Skiing or snowboarding? Pros, cons and what's best for beginners

One of the first questions to consider for anyone who decides to embrace winter sports will always be: is skiing or snowboarding better? The answer to this skiing vs snowboarding question depends on many factors and it will usually come down to personal preferences and circumstances. It’ll depend on what exactly you want out of your winter ski resort holiday. So, to help you tackle this question, we’ve put together this guide to skiing vs snowboarding pros and cons.

Skiing or snowboarding for beginners: Is skiing or snowboarding easier?

The main thing that beginners usually want is a clear answer to the age-old question: is skiing or snowboarding easier? There isn’t, however, a clear-cut answer. That’s because most people find it easier to learn the basics of skiing vs snowboarding, but it takes more time and skill to become an expert on the skis. On the other hand, snowboarding might a little harder to learn at first, but it’s then a lot easier to progress onto more advanced levels.

In other words, if picking between skiing or snowboarding for beginners, the former might be easier to pick up over the course of a few sessions. Once you are more advanced, though, it can be a little bit simpler to add new snowboarding tricks to your arsenal than new skiing moves.

In any case, you can learn both skiing and snowboarding at Ordino Arcalís, thanks to the resort’s ski and snowboard school in Andorra.

Skiing vs snowboarding: Pros and cons of skiing

With both skiing and snowboarding, there are far more pros than cons. While one of the few cons of skiing compared to snowboarding is that the former is generally a bit more expensive, this isn’t such a problem when going skiing in Andorra, since there are so many bargains available in the microstate.

As for the pros of skiing vs snowboarding, you don’t have to worry about flat sections, you’ll find ski lifts easier to manage, the ski poles can help you too and, as mentioned above, it can be easier to pick up the basics of skiing as a beginner.

Skiing vs snowboarding: Pros and cons of snowboarding

With snowboarding, the cons are related to some of the skiing pros mentioned above, such as it being a little harder to move away from a flat or uphill section if on a snowboard. People also wonder ‘is skiing or snowboarding more dangerous?’ and the answer is that snowboarders are 50 to 70 percent more likely to pick up an injury than skiers, however it must be kept in mind that the instances of snowboard injuries are still extremely rare, at around just four injuries per 1,000 snowboarding days.

A related question is that of ‘is skiing or snowboarding easier on knees?’ and here it’s snowboarding that comes out on top, as snowboarding is generally easier on the knees because the nature of the discipline means there is less torque movement in the lower legs when snowboarding compared to skiing.

Then, there are many other pros to snowboarding, such as the fact that it’s easier to walk in snowboarding boots and that the equipment is generally a little cheaper.

In any case, no matter whether you decide to opt for skiing or snowboarding, you’ll have a great time on the mountain slopes. And, if you really want to know is skiing or snowboarding better, the best way to find out is to try both!