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Skateboard vs Snowboard- A Hard And Cold Comparison
Have you ever wondered whether skateboard vs snowboard is the best option for you? In many ways, these two sports are similar, and knowing skateboarding can help you learn snowboarding, and vice versa. When attempting to transfer your skills from one sport to another, you must also consider the major differences between skateboarding and snowboarding.
A quick comparison of skateboarding and snowboarding is as follows:
- Except for the bindings, stance and balance are similar (longboard).
- Carving and stopping skills are similar, but stopping requires a different set of skills.
- Skateboarding is more difficult to learn at first.
- Skateboarding is more accessible and less expensive to learn.
- Basic skateboarding is more dangerous than basic snowboarding.
- Tricks are similar – many snowboard tricks are inspired by skateboarding.
- Transferable skills include general balance and stance, ramp and rail tricks, and carving.
Balance and stance on a skateboard vs. a snowboard
One of the things that connects skateboarding and snowboarding is their stance, which we can refer to as surf stance because it involves standing sideways when facing the direction of travel.
Despite the fact that a snowboard is typically longer (55′′-62′′) than a longboard (36′′-48′′), the width of your stance on both types of boards is about shoulder width. On a longboard, your feet are closer to the tips than on a snowboard.
On a skateboard, you might not have as much of a “duck stance” (feet pointing 45o in opposite directions) as you would on a snowboard. On a skateboard, your feet are generally more parallel.
Another significant distinction is that your feet are strapped through the bindings on a snowboard, whereas they are free to move on a longboard. As a result, balancing is a little different, because on a snowboard, you can lean forward or backward a lot without losing your board, whereas on a skateboard, you can’t.
Basic riding skills on a skateboard vs. a snowboard
When riding a skateboard or snowboard, your natural balance is similar. However, when riding a skateboard, all four wheels are on the ground, whereas when riding a snowboard, you typically ride on the edge of the board and only on the flat in more advanced situations. Skateboarding differs from skateboarding in that it allows you to ride on the edge.
On the other hand, the body motion for carving on a skateboard and a snowboard is very similar – for example, initiating turns with your head, shoulders, and upper body. Both require you to shift your body weight to lean onto an edge in order to turn. Leaning makes your wheels turn on a skateboard, but it makes your board edge into the turn on a snowboard.
Skateboarders frequently use foot braking, bailing, and outrunning to come to a stop, which you can’t do on a snowboard because your feet are strapped to the board. Stopping on a snowboard, on the other hand, is very similar to power sliding on a skateboard, where you shift your weight off and push out to make your board skid across the slope.
Learning Curve: Skateboard vs. Snowboard
Most people agree that skateboarding is more difficult to learn than snowboarding when it comes to the learning curve. The following are the reasons:
When you step on a skateboard on a paved surface, it will start rolling right away, with the possibility of the board shooting out from under you. You’re bound to the board and initially parallel to the slope on a snowboard, so you’re relatively safe at first.
Anyone can get on a skateboard and ride around for a while, but learning the fundamentals of pushing, turning, and stopping takes more time and effort than snowboarding. Learning to ride down a mild slope on a snowboard takes about a day, whereas safely rolling down a slope on a skateboard takes a lot more practice.
Once you’ve mastered the fundamentals of snowboarding, such as linking turns and riding down a hill without falling, the learning curve for riding bigger hills, cliff jumps, and pipe gets steeper. Learning freestyle or dancing tricks on a longboard, as well as bombing hills and sliding, and riding ramps and transitions, are all difficult skills to master.
Skateboard vs. snowboard: cost & accessibility
Skateboarding is a relatively inexpensive sport to get into, with boards ranging from $90 to $250 depending on the type (see my post How much do longboards cost). You might also want to spend another $100 or so on some safety equipment.
A snowboard, including boots and bindings, is much more expensive. You must also consider the cost of snowboarding pants, jackets, goggles, and gloves. When you factor in the cost of getting to the mountain and the cost of lift tickets, it all adds up to a significant sum.
Skateboarding can be done anywhere, including flatland areas and parking lots, bike lanes for cruising, nearby hills for freeriding, and city streets and skateparks for street, transition, and pool skating. You can practice tricks like ollies and kickflips for free anywhere, and you can access many city skateparks for a small fee.
Dangers of Skateboarding vs. Snowboarding
Skateboarding, as previously stated, carries a higher risk of injuring yourself by colliding with the pavement with your body or head, even when riding slowly. Snowboarding isn’t as bad because you’re mostly riding on snow and can slide when you fall. When skateboarding, small falls hurt a lot more because of the impact and road rash.
Skateboarding tricks also result in frequent bruises on the knees (unless kneepads are worn), shins, and ankles.
Falling downhill at high speeds while snowboarding can cause serious injuries. If you don’t know what you’re doing, the mountain environment can be extremely dangerous, especially on more advanced slopes.
Overall, at the beginner level, skateboarding is probably riskier than snowboarding. The more advanced you get at snowboarding, the riskier it becomes. Advanced skateboarding can be dangerous, especially when commuting in traffic, freeriding on large hills, or performing advanced kick tricks.
Tricks on a skateboard vs. a snowboard
Skaters learn snowboarding rail tricks much faster than non-skaters because their body positioning and movements are similar. A skateboarder who can do a 360 on a snowboard, on the other hand, will have an easier time doing the same trick on a skateboard.
On a skateboard, jumping is different than on a snowboard. On a skateboard, an ollie is performed by kicking the back of your board while lifting your front foot briefly off the ground. Because your feet are strapped on a snowboard, you can simply pop your feet off the floor to get your board up.
Skateboarding vs. snowboarding: Transferable Skills
Is it possible to transfer skateboarding skills to snowboarding (and vice versa)? One thing is certain: your balancing skills from one sport will undoubtedly aid you in learning the other much more quickly.
The opposite isn’t always true: just because you’re a snowboarder doesn’t mean you’ll be able to balance on a skateboard right away. Riding on wheels often takes more practice.
Freestyle (street tricks, transitions, vert/halfpipe) and freeride are the sports where skills transfer best from one to the other (carving and sliding downhill).
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Conclusion
Skateboarding and snowboarding are complementary sports, and many riders use the other to cross-train for one. Outside of the snowboarding season, skateboarding (or longboarding) can be done easily and cheaply.
From Spring to Fall, skateboarding allows you to stay in shape while honing your balancing, carving, downhill, and freestyle skills. Conversely, if you have the time and money, snowboarding can keep you riding even when it’s too cold and icy to skate!
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