Adventure Sports

If you haven’t hit the slopes before this question is bound to come up – should I snowboard or ski? There are a couple of things to consider to help you make the right choice.

1.      Are you visiting the snow with a group of friends, and which sport are they going to choose?  It’s much more fun to ski and snowboard with your friends, so if they are going skiing you could base your decision on that.

2.      How long are you going to be at the snow? Skiing seems to be a lot easier to pick up quickly.  Snowboarding tends to take longer to develop the skills needed, which means you will end up sitting in the snow a lot at the beginning.  The bindings don’t pop off when you fall over on a snow board either, unlike ski bindings.

Snowboarding and skiing are both really great snow sports so which ever you decide to try will be challenging and rewarding.  You will see skiers zipping down the slopes and snowboarders sliding, jumping and grinding their way down.

I always tend to go for skiing, my husband chooses to snowboard.  I guess I like the ease of sliding down the slopes and feel like I have more control.  My husband likes the jumping and tricks that snowboarding offers, and it does look cool!

One thing I have noticed though, it seems to be a little bit more awkward on the t-bars when snowboarding but once you get the knack there should be no problems!

If it’s your first time on the slopes, please invest in some lessons.  Your instructor will help you learn how to slow down and stop, and give you an outline of the rules on the snow.  All very handy when you see a tree rapidly coming towards you…oh, and while we are on the subject, helmets are now becoming much cooler than when I learnt to ski.  With the X-games and the crazy snowboarding tricks the professionals now attempt, helmets are definitely in.

Don’t buy your ski or snowboarding gear if you haven’t been before.  There are plenty of great places to hire everything you need.  You should try both sports before buying your own gear, you just never know which one will be for you until you have a go!

Some extra tips for first timers to the slopes:

1.      Beware the sunburn!  You have probably seen people and you just know they have just arrived back from the snow as they have the classic tanned or red face with the white sunglasses imprint around their eyes.  Remember that even though it is cold, the sun is very strong.  Being at a higher altitude than normal and with the reflection off the white snow, you will burn quickly.  Always put on sunscreen, otherwise, remember that guy with strange tan….

2.       It feels lovely on a sunny winter’s day to be skiing along in just a t-shirt…but remember, if you are still learning the snow can sometimes be very hard and icy, and it is pretty much guaranteed that you will fall over more than once. You can end up with abrasions and cuts, so if you are learning, consider long sleeves until you feel more confident (also helps with the sunburn protection).

3.      Watch out for dehydration as with any sport.  Make sure you drink a few waters in between beers at the half way bar…

4.       Look after your eyes as there is a lot of glare on the slopes.  If it’s snowing, I like to wear ski goggles (it stops the snow getting in) but on sunny days you could wear good quality UV protection sports sunnies.  I still think goggles are best though.

5.      The weather can suddenly change in the mountains, when you least expect it.  The best way to cope with this is to wear layers which can keep you warm and dry, or cool and dry, depending upon the conditions. Also, if the snow conditions are slushy you will need a water proof layer, remember despite your best efforts, when you are learning you will fall over!

And last but not least – make sure you persist for 3 days!!  It might take you three days to really start enjoying yourself, so don’t give up after day one.  Once you start to feel more confident, get some speed up, and stay standing for a whole run you will realise it was worth all the effort!  When I learnt to ski I found day one tiring (getting up after falling into the snow wears you out a bit), day two was also tiring as I was starting to speed up, which meant I was still falling over quite a lot, but day three…made it all worth while!

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