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Snowboarding and skiing are popular snow sports that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and skill levels. Snowboarding uses a single wide board with bindings, while skiing uses one or two narrow skis with poles. Skiing can be practiced on flat or uphill terrain, while snowboarding is better suited for slopes. Both sports require lessons and can result in injuries for beginners. Skiers have more control and can turn faster, while snowboarders have to balance on a single board.
Snowboarding and skiing are snow sports that are especially popular in Nordic climates. People of all ages, skill levels, and fitness levels can participate in both sports, especially if they’ve taken lessons. The main differences between them are the equipment involved and the techniques used. A snowboarder stands sideways on a single wide board and a skier faces forward on one or two narrow skis. A skier also typically uses ski poles to help him balance, turn and propel himself, but a snowboarder does not.
Material
The sport of snowboarding emerged in the 1970s, many centuries after skiing became popular. Snowboarding uses a solid board similar to a surfboard or large skateboard. A snowboarder wears boots that can be attached to the board with special equipment called bindings. The bindings are positioned so that when the user’s boots are in the binding, the toes point towards one side of the board. Whether they face left or right depends on how the bindings are installed, which is based on the snowboarder’s preference for which foot is forward.
Skiing typically involves the use of two skis, one for each foot, with the user’s boots facing forward and secured via bindings. A variant of the sport, called monoskiing, involves the use of a single wide ski to which both forward-facing boots are attached. People who have some kind of physical disability in their legs can use monoskis with booster seats attached to them. A ski pole has a grip on one end, along with a strap that wraps around the user’s hand or wrist and has a pointed tip at the other end.
Ground
The terrain for skiing varies much more than that for snowboarding. Both sports can be played on mountain slopes, inclines or man-made areas that slope down, although there may be some short areas that are somewhat flat or slightly uphill. Skiing, on the other hand, can be practiced on flat ground or even uphill, because the skier can use the poles to propel himself off the ground and push himself. Cross-country skiing is a variant in which the skier has to push himself on this type of terrain for most of the time and can only descend partially.
Using ski poles and two separate skis typically gives skiers more control than snowboarders. For example, a skier can usually turn faster. This often means that skiers can travel to more wooded or rocky areas that would be too dangerous for most snowboarders.
Techniques and Skills
Both of these sports can be difficult to learn and injuries are common for beginners. Experts say anyone wanting to learn to ski or snowboard should take lessons from a qualified instructor and should start on relatively easy terrain, such as small hills with gradual inclines. Many people believe snowboarding is more difficult to learn, because balance on a single board is more of a challenge and the user cannot use poles for balance. Even advanced skiers may need lessons to learn how to snowboard safely. Skiing, however, can result in much higher speeds when the slope is steep enough and the skier is highly skilled.
