. To ski the REALLY deep pow, you had better be an expert on skis.


The talent level needed to ski deep pow is at an all time low thanks to current ski design. Lean back, wank on your tails, and let the rocker do all the work for you. It's just plain ugly. 

On the other hand if you already had the pow skillz you can charge that much harder.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

ClevelandSB said:


> ..... I'd say the two activities are miles apart regardless of ski width lol


I have fat skis and snowboards. The total surface areas might be close but the two activities feel totally different, so it's not just about surface area. A big ass toboggan would also float up top but who wants to do that all day (other than 5 year-old kids)?


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## snwbrddreams (Aug 2, 2010)

ClevelandSB said:


> It seems to me, especially considering that around 200,000 less snowboards were bought this year than last, that the snowboarding industry is in decline compared to the ski industry.


This statistic is meaningless unless you have ski purchase stats to compare. Snowboard purchases may be down 200,000 but have ski purchases increased on stayed consistent? Does this stat look at only new board or also used equipment? A more accurate statistic would be the ratio of snowboard to ski sales both new and used. Also, for a time Snowboarding was the fastest growing winter sport (not sure if it still is or not) so this decline could be due to a leveling out of the growth curve or an equilibrium being reached with skiing growth. I’m not saying snowboarding is or is not becoming less popular just that you have to examine the entire industry for trends.


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## schmitty34 (Dec 28, 2007)

Snowboarding is soooooo much cooler :cheeky4: That's why I do it....cause it gets me chicks.

Seriously though, I was shocked at how many more supper wide rocker skis I saw on Friday. They've been pretty prevalent for the last few years, but now almost every skier was rocking some huge planks. 

I guess when it's opening day on Friday with waist deep powder, the only skiers that show up are the ones that are craving the deep stuff.


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## firstx1017 (Jan 10, 2011)

Having never had the opportunity for snow sports in my past, at 47 I learned to ski. However, I could not progress in skiing and always had knee and thigh problems and hated walking around in those ski boots. At 50 I decided my goal was to learn to snowboard as my husband liked snowboarding better than skiing and I read that some older people felt snowboarding was easier physically than skiing in the long run. I actually like the snowboard better, at my age I don't want to bomb down the hill or go fast, just want a leisurely run down the mountain. I could barely go down a blue run on skis and I tackled a black run last year on the snowboard. I find I don't have any body part problems snowboarding like I did skiing.

At Snow Summit in Big Bear, our home mountain, I would say there are 80% snowboarders and 20% skiers unless the ski club is there practicing. But we did notice when we went to Copper Mountain last year that it was about 80% skiers and 20% snowboarders which was shocking to us. We could not believe how many "teenagers" were on skis because at our home mountain the "teenagers" were all on snowboards.

Then again, my husband and I probably throw off the age curve for you cause we're in our 50's and snowboarding! lol


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

I find the 'fat' ski perception funny. People seem to think all 'newschooler' skis are fat. Sure they're mostly twin-tips that can be skied backwards but def not all wide. Wide and rockered (or rocker/camber combo) skis are mostly pow skis and make so much more sense when its deep. Most park and groomer skis are still camber and reasonably narrow at the waist with quite a decent sidecut.

If you see someone trying to ride ice on a ski with rocker and 115mm waist then no doubt you'll get a laugh or two out of it...


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## pawel (Oct 2, 2007)

My friends say they ski cause snowboarding is took difficult for them and they got banged up when they tried snowboarding. wussess! lol


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## firstx1017 (Jan 10, 2011)

pawel said:


> My friends say they ski cause snowboarding is took difficult for them and they got banged up when they tried snowboarding. wussess! lol


Yes, I got banged up learning to snowboard, much more than when I learned to ski. I only fell 2-3 times learning to ski, it just came easily to me. Snowboarding I fell a lot more - but as I read, you can progess better on a snowboard than skis when you get the basics down, which I have noticed I have done. But I already knew from watching my husband learn that getting to the point of linking turns wouldn't be easy, but once I got there, I would enjoy it more than skiing, which I do! go figure! Guess I have a high threshold for pain! lol


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## pawel (Oct 2, 2007)

firstx1017 said:


> Yes, I got banged up learning to snowboard, much more than when I learned to ski. I only fell 2-3 times learning to ski, it just came easily to me. Snowboarding I fell a lot more - but as I read, you can progess better on a snowboard than skis when you get the basics down, which I have noticed I have done. But I already knew from watching my husband learn that getting to the point of linking turns wouldn't be easy, but once I got there, I would enjoy it more than skiing, which I do! go figure! Guess I have a high threshold for pain! lol


I got bangged up pretty bad myself but i stuck to it cause it was more fun than skiing.


