Skiers vs. snowboarders in 1985
This hilarious clip from 1985 is a fantastic example of the early reactions to the mysterious sport that was snowboarding. From the very first trials of the snurfer in the 1960’s, this sport was viewed with suspicion by most skiers. A brash upstart, “surfing on snow” took the skiing world by force in the 1980’s, spreading across the US and Canada and finally crossing the pond to Europe. Was it because they were banned from most ski resorts that snowboarders became such a rebellious crowd? Who knows, but you almost feel sorry for this skier who’s about to see his world change...
Ah, skiing and snowboarding, the epitome of yin and yang. They share a love for nature, speed and the thrill of an adrenaline rush, yet they spend much of the time wanting to kill each other. You could argue that each one should stay in their part of the mountain, although I once saw a boarder givin’ er on a gladed run and it totally changed my perspective on boarding forever and ever. So just why is it that we hate each other so much?
It’s the first argument that comes to mind: skiers are downright snobs, and snowboarders are downright obnoxious. Whose side are you on – the uptight snots who think they can ban boarders from their ski hills, or the dangerous punkass snowboarders who wreck the ski pistes? In the early days some resorts even went so far as to subject snowboarders to certification tests to make sure they were good enough to ride the mountain without scraping off all the snow. Tacky? Just a little...
Obnoxious snowboarders thinking they can just stop in the middle of the slope!
Flashy bellbottoms and elegant streamlined outfits might have ruled the slopes back in the day, but it’s no secret snowboarders take the cake now for style. In fact, the whole image of a snowboarder is just more relaxed, from the laid-back attitude to the slouchy posture and baggy pants. And those boots, those comfy, sexy boots...
Stylish skiers © Beech Mountain Resort
“Dude I was shreddin’ the gnar and I bailed so hard on that rail, man!”
Aimee Fuller © Roxy Chamonix
Snowboarders have a harder learning curve and everybody knows you should prepare to spend a good percentage of time on your backside when you first start out. However inspiring technically competent snowboarders may be, the overwhelmingly high percentage of novice boarders leave sheets of ice in their wake, much to the chagrin of the skiers who were looking forward to tackling that mogul field. On the bright side, once you master the bare basics of snowboarding, it’s easy to look super cool on the slopes (although you’ll forever be obliged to look like a fish out of water on the flat parts). Skiing technique, on the other hand, is very difficult to master completely – but the sport is way more forgiving on newbies. Perhaps this is why we seem to be seeing more and more skiers on the slopes every year?
Learning to ski
The speed record for skiing is 255km/hr, while the speed record for snowboarding is a paltry 203km/hr. But snowboarders took the idea of a skateboard park and transferred it to the snow, thus inventing the art of freestyling. And that brings us to...
Wicked snowboard tricks
Skiing has been around forever and popular in the Alps since the 1800's, so it’s pretty easy to argue that there would be no snowboarding at all if it weren’t for the skiing industry. But snowboarding has made its fair share of contributions during its young lifespan. The sport often claims credit for the invention of the sidecut, a huge contribution to the winter sport industry as it made skis and boards much more agile and easier to carve. And many people argue that snowboarders revolutionised the sport of freeriding, although pro skiers were already tackling off-piste terrain when most snowboarders were still in diapers. That’s not to mention the skateboard-obsessed youngsters who took to the hills in droves and made freestyling practically synonymous with snowboarding. Their enthusiasm and hard work led to the creation of the first-ever freestyle snow park at Bear Mountain in 1991, which was modelled after a skate park with banked turns, jumps and jibs. Skiing, your move.
Skiers hitting up snowboard parks
Diehard 80’s snowboarders will fiercely maintain that they are the original rebels and nobody can come near them, and we see their point. Far from the original polarised debate, it’s not uncommon nowadays to see super slouchy clothes on a skier, or super uptight people snowboarding, and these images defy all stereotypes and confuse us. Is the whole debate so over? Are skiers becoming snowboarders, and vice-versa? If my 45-year-old Uncle Pat snowboards, does that make it uncool? Have skiers chilled out now that they’ve noticed that snowboarders don’t exist only for the purpose of stealing the limelight? Did we just get better at divvying up the mountain in a way that everybody can enjoy it? These intriguing mysteries should be the object of very close study on your next ski or snowboard holiday.
