Snowboarding is rad, Skiing is sad

Originally published in 2015 December issue of The Beacon magazine for Olentangy High School

Snowboarding is cooler than its polar opposite. With its origins in surfing, how could skiing compete?

Sure, snowboarders are a nuisance to skiers, but it’s because skiers are so uptight in comparison. Snowboarders take time to enjoy the view from the top while strapping up, while skiers are so anxious to hop off the chairlift and get to the bottom as fast as they can. Snowboarders criss-crossing down the slope revel in the satisfying feeling of snow under their board, while skiers fast-forward to the end, not bothering to enjoy the journey. However, it’s not their fault for being in such a hurry; those uncomfortable ski boots would make anyone scramble over a hill as fast as possible.

Skiers may reach faster speeds, but snowboarding tricks are still more entertaining to see. Who watches skiing in the X Games when they can watch Shaun White or Ohio-raised snowboarder Louie Vito shred up the snow?

“Snowboarding is more fun to watch than skiing. They can do better tricks,” Michael Savoldi ‘16 said.

While snowboarding has higher street cred than skiing, it is also surprisingly safer. According to snowboarding-essentials.com, snowboarding is kinder on the knees. While snowboarding does leave the wrists more vulnerable in a bad fall, this can be easily avoided with wrist guards and proper form. Although skiers and snowboarders nationwide are susceptible to similar amounts of catastrophic injuries, skiers are still more likely to die from a serious accident, according to the National Ski Area Association.

It’s too bad skiers can’t use their lame poles to propel their minds around how rad snowboarding is. The rivalry between the two sports has gone on for what seems like forever, but skiers will always shake their pole sticks at snowboarders for having more fun.