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## davidj (May 30, 2011)

firstx1017 said:


> Having never had the opportunity for snow sports in my past, at 47 I learned to ski. However, I could not progress in skiing and always had knee and thigh problems and hated walking around in those ski boots. At 50 I decided my goal was to learn to snowboard as my husband liked snowboarding better than skiing and I read that some older people felt snowboarding was easier physically than skiing in the long run. I actually like the snowboard better, at my age I don't want to bomb down the hill or go fast, just want a leisurely run down the mountain. I could barely go down a blue run on skis and I tackled a black run last year on the snowboard. I find I don't have any body part problems snowboarding like I did skiing.


+1 I find boarding easier on the knees and back too! Once you get past the face and butt plants that is :laugh:.



firstx1017 said:


> Then again, my husband and I probably throw off the age curve for you cause we're in our 50's and snowboarding! lol


Umm, yeah, maybe... but I wouldn't be too sure. I keep seeing more and more of you on the slopes with each passing year. Of course, what do I know, I'm only 34... at least when I stopped counting a long time ago .


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

I was talking to a teenager on the chair last season and she told me that she took up skiing because everyone was doing snowboarding -- too mainstream.

I started skiing at 16 (long before there was snowboarding. Or internal combustion) but was never able to afford to go more than a couple of times per year. I honestly don't know if I'd have gotten more into it if I'd been able to ski as often as I can board, but anyway I just dropped it after a few years (broke a ski and just didn't bother to replace them).

Anyway, whether it's because I just have a better attitude, or because more time at it equals more fun at it, or because it's just more fun, I find boarding a lot more enjoyable.

One of the things that was probably attractive to people initially about snowboarding was the greater range of things you could do (parks, tricks, side-hits). Yeah, you can do that skiing as well, but mostly people didn't. Skiing was mainly a groomed-run sport until boarding opened up the possibilities. Now with twin-tip skis and better edge shapes etc etc, skiing can offer jus about all the possibilities that boarding can. And it's easier to get up and running.


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## nataku (Apr 21, 2011)

davidj said:


> +1 I find boarding easier on the knees and back too! Once you get past the face and butt plants that is :laugh:.


I transitioned from butt plants due to not being able to stay up, to face plants due to going to fast and catching edges last year while learning to snowboard. Hoping to avoid those this year


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

nataku said:


> I transitioned from butt plants due to not being able to stay up, to face plants due to going to fast and catching edges last year while learning to snowboard. Hoping to avoid those this year


It may help you to think of the mechanics that lead up to a face plant, i.e. catching your leading edge while drifting that way. The easiest way to catch an edge is to be riding heelside while drifting downhill (i.e. not carving) and drop your toe edge. Boom. Scorpion. One solution is to engage your heel edge more. You can also face-plant if you drop the toe edge too soon in a turn. Snowolf has described torsional control in a number of threads, which is where you torque your board by pushing down (or pulling up) the toes of your lead leg more than the back leg or before the back leg. This can get a turn started better at low speed and might help you to avoid those abrupt braking-with-your-chin events.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

BTW, as has been mentioned a number of times, it's much easier to get started skiing than snowboarding. But this has a downside. It's quite reasonable to be a completely self-taught skier. It's quite reasonable as a skier to think that lessons would be a waste of money. Unfortunately it's quite easy to have some very bad habits that you never get out of, like always having your weight on your heels. For some reason people are a little more willing to accept the idea that snowboard lessons might be worthwhile (they are!).


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## sangsters (Jan 13, 2010)

Donutz said:


> Boom. Scorpion.


Never heard that before. Love it.:thumbsup:


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

Donutz said:


> I started skiing at 16 (long before there was snowboarding. Or internal combustion) but was never able to afford to go more than a couple of times per year. I honestly don't know if I'd have gotten more into it if I'd been able to ski as often as I can board, but anyway I just dropped it after a few years (broke a ski and just didn't bother to replace them).


I started skiing in the mid '70s at age 9 and also was only able to go once or twice per year. I think a person learning to ski nowadays will have way more fun than back then if nothing else because of the current ski technology. Back then skis were all super-skinny and you had to spend _a lot_ of time building your technique if you wanted to ski in powder. With 110mm+ fatties on the market now, you can enjoy the euphoria of powder even as a relative noob.


