Switch to Skiing

How hard would it be to switch to skiing? Would a 2 hour private lesson make me pro? Or should I stick to Snowboarding?

skip the lesson; its this simple:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MyMjkQ0Gc

just imagine you are standing on two skinny snow boards…..facing forward :O

Stick to what your good at. If you're good at snowboarding then snowboard and if you're good at skiing than ski. If you suck at both than try snow skating.

I did the jump over middle of last season, and now I consider myself a far better skier than I was a boarder. It's fairly dependent on the equipment you've got. What's your background, have you ever skied before? It was easier for me as I've had 12 years of skiing before my 7 years on one plank.

Good luck, it's a hoot!

not hard, i switched last year and love it. I went from snowboarder to ski tourer in a season.. Under a dozen lift days to get competent . see discussion

http://bb.nsmb.com/showthread.php?t=127151[HTML_REMOVED]highlight=dumb+start+ski+touring

I never snow boarded but get some good gear the new skls are amwsome ,what kind of skiing do you want to do ?

I've never skied a day in my life, but have been on a snowboard since 1988, back when we did it because we couldn't skateboard in the winter. Funny thing is we used to do rails and urban shit way back then, yet some people think this stuff is a new trend. Fuck I'm old.

One day I might try skiing as a curiosity but I still don't understand it. Most people I see using poles aren't really 'using' them as intended, so why bother? Can't you turn without them? I'm so confused…… lol

Never skied a day in my life ( actually not true, XC'ed once a year ago, total different I know).

Everytime I watch the Salomon Freeski webisodes Im stoked, when watching Snowboarding not so much now :(

Id want to do some resort days and start light touring and just be a dirty ski bum

Wayne, proper use of poles (they're used for timing your turns):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykqSyeKWh0c

just in case you thought that run was lame:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1M9bKl1cIbk

RJ rocks.

Awesome! - thanks for posting heckler. I had never seen that video of RJ competing in the Olympics.

I'm happy to see people are switching the skiing!!

Everytime I watch the Salomon Freeski webisodes Im stoked, when watching Snowboarding not so much now :(

Don't do it! Sound like you just need to get some proper stoke.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTATBRhS8DY
https://vimeo.com/http://www.vimeo.com/15317651

i've skied for 45 years , and i first snowboarded back in the early eighties .

when i first saw snowboarding i knew it was something i had to try and at least get proficient at , so i spent a few years concentrating on acquiring some skill on the board even though i made my living on skis .

i would never say one is better than the other . there is a lot different about them , but the essence is the same : the joy of sliding around on snow .

i don't ride the board very much any more , mostly because the snowboard isn't as effective as a tool , or piece of equipment , for mountain travel or rescue . on skis , even without skins or touring bindings , it is possible to move around , up , down or across the mountain with relative ease . on a single board , if it isn't downhill to your objective , you are somewhat handicapped . before anyone else brings it up , yes it is true , i was the first pro patroller in whistler , probably canada , to do the job on a snowboard , so i do have some perspective from both sides .

before any one pipes up about split boards , i'll agree that with a great deal of practice , a dedicated person can get pretty quick at switching modes on a split . but it still means doing a changeover of gear .

there are some types of snow conditions where the single board is an advantage over skis . last mondays breakable crust on the peak was a perfect example . the majority of boarders were ripping it up , but until the surface crust was broken up , a lot of skiers were finding it pretty challenging .

i'd say it depends what you want to get out of it . if you want to have more freedom in the mountains , especially away from the lifts and groomed runs , definitely learn to ski .

a good instructor can definitely help in the process , and it is not necessary to shell out for a private lesson . be up front about your ambitions and prior experience with the booking agent to get into a good class .

as for the poles wayne , no they are not necessary to turn , and if you don't want to use them , don't , but they are useful . not just for timing the turns , but they serve to stabilize the upper body , and are also used for propulsion . when i started snowboarding , i used poles all the time , and i think i progressed more rapidly because of it . for one thing , there was the crossover experience / muscle memory / timing thing from skiing , but more importantly , it allowed me to take advantage of the many flat pitches for which whistler is well known . as well , using the poles to push seems to encourage a solid , weight over the front foot stance . i see a lot of beginning boarders having problems because their weight is too far back . i taught a lot of buddies how to ride back in the early days using poles , and they progressed quickly past the beginner stage before discarding the poles .

beyond all that , you already know how to board , why not learn something new ?