 Poster: A snowHead
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In recent years I think there is a noticeable decline in the number of boarders in European ski resorts at a guess I'd put it at 80% skiers and 20% boarders ? Am I imagining this decline or is thete something to it???
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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2 indy shops near me no longer cater for snowboarders.
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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?
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Numbers (and sales) have been massively declining for years, blame twin tips and better freestyle skis
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On recent trips to EK, I'd estimate less than 1:30 snowboarders. Dolomites certainly less than 1:50, possibly even 1:100. I expect proportion of boarders higher in Avoriaz and surrounding areas, and Arlberg, for example.
More worryingly, Mono-skiers seem an endangered species and I hear David Attenborough is doing a special on them soon.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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In Les Arcs last week and said the same. Agree with the OP's original ratio as well.
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Had a bit of banter with a boarder last week as he described ski boots as instruments of torture and I agreed that boarding boits are much more comfortable but the instrument of torture is the board that attaches to board boots!
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@tangowaggon,
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but the instrument of torture is the board that attaches to board boots
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Not so much the board, but the ground you hit when you fall off it. When boarding (stopped about 7 years ago) I often felt like I'd been 10 rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard. The front fall chest-whams were the worst. Young persons game IMO.
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As regards 'ratio' ....... who cares as long as everyone's enjoying themselves.
But ...... this topic seems to get raised almost solely by skiers, one can only guess why ....... Validation .....? Envy .....?
Boarding isn't as approachable, especially for people of certain age, or limit of physical and mental fibre, so skiing will always to the fore, especially after the newness/cool blip 'boarding enjoyed has fallen away 
AAT-I-C
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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.
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"Ratio of boarders to skiers"
Do you mean blocking the ramps and sitting on the middle of the piste. The boarders have it. 
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| BCjohnny wrote: |
| As regards 'ratio' ....... who cares as long as everyone's enjoying themselves.... |
Sneachta2013 cares - wouldn't have asked the question otherwise.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We invariably get some boarders on the sHs Bashes - the mathematically inclined could work out the ratios if they want to. Regardless of what the ratio actually is, I enjoy bimbling round the slopes with fellow sHs whether they are skiers or boarders. 
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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.
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But ...... this topic seems to get raised almost solely by skiers, one can only guess why ....... Validation .....? Envy .....?
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You don’t need to guess, there’s been a massive, measurable shift away from snowboarding in the last few years and that’s interesting to discuss. Sales have dropped drastically, sponsorship is disappearing from competition, there’s a lot less interest in snowboarding from younger skiers etc etc and we've been seeing it on the slopes for quite some time now
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You know it makes sense.
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I snowboard alone so I especially feel heavily outnumbered; less so at weekends when groups of young guys from nearby towns arrive or in resorts with a high British contingent.
I'm 59 and didn't begin until I was 53, it hurt the first few weeks but these days I generally only fall on ice; however, there is still a good chance that I'll be on skis in another 5 or 6 years!
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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You should see Hemel on a Tuesday night about 70-80% boarders. Thursday and Friday freestyle nights also big on boarding. Mainly young but there are def older ones too.
On the slopes though I agree its a massive difference in ratio but I wonder if that's a cost thing.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Boarding is mostly young people, most young people are crippled by high house prices.
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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?
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Well, you'll only ever see me on a board, but there while there was a reasonable contingent of snowboarders out at EK the other week, skiing is always much more prevelent. Eldest is now learning and will be doing a full week of lessons at Easter, and youngest is still keen to turn his hand to it.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Lots of sports have highs and lows
Not many windsurfers compared to a few years ago
Around here a lot of folk that were into mountain biking seem to be switching to road cycling
Im sure a lot of it is down to overall fitness and agility you need to snowboard well
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I alternate between skiing and boarding depending on conditions and how I feel. I would say I'm a reasonable intermediate at both, slightly better on skis, and unlikely to progress much more given I can get out to Alps once a year.
In fresh snow with some nice stuff between pistes (not really off piste, just at the edge) then it will be the board everytime. Icy and/or pisted runs will see me reach for the skis
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So @Boris, when you're packing to go to the mountains, do you take both or rent local?
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@Richard_Sideways, take both - we drive so is easy just to throw it all in. I periodically alter between preferring to board and ski - currently boarding has the upper hand but a few more heavy falls may see me favour skiiing 
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Boarding is mostly young people, most young people are crippled by high house prices.
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I'd disagree with this - I would imagine there's more boarders around 40-ish, those that learnt when it was at its peak and didn't ever switch to skiing, while younger people (say twenties/thirties) are more into freestyle, twin tips etc
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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.
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Boarding is still popular in the UK. There is a reasonably high ratio at the English club fields and particularly in Scotland.
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Seems to be popular in Spain too still. I would agree that snowboarding seems to be declining in France and Italy
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Snowboarding definitely on a downswing -- as others mentioned, twin tip and superfat skis give you 90 percent of the snowboarding experience with a lot more versatility. Plus there's the unclipping at EVERY lift and the inability to skate through the flats or slight inclines.