Skiers vs. snowboarders in 1985
This hilarious clip from 1985 is a fantastic example of the early reactions to the mysterious sport that was snowboarding. From the very first trials of the snurfer in the 1960’s, this sport was viewed with suspicion by most skiers. A brash upstart, “surfing on snow” took the skiing world by force in the 1980’s, spreading across the US and Canada and finally crossing the pond to Europe. Was it because they were banned from most ski resorts that snowboarders became such a rebellious crowd? Who knows, but you almost feel sorry for this skier who’s about to see his world change...
Ah, skiing and snowboarding, the epitome of yin and yang. They share a love for nature, speed and the thrill of an adrenaline rush, yet they spend much of the time wanting to kill each other. You could argue that each one should stay in their part of the mountain, although I once saw a boarder givin’ er on a gladed run and it totally changed my perspective on boarding forever and ever. So just why is it that we hate each other so much?
It’s the first argument that comes to mind: skiers are downright snobs, and snowboarders are downright obnoxious. Whose side are you on – the uptight snots who think they can ban boarders from their ski hills, or the dangerous punkass snowboarders who wreck the ski pistes? In the early days some resorts even went so far as to subject snowboarders to certification tests to make sure they were good enough to ride the mountain without scraping off all the snow. Tacky? Just a little...
Obnoxious snowboarders thinking they can just stop in the middle of the slope!
Flashy bellbottoms and elegant streamlined outfits might have ruled the slopes back in the day, but it’s no secret snowboarders take the cake now for style. In fact, the whole image of a snowboarder is just more relaxed, from the laid-back attitude to the slouchy posture and baggy pants. And those boots, those comfy, sexy boots...
Stylish skiers © Beech Mountain Resort
“Dude I was shreddin’ the gnar and I bailed so hard on that rail, man!”
Aimee Fuller © Roxy Chamonix
Snowboarders have a harder learning curve and everybody knows you should prepare to spend a good percentage of time on your backside when you first start out. However inspiring technically competent snowboarders may be, the overwhelmingly high percentage of novice boarders leave sheets of ice in their wake, much to the chagrin of the skiers who were looking forward to tackling that mogul field. On the bright side, once you master the bare basics of snowboarding, it’s easy to look super cool on the slopes (although you’ll forever be obliged to look like a fish out of water on the flat parts). Skiing technique, on the other hand, is very difficult to master completely – but the sport is way more forgiving on newbies. Perhaps this is why we seem to be seeing more and more skiers on the slopes every year?
Learning to ski
The speed record for skiing is 255km/hr, while the speed record for snowboarding is a paltry 203km/hr. But snowboarders took the idea of a skateboard park and transferred it to the snow, thus inventing the art of freestyling. And that brings us to...
Wicked snowboard tricks
Skiing has been around forever and popular in the Alps since the 1800's, so it’s pretty easy to argue that there would be no snowboarding at all if it weren’t for the skiing industry. But snowboarding has made its fair share of contributions during its young lifespan. The sport often claims credit for the invention of the sidecut, a huge contribution to the winter sport industry as it made skis and boards much more agile and easier to carve. And many people argue that snowboarders revolutionised the sport of freeriding, although pro skiers were already tackling off-piste terrain when most snowboarders were still in diapers. That’s not to mention the skateboard-obsessed youngsters who took to the hills in droves and made freestyling practically synonymous with snowboarding. Their enthusiasm and hard work led to the creation of the first-ever freestyle snow park at Bear Mountain in 1991, which was modelled after a skate park with banked turns, jumps and jibs. Skiing, your move.
Skiers hitting up snowboard parks
Diehard 80’s snowboarders will fiercely maintain that they are the original rebels and nobody can come near them, and we see their point. Far from the original polarised debate, it’s not uncommon nowadays to see super slouchy clothes on a skier, or super uptight people snowboarding, and these images defy all stereotypes and confuse us. Is the whole debate so over? Are skiers becoming snowboarders, and vice-versa? If my 45-year-old Uncle Pat snowboards, does that make it uncool? Have skiers chilled out now that they’ve noticed that snowboarders don’t exist only for the purpose of stealing the limelight? Did we just get better at divvying up the mountain in a way that everybody can enjoy it? These intriguing mysteries should be the object of very close study on your next ski or snowboard holiday.
Born and raised in the ski paradise of Vancouver, Canada, I learned to ski before I can remember, balancing precariously on my parents’ skis as they sailed down the hill. I started snowboarding in my teens and am now delighted to be exploring everything Europe’s ski scene has to offer!
