Guide to Skiing
Skiing vs Snowboarding
If you are new to winter sports you may be struggling to decide whether to have a go at skiing or snowboarding.
This short guide to skiing when read in conjunction with the guide to snowboarding may help you to decide.
The first thing to remember is that skiing and snowboarding have a lot in common:
- Both are exhilarating, addictive and great fun.
- Both involve sliding down snow-covered mountains at speed.
- To fully appreciate both sports professional tuition is needed from trained instructors.
- Even after lessons both may cause you to face-plant into the snow at any given moment!
- Both sports have some narrow-minded followers who believe their sport is the only winter sport worth trying.
- In terms of demographics, both sports now have participants from all different backgrounds and age groups.
- In terms of style, fashion and image both sports are as grungy or traditional as you want them to be.
These similarities mean that choosing whether to start skiing or to start snowboarding can be difficult but whichever you choose you can always learn the other at a later date so don’t loose too much sleep over it.
Skiing Heritage
Skiing has been around much longer than snowboarding – in fact the oldest skis found were in marshes in Sweden and they are believed to be between 4,500 and 5,000 years old!
In the 19th Century skiing evolved from a form of transport to a recreational pastime making its way from Scandinavia through Europe and then in the 20th Century on to North America, Australasia, Japan and South America.
Millions of people have been drawn to the excitement and exhilaration of the sport and if you decide skiing is for you, you will be in good company.
Skiing Image
The stuffy, elitist nature once associated with skiing has now been eroded 
and the sport is enjoyed by people from a variety of backgrounds.
You will still see some skiers gliding gracefully along in their designer one piece ski-suits looking like they are on a catwalk rather than a mountainside but you will just as likely see others dressed in baggy jackets and trousers ripping up the jumps and rails in the snow parks.
It's now virtually impossible to differentiate between a skier and a snowboarder and image should not be a consideration when deciding which sport to try unless you want to seriously reduce your enjoyment on the slopes.
Skiing – is it difficult?
Skiing is a sport that can be enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. However, you will not become an expert overnight.
The slopes in winter sports resorts will be graded according to the difficulty and gradient of the terrain and you should always start off in the beginner areas where you can safely learn the basics.
If you are very nervous about the prospect of a fall on the slopes then skiing is perhaps a better choice than snowboarding because it involves much more natural movements that we are used to.
However, skiing can take its toll on your knees so if you have any problems in this area seek advice from a medical professional.
There will always be exceptions to the rule but generally most people will be able to stand up, move off, control the direction of their skis and stop after a few hours of instruction.
Don’t expect to be hitting the mogul fields (aka bumps) or the black runs on your second day though!
Although the basics can be picked up fairly quickly, to be a good and controlled skier takes lots of practice and instruction.
If you are taking children, you will find that almost all ski and snowboard schools will provide ski lessons to children at a much earlier age than snowboard lessons so always check this in advance.
Check out our guide to snowboarding for more information to help you decide which sport to try first or use the "Next" button to find out more about package holidays and independent travel.
