After my brief stint at surfing in Mexico, obviously I’m no pro, but it reassured
me that skiing is the ultimate sport and way better than surfing. Here’s why:
1. When surfing, one is constantly susceptible to being stung by jellyfish, pricked by sea urchins and other creepy, unseen sea critters. During ski season, most mountain animals are in hibernation and few are truly dangerous.
2. With surfing, nearly all players are attached to their boards with a leash…mainly so they don’t lose their ride when they wreck. When skiing, only the tele-skiers and gapers typically wear leashes, why…is anyone’s guess.
3. When surfing, painful rashes from the surfboard seem almost inevitable unless you cover yourself with a wetsuit, which can be uncomfortable in the hot sun. With skiing, at least when you toes are getting frostbite and ready to fall off, they are numb and pain free.
4. Though there is nearly an endless supply of ocean, you can really only surf when there are good waves. Whether it’s nordic, alpine, or backcountry, all you need is snow to ski.
5. When surfing, sand can sneak its way into nearly every nook and cranny on your body and rub you in places you don’t want. A blast of snow in the face is often what you are after when skiing and can truly be invigorating.
6. Yeah, in surfing there are plenty of skimpy bikini clad ladies on the beach and on the waves, but showing all that skin kind of takes the mystery out of what’s underneath when you’re going for second base. With skiing, it’s all guess work as to what hiding under all those layers, though wearing great fitting Arc’teryx gear helps.
7. Swallowing seawater and bobbing up and down on the waves all day can ultimately make one sick, especially after a long night of tequila drinking. With skiing, that floaty, bottomless feeling is really what you are after and the definition of the perfect run.
8. When surfing, most people need to continually slather themselves up with greasy, slimy and expensive sunscreen on every exposed part of their body, which seems to come off easily in the water and with sweat. One small application of sunscreen is often sufficient for a good part of the day, and most of the time is only needed on the face.
9. Good surf breaks are often heavily guarded by locals and pro’s, and newbies are regularly hazed and deterred when trying to ride them, and even a handful of people can make a surf-break feel crowded. With skiing, the whole mountain is your playground and there is often plenty of room for everyone.
10. With surfing, it seems like much of the surfer’s time is spent floating around, waiting for the right swell and if you miss it, or someone else is already on the inside, you’re hosed. At least with skiing, you’re getting a workout getting to the stash or able to do “other things” when riding the lifts.
Bonus!
With surfing, long-boards are for the rookies and beginners. When skiing, real men ride big skis.
Agree or disagree…or have your own differences to add?
Leave them in the comments section!!
When surfing pow you can pick the size of the wave you want to ride and ride it all day long. Surfing, every set is a crap shoot.
When a storm blows out there are always steep north facing trees to surf as opposed to surfing the couch.
Good one’s Chris…thanks for commenting!! 🙂
Tele skiers wear leashes because management at areas make them. I haven’t skied in spandex since the 80’s though.
Funny…the only time I have used leashes…I’ve been wearing spandex too! What does that tell you? 😆
Ha! Great post. I just figure skiing is awesome and surfing is too. Out here in Northern California, my favorite surf spots are a mere 3 hours from my favorite backcountry ski lines so making that judgment call seems a little unnecessary.
Although, while the statistics say otherwise, I’m still a little more scared of sharks than I am of slabs. So maybe skiing wins after all. 🙂
If I could instantly become better at surfing…I probably would agree. There are some standing waves here on the Snake River that people surf sometimes…so it wouldn’t be too inconvenient to get on a wave. Looks like fun!
Good points Steve.
But the one picture looks like it does a good job of trumping them.
Hehehehe! Good eye Bill!
How’s Shasta skiing?
Steve,
Re: number 3, two words: Rash Guard. 🙂
skiing is better than surfing for you steve becuase of one obvious reason: you dont know how to surf. kinda like a pro surfer saying that skiing the bunny slopes isnt as good as surfing. sorry, a couple of weeks hanging out with your j hole budddies in sayulita and trying to longboard small crappy waves doesnt count. let us know after youve gotten barreled and spit out of a 10 foot bomb. which, will probably never happen in your lifetime.
Right…and you will never be able to find a sense of humor in YOUR lifetime. Ahhhh…the obvious (me not knowing how to surf) is SO refreshing.
And it wasn’t Sayulita. Zippers…duh!
all i know is i have skied all of my life and surfed on and off for about half of it and if i could go back in time and revisit my best day ever, i would choose surfing remote in baja in may of 1992.
Surfing might be a close second; no, on second thought a distant third, after skiing and climbing. I’m with you Rando, Mountains First!
Roller skating first,ski touring on a monoboard a close second,surfing with a super model priceless!
Ah spoken like a real grommet or someone who lives no-where near the ocean! I must take umbrage with the long board comment. A much better comparision would be long board riders = backcountry skiers (probably telemark), all those short board riders are the equivalent of the punters on alpine rigs in a resort!
You’re really missing out, summer = waves, winter = slopes, the best of both worlds! (Of course it helps when the beach is only two hours from the mountain.
Just a quick look at big wave skiing in Montana. Who needs the ocean?! I guess one similarity b/t skiing and surfing is that you are hoping that you ride the wave….and the wave doesn’t ride you!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FlJKwZdbic
wholly big wave Joshua!
shhh…leave the counter out of this! its bad enough you need to wait in line for 20 surfers to front surf for 10 minutes at a time.
get chundered off a steep wave on the North Shore hit your head on a rock and drown. Or, get caught in a slide in the North Shore(Jackson Hole) hit your head on a rock and suffocate.
Spend some more time to really learn the sport, and I’m sure some of your opinions will change. 😉