Mountain Biking - Snowboarding = MTB'ing = ???

So here I was enjoying my favorite winter sport, diving into some tight single track (yes, when going through trees on a snowboard that are spaced 1.5 times the width of my board, I call it single track) – I was pondering the relation of mountain biking and snowboarding. Both are fast, get progressively more technical with increased skill, can be done alone or with others, require a fair amount of fitness, etc….
My question is what others do to fuel the need for adrenaline release, solitude, fitness, (insert what other you ride a MTB for here) when riding a bike is not a realistic option?

adrenaline: none.

solitude: because of the crud weather i get depressed, and find it much better if i am with other people (friends, family, sweethearts, w.e.). if i really wanted to be 'lone, i'll walk the dog - no one is ever in the parks this time of year.

fitness: hockey, volleyball, work, get on the bike trainer.

Snow boarding is BMXer stuff, IMO. I see MTB more as Skiing. Which is fun, but in Ohio, REALLY, REALLY, sucks.

i see skiing as more of a roadie thing, and snowboarding more as a mountain biker thing.

I love skiing, and see snowboarding as a bunch of twerps trying to show off.

This is probably because my limited exposure to snowboarders has been bad, but the ones I've seen are stupidly wreckless (I've seen plently of boarders completely wipe out single/whole groups of skiers), don't give a toss after they've done it and have a habit of sitting down and "chillin'" in the middle of the slope.

Tis fun to watch the ski instructors deal with them though, one got a swift snowball to the back of the head and another got chased down the slope and had his pass taken away, look on his face was priceless, he did deserve it though, after purposely ploughing through the ski group I was in and knocking a few of us over.

Cross country skiing IMO is more of the roadie winter sport.

I do love scrambling/climbing as well, scrambling slightly more than climbing because You can cover much more ground, but it can still be very techinally challenging.

For excersise when not biking I do like hiking, like swimming as well but don't go as often as I'd like.

Funny - I didn't expect the comment of the negative snowboarder experience. But, if that’s your experience, then it is what it is. I guess for me there really is not a difference between the board and the skis – I grew up surfing, when I moved to a snowy place in my min 20s with 5 ski resorts within an hour, I figured I had to strap something to my feet - at the time the board made the most sense. That was over 15 years ago

I do XC skiing, snowshoeing, running, swimming, etc – I figure all of that stuff is just training, advancing my fitness – or spending active time with the family. But, snowboarding and mtnbiking are why I like to be fit – so that perform at the highest level I am capable of. And I love excitement and adrenaline.

riding a mountain bike in the winter is alot like skiing/snowboarding in the way it handles

I love skiing, and see snowboarding as a bunch of twerps trying to show off.

Bah, typical two-planker. Maybe if your pants weren't so tight you'd be able to chill out a little. And get that ski pole out of your ass.

Just kidding. ;) I ride with both skiers and snowboarders, and most of them do both disciplines anyway...they just favor one or the other. (Except for me...I have no idea how to ski). I've also had good and bad experiences with both...I've seen both types of people being rude and both out of control and flying down the slope completely out of control, but I've also seen both being courteous and both riding in control. In my experience, annoying snowboarders tend to be more obnoxious/immature and annoying skiers tend to be more "I'm so much better than you and I own this place," but there's plenty of crossover.

And yeah, I can see snowboarding and mountain biking relating to each other. They're both carving sports that provide adrenaline rush. They both can have that zen aspect of backcountry singletrack/powder, or you can race or freestyle with either. And they seem to attract similar people.

The only thing that makes me mad about snowboarders (and its not all, because I know a good number of skiers who do this too) is that they stop in the middle of the friggen run and make you go around them, or they decide get up and go really slowly right in front of you.

Bah, typical two-planker. Maybe if your pants weren't so tight you'd be able to chill out a little. And get that ski pole out of your ass.

Just kidding. ;) I ride with both skiers and snowboarders, and most of them do both disciplines anyway...they just favor one or the other. (Except for me...I have no idea how to ski). I've also had good and bad experiences with both...I've seen both types of people being rude and both out of control and flying down the slope completely out of control, but I've also seen both being courteous and both riding in control. In my experience, annoying snowboarders tend to be more obnoxious/immature and annoying skiers tend to be more "I'm so much better than you and I own this place," but there's plenty of crossover.

And yeah, I can see snowboarding and mountain biking relating to each other. They're both carving sports that provide adrenaline rush. They both can have that zen aspect of backcountry singletrack/powder, or you can race or freestyle with either. And they seem to attract similar people.

I rekon I probably would like snowboarding, never tried it though. Skiers can probably be just bad, I just happened to catch the nice side of skiers and bad side of snowboarders.

I don't see how snowboarding is any more similar to mountain biking than skiing though. I've seen skiiers do much more impressive stuff both downhill and on ramps then I've ever seen a snowboarder do, mabye I've just been watching the wrong ones though. I suppose the sterotypical boarder is probably closer to the stereotypical biker (well, depending on disipline).

I have seen some out of control skiiers as well, but they weren't ploughing through everyone on purpose (the guy who went through our group was obviously in control). Shame that had to be one of the first snowboarders I saw on the slopes, can't get much worse of a first impression.

back in the 90's the skiing and snowboarding divide were akin to skateboarding/rollerblading in the minds of snowboarders. (at least to my group of friends)... then we moved to the mountains. While living in the West I learned how to both downhill ski and telemark. It seems that any of the downhill sports I mentioned are very similar to mtn biking in that there is a certain amount of technical/creative skill involved, and beyond that mtn biking no matter what niche, (cross country, free ride, downhill, freestyle etc.) looks like poetry when executed correctly.

I still can't get behind roller blading though... I still think it's rather lame...

