Skateboarding and snowboarding are excellent board sports with similar stances, balancing, and basic riding skills.
But while snowboarding occurs on a snow-covered surface, skateboarding is done on dry land.
If you enjoy thrills, you are certain to love them. Plus, you’re sure to get a full-body workout from both.
But are they comparable in ease?
Is Snowboarding Harder Than Skateboarding?
Is snowboarding harder than skateboarding? Snowboarding isn’t as hard as skateboarding.
Because a snowboard has a large base area in contact with snow and is strapped to your feet, it is easier to balance and control.
1. Balance and Coordination
A snowboard has a broad base area on snow, making it more stable and easier to balance.
Also, the friction between the snowboard and the snow keeps it stable and reduces the likelihood of slipping under your feet when onboarding.
You can also shift your body weight more freely on a snowboard without fear of the board slipping under your feet.
On the other hand, a skateboard is much more challenging to balance. Because there is less friction between the wheels and the surface, the board starts rolling when you place one foot on it. It is, therefore, more likely to slip under your feet when onboarding.
You must also balance your weight between the two pairs of wheels. If you lean too far to one end of the board, it may shoot out from beneath you.
For a smooth skating experience on many skateparks, you should also learn to ride on transition sections such as stairs and ramps early on.
Because your skateboard isn’t strapped to your feet, it’s easy to lose contact with it when you ride on these bumpy surfaces.
As a result, you must learn to keep the board in contact with your feet when riding on choppy surfaces, making skateboarding challenging for a novice.
To sum up, you can learn the basics of snowboarding and ride mild slopes within a day.
Skateboarding, however, needs more practice because of the balancing challenge.
Once you pick the basics, both sports require a lot of practice time to master.
2. Propulsion and Skating Fast
Snowboarding relies on the force of gravity to propel you down a snow-covered slope.
It does not require pushing with your leg muscles but allows you to enjoy the thrill of the ride.
As such, a snowboarder can attain high speeds, requiring swift control and steering.
According to The Washington Post analysis, snowboard cross competitors reach top speeds around 60 mph.
While this is a win for snowboarding, the high speed a snowboarder can achieve makes snowboarding riskier, particularly for advanced snowboarders drawn to steep slopes.
Skateboarding, on the other hand, requires you to push repeatedly to gain speed.
Riding downhill on a skateboard can, no doubt, increase your speed. But most of the time, you’ll need to kick, which requires skill and can be exhausting.
Also, controlling a skateboard is more challenging because it is not attached to your feet.
3. Performing Tricks
Performing tricks like jumps and rotations is easier on a snowboard than it is on a skateboard.
The ease is because a snowboard is strapped to your feet, giving you more control.
Strapping also ensures the snowboard maintains contact with your feet.
With skateboarding, you must first learn to maintain contact with the board when doing tricks since it’s not tied to your feet.
4. Braking Technique
Both snowboards and skateboards have no inbuilt braking mechanism. They rely on friction with the surface to stop.
To stop a snowboard, ensure the board is across or perpendicular to the slope you’re riding.
Then if facing forward, lean back and dig the heel side edge of the board into the snow while lifting your toes.
If facing back, press the toe-side edge of your board into the snow, and lift your heels slightly.
This stance will generate enough friction to stop.
A skateboard, on the contrary, has wheels, and you have to establish a third point of contact with the ground to generate friction to stop.
To achieve this, you must press the tail to the floor or lower your foot to the ground and drag it.
These maneuvers can compromise your balance and require a lot of practice, making stopping a skateboard harder than a snowboard.
Other methods of stopping a skateboard, like controlled slide stopping and power sliding, are more advanced and not newbie friendly.
