Can there be some truth in this? As a skier who has never boarded, - given that Boarding was not invented till 20 years after I started Skiing, I have never given this much thought. But are boarders denying themselves more pleasure from the Mountain? Won't affect me one way or another, but given most boarders are stationary on their bums for a lot of the time, intuitively, it seems possible.
See below
Study Finds That Skiers Show Higher Levels of Pleasure Than Snowboarders
By UnofficialNetworks · December 3, 2013 · 21 Comment
Skier Vs Snowboarder
A team of researchers at Yonsei University in the Republic of Korea have published a study that found skiers showed a higher level of pleasure and involvement in their sport than snowboarders did.
Here is more on the research from springer.com.
“The researchers surveyed 279 visitors at three major ski resorts in South Korea. They measured the level of happiness and satisfaction of skiers and snowboarders by assessing their sense of pleasure, their level of flow or engagement in the activity and the sense of involvement and satisfaction they subjectively reported after the winter activity.
They also found skiers showed a higher level of pleasure and involvement in their sport than snowboarders did
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:
given most boarders are stationary on their bums for a lot of the time
Many of the boarders I see are surfing through the powder in a way I can only dream about, on my skis.
I wonder if there is a difference because of age groups - boarders might be younger, on average, and I think older people are better at getting pleasure out of life (if only because of the awareness of not having so much it left )
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I refuse to stereotype a group who are to stoned to answer questions accurately
Maybe the resort that these boarders were questioned at only had drag lifts and no recent powder.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Don't want to stereotype, the 'on their bums' is simply a function of a lack of balance whilst waiting to regroup as skiers would do standing up? I suppose. I would also love to surf through deep powder, but never enough of it on most of my maximum two weeks a year on the slopes. Is it down to the possibility that Piste skiing is better than piste boarding for enjoyment? Greater pleasure from carving than you would get from boarding, which is where most skiers and boarders find themselves most of the time? Be good to hear from those who do both.
I think the short answer is that the study is a load of p*sh.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
yeah but boarders are so much cooler
After all it is free
After all it is free
Quote:
I think the short answer is that the study is a load of p*sh
I agree and - twoodwar - I've done both but have recently given up boarding, at which I was fairly rubbish, because of my advanced age. Sitting around waiting for your mates is arguably nicer than standing up waiting.
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twoodwar wrote:
The researchers surveyed 279 visitors at three major ski resorts in South Korea.
Since when is 279 a meaningful sample size
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so its a disagreement with non meaningful research then? Fair enough.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
bertie bassett wrote:
twoodwar wrote:
The researchers surveyed 279 visitors at three major ski resorts in South Korea.
Since when is 279 a meaningful sample size
That would depend on the magnitude of the difference you are looking for, there are perfectly good studies done on samples a lot smaller than that.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Load of rubbish, both are fun!
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
T Bar wrote:
I refuse to stereotype a group who are to stoned to answer questions accurately
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Well.....I think there may be a small grain of truth in there somewhere My son,who both skis and boards to a pretty high level,chooses to ski prob 75% of the time.He saves his board for when(in his words)conditions are ideal,much preferring to ski in 'normal' conditions.And he has no time for the supposed cool image of boarding(and he's 22). Like he says,there's nothing cool about smashing your face,or being out of control,cos you're a crap boarder who 'thinks' he looks cool
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I skied from the age of 20 (1983) for 10 years or so but tried boarding for the first time in 1990, since 1993 I have never skied again, so in my survey of 1, boarding gives me more plesure.
Boarding does involve more pain as well as plesure though. I plan to go back to skis when I'm 70 and start to act my age as well.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Quote:
My son,who both skis and boards to a pretty high level,chooses to ski prob 75% of the time.
My son, who is similar (but a better skier than snowboarder, I'd say) chooses to board 75% of the time, only switching to skis when pistes are really hard-packed and the off-piste is finished. But it does involve more pain and physical effort!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:
yeah but boarders are so much cooler
edit, should have read, "think they are so much cooler", I grew out of wanting to look cool at 21, maybe there's an element of truth in this thread as some boarders may be more interested in looking "Cool" than actually enjoying what is on their feet.
Personally I'm more interested in the attitude and sense of humour of the people with me on the mountain rather than what is on their feet (unless it's snowshoes or X country skis )
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
stevomcd wrote:
I think the short answer is that the study is a load of p*sh.