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## Peaceryder (Nov 21, 2011)

Lol, well I have a good impression on why snowboard sales went down by that much. Might it be because a large percentage of snowboarders are between 14 and 30 years of age? Most are relying on mom and dad to buy them a new board for Christmas, but what will happen when those parents are suffering from the recession which is still plagueing much of N.America. Means less sales.
Then you have to consider how many adult snowboarders between the age of 18 and 30 actually have that kind of money to buy a new board? I just bought a new 2011 Machete, but prior to this season had used my Rozzy for ten years. Even if I was shredding at the hill every single day year after year, I'd have a hard time coming up with that much extra cash every year or even every few years. Generally speaking those involved in snowboarding are involved in other sports that cost the same or more money. Spend a few hundred bucks on hockey gear one year, fix your dirtbike the next, what about that new fork for your downhill mtn bike. And the recession, even though it may be on the rebound is greatly affecting many snowboarders ability to buy a new sled. 

Lastly, technology is going through the roof in snowboarding and you simply can't justify purchasing a new board when you're happy with your current one. As I've experienced many snowboarders don't have wallet fulls of dough and are frugal with their purchases. I've had my Dakine Heli-pro for 13 years and just now have to replace it because it's unrepairable. 

Then if you're wondering about the popularity of snowboarding take a gander into the new types of demographics that are getting into the sport. My uncle, along with a few other 'older' dudes are some of those who have switched from skiing after doing it for 35 years and are loving it. 

My last assumption is kinda a stereotype of the type of people who choose to ski or snowboard. Since I'm on a snowboarding forum, I can safely voice my opinion which is in the favour of most snowboarders being of the more 'crazy' variety of personality. Skiers like it safe more so than many boarders I've spoken to or engaged in crazae stuff with. Maybe coincidence! And this could have something to do with most snowboarders being within the 'risk taking' age groups. 
My point? We live in a world where the majority of folks, even those that like adventure sports are going to prefer to take the safe route, so there will always be more skiers. 

I think back to when I was 15 and went to my local hill for the first time on a school trip. I was a skier and didn't know boarding existed. My second time out instead of renting skis I decided to try out a board and freakin loved it. Skiing always felt so freakin mundane.... EASY! I remember watching as this shredder ripped down a line carving dynamically edge to edge. It looked powerful, more engaging and more of a workout. That's why I got into snowboarding. 

Haha, my apologies if I bored anyone with my psycho analysis babble, but these are my thoughts. I think snowboarding is WAYYYYYYYYYYY more popular. There's more snowboarding on t.v. now than there was even a few years ago. Broadcast companies aren't going to waste all that money to give it attention if it wasn't what the audience at home wanted. Big bucks to rent t.v. time. There's also loads more sponsored riders now than there was ten years ago, or so it seems.


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## Snowfox (Dec 26, 2009)

I don't think that I agree with the idea that skiers wi11 norma11y choose the "safe" route. Certain1y parents and chi1dren probab1y wi11, but then I see snowboarders who do the same thing. 

P1us, keep in mind that a 1ot of things "crazy" that snowboards did skiers did/do too. Besides that, you got the speed demons, the downhi11 skiers. Supposed1y it's equiva1ent to having a piano on your back in regards to pressure. Not seeing that as a "safe" route. 

Now, regarding snowboarders as genera11y pushing the edge in regards to what can be done, I think that's 1egitimate. Given that our cu1ture never rea11y had much in the way of set "ru1es", it a11owed and encouraged a 1ot of experimentation as we11 as just random stuff in genera1.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

Snowfox said:


> I don't think that I agree with the idea that skiers wi11 norma11y choose the "safe" route. Certain1y parents and chi1dren probab1y wi11, but then I see snowboarders who do the same thing.
> 
> P1us, keep in mind that a 1ot of things "crazy" that snowboards did skiers did/do too. Besides that, you got the speed demons, the downhi11 skiers. Supposed1y it's equiva1ent to having a piano on your back in regards to pressure. Not seeing that as a "safe" route.
> 
> Now, regarding snowboarders as genera11y pushing the edge in regards to what can be done, I think that's 1egitimate. Given that our cu1ture never rea11y had much in the way of set "ru1es", it a11owed and encouraged a 1ot of experimentation as we11 as just random stuff in genera1.


OT, but why do your l's appear as 1's?

It's buggin out my eyes


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## t21 (Dec 29, 2010)

at my hills its pretty equal but i do see more of the fatter ski(i have one too,Icelantic shaman)coming out there and it just makes me smile.I switch to snowboarding because of the aches i get after skiing all day.i agree that i also see older skiers trying out snowboarding.one person in particular that i spoke to last season while he awaits the lesson to start said he wanted to see if its better for him.i said yes it does but i warned him that getting slammed on snowboard is much more painful during the learning phase but stick with it and you'll survive.not sure what happen with him but i hope he stuck with it:dunno:


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## turbospartan (Oct 27, 2010)

sangsters said:


> Never heard that before. Love it.:thumbsup:



Someone watches Ridiculousness.


