Learning to ski and snowboard can be for some people an extremely difficult lesson to grasp. Each sport seems similar but they are farther apart then you could ever realize. Skiing requires the use of both your feet on two separate skis with ski poles for balance. Snowboarding requires the use of one large board and the placement of your feet without poles for support. The best skiers are moderate boarders and the best snowboarders are moderate skiers.

Both are completely different. When learning to ski you first have to become accustomed to the slopes and the way they bend and move. No two slopes are alike. When learning to ski you learn something every time you hit a slope. Even the most advanced skiers tell you they still learn something new when they go out. When skiing, you can maneuver a lot easier in your ski boots then with your boarding boots. The skis are still attached to your skis. As you ski, you literally skate along the surface of the ice and snow. It is akin to learning to walk all over again. As you maneuver down the slopes you twist and turn your body helping you to change direction as you move across the top of the snow.

Snowboarding however is more like learning to skateboard on the ice. The way you change direction in snowboarding is much more complex. This is called linking turns; where you pivot with your board to change direction without changing your body's direction or posture. The idea is to remain balanced on the board, using the center of gravity to keep you in place.

Moving with your board is impossible without holding it. It is much harder to get off a ski lift with your snowboarding boots then it is with ski boots. A snowboarder will attach his snowboard to his boots just as he dismounts from the ski lift. This may sound difficult but give it a few tries in the field and you will easily pick it up.

There are far more beginner slopes for snowboarding then there are for skiers. This is because the learning curve for snowboarding is much higher than skiing. Skiing is a much faster sport both learning and performing while snowboarding is something one has to be weaned into slowly and with much ease. Skiing is more for traveling through the snow while snowboarding is more of an exhibition sport.