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Skier-boarder feud still exists

Sylas Wright
Sierra Sun

There was an article that ran here on Dec. 26, “Accepted on the slopes ” finally,” that broke down the skier-snowboarder rivalry for what it once was and is, or isn’t, today.

The gist of the story went something like this:

Snowboarding, the once-loathed bratty sibling of its long-reigning counterpart on the slopes, slowly but surely has gained acceptance. The feud is over. No longer do skiers look down upon snowboarders, who are now permitted to ride at all but four resorts in the country ” Taos, N.M., Deer Valley and Alta, Utah, and Mad River Glen in Vermont.



Indeed, the two sides have come a long way in narrowing the rift. I was sure the beef was a thing of the past.

But after relocating to the Truckee-Tahoe area, it’s clear that there still exists a divisive line between the two sports, or at least among the people who claim one or the other.



It’s not everywhere. It’s not extreme to the point of causing trouble. But it’s there.

Around here folks talk snow sports, no matter what the season. Therein lies the question: “You ski or snowboard?”

“Snowboard.”

Scoff, verbal jab, snicker.

“Is there a problem with that?”

Yes, according to some ” enough to compel me to put words down on the subject.

If this is the case, it must go both ways, with that snide attitude reciprocated by snowboarders.

Maybe that surprises me only because of my snow-sliding background. Back home I rode with, well, friends from home, bands of locals who could care less what was attached to other friends’ feet. The only stipulation was that he or she not hold up the group.

It could be that my clique, being such an even mix of skiers and snowboarders and all, was somewhat of an anomaly because I just don’t see that same interaction around here. And I certainly hear more derision in conversations about “the other” downhill pastime.

Maybe it’s competitiveness, habit, impatience (waiting for a snowboarder to strap in can take as long as an entire half minute).

Oh well. For what it is, at least the feud is void of the animosity that once defined the icy relationship between the two sports. Now it stops short of detest for one another, kind of like Jeeps versus Toyotas in the world of four-wheel drive zealots.

But in spite of the data that suggests the two have developed a peas-and-carrots relationship, the skier-snowboarder rivalry remains very much intact today. Spark a debate about it and see for yourself.

Sylas Wright is the sports editor at the Sierra Sun. He can be reached at swright@sierrasun.com.


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