To ski or snowboard?

[arlene22 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close arlene22]

That is the question! My kids (ages 10, 8 and 5) want to join the new ski club at school. They have never skiied before, and will spend some time in ski school. They would like to start off by snowboarding. Is there any reason why they should not do that? Is it better to learn to ski before learning to snowboard? Does it matter?

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Arlene,

If your children are going to ski school, than I think that they should do a little skiing. This way, they can practice what they have learned, and get a little comfortable on the slopes. Hopefully, what they have learned in school, will sink in.

I would think that they could also do some snowboarding. Might as well get started on all the popular winter sports.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Your 5 year old may have a hard time learning to snowboard. My kids started off with snowboarding, my youngest had a very frustrating first couple of seasons and I was told it is harder for little ones. I am sorry they learned to snowboard, the daredevil stunts are very frightening and the Terrain Parks really encourage them.

Still, they both love it and have no interest in learning to ski. It doesn't seem to much matter which they start with in terms of skill.

[Bill4728 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Bill4728]

The smallest should ski and if they want to later then snowboard. They will probably end up snowboarding but it easier for the real little ones to ski.

[Jimbo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Jimbo]

Learning to ski and snowboard are two different things. I have friends that are teaching their boys to ski first and then if they want to try snowboarding later they can do that.

I agree that the younger one should definitely ski first and after a few years if they want to board then let them. The older two would probably do fine with the boarding from the start.

Those that teach boarding say that it is harder to learn than skiing. I haven't tried it but I probably won't since there are aspects of it that are not very appealing.

[helenbarnett1963 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close helenbarnett1963]

my daughter (now 11) started to ski at age 5 (we go for one 2-week ski vacation per year). we put her in ski school rather than snowboard school as we ski, and just didn't consider doing anything different. so far she is happy to ski rather than snowboard as we and her friends all ski.

my son started skiing at age 3, but last year (age 5) after a week of ski school, decided he wanted to try snowboarding. we swapped him to snowboard camp for our 2nd week and he really enjoyed it.

this year he wants to do a bit of each again - snowboarding becasue its fun and daring, and skiing so he can progress enough to join us on the "big mountains".

we ski at Smuggs, and they have snowboard camp specially for 4-5 year olds with tiny boards and dedicated instructors. he did seem to be frustrated at first, but after a couple of lessons he could turn (left turns only!) and do a small 'jump'. Not sure if being able to ski a bit helped him or not - except that he was comfortable in the snow and on the lifts etc

from what I've seen the little kids do seem to pick up the snowboarding quicker than the older kids at first, and some people say swapping from skis to a snowboard is hard - you don't get balance poles with a snowboard!

just let them do whichever one they want, they'll all be fine!

[Vanessa Member Find all posts View Profile Close Vanessa]

My son is 6, and we tried snowboarding (it's very popular with the kids) last year. He wasn't quite ready yet, and did get very frustrated.

We also did skiing the later part of the season, it was much better for his confidence.

This year we have a season pass and he is excited to ski.

[davhu1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close davhu1]

Snowbarding are more popular with kids. Both my sons started skiing at 5. After three years of skiing & lessons, they switched to snowboard. They say it is more fun and easier to learn. Maybe you let them take skiing one day and snowboarding the next, and let them decide. If your rent equipment, they will let you exchange them if the kids want to switch (my niece did thaT at Shawnee Mt). She rented skis in the morning and switched them to snowboard in the afternoon.