The skiing versus snowboarding debate quickly fizzled out and now lovers of winter sports enjoy both, writes Killian Forde
IT’S 20 YEARS since snowboarding became mainstream and some ski areas, particularly in the US, still ban it. The ski versus snowboard battle sought to pit winter sports enthusiasts against one another, young versus old, trendy versus staid, punks versus posh.
Skiers looked down on snowboarding as a vulgar fad practised by teenagers too impatient to learn their “art”. Yet good skiers sought to emulate the tricks of boarders and developed their own set of freestyle skiing and aerobatics.
The false feud was dying and improvements in equipment, fusion of clothing, better teaching and easier lift access has resulted in a growing trend of older skiers and younger snowboarders crossing disciplines.
More and more people wanted to answer the question, “Are you a boarder or skier?” with “both”.
For Irish skiers a particular incentive for mastering both evolved from trying to avoid mismatched holidays. Skiers often found that their kids or partner, new to snow sports, were interested in learning to snowboard first.
That left a dilemma: should the group split each day, with skiers going to advanced classes and boarders heading for beginner lessons. This would mean meeting up at the end of the day with incomparable and unshared experiences.
As with many sports, the progress from good to expert in skiing can take forever, and most people reach a plateau. After 25 years of skiing I had reached that stage – I simply couldn’t improve.
My incentive to learn snowboarding came when I went on a holiday with a snow virgin. Keen to spend time together and to avoid her having to spend weeks on a dry ski slope in Ireland to reach a level that would enable us to ski together (albeit she at her limit and me bored), we decided to learn to snowboard.
The first thing that is infinitely better are the boots. In the hire shop in Ehrwald in Austria, I was given a pair of light, comfy and warm boots. They laced on and off and they felt like a large pair of trainers.
With a big board under my arm we plodded off to the gondola to take us up to the learning area where we were placed in a class of seven. Mathias, our Dutch teacher, did a quick check on our gear, gently tut tutting when he noticed I had no bum pads. I dismissed his jovial comment of, “You’ll regret that”, as he obviously had no idea of my years of experience on snow!
At this point I was looking at my fellow learners with a mixture of pity and smugness. Like lots of skiers, I was convinced that snowboarding was easy to learn. I thought: “I’ll have this in the bag before lunch.”
Two hours later my bum was killing me, my wrists were aching and my nose was tender.
When you fall as a beginner with skis it’s a bit like tumbling over yourself. You look quite ridiculous as poles, skis and limbs go askew but, unless you’re going fast, which is impossible on nursery slopes, it’s quite difficult to hurt yourself.
Not so with snowboarding. Because your feet are strapped in, you fall with all of your body weight. The only variable is whether you fall forwards, in which case your wrists take the impact, or you fall backwards on your bum.
We had been told to cross our arms when falling forward to absorb the impact – I tried it once and ended up in a face plant with a delicate nose.
And to top it all, I was now the dunce in the class having made no progress in my attempts to master the most basic of skills. At this stage I was looking wistfully at the elegant skiers gliding past and seriously thinking of retiring from my career as a snowboarder.
Post lunch, a meal during which none of the other learners wanted to be associated with the class loser and were clearly bored of my stories of what an accomplished skier I was, our group was sent another instructor to help out.
Taking pity on me, Gert took me to the top of the nursery slopes and told me board down. After a dozen increasingly more painful falls, I got to the bottom. Gert diagnoses the problem immediately: “You’re a skier, aren’t you? Well, stop thinking like one and listen to me.”
As a former skier he knew what I was doing wrong and talked me through the differences in terms of balance, stance and weight distribution. He was speaking a language I understood. We tried some exercises on the flat and then to my surprise we got on a chairlift to the top of the mountain.
My bruises were throbbing and I was in no mood to fall again. Gert re-emphasised what I needed to do and we set off down a hill I thought was far too steep.
Between the tips he gave me, and my own self-interest in not falling again, it worked – I was snowboarding! I was able to turn, slow down, avoid obstacles and stop. We boarded down the 4km blue piste with enough confidence to be able to appreciate the views over the valley and the mighty Zugspitze mountain. The only discomfort I had was the burn in my thigh, a common problem caused by being too tense.
I took another private lesson with Gert the following day and by day three myself and my travel companion were out exploring on our own. We had similar abilities and so kept each other challenged without straying too far from our comfort zones.
In the bars afterwards, we found ourselves in the snowboarders’ corner talking gear and clobber and listening to tips on how to do “ollies”, “pokes” and “crab walks”. By the end of the week, I found myself leaving my hat on indoors with my snow goggles atop my head. I had become everything I once hated.
Since then, I’ve been back in the Alps and reverted to skiing. Learning to board has improved my skiing. I enjoyed snowboarding, but I’m so much more competent on skis that it will remain my default option. But it was great to learn and nice to have the option to shift if and when I want to.
Where to go for the best in snowboarding
- Val ThorensExtensive pistesbecasue the resort is part of the Trois Vallees area. Good nightlife for all ages. Snowboard park.
- Tignes, FranceHigh altitude, hip and young clientele on endless runs with a legendary après ski scene.
- Les Deux Alpes, FranceWith great snowparks and a friendly clientele, this French resort is perfect for adventurous beginners. Vibrant nightlife
- Saas Fee, SwitzerlandThe "Pearl of the Alps" offers hundreds of kilometres of above-the-clouds cruising overlooking a traditional village that's one of the prettiest in Europe.
- Selva, ItalyLots of boarder-friendly lifts, stunning Dolomite scenery, gentle slopes and amazing affordable local food
- Lake Tahoe, California/NevadaStateside, the Lake Tahoe resorts are a mecca for boarders. Off-piste powder runs afford stunning vistas of the Nevada desert.