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

Snowfox said:


> I don't think that I agree with the idea that skiers wi11 norma11y choose the "safe" route. Certain1y parents and chi1dren probab1y wi11, but then I see snowboarders who do the same thing.


First, if you keep doing the thing with the '1's, I'm going to edit cute pink bunnie rabbits into all your posts! 

Second, I agree with you that skiers aren't necessarily more risk-adverse. It may be simply that most skiers learned to ski before so many options were available on the slopes. I know for sure that when I was learning to ski on Grouse, there were no jumps or terrain parks.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

My gf skis, mainly because she learned to ski when she was a kid... before snowboarding was so popular and accepted... and possibly because her father taught her and he doesn't understand boarding


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## BoardWalk (Mar 22, 2011)

Both my kids were on skis when they were two, one still skis and one snowboards. I believe it's just a personal preference. I see where there are benefits to both, skis are good for traversing and super icy days, snowboarding is just flat out bitchin fun, unless it's super icy or you're traversing long cat trails.


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## dreampow (Sep 26, 2011)

In Japan there have always been more skiers than boarders. Tends to be more split into ski mountains and board mountains.
In some resorts no boards are allowed!

Also both populations are shrinking at the moment due to the financial situation.

I couldn't care less which you prefer I know what I like. I was once in the side country of my favorite resort and came across 3 skiers who were a little lost. They asked me the the way and I guided them for about 5 kilometers through some valleys and woods back to the lift. It was sweet powder and I have to say I loved riding with those dudes. They were pretty awesome and able to keep up with me in tight tree sections. We spend most of that day riding together.

To me its fun to board with skiers (specially when they pull you along in a flat section).


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## moondoggy (Nov 28, 2011)

dreampow said:


> To me its fun to board with skiers (specially when they pull you along in a flat section).


+1. i snowboarded with a skier last year and it's definitely a plus to get them to pull you on flat areas. i even trained him to automatically pull me in those area :laugh:


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Skiing's still gay... Maybe moreso now that they're trying to look like us. My 3 older brothers still ski (I switched when I was 11 and my balls dropped), and they're probably closet homosexuals. My dad still skis. He's gay. Says he's too old to switch at 68 but I've seen guys that looked like they were 100 skiing.

I think it's even gayer now that they have massivley wide skis, rocker skis, etc. It's like they really want to ride a snowboard but they're afraid. I was bored skiing when I was 11, I'd probably want to gouge my eyes out now.

If I have a kid one of these days he'll snowboard or be banished to go live somewhere with a liberal government.  Maybe Ontario...


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## jyuen (Dec 16, 2007)

hating on skiers is so 90's


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## Donutz (May 12, 2010)

When I was a young'n, there wasn't any of this newfangled snowboarding, no sir! We rode on two barrel staves and we damned well liked it. And none of these sissy bindings either! We _nailed_ our feet to the barrel staves. And another thing --- these damned lifts! Making people weak! In my day we pulled _each other_ up the hill. Both ways!


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## Frankyis4 (Jan 18, 2012)

I just think it's who you are around when you learn and when you actually learn. My girlfriend just got into snowboarding this season mostly because I snowboard. Her son it learning how to ski because it's easier to learn how to ski at a young age. (He's 2) My cousin learned how to ski at a young age so he kept on doing it while I decided to pick up a board because I didn't go on the slopes until I was in middle school.


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## IdahoFreshies (Jul 9, 2011)

poutanen said:


> Skiing's still gay... Maybe moreso now that they're trying to look like us. My 3 older brothers still ski (I switched when I was 11 and my balls dropped), and they're probably closet homosexuals. My dad still skis. He's gay. Says he's too old to switch at 68 but I've seen guys that looked like they were 100 skiing.
> 
> I think it's even gayer now that they have massivley wide skis, rocker skis, etc. It's like they really want to ride a snowboard but they're afraid. I was bored skiing when I was 11, I'd probably want to gouge my eyes out now.
> 
> If I have a kid one of these days he'll snowboard or be banished to go live somewhere with a liberal government.  Maybe Ontario...


:laugh::laugh:

personally, i love riding with skiiers of an equal level. It cool to ride the same terrain, but to have two people ride it a totally different way and still both be just as stoked. Just as long as both parties appreciate the other sport for what it is. On that note i like watching ski super pipe more than snowboard super pipe, however i like watching snowboard slopestyle more than ski free style.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

jyuen said:


> hating on skiers is so 90's


Hating on the 90's is gay too!


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## davidj (May 30, 2011)

Hating on gayness... gay too perhaps :dunno:?


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## JoeyScholl (Jan 17, 2012)

Perhaps its going in that direction... But I hope to see more new snowboarders this year as new great boards are coming out...


