IT’S the eternal battle. To ski or to board? That is the question.
For decades now it’s been heatedly argued out in bars après ski…or should that be après board?
Traditionally, there was much more animosity that existed between skiers and boarders. These days, the two ‘races’ live in harmony…of sorts. Although, we do still live in a world far from a utopia, where we all know there is still often a deep-seeded, underlying conflict between the two breeds of snow creatures – even if it is not so visible and obvious in this day and age, unlike between warriors Trevor Dobson and Ross Monaghan, from Pro Powder guides, in the picture below.
This heated debate has even translated into fisticuffs. There are many stories of ice hockey-style fights breaking out on the mountain – even in the peaceful powder paradise that is Niseko.
Conflict such as this is not something unique to the snow. There are a whole gamut of sports where there exists a fundamental divide between genres – even if many of their goals are inherently similar. Melting from snow to the water, surfers and bodyboarders also have their differences of opinion, as do waterskiers and wakeboarders. Then, of course, there’s rugby and football (soccer), road cycling and mountain biking, and karate and tae kwon do. The list goes on…
We digress, though. Skiers are popularly considered to be your traditional, well-to-do snow riders, while boarders will always have the label of being ‘the rebel’. There are more than just differences of opinion that spark such a clash. They just sometimes plain and simple get on each other’s nerves. As far as terrain goes, skiers are renowned for forming a snowboarder’s worst nightmare – the mogul. Conversely, boarders are blamed for pushing the snow to the side of the slopes so the piste becomes bare, and skiers in Niseko complain that tracks left by boards in powder make a run difficult to ski through.
Believe it or not, even to this day there are many ski resorts around the world that still don’t allow boarders on their slopes. In the land of the free, the United States, there are still four major resorts that say ‘no’ to snowboarding – Deer Valley, Alta, Mad River Glen and Taos Ski Valley. To retort in the typical rebellious nature of boarders, snowboard giant Burton recently put out a US$5000 bounty for any snowboarder who rode the slopes of elitist, anti-snowboarding resorts.
Five years ago, it was undisputable that snowboards were the ultimate powder tool. Snowboards had a huge influence on skis, arguably breathing new life into the ski industry. But how times have changed. These days, with the advent of fat powder skis, it is a level playing field. Now the difference isn’t so great between the two, adding fuel to the fire and giving the debate more momentum.
The invisible divide between skiers and snowboarders has existed for many years. It’s almost a tired old cliché. However, there’s one interesting and relevant little aspect in particular that we decided to put to the test: What’s better for Niseko powder – skis or boards?
The powder and the passion: Locals speak from experience…
When selecting your powder weapon of choice, there are many things to consider. We thought we would leave it to those who are passionate about their chosen discipline for slicing through Niseko’s plentiful powder.…
HOKKAIDO Tracks founder Simon Robinson…
has been skiing regularly for 35 years. In that time he has snowboarded for about four days, and never in good conditions. “By the time snowboarding came around I was already a proficient skier, so I didn’t like the idea of changing,” he says. “But I did see them (snowboarders) slicing through some slush (Aussie powder) at Perisher in a way that we never could on the thin skis we were using then. But soon after that, the first parabolic skis came out and they gave skiers the ability to get through terrain in a very similar way to snowboarders.”
Simon likes the fact that it takes a long time to be able to become proficient enough on skis to be able to ski powder and go into the backcountry, and he also likes the extra accessibility skis afford him. “Skiers and boarders go down the mountain in different ways and I just feel skiing is more compact and graceful, whereas snowboarding is more free-form,” he says. “Skiers go down the fall line of the hill and can do more fresh turns side-by-side, but snowboarders tend to surf the mountain and go across it. At the end of the day, I’m a hard core skier and will never, ever convert”.
POWDERLIFE’S publisher, physiotherapist and powder hound Bevan Colless
kicked off his snowboarding career in 1994 – and never looked back. His first time bound into a board was back in the heyday of snowboards, riding in Gunma, on Japan’s mainland. Bevan also got his first taste of Niseko powder that year, which whet his appetite and saw him settling here years later for the 2006-07 season.
“I grew up in a working class family and my brothers used to always say skiers were wankers, so I found it hard to see myself as a skier after making fun of them in my youth,” says Bevan, who admits to skiing a total of seven days in his entire life. “I knew when I tried it the first time, snowboarding was always going to be my thing.” When it comes to shredding through the pow-pow, Bevan, who rides a locally invented and produced Gentemstick, says snowboarding wins hands down. “I’ve never skied in powder, but when I look at a skier going through deep powder, it doesn’t really look like as much fun, it looks like hard work. However, when I see a snowboarder ripping through powder – and I know the feeling myself – I know it’s one of the best feelings in the world.” So, given the chance, would Bevan ever make the dirty switch? “No, not really,” he responds. “If I could download the ability to ski really well into my brain, I’d definitely illegally download that program. I obviously can’t do that, so can’t see myself going back to be a beginner again – there aren’t enough days in winter, I reckon I would feel like I was wasting a day if I went skiing.”
HAILING from Canada, Black Diamond Tours guide and co-owner Andrew Spragg grew up riding mountains.
He started skiing when he was four years old, before first jumping on a board when he was 15. In his 20s he spent more time strapping into snowboards than clicking into skis, but these days he ends up doing a lot of both – mainly snowboarding in his free time and skiing when guiding in the backcountry. While he loves both, when it comes to the crunch, snowboarding is Andrew’s favoured form of sliding down the mountain. When guiding, he’s usually on skis for the ease of getting around the backcountry and hiking mountains – there’s no need for snowshoes and he’s much more mobile. But when it comes to his free time, though, he jumps back on the board.
“I love going up the mountain on skis because it’s so quick and easy, but then when I get to the top I wish I had my board,” he says. “When it comes to guiding, I generally ski because you can get around better – there’s no equivalent on a snowboard to allow you to get around the back country. It doesn’t matter what system you use – if you’ve got a regular board you’ve got snowshoes on your back; if you’ve got a split board you still have changeover time when you have to put it back together and rotate the bindings. With skis all you have to do is take your skins off, click your heals down and you’re ready to go. But overall, in powder for me it’s definitely a snowboard – ultimately when you’re on a snowboard you float through the powder; it’s more suited to riding powder."
Face off
INSTRUCTORS Trevor Dobson and Ross Monaghan (pictured left) may be brothers in business, but when it comes to their choices in snow craft, they can’t help but face off.
Trevor, skier, founder and owner of Niseko’s Pro Powder, and snowboarder Ross, one in the company’s small yet skilled team of instructors, specialise in teaching both skiers and boarders specifically how to ride in powder – so they know a bit about getting through the fluffy stuff.
Powderlife sat down for a Q & A with Trevor and Ross to find out a little more about their powder-coated lives, and the reasons behind their choices of snow transport.
TREVOR
When did you start skiing?
“I grew up 10 minutes from a ski slope, so I started skiing when I was five years old. At that time, there weren’t any snowboards around, there was only one choice for me.”
What is best about skiing Niseko powder?
“It’s so light here that on skis you can really get deep into the snow. Every turn you feel as if the snow is rolling around your shoulders and you get face shots. I just don’t get that same feeling when I snowboard. I also think you can make more turns when you’re skiing than you can when you’re boarding. When I come off the peak I can rip four or five massive turns on skis and still maintain my speed. I couldn’t achieve that on a board.”
What advantages do skiers have over boarders in Niseko?
“The access is a big bonus for skiers. We can get to places and carve lines on the hill that snowboarders can’t reach. And we don’t have to worry about the flat spots at the bottom of our runs like snowboarders do, so we have a much wider selection of terrain to ski. I have snowboarded quite a bit over the years, and I still board occasionally, but usually when the conditions aren’t great. I’ve taken up tele-marking now, too, so my boarding days are becoming fewer and fewer.”
What are the disadvantages of skiing?