Mainly this. Might be skiers are happier scraping a WROD or boarders included a few in the early learning phase where it definitely hurts. Nowadays I'd say a board is not as much fun on days when skiing is still OK based on personal experience of both but on a day of great conditions (powder) both are equally fun - till you bury a ski anyway
Having been a skier since the late 70s, I did try boarding in the early 90s (it was new and exciting then). It seemed relatively easy to pick up, within a couple of days I was breezing about on red runs and a hit with the lads. But there were a few things about it that irritated me; flat bits, getting on and off lifts, drag lifts generally, not being able to stand and regroup with friends, having a completely blind side and falling (snowboard falls seemed far more likely to be the end over end type to me whereas skiing falls were more of a sack of spuds thing). However when the pistes were soft, I could see the appeal of a snowboard, and it felt like much less effort than skiing.
After my season in the early 90s I could only afford to go skiing for one week in 14 years so that week was definitely back to my roots skiing. Since then I have skied exclusively and had no pangs to get back on a snowboard. Today's skis turn easier and seem to work better in soft snow, so in essence they combine the best of both worlds with the added bonuses of being able to use lifts, pole along flat bits, see where you are going and not get a soggy bum. Amen...
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Sun 8-12-13 22:12; edited 1 time in total
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I look in envy at the boarders as they plough through the powder, it look so cool but as I am limited to one or at best two weeks skiing/season I am not prepared to waste it learning to board on the nursery slope.
if I win the lotto or something I will endeavour to master the skill. But till then I will continue enjoying the short time I have on the skis, whatever floats your boat just get on the hill!
michaelbury17, I was pretty much in the same boat as you. I didn't win the lottery, but went on a trip with a bunch of boarders with 2 other novices in it. Picked up enough to get off piste in four days. Haven't looked back (or skiers left) since.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
It's good to see people here declining to rise to the bait.
I'm a snowboarder but I can also ski, so I think they're just confused.
I would say that nearly all "cool" snowboards you can buy work really badly on piste. I buy uncool snowboards for that reason.
After all it is free
After all it is free
Oh FFS. This smells almost Goldsmithian in its fusty pointlessness. How do you rate pleasure?
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Richard_Sideways,
Quote:
How do you rate pleasure?
By asking people questions. Simples. The answers may not be perfectly quantifiable, but given that skiers rated their pleasure five times higher than snowboarders did then it does suggest some genuine difference here. yes, it's a small study, yes it's an inexact science, but that is no reason to dismiss the study completely.
I suspect the difference relates more to those participating and the learning curve and drag lifts then anything about the actual motion.
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The original paper look at the quality of life gained by recreational activities, it is just using skiing as a case study. They consider different type of reward from doing an activity such as "lost in the moment" type activities. I didn't even notice a difference between snowboarders and skiers responses and certainly never got around to testing wether they were significantly different.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
johnE, I'm confused.
Quote:
I didn't even notice a difference between snowboarders and skiers responses and certainly never got around to testing wether they were significantly different.
Were you involved in the original paper, or was that just a typo?
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
foxtrotzulu, Woops sorry. I usually read the original paper. It often says something different than what appears in the press. In this case the press appears to have largely missed the point. It is not actually about skiers and snowboarders but pleasure and participation in recreational sporting activities.
There is only one sentence in the whole paper comparing skiers and snowboarders. They give a Wilkes' criteria score that shows a slight but significant difference. There is no data given. However they then lump skiers and snowboarders together for the rest of the analysis. There is no splitting between males and females, which I thought might be more interesting.
Incidentally the sample numbers are tiny: 126 skiers, 112 boarders and 41 who do both. The average number of days spent in the resort was 4.49 days
We should not try and generalise from a study do in Korea onto quality of life into differences between skiers and snowboarders else where.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
twoodwar wrote:
Don't want to stereotype, the 'on their bums' is simply a function of a lack of balance whilst waiting to regroup as skiers would do standing up? I suppose. I would also love to surf through deep powder, but never enough of it on most of my maximum two weeks a year on the slopes. Is it down to the possibility that Piste skiing is better than piste boarding for enjoyment? Greater pleasure from carving than you would get from boarding, which is where most skiers and boarders find themselves most of the time? Be good to hear from those who do both.