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## Shazkar (Dec 14, 2011)

davidj said:


> Hating on gayness... gay too perhaps :dunno:?


:thumbsup:


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## FtCS4 (Dec 30, 2010)

So nobody here likes to do both?

As others have said, the two are similar in that youre riding a piece of poly down a hill...completely different after that. I prefer boarding but I think its only because I'm better at it. Any time I'm riding with a skiier who has the same boot size and is comfortable on a board I like to trade for half the day or so. Its fun to change things up! I may very well buy a pair of skis in a few years when I have a lot more disposable income.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

FtCS4 said:


> So nobody here likes to do both?


I do both. Which one I choose depends on my mood and the snow conditions. Skis are more fun sometimes and snowboards are more fun sometimes.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

poutanen said:


> Skiing's still gay... Maybe moreso now that they're trying to look like us. My 3 older brothers still ski (I switched when I was 11 and my balls dropped), and they're probably closet homosexuals. My dad still skis. He's gay. Says he's too old to switch at 68 but I've seen guys that looked like they were 100 skiing.
> 
> I think it's even gayer now that they have massivley wide skis, rocker skis, etc. It's like they really want to ride a snowboard but they're afraid. I was bored skiing when I was 11, I'd probably want to gouge my eyes out now.
> 
> If I have a kid one of these days he'll snowboard or be banished to go live somewhere with a liberal government.  Maybe Ontario...


Nice troll. But still, minus 10 points for you


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## onefutui2e (Jan 25, 2011)

for what it's worth, my cousin tells me she's seen plenty of friends go from skiing to snowboarding in the ten years she's been boarding, but has yet to see anyone do the reverse. i was tempted to switch to skis because i got tired of being caught on flats, having to strap, unstrap, sit down, get up, etc. and struggling through moguls while skiiers zoomed past me. but i spent a week on a mountain and had some free lessons thrown at me, picked up and sharpened up my technique and learned a ton of new tricks. and then after one day where i told myself i was gonna take on the moguls, i observed some skiers and a revelation hit me on how to ride them effectively. after that, i felt like i've invested too much time and effort to just dump my snowboard and start from square one again.

anyway, whoever pointed out that the drop in sales of snowboards is meaningless without context is correct. what's the absolute number? is it only for the US? if 100 million boards were sold worldwide, a drop of 200,000 can be seen as a normal fluctuation reflective of the economic climate. have ski sales also been dropping in lockstep?

if snowboarding's been growing through the past decade, we can assume that every year more new people were getting into it and buying new product. as the growth plateaus, we can reasonably expect sales to drop as the participation in the sport becomes saturated. less new entrants are taking up the sport so a greater portion of sales will be made to existing snowboarders looking to upgrade or replace their boards.

a good though not perfect comparison would be paintball. in the early part of the 2000s it was one of the fastest growing sports in the country; there were dozens of companies out there and new boutique ones popping up seemingly every few weeks. gun models were coming out every couple of months and it all seemed ridiculous. then the market fell (too much was being banked on tournament-style play when the majority of players referred being in the woods, among other reasons) and onpe of the biggest companies actually had to declare bankruptcy.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

grafta said:


> Nice troll. But still, minus 10 points for you


Ding ding ding ding finally somebody realized I wasn't being serious! But seriously, somebody has to keep the friendly rivalry going... Could you imagine a world where everybody was nice to everybody else all the time? I still chat with skiers on the way up as if they were equals, but at the same time I burn with pure hate when they hit the back of my board in the lift line like I don't value my equipment because I'm a snowboarder. I also don't get snowboarders that drag their boards either, but that's another story...


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## ScottVD (Jan 19, 2011)

Curious what the sale of new skis from last year to this? That figure compared to snowboard sales might provide some additional insight.


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## otisdelarosa (Dec 29, 2011)

:dunno: just love the game! who cares what the numbers say..


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## Snowfox (Dec 26, 2009)

Donutz said:


> First, if you keep doing the thing with the '1's, I'm going to edit cute pink bunnie rabbits into all your posts!
> 
> Second, I agree with you that skiers aren't necessarily more risk-adverse. It may be simply that most skiers learned to ski before so many options were available on the slopes. I know for sure that when I was learning to ski on Grouse, there were no jumps or terrain parks.





poutanen said:


> Ding ding ding ding finally somebody realized I wasn't being serious! But seriously, somebody has to keep the friendly rivalry going... Could you imagine a world where everybody was nice to everybody else all the time? I still chat with skiers on the way up as if they were equals, but at the same time I burn with pure hate when they hit the back of my board in the lift line like I don't value my equipment because I'm a snowboarder. I also don't get snowboarders that drag their boards either, but that's another story...


