What is more expensive, skiing or snowboarding?
Ski equipment, primarily boots, bindings, and skis are double the price of snowboard gear (snowboard, boots, and bindings), while the rest of the expenses are identical.
Plus ski poles for skiers.
Ski vs Snowboard Equipment Comparison
Equipment Prices: Snowboard vs Skis
The first snowboard on the left is a Snurfer - - “Some examples of historic snowboards seen at the Brighton Resort in Utah (provided by the Snowboard Museum)” - Quote and Image Source: Flickr
Snowboarding equipment is cheaper than ski gear. The board, boots, and bindings are less expensive than skis and ski-specific boots and bindings.
In 1965, Sherman Poppen created the Snurfer by bolting together two skis for his daughter. By the late 1970s, Burton improved upon Poppen’s design by experimenting with fiberglass, foam, and laminated wood, which made the boards faster and more maneuverable and coined the term snowboard.
During the early days of snowboard, snowboarders saw themselves as counterculture and opposed to the expensive hobby of skiing.
Ski Pass
(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Regardless of whether you ski or snowboard, you still need to buy the same season pass or lift ticket.
Season Pass Prices
The Epic Pass, Ikon, and Mountain Collective pass all cost between $500 to USD 1,100, depending on when you purchase the pass.
Lift Ticket: $50 to $220 depending on resort/ski area and month.
Non-Equipment Gear
Non-equipment gear is everything other than the board/skis, bindings, boots, and ski poles.
This includes your jacket, snow pants, goggles, helmet, gloves, hat, ski mask, base layers, socks, etc.
This gear can get expensive quickly and can easily cost the same or more than your skis/snowboard, boots, and bindings.
Final Thoughts
Skiing and snowboarding have near-identical costs except for the riding equipment. Skis, ski boots, and ski bindings cost about double the price of snowboards, snowboard boots, and snowboard bindings. Skiers additionally have the added cost of ski poles.
The initial equipment cost of skiing is double that of snowboarding. However, ski passes, lift tickets, clothing, helmets, goggles, lodging, food, etc are identical between skiers and snowboarders.
Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: Mountain biking, bicycle commuting, snowboarding, reading, weight-lifting, taster of craft beers, & ski resort/area connoisseur.
