Snowboards, Surfboards, Skateboards

How much overlap is there between surfing and snowboarding?

Not much, if you believe an unsigned article in the Delaware Coast Press:

Surfers hone wave-riding skills in sidewalk surfing
May 3, 2006

I sometimes hear novices or beginners say that they want to learn to surf and they relate their skateboard and snowboard experience as somehow being relevant to a quick learning experience. Well, let me tell you something. It’s not. Snowboarding and skateboarding are similar, but they aren’t really similar to surfing.

Take for instance, the turn. Seeing a snowboarder do a big carve or a skateboarder bomb a hill, you may see turns that are reminiscent of surfing. But really, they are accomplishing completely different things. Snowboarding and downhill skateboarding turns are designed to control your speed. You’re actually trying to slow down and carving is the most fun way of doing it. In surfing, however, turning is the means of generating speed, especially if you’re riding a three finned board. But even riding single fins you are turning to return to the source of power. If you take off and head straight off on a board you will quickly run out of speed and fall off. Not so on a snowboard or skateboard. So it is imperative that you are constantly turning to stay in the curl to keep up your speed.