The sports of skiing and snowboarding are well known throughout New England. Both have taken a spike in popularity in many different states. I have personally been skiing and snowboarding since I was two years old; I began with skiing and then soon switched over to snowboarding. Personally up until this year, I’ve enjoyed snowboarding over the years. I have been skiing for most the season and took it upon as a new challenge for my 2014 winter season.

Skiing is technically the easier option to pick up. People prefer have two feet free and facing one way which is down the hill most of the time. Out of the people I asked, most preferred skiing because it is the only discipline that they had tried or ventured to. Most people do not head to a mountain every weekend. Also, snowboarding isn’t always attempted because of its reputation as being more difficult than skiing. Skiing is also usually the first discipline to learn. As a child, most children ski because it is easier to stop, slow down and turn considering their center of gravity is their heads. Snowboarding needs more weight in order to pivot and turn your body around. When asked, most people like Vinny Martineau said that, “I prefer skiing. I like having both feet free and edging up and across the hill. I also think that skiing is a lot easier than snowboarding personally. Snowboarding is kind of weird. I mean strapped in to one object and not being able to eject if you fall seems pretty weird and injury related.” even adults like Mrs. Killian had the same ideas as the students. She said that, “I also prefer skiing. It’s nice to not have to strap in or change anything once you get off the chairlift you can just go. It is also nice to be facing down the hill at all times. With snowboarding you have to turn up the hill and down the hill. They both have hard aspects of them but I just prefer skiing. To me it is all I’ve ever done. It’s easier and I just ski to have a good time and be with my family.” Overall most students I talked to had the same exact feelings about skiing. Now that I have tried skiing it is a great sport that uses different muscles and techniques to carve down a hill than snowboarding does

Snowboarding has the reputation of being hard to pick up and hard to get good at. I mean yeah sure anyone can heel slide or face dive and fall everywhere down the hill. It takes some serious skill and determination to get the edging and turn shapes correct. Once you have the basics to snowboarding you use your body, stance, pressure and different angles to dig the edges of your board into the hill. This makes a single deep carved line that connects to a giant c. Snowboarding, to me, is a form of art, you either give it nothing at all or end up giving it your all. Hard work and effort pays off making you the best snowboarder that you want to be. In the end with both sports if you don’t put the time in you are no going to get the end results that you want.

Overall, it doesn’t matter which you prefer whether you are a pro, a beginner or just looking to get outside and try something new and fun. Skiing and snowboarding have many different thrills and tricks to keep you occupied and having fun out on the hill! In the end it doesn’t matter which you prefer, it just matters if you are having a great time with friends and family, and enjoying the outdoors.