While I enjoyed the several times I tried snowboarding, I didn't pursue it. It was a combination of the above inconveniences and the lack of control on hardpack/ice, as I never really got to a level where I didn't have to just scrape down in those conditions.
However, I think ski sales are down pretty sharply, too.
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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.
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Skiing out of La Tania last week there still seemed to be a decent amount of boarders. I wasn't really doing the calcs but off the top of my head 25% of punters. Years ago they were going to take over the world so I guess in those terms it's way down. My 12 year old boards perhaps 2 of 8 days having started dabbling from 8yo. Daughter who is 10 did a few runs this week and really enjoyed it. It's just another string to their bow isn't it. I think me and the missus are too old to start. Although I did see a bloke of a similar age learning with an instructor. His quote "and to think I'm pay for this" didn't enamor me to the idea. Often fancied having at telemarking though!
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@PeakyB, Snowboarding never was very big Am Arlberg. And now is close to extinction. Finally that nonsense is over.
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You know it makes sense.
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Finally that nonsense is over.
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Why is it nonsense?
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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IMO the reason for the swing away from snowboarding is crashingly obvious.
When I worked a ski season in 93/94 it was towards the end of the days of long skinny skis.
At that point, snowboards had a massive advantage off-piste. If you were a good skier then you could keep up when the snow was really light and fluffy or only just freshly tracked but when it got heavy or porridgy or chopped up but not skied out then a half decent snowboarder would make you look like a muppet.
Even on piste, the much greater side cut of snowboards allowed people to carve more easily (albeit not on really hard pistes unless in hard boots).
I decided to focus on my skiing but if I'd worked another season I would have split my time between skiing and boarding.
Subsequently ski designers learned from snowboards and we got fatter, shorter and more shaped skis. These have removed much
(all?) of the disadvantage of skis but retained the benefits (just a much more flexible tool for getting round a mountain).
Lots of snow boarders have switched back. Fewer young people have been motivated to try boarding.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Subsequently ski designers learned from snowboards and we got fatter, shorter and more shaped skis. These have removed much
(all?) of the disadvantage of skis but retained the benefits (just a much more flexible tool for getting round a mountain).
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... apart from the turn-twang-ARGH F*&! MY KNEE! injuries.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I took rubbish skiing lessons (ESF!!) in my teens and 20s. Approaching 30 I took good (Canada!) boarding lessons, loved it. Now have two daughters so switched back to skiing to "support" them as they learned. The eldest, 12 in March, wants to start boarding - I might let her this year or next when her skiing is pretty good. I'd be happy to go again with her, I have good memories of it; with skiing I always feel I'm fighting my upbringing.
A fair point that the option of boarding is directly related with the amount of soft snow available. Tried it once in Sierra Nevada on thin snow/ice - ouch.
Skiing is more relaxing for us oldies as one can stop and stand and lean on poles, rather than sitting down and getting a cold and wet bum every time then standing up again. Can't comment on parallels vs side cut, I never got that good  Also true that falls are more likely boarding when catching an edge, as opposed to skiing which can usually be done "gently", so probably not good for the less fit.
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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?
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But you have to wear those instruments of torture which weigh a metric ton and make you walk like a retarded robot.
And will it ever be possible to experience the same sensation on 2 planks as when doing this:
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sorry I brought up the subject...!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@hd. There are myriads of you tube vids that say yes you can. I have skied several times in 2 ft of fresh powder and thought it wonderful (but don't have any photos to prove it!).
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| Sneachta2013 wrote: |
| Sorry I brought up the subject...! |
Pfft! You're only 1 page in! You can't be regretting this until at least page 8.
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@hd, with fat skis, yes you can. In fact I see almost no difference these days. Tried boarding a couple of times back in the 80s. Maybe I shouldn't have tried it on an icy glacier, but the experience was quite distressing. The force with which I was getting slammed alternately on my ass and face was really quite impressive  Too much for me!
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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.
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Yep - it's the fun, easy to ride skis that dun it. My demographic snowboarded and the sport is aging with us. Snowboarding is now something your parents do and that's never going to appeal to most kids.
(Check out who has board bags at the airport - twenty years ago they accessorised with baggy jeans and a wallet on a chain, ten years ago it was a toddler on a trunki, now it's a grouchy tweenager.)
I find instructors, guides and seasonaires can usually turn their hand to boarding - backing up my theory that the more time you spend on the slope, you less you worry about what you and anybody else is riding.
@geoffers - the difference isn't something you see, it's something you feel 
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I think we’re ignoring one of the other important factors. What one might call the Edith - Savannah - Traycee - Edith cycle. I.e. boarding has simply gone out of fashion. When the yoof want to be rad and alternative they would previously have become borders. Not that the first generation of rebellious borders are the age of their grandparents it’s no longer rebellious. A bit like ‘Edith’ it will come full circle and return to fashion again in due course.
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