Bulgaria Ski discussion board

I learnt to board in Pamporovo last week and we started on the blue runs. My instructor, despite being a biased boarder, suggested that boarding is easier as you only have two edges to worry about as opposed to four on ski's. While you fall over a lot initially, which is probably the same on ski's, at least your legs are strapped parallel so the risk of looking like Bambi or injuring yourself are grately reduced.

Be warned, it does seem that once you've learnt to either board or ski you come a complete snob and disregard the other discipline out of hand. My girlfriend is a skier and we bickered constantly about which is the better of the two. Would like to think I was right however as she is now making noises about giving boarding a try.

JX

I think it's all reversed now. It used ton be the skier saying how cool they are and that all boarders were losers. Now it has reversed and skiers just get on the job of skiing well, and getting down the slopes with grace, while the boarder seem more worried about how they look and how cool they are. The prentiousness seems to have swopped from skiers to boarder.

Personally i'd learn to ski because you will cover more of the mountain skiing in a week than you will on a board, but hell, what do i care, do whatever, just make sure you enjoy the mountains and have a good time.

I skied last year and i didnt really like it, gave the boarding a go this year and i loved it. Skiing is much easier to learn but harder to master. Boarding on the other hand has a lot to do with balance and the type of person you are.. you have to be willing to go with the flow and not try and force the board and some people find this hard. I did a few reds on my last 2 days and i didnt fall and i have to say without doubt it was absolutely fantastic... but in saying that there were also people who were in the school that spent the entire week on their arse and had a miserable time.

I'm a boarder and like to think I'm not biased yeah right!

For the first three days with boarding you'll spend a lot of time on yer a1$e, in pain and thinking you'll never get it but once it clicks it's easier than skiing to get to an intermediate level. Also you'll be able to get off piste and into tree runs quicker than if you were learning to ski.

Skiing however is quicker and techically more demanding and can can look fantastic. However many IMO do not get to this point or where they can straightline down the pistewhich is where the spped comes into it, I tend to over take mnay skiers by sitting onto the back edge of my board a letting rip.

Also the feeling you get when you can link turns on a board with the slightest presure of your feet to your bindings just feels like youre flying and totally in tune- even better in powder