Skiing versus Snowboarding
We never seemed to be able to get away from the great debate on whether skiing or snowboarding is better whenever we go on ski trips. I’m quite neutral on the subject, although I prefer skiing to snowboarding since it’s less painful. However, I hate it when snowboarders make the claim that snowboarding is superior to skiing.
Granted, times have changed and snowboarding is gaining popularity as an extreme sport while skiing is no longer considered cool to the youngsters. The older generation will consider James Bond as the suave icon, who was involved in a ski chase in The Spy Who Loved Me. The younger crowd, however, relates better to Xander Cage (acted by muscleman Vin Diesel) in Triple X, who unbelievably snowboarded faster than an avalanche.
But it’s pointless to argue about the superiority of snowboarding over skiing, since they have as much in common as apples and oranges. Skiing is about control and speed, while snowboarding is more about creativity and technique. You don’t see skiers challenging snowboarders on half-pipes, and snowboarders don’t stand a chance against skiers in alpine racing.
I finally came up with an analogy which everyone could agree on. Skiing is like Formula One racing, while snowboarding is more like rally racing. If you think about it, this analogy is as good as it gets.
Leave it to the man who likes to sit on the fence on almost every issue to settle an argument peacefully.