Winter is the season we tell ourselves we like until it eventually comes around again, and when the bitter air bites at our skin, we remember that we never really liked it after all. However, few people find solace in extreme sports. These people are called “adrenaline junkies” and spend time on the slopes of mountains near and far.

However there is a communal split between mountain riders, so what is it, snowboarding or skiing? Today I will explore this world and find out for myself what really makes winter worthwhile.

Mr. Smolka is a teacher of physics here at the iSchool, and he uses his knowledge of the way our universe functions he masters the art of snowboarding. “Skiing is harder than snowboarding, I tried skiing and I didn’t like it so i went to snowboarding.”

“Snowboarders and skiers actually share only two things, each are forced to share slopes and both hate each other for it,” said an anonymous iSchool freshman and snowboarder. He continued on to state “you’ll often find more skiers fallen down because it’s harder for them to prop themselves back up, there’s almost a ritual to it. However much snowboarders may struggle to get up, it’s quite simple, Hook an edge and pull yourself up.”

While snowboarding last weekend, I had a chance to interview a snowboarding instructor at Ski Butternut, near Great Barrington, Massachusetts. His name is Adam and he had experience in both forms of extreme winter sports. Here is what he said, “I started skiing when I was a little kid, probably like seven, and I don’t ever remember not being able to do it. I remember being able to just get on skis and I could go and do it. I wasn’t good but i could basically go and ski. And it was years before I could get on steep stuff, you know like black diamonds and stuff like that.”

He then went on to say “when I started snowboarding, um, I spent my first year on my butt, you know just falling all the time. I just couldn’t do it. But once i got past that, once I got past that kind of learning curve at the beginning of it, once I was up and riding, like, it was within a year or two that I could basically go wherever I wanted to on that mountain.”

Part of this comparison is that both have their unique and different styles including, movement restrictions and allow for more or less movement. Each has their own learning curve. For example skiers will spend less time on learning the basics, but after that point snowboarders have lost all restrictions besides their own cowardice. Once the basics have been conquered, snowboarders get to focus on tricks and stunts and other experiences, which become significantly harder for their skiing counterparts.

When it comes to the lifts, skiers have an easier time because they have individual leg movement they can get on and off without having to unclip from the board. Mr Smolka said, “I love the lift it’s not really that hard, you just don’t fall over,” being the odd one out of many snowboarders”. Snowboarders have both legs bound to the board, so to move around and work the lift several issues arise.

“I consider myself fairly experienced in snowboarding yet I find myself cautious the lift sometimes,” said the anonymous freshman.

Each sport contains its own individuality, each with its own learning curves, styles, and control. Snowboarding is more free and less restricting once you get past the basics, but that can be a challenge for most. Skiing can be quick to pick up but can also be frustrating to move beyond those early skills.

When deciding you must really consider what you want to do and the kind of adventure you want to have. If you’re looking for quick responsiveness and casual but cool style, snowboarding is for you. However, if your pushing for a quick start and more of a challenge, than skiing is more your speed. In the end, this decision is yours: snowboarding, skiing, or spending the winter in climate controlled bliss, either way is fine.