@Donutz 
Way 1ate on this post, but my computer at the time wou1dn't 1et me use my "L" key, so I substituted the 1. P1ease don't put too many bunny rabbits into my posts 

@poutanen
FOR SHAME! FOR SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!

Although you do have to see that skiing is copying all of snowboarding's more "extreme" aspects: Boardercross (Skicross), Half-pipe (... Ski Half-pipe?), and slopestyle*. So maybe snowboarding is just losing the extreme label it used to carry and it'll even out now? :dunno:

*really hoping that snowboarding was first with all of those, haha


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## TorpedoVegas (Dec 25, 2011)

I remember the days when I could only count 3 or 4 other snowboarders on the hill, and I had to check to see if the hills would even let me ride before buying a lift ticket...ahhh the good old days. If the snowboard herd thinned out a bit I'd be fine with it, it might mean a few less groups of people sitting on their ass in the middle of the run.


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## grafta (Dec 21, 2009)

Snowfox said:


> @Donutz Way 1ate on this post, but my computer at the time wou1dn't 1et me use my "L" key, so I substituted the 1. P1ease don't put too many bunny rabbits into my posts


:laugh: Oh man that's so funny. I think I gave you shit about that too! I'll commend you on your innovation


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Back on topic, I think there are too many variables to base it on sales alone... How many people have a quiver of boards vs. people that have multiple pairs of skis? How long is the average board lifespan vs. skis? How many people rent either? The only way to conclusively tell is to stand at the resort entrance and count... Lift lines aren't a good gauge either because skiers may lap faster causing them to be in the lift lines more. I do know this about skiing; I'll never go back!


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## BoardWalk (Mar 22, 2011)

poutanen said:


> Hating on the 90's is gay too!


I remember back in the 80s when we used to hate on the 90s with their new fangled music and clothes.


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## rideforcancer (Jan 25, 2012)

So many haters!


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## BoardWalk (Mar 22, 2011)

rideforcancer said:


> So many haters!


Yes, but we were very progressive haters.


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## rideforcancer (Jan 25, 2012)

we are i admit i hate on skiers a lot but thats cause i think snowboarding is much better and a lot more stylish...i mean it must be if skiers are copying us!!!!


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## huckfin (Dec 9, 2010)

crap, now i have to sell all my snowboard gear and buy ski gear


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## digZ (Jan 23, 2012)

Nowadays I see a lot more skiiers switching to park or freestyle skiing, but I don't see a lot of snowboarders switching to skiing. I think it's more just a trend of both skiiers and snowboarders to gravitate towards park riding, so now you see more skiiers in the park than you did maybe 4 or 5 years ago.

A couple of years ago I saw a lot of skiiers who were brought up skiing by their parents switch to snowboarding because of park riding and freestyle. I think that happens less now, because people simply take up freestyle skiing as opposed to switching to snowboarding now that freestyle skiing is more popular.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

How can you tell it of the last guy you saw skiing didn't just switch over from snowboarding or vice versa?


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## roboelmo (Nov 30, 2010)

I know three people this year who have just switched from snowaboarding to skiing. They are all in between the ages from (20-25). 

Such a shame, cause I secretely hate skiers. So now when ever I go to the mountains with them, I am always angry with them.


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## onefutui2e (Jan 25, 2011)

i think ultimately, yeah, who cares as long as you enjoy it and get to ride. however, if the industry is indeed shrinking there are good and bad outcomes.

if the industry shrinks, there will be less funding for events and riders. pros will get squeezed out. also, if it's not as profitable, we might see less R&D and innovation because why bother if the money's not there? less entrepreneurs will break into the scene with new products, and existing boutiques may go out of business. so we'll see vicious cycles where companies cut back on innovation, causing riders to not buy new products which will shrink profits even more, etc.

on the plus side, consolidation of the industry in this scenario can be a good thing by removing the crowding (i.e. do we honestly need all these niche brands?) and focusing the industry in a particular direction. for example, the dot-com bust was a result of people who had no business in technology all trying to get in on the money. once it burst, the survivors were the ones that actually knew what the hell they were doing. companies will merge or acquire promising boutiques, cut inefficiencies, scrutinize the decision-making process more, etc. 

if the industry is declining, we will definitely have a period of pain, but unless snowboarding is a 30-year old fad that completely disappears, it'll survive and emerge from the wreckage leaner than before. unfortunately, this means burton will definitely stick around since they're the 800lb gorilla now. but it took a recession for nike to knock reebok out of its dominant market position, so who knows?


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## Grizz (Nov 10, 2008)

Snowboarding will never die, but it will keep decreasing in sales numbers. Does that matter? Not to me. I'll keep riding as long as my body allows me to.

