Ski or Snowboard?

From the couple of times that I have gone, the split is based on the age. The younger people snowboard, the older people ski. Most people here in NYC go to either upstate NYC (maybe 2-4 hour drive depending on where you're going), New Jersey or Pennsylvania. I myself have gone snowboarding in New Hampshire / Vermont.

NH and Vermont are not nearly as crowded as Jersey/upstate during the seasons peak times. The drive is longer but it's nice having the slopes all to yourself. ;]

Living in NYC, however, you can ice skate in the winter time at either Central Park or Bryant park. There are other spots but these are the two most popular ones.
- tsd

Neither! Hate both! Hate snow! My wife is an avid skier and my father-in-law is a PT ski instructor with a ski house in Canada.

Skiers tend to hate snowboarders and skiers also tend to be the rich snobs and businessmen....i.e. all the guys with MBAs

I ski, I used to be a freestyle coach when I was younger, in good shape and had perfect knees still. Out here I would say people in the mid 20s snowboard much more but starting in the late 90s early 2000s skiing has really made a resurgence with parks and pipe skiing. I would say skiing's popularity with younger folks (teens to early 20s) is higher than snowboarding at this point since skiers have been progressing a lot more and its the new cool thing. There isnt the hatred there used to be though. I snowboarded from when I was 12 to 16 back when it meant you were a punk and much like skateboarding was seen as a negative thing. I switched back to skiing after all the kids I went to high school started talking about how cool it was, to me it sold out quick so I went back to skiing to be different.

I remember getting my pass pulled for skiing in the park and pipe...now the kids going the biggest are all skiers. Heck my home resort that used to chase us out of these areas now spends big bucks making special jumps for photoshoots and video shoots for skiers.

I'm a Midwest gy and you'll never find mountains any better than in Colorado.

BTW - I'm a skiier.

French Alps said your wrong haha.

Snowboarder

Skiiers are jerks. I'm tried of getting hit by them with their visions of Olympic down hill in their thick skulls. Twice I've been nailed in the middle of the mountain my some moron who though it would be cute to buzz me. Too bad for them I'm the size of a small car. Both of them needed help. I just needed some help to restrain me from turning them into a rug.

Were you and a half dozen of your friends sitting across the trail on the other side of a hill, invisible to people above?

I must say a few years ago I was hit by a snowboarder who then proceeded to tell me it was his first day (mind you this was a blue square). When I told him he should go to the bunny hill and take a lesson he wanted to get all tough. Interesting seeing him struggle to get his board off and then try to run after me...even better was when my buddy kicked his board down the hill and it went flying down the hill into the woods. We then laughed and skied off. Later that day he wanted to get tough in the lodge when we ran into him and a few of his friends. I think he thought better of it when he realized they were outnumbered like 3 to 1.

Honestly I think the worst people aren't younger folks on skis or boards but are middle age folks who try to show off for their 10 year olds.

That will be me in a few years .. except i can't stanhd winter sports.

skier.

Snowboarders are just pothead hippies with baggy pants who end up stupidly sitting around on their butts in groups of 5 or 6, right in the middle of a run making a fricking 20ft long barrier and basically being little more than obstacles for you to avoid while they zone out and debate the best nag champa fragrance to get the stink of weed off their clothes before they go home with mom in the family minivan. That, and they waddle like ducks when trying to cross flat areas.

Illustration:

Ski. Been skiing since I was 4, and all over North American. Whistler is the best!

It looks like skiing in a landslide! I was hoping for this kind of lively discussion.

To be honest, I haven't done much of either but I was one of those punk skateboarder kids when I was younger so snowboarding just comes more naturally. I plan to use my last winter here before school to get good (good=not embarass myself) at one of the two. If I'm going to be leaving sunny LA to live where it freiken snows all the time I'm at least going to be a decent skiier/snowboarder!! Plus... Tuck is on my shortlist so its pretty much a prereq to enrollment!

It seems that most of you guys would encourage me to focus my efforts on skiing...

Oh and for the record I have no real preference between the two. Like I said, snowboarding would come more naturally to me but, even if I could get away with it now, I just can't see myself as a snowboarder when I hit 40+ (which made me lean towards skiing). So, really, its a toss up

snowboarder

Like all snowboarders, I can't stand skiiers (and vice versa, I know). Both sides are always accusing the other of crashing into them, but we all know it's the skiiers that are the reckless speed demons that run everyone over.

but in general, the cooler people snowboard. And it's an unstoppable trend that many former skiiers are switching over to snowboarding because it's more fun.

BTW, Kellogg has the famous "ski trip" every winter... so people outside of the West Coast ski too.

ski

No, I was actually crusing on a green and got nailed the first time, the second I was on a blue/green merge and a kid chasing his friend (who buzzed me) crashed into me.

Anyone who stops in the middle of a trail (skiers like to stand in the middle like they own it, boarders just plop where ever for some damn reason)

When I stop (and everyone should, no matter what you ride down the mountain) is just before the ledge or boundry rope. If you can't stop there, you shouldn't be that high up.

But you're right about the kids. I hate kids. Especailly 10 year olds.

kryzak...for the win!!!

haha, but in all honesty, there are stupid people on both sides. Those are the ones who should be thrown off a mountain.

Kryzak is just showing how old he is. On the east coast ever since skiing made the X-Games and skiers started doing bigger and better tricks than boarders it has been a reversing trend. Besides anyone who has ever done both knows that its a lot easier to learn to become a good snowboarder.

Skiers have been owning snowboarders with advancing their sport in the last several years. Recent example the world record quarter pipe hit...done at my home resort. 3+ feet higher than the previous held by a snowboarder and was a cork 900 instead of a 360.
video: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_dVlZ5VaTwo



Besides this car belongs to a pro skier and is about the coolest ride you will ever find in a ski resort parking lot in the winter. Mind you he actually does drive this around in the winter since it is quattro (you love that dont you Kry)