Ice is Nicer on a Board

While powder is great for skiing or riding, many of us in the East or Midwest have to deal with ice on the slopes. And that’s a place where snowboards may have an advantage. At least that’s my tentative conclusion from a recent day on the slopes.

I’m a fair intermediate skier who can, in some situations, deal with ice. But my last time out on a board lead me through trails where loose snow would give way to ice. It wouldn’t have been the most pleasant experience had I been on skis.

But on a board, if I ever felt like the ice and grade were too much for me to handle, instinctively I made a sideslip, which put my board perpendicular to the fall line.

This gave me enough time to figure out what to do next. And of course, it stopped me cold, which in this case, was a good thing.

It is possible do to this on skis, but in that case, you have to get two skis to work together. It’s hard to explain, but the task of a making a sudden stop like this is easier on a board.