<p>Alright, as an avid snowboarder, I can't stay quiet. There are a lot of misconceptions concerning snowboarders in this thread.</p>
<p>It IS true that beginning snowboarders are extremely out of control, but that it entirely up to the individual snowboarder. I stayed on the bunny slope until I could go down in control and without falling (2-3 trips). </p>
<p>A lot of people claim that snowboaders are inconsiderate. This, too, is dependent on the person. I was on a lift with a random skiier who slammed his skis into my board and cracked it to the CORE. Luckily Burton is the best snowboard company ever and replaced my board pro bono even though my warentee was up.</p>
<p>The comment about being able to tackle the tough stuff on a snowboard in a few years as opposed to skis, while being somewhat true, is taken out of context. The purpose of a snowboard is NOT to expressly do downhill riding. Snowboarders do not enjoy moguls (unless they're jumping off of them). The purpose of snowboarding is to have a sort of all purpose interface between the ride and the snow. Snowboarders specialize in going off of jumps and going into the halfpipe. Skiiers specialize in going downhill. I think we could both agree that it takes just as long for a snowboarder to master the half pipe as it takes a skiier to master going downhill (and possibly longer because the tricks are endless).</p>
<p>I am a snowboarder and a skiier. I have done both for about 4 years (and snowbladed for 1) and will be sticking with snowboarding. You could compare a snowboard to a sportscar and skis to a luxury vehicle. Both perform great but the snowboard gives you much better interface between yourself and the ground while skis provide for a smooth and efficient ride. </p>
<p>As for the belief that snowboarders always cause problems on the slopes and get in the way, I can say that I am infuriated by the skiiers who take up the whole trail while carelessly skiing back and forth. Perhaps the reason why snowboarders zoom past you agrily is because you kept turning in front of them while they try to pass. It has happened to me many times. </p>
<p>Experienced snowboarders do not push snow down to the bottom of the slope any more than veteran skiiers. New snowboarders slow down with their back edge, while new skiiers slow down with the wedge, just as efficient at pushing snow down. </p>
<p>A blanket statement concerning snowboarding in general is just incorrect. I could not tell you which of the two is better. They are both a ton of fun and both prove to be extremely challenging. A novice snowboarder, while being able to go down difficult slopes, does not go down any better than someone doing the wedge. Your progression of skill is related to your dedication to your sport, not whichever one you pick. Snowboarder do not respect downhill skill as much as they do skill at jumps and terrain park and vice versa with skiiers. </p>
<p>I think everyone should attempt to try both because it is just a completely different experience. I had a little trouble switching from skis to a snowboard for the sole reason of having both my feet attached. But now I couldn't have it any other way.</p>
<p>I thoroughly enjoy snowboarding and highly recommend it to anyone interesting in beginning a winter sport with a ton of versitility. Us snowboaders need to speak up for ourselves and show we aren't the unwashed miscreants that we are commonly believed to be! Good luck with whichever of the two you do!</p>