I've been snowboarding for 15 years, and I have seen all kinds of ****wits and ******bags, both on one plank and two. Only the tele folks have been universally mellow. Skiers tend to cut other skiers slack, and snowboarders do the same. Everyone has a certain xenophobia that I don't understand. The way I snowboard is similar to the way I mountain bike:
- with friends [all disciplines]
- away from crowds
- in the trees
- never in the park

I long to snowboard with my friends on a hill devoid of others, with no man-made structures or jumps anywhere [other than the lift and the lodge ;)]. The skies would be clear, the powder arcing over my head, the blood rushing in my ears...

I long to snowboard with my friends on a hill devoid of others, with no man-made structures or jumps anywhere [other than the lift and the lodge ;)]. The skies would be clear, the powder arcing over my head, the blood rushing in my ears...

Amen

As a skier and snowboarder I can easily see two issues that create a rift between the two camps, other than just the age thing.
Skiers blame boarders for the death of moguls.
Boarders blame skiers for the birth of moguls.
All very justified.

IMO, skiing and boarding are both similar to downhill (lift assisted or shuttled)mountain biking.
Good parallels exist between xc skiing (classic and skate) on a groomed trail and road biking. Backcountry skiing is like single track riding, heavier gear, more natural, less predictable environment, generally slower speeds, less carbon fibre, less Lycra.

All of these sports I love.
Except the lift assisted MTB. I think I'd feel foolish sitting on a chairlift with shoes on.

As a skier and snowboarder I can easily see two issues that create a rift between the two camps, other than just the age thing.
Skiers blame boarders for the death of moguls.
Boarders blame skiers for the birth of moguls.
All very justified.

I have found some skiers' obsession with moguls quite entertaining:

Find a nice run full of fresh pow
Make turns every 10', whether you need to or not
Return to the same run, take the exact same line but offset it by 10' to either side or 180 degrees out of phase
Repeat until there is no powder left, only icy troughs around hard mounds of snow the size of VW bugs [this usually takes about 2 hours after the rope drops]
Don't do that run again until the next big dump fills it in or it gets groomed flat

;)
Put that same field of powder in front of me, and I'll pop a snowner, straightline it to get speed and throw down maybe 2 turns. I could hit that same run a dozen times and never take the same line twice. Result - no ice, no hardpack. In my experience, the vast majority of skiers like to make moguls, but don't like to ski them... :lol:

Please know that my comments are all in good fun. About half my buddies ski, and some of them are former racers, so we exchange jabs like these on a regular basis. :)

Put that same field of powder in front of me, and I'll pop a snowner, straightline it to get speed and throw down maybe 2 turns. ... In my experience, the vast majority of skiers like to make moguls, but don't like to ski them... :lol:
When I first lived in out there, I could rely on the moguls of Paradise Bowl at Louise to be of sufficient length and difficulty to get my pulse up, and to warm up my legs. By the time I left AB, I found almost no reason to ski or board that run. Moguls were gone, it's almost always in shade. If I don't throw some turns in, skiing or boarding, my session is going to last about two runs. I just get so cold if I'm not exerting myself aerobically.

When I first lived in out there, I could rely on the moguls of Paradise Bowl at Louise to be of sufficient length and difficulty to get my pulse up, and to warm up my legs. By the time I left AB, I found almost no reason to ski or board that run. Moguls were gone, it's almost always in shade. If I don't throw some turns in, skiing or boarding, my session is going to last about two runs. I just get so cold if I'm not exerting myself aerobically.

I totally hear you. One of the reasons I don't bother going to Louise that much anymore [besides $80 lift tickets] is because they removed the Eagle chair on the front. Eagle Trees was our first and last run of the day, mostly because it was super-tight and really got your blood pumping. Paradise bowl still gets monster moguls occasionally, but the skiers seem to have changed to more of a "big-mountain" style. The ski tips and waist are wider, the turns are bigger and less regular. Moguls are simply less common. Fernie gets some big'uns - I swear you can see the bumps on Stag Leap with Google Earth. :lol:

Snowboarding in the trees. Yes, please. Either skiing or snowboarding is going to be great - depending on your preference. IMO it doesn't matter if you are snowlerblading or riding a saucer, just cutting loose and feeling the rush of speed is really nice. And being outside. The xenophobia is akin to racism (only a much milder blend) if you ask me. Who cares what you ride as long as you are having a nice time in nature?

That said, I miss dirt.

Just got back from a day at Lookout Mountain (http://www.skilookout.com/new/) with my 2 sons - the report said 9 inches of fresh, but I think it was double that. I have not ski'd (boarded) there for about 6 years, back when they only had one lift. Now they have three - I think I have found a new local favorite (I have 5 resorts within 2 hours or less driving). - and its cheap!

ROLLERBLADING is a lot closer to skiing and even snowboarding than cycling. When you get good enough to rollerblade "inline" consistenly, which is lining one skate up in front of the other heel-toe for rapid turns and carves, it becomes a lot like both disciplines. Also, when you're good enough to rollerblade mainly by "rocking" as opposed to just pushing off, that motion is almost directly analogous to ski carving.

I like to think I have a good reason for disliking snowboarders (although as I said, in the fullness of time I'll end up snowboarding anyway). I does grate me slightly though when people dislike stuff just because it's different.


ROLLERBLADING is a lot closer to skiing and even snowboarding than cycling. When you get good enough to rollerblade "inline" consistenly, which is lining one skate up in front of the other heel-toe for rapid turns and carves, it becomes a lot like both disciplines. Also, when you're good enough to rollerblade mainly by "rocking" as opposed to just pushing off, that motion is almost directly analogous to ski carving.

An skate boarding/longboarding is alot closer to snowboarding than mountain biking, but if your comparing both sports to mountain biking then I would have said they're both pretty similar in many respects.