Learning all three downhill sports will allow you to refine and transfer skills in ways you would never be able to if you focus on only one discipline. Learning to tele or alpine will make you a stronger snowboarder. I live in a town where people who only ski or only board are the minority.


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

roboelmo said:


> I know three people this year who have just switched from snowaboarding to skiing. They are all in between the ages from (20-25).


Yeah I just don't get that... I skied for about 5 years before I switched, and then I tried it again when I was about 18 just for the fun of it, and was bored on the first run. On the other hand there's a lot of things people do that I don't get.

I agree with whoever said it's fine if they decline cause there will be less of them stretched across the hill. It drives me nuts when anyone is across the hill, but it seems to be something boarders do worse. I usually fly by them and launch off a lip to show them it's more fun to be moving than sitting.


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## metric (Jan 16, 2011)

roboelmo said:


> I know three people this year who have just switched from snowaboarding to skiing. They are all in between the ages from (20-25).
> 
> Such a shame, cause I secretely hate skiers. So now when ever I go to the mountains with them, I am always angry with them.


Lol so true. I usually go ride by myself rather than go with my skier friends. Unfortunately I only know a couple boarders around here that I met on the lifts this season


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

There is an explosion of folks doing bc...both skiers and boarders. The cool kids do both. I even tried skiing this year...all of 25 ft before injuring myself...and may try it again :dunno:.


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## davidj (May 30, 2011)

Snowolf said:


> ...you will see that sales numbers are dropping across the board as a result of the overall economy. If anything, I think you might see an increase in snowboard sales over skis in the next few years because it is *so much cheaper* to get into snowboarding than skiing.


Please elaborate...


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## Jenzo (Oct 14, 2008)

I see some very fancily dressed young guys on twin tips but it is not a huge thing on my hill. I sometimes follow them and keep up easily, just out of curiosity on how they ride.

Overall my hill has way more skiers than boarders but the skiers are all age ranges, tons old fogies on skis.

I never see "newschool" skiers skiing with proper technique, why? Because proper skiing looks completely ridiculous.

I never see any young newschool skiers on steep double blacks for instance.

Skiing has managed to have a cool aspect,if you buy the right twin tips and clothing, so the kids that would all have been boarding a few years ago may now be skiing.

Skiing has a far lower learning curve to get into. The young newschoolers I do see though are not that great at it, it's just easy out of the box.

Overall though it seems to me mostly old people that ski, reason being skiing the "cool" way is very expensive. Just a pair of decent boots is more than a top of the line board.

Personally I don't like the feel of skiing and I do not like the boots. My spouse originally preferred skiing as it is low maintenance and easier. He switched to boarding permanently though because he can't find ski boots to fit severe over pronated feet.


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

I see young skiers on fat twins doing very steep blacks all the time, just like the 4-5 kids that were on tha run that avalanched and killed he one. They will make a run down a black, hit the park then do flips getting onto the next black at the end of the smaller park run and absolutely destroy it.... I'm talking 8-25 year olds on skis and boards, my son is one of them on the board.

There's a bunch of old snowboarders too but the "elite" ski probably because of the price tag, a mediocre set of skies is like $800, mediocre boots are $500, poles another $200.....


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

davidj said:


> Please elaborate...


Snowboarding
Board $500
Bindings $250
Boots $300

Skiing
Skis $800
Bindings $300
Boots $800
Poles $40


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## Argo (Feb 25, 2010)

Toecutter said:


> Snowboarding
> Board $500
> Bindings $250
> Boots $300
> ...



And that's high end snowboard stuff and mid-low end ski stuff.....


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## davidj (May 30, 2011)

Toecutter said:


> Snowboarding
> Board $500
> Bindings $250
> Boots $300
> ...





Argo said:


> And that's high end snowboard stuff and mid-low end ski stuff.....


Dang! Good thing I got completely out of skiing when I did . Didn't know that journeyman ski equipment had become that expensive .


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## poutanen (Dec 22, 2011)

Toecutter said:


> Snowboarding
> Board $500
> Bindings $250
> Boots $300
> ...


Had I paid full price for my setup it would have been:

Board $950
Bindings $550
Boots $400

Of course I got everything in march at 50% so... Add in tax in Ontario and it would have been $2150 before the sale.

I only realized how expensive the sport was (on top of tickets, accomodations) when I got my girlfriend into snowboarding. We got her setup at the same time as I replaced mine, so hers was all intermediate stuff at 50% off. Was about $500 for B/B/B, but by the time you add on a jacket, pants, gloves, helmet, goggles, face mask, wrist guards, etc. etc. etc.

Totally worth it though, this sport is one of the few things I do that makes me completely forget about the Mon-Fri duties.


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## Nolefan2011 (Mar 12, 2011)

I skied from 5-27 before switching to snowboarding. To be honest, I would probably still be skiing if it wasn't for a severe ankle break (not skiing related) that a year later, caused my ankle to swell after 1 day skiing.

That said, after switching, I learned to love snowboarding. Really fun, truly addicted. I think the thing for me is that looking back, you put your ACLs at such risk in skiing. I'm 31 now, and can't even imagine getting heavily into the freesytle skiing just due to that risk. Those are 9 month problems, and sometimes never come back.

Snowboarding for me makes a powder day so much more enjoyable. The only thing I really miss are mogels. I used to be able to fly down mogels, and can't do that on a snowboard for obvious reasons.


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## Toecutter (Oct 11, 2009)

poutanen said:


> Had I paid full price for my setup it would have been:
> 
> Board $950
> Bindings $550
> ...


I just picked some middling price points for each product, like what one might find at REI. Trust me, you can go _wayyy_ more expensive than what I listed with ski equipment.


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## wrathfuldeity (Oct 5, 2007)

New schoolers here hit the gnarly, we don't have a park so they are hitting everything else and they can rip just as well if not better than most riders. They also have more options for grabs and stuff with 2 sticks.

As for price of skiing equip...I was riding with a bud today...he has 31 sets of skis with bindings...brought 8 sets to the hill today. And he finds them often slightly used or new for as little as 25-50 still in plastic...has twins, racing, g's, fatties, ice. He is a traditional skier and can rip and is frickin fast and never stops for lunch\.


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## metric (Jan 16, 2011)

At my local hills there are a lot of good young ski racers that are actually fun to watch. The old fogies on skis and younger people with horrible technique just make skiing look so boring. The only area of skiing that doesn't put me to sleep is slalom.

FWIW, I skied on and off from age 15-25 but it was never really that fun to me. Picked up boarding last season at age 26 and was instantly hooked. Having my first season on some of the best mountains in the world probably helped though. It was a bit of a shock going from 7,000 feet of vertical to like 300 when I came back to Minneapolis though :thumbsdown:


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## annabananasplit (Apr 6, 2011)

Of all my fellow mountain employees I know that didn't ski or board at the beginning of the year I can count six that decided to pick up skiing and one that is trying boarding. Why? Because day one on a snowboard sucks. Day one on skis and you may only fall once or twice if at all. That's the reasoning for all of them at least. :dunno: The higher cost of skiing is causing some of them to grumble, but others are just using rental equipment and are fine with that. And they're all in their late teens or twenties for what its worth.

Personally, I started with snowboarding and when I tried skis this year I found that I was awful at getting down anything other than the bunny hill. I had a way harder time than people who had never done either before. 

Regarding the decline in snowboard sales, I agree that it doesn't mean much without seeing the numbers for ski sales as well. That, and snowboard companies have been making some pretty solid boards in the past few years; a bunch of people I know are still riding boards from last year or even two or three years ago because the technology is still good and the boards are still holding up well. We would rather save our disposable income for other things. Maybe the ski crowd has a higher income than snowboarders on average? It seems that may be true and that could have some impact on sales...who knows.


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## Grizz (Nov 10, 2008)

Snowolf said:


> I also am not sure that I agree that one really needs to learn other disciplines to fully advance in another. Yeah, some things are similar and cross over, but I think a snowboarder only person can certainly excel at snowboarding without necessarily having to ski in order to fully advance their snowboarding and vice versa. It is the Indian not the arrow.


Not saying you do. Only that you will have a deeper understanding if you have experienced the movement patterns associated with other sports and ways they can be incorporated into snowboarding. I fully agree that you can excel at snowboarding or skiing without participating in the other sport, but if you had that extra experience you would be a better rider. 

At a basic level you do this all the time when teaching a balanced stance to a beginner. How many times have you related stance back to a movement pattern they have experienced before?

Elaborating on the Indian analogy... an archer skilled at using a crossbow, long bow, short bow, compound bow and recurve will improve their accuracy in a variety of conditions. They can take their knowledge of each weapon, it's comparative strengths and weaknesses, to create the best shot with any one tool.

Taking this idea in a more specific direction... if in your riding career you had always and only been on a skate banana, do you think your riding would be as strong as it is today? I would say no. While you might be a pretty good rider on the SB, your experiences on multiple camber profiles has allowed you to dial in your riding to a higher level and ability to adapt. In a broader sense this is the same effect riding on different types of equipment has on you.


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## Triple8Sol (Nov 24, 2008)

I spend most of my time searching for pow stashes, and I always encounter more skiiers than snowboarders. They seem to do just fine in the deep stuff.


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