You are right for most boarders but its a whole new ball park if you have an alpine snowboard set up. Carving piste is nearly as much fun as riding powder. Love skiing also though, but boarding pips it for me.
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I must try an alpine set up sometime, its seems like it is virtually a new discipline.
This old video must have been posted before but is always good to watch.
JimboS, yes, it has been posted before, but well worth looking at again.
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
I know which one I prefer. As to what it is and why, it doesn't really matter. The fact that I enjoy it and gain pleasure from it is the essential point.
There is no need to guage my enjoyment with anyone else. To have it rated against something that a completely different person enjoys for totally different emotions.
I knows what I likes and I likes what I knows
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Whisky_priest, indeed, you likes what you likes. No problem
johnE, thanks for the extra info. I understand that the researchers were not intending the report to focus on this particular issue and it is just something the press have seized on. However, bearing in mind that every newspaper has the same story with the same angle then one wonders if they did highlight the issue in a press release or whether AP is just more ubiquitous than ever. Despite all of that, this study does seem to have thrown up this nugget of interesting data. Is it just a statistical anomaly, or dies it actually points something more interesting. I think it is York early to write it off.
I have a sneaking suspicion that piste skiers also gain a higher level of satisfaction than off-piste skiers. No idea if thus is true, but I wonder if an occasional moment of bliss spoils one for the piste.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
I can see why the whole embarkation/ disembarkation of T bars and chair lifts can be a pain for boarders. I get still get caught out on a pair of planks.....
AJQ, It's been a while since I was caught out, but I still concentrate very hard!
Madonna di Campiglio was sheer bliss last year. I only found one drag lift in the entire place and we never really needed to use that. I sometimes suspect that I was born with the wrong shaped buttocks. Why do I have to clench the entire way up the mountain and find them so utterly exhausting? (Overstating the point a little, but you get the idea!)
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Quote:
I have a sneaking suspicion that piste skiers also gain a higher level of satisfaction than off-piste skiers. No idea if thus is true, but I wonder if an occasional moment of bliss spoils one for the piste.
that's an interesting theory. I love Beaufort cheese and eat a lot of the "Beaufort d'été" from the local Crémerie. However, there is also a superior (or at any rate far more expensive) produce called "Beaufort d'Alpage". I have never bought any, in case a "moment of bliss" should render me dissatisfied with the Beaufort I normally buy.
^ this.
Once you've experienced one of those Concorde moments, you'll compare every subsequent moment to that - it changes the scale on your graph as it were and all other moments, excellent as they may be, must be seen through that prism
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Shimmy Alcott wrote:
T Bar wrote:
I refuse to stereotype a group who are to stoned to answer questions accurately
+1
After all it is free
After all it is free
foxtrotzulu wrote:
I have a sneaking suspicion that piste skiers also gain a higher level of satisfaction than off-piste skiers. No idea if thus is true, but I wonder if an occasional moment of bliss spoils one for the piste.
Transposition error?
Otherwise it takes a special kind of aptitude to say "I was really pleased with those perfect tramlines on those long radius turns, I'll never really be able to enjoy 2 foot of fresh and fluffy on an untracked slope again because it will be so imprecise"
That aptitude of course marks you out for a long and successful career in BASI
(no I'm really joking but the set up was too good to miss)
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
pam w wrote:
that's an interesting theory. I love Beaufort cheese and eat a lot of the "Beaufort d'été" from the local Crémerie. However, there is also a superior (or at any rate far more expensive) produce called "Beaufort d'Alpage". I have never bought any, in case a "moment of bliss" should render me dissatisfied with the Beaufort I normally buy.
Alternatively you buy the premium product, find it indistinguishable and enjoy a lifetime of smugness compared to those shelling out for the "superior" product. I tend to feel, although pedantica will probably denounce me for heresy, that way about vodka.
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Quote:
I tend to feel, although pedantica will probably denounce me for heresy, that way about vodka.
Couldn't agree more. Scientifically, I understand that the only difference between gin and vodka is that gin has been flavoured. Vodka is basically pure, neutral alcohol and water. Hard then to see how one vodka could be that much better than another. A bit less crap in it, but otherwise, that's it.
FAQ
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