“Going too deep in the powder can sometimes be a negative, as it’s really hard to get through. Another thing would be when you bail; if you completely ‘yard sale’ you can spend a long time looking for your gear, and sometimes turn up a piece or two short. Two years ago, I found one of my skis I lost in pow, that decided to turn up after the winter in May.”
ROSS
When did you start snowboarding, and when did you start getting serious about being an instructor?
“I have been boarding for 12 years, since I was 13 years old. I have worked the past three seasons as an instructor trainer in various resorts in British Columbia in Canada.”
When did you realise you were forever going to be a snowboarder?
“I was hooked the first time I ever rode a snowboard. I had learnt to ski first, but once I rode, I knew that it was for me. I still ski two or three times a year, and am learning to tele-mark, but I’ll always be first and foremost a boarder.”
What is it you enjoy most about snowboarding?
“I love the feeling of carving a turn in powder, getting a face shot, not being able to see where you’re going. I love hitting jumps of natural hits in powder, too. The landings are like bouncing off pillows. Slashing lines off a bank or covering a tree in powder is all so much fun.”
What are the negatives that come with snowboarding?
Access. I can be going up a ridge line with skiers and they’ll skin up and get to the top an hour before me while I’m floundering away in my snow shoes in the powder. Hitting dead spots at the bottom of runs is also not much fun. Falling in powder and doing ‘the turtle’ is pretty average, flapping away and trying to get up.”
Powder ski vs Powder board
Ski
- Fatter skis for more surface area, which gives float in powder snow.
- Tighter ‘DIN’ settings on your boots in the powder, so skis don’t separate from the bindings as easily, which saves you from losing your skis in powder.
- Stiffness in the ski around the bindings gives more security and faster response.
- Flexibility at ends gives more pop in the pow.
Board
- Fat nose so front end stays out of powder. Minimises burn in rear leg.
- Directional. Means board is designed to mainly travel in one direction – forwards.
- There should be a larger difference between ‘effective edge’ (the length of the board touching the ground) and actual length of the board. This means a larger part of the board rises up out of the powder.
- Bindings should be set back. Powder-specific boards will have holes drilled further back in the board.
- Narrow or swallow tail means easier, more responsive carving.
Pros and Cons
When it comes to skiing and snowboarding, neither is perfect – each have their positives and negatives…
Snowboarding
Pros
- Larger surface area means better float in the powder.
- Boards are easier to control in deep snow, as there is only one plank to worry about.
- Beginners can generally become more proficient in the powder faster.
- Less chance of knee injuries.
- The ‘cool’ factor.
Cons
- Harder work when hiking the back country, because you also need to carry snowshoes and poles.
- You can’t skin up a mountain without a split board.
- Boards are not good in flat areas of the back country, and are only practical when going down. You need to walk or ‘skate’ on flat terrain.
- Harder to get up when you fall in powder. Think of a turtle.
- Wear out the mountain’s snow faster.
Skiing
Pros
- Easier to get around in the back country – no showshoes required, just add skins and you can climb a mountain.
- Skiers can generally get deeper into, and go faster through, the powder.
- The ‘old school’ factor.
Cons
- You can get too deep in the powder, and it can get quite hard to ride through such depth.
- Harder to become powder proficient in a short time – have to be a pretty high-level skier to handle deep powder well. However, some who reach this high level see it as a rewarding, hard-to-attain positive.
- Skiing deep powder is harder work and you need to be fitter and stronger.
- Can require more powder-specific equipment than boarding.
The final say: Can’t we all just live in powdery peace?
FOR those who want to fight it out, you can do so diplomatically at our website’s Noticeboard forum at www.powderlife.com/forum – start a forum discussion, or just simply vote, and see where things go. It must be said, though, that at the end of the day, on whatever mountain you choose, it doesn’t matter what you’re riding. Really, it’s what you’re doing out there that should do all the talking. And if you’re getting amongst the powder in Niseko, you’re probably having a pretty